How officials are trying to reduce effects of recession

And as the recession bites even deeper, a warning comes that the banking crisis could be the tip of the iceberg, with new research saying up to 10,000 jobs could be lost in Bradford by this time next year.

But as grim as the picture is for those who have been told they are losing their jobs already, is the wider picture as bleak?

Those in charge of regeneration say that there is plenty going on to be positive about in Bradford.

The headline figures from the latest report, however, make for worrying reading.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs could be lost in Bradford by the end of 2009, according to research by strategy consultancy Local Futures Group.

Regeneration chiefs and Bradford MPs, however, have said work with Yorkshire Forward and the Government has put the city in a better position than most to avoid the estimated losses.

Research published in the Local Government Chronicle Local Futures Group director John Fisher places Bradford as the fourth most vulnerable city for job losses by place of residence, and 11th by place of work.

The research assessed levels of employment in the most vulnerable services – construction, financial services, metals, motor manufacturing, restaurants, retail and transport – and created a table of the top 20 most vulnerable districts.

The research has placed 0.83 per cent of Bradford’s residential population and 0.74 per cent of Bradford’s working population at risk of unemployment.

Councillor Adrian Naylor, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration and economy, said Mr Fisher started his work from the premise that there will be a million more people unemployed nationwide, over and above the current levels, in the next year.

But with the help of the Government, the Council, along with Yorkshire Forward, hopes to bring forward projects already in the pipeline.

He said: “We are working hard with Yorkshire Forward to look at projects we already have in the pipeline, specifically around the centre of Bradford and along the Airedale corridor, to look at opportunities where we knew we were going to expand. These type of projects will create a lot of construction-related jobs.

“What we are trying to do is bring them as far forward as we can.”

Councillor Naylor cited the £750m Learning Quarter and the Park At The Heart projects which could help produce jobs.

He also described in the Advanced Digital Institute in the Airedale corridor, as “Bradford’s best kept secret”.

He said: “What we are in a position for now is when the Government started to look towards what programmes could be brought forward, if we can fund them, we already have programmes that are scoped and planned and could be brought forward with the funds.”

Coun Naylor said he was also trying to organise a “suppliers’ event” to allow local small and medium-sized firms to be made aware of contracts being put out by large public organisations in the local strategic partnership, which they otherwise may not have known about.

He said: “What I am trying to do is get a whole raft of initiatives going to try and make the recession in Bradford as shallow as possible and get it over as quickly as possible.

“But the Government has got to come up with the money to get the projects up and running.

“Bradford knows what it needs to do in order to get itself out of here – what it needs is Government support to do it.”

Bradford Chamber President Balbir Panesar said the impact on local employment was worrying, if the Local Futures Group projection was accurate.

He said: “With Leeds being near the top of the list, that is a concern. We think that there is probably an estimated 25,000 Bradfordians who commute to Leeds each day, with perhaps 18,000 coming in the opposite direction.

“I should add, though, that companies will avoid job losses if at all possible – it’s just not good company business to lay off good staff that they know and trust only to start recruiting again when they start picking up the pieces.”

The announcement from Spanish banking giant Santander on Friday will not have helped matters. Santander owns the Abbey, which has head offices in Bradford city centre, and parts of the Brad-ford & Bingley that were hived off during the Government’s nationalisation of the troubled former building society.

With fears that hundreds of jobs could be lost in the Bradford district from that swing of the axe, local MPs are worried.

Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies, whose constituency includes the Bradford & Bingley head office in Crossflatts, said: “I guessed West Yorkshire would be badly hit because of HBOS and Bradford & Bingley.

“As far as I am concerned we need some incentives to encourage business to locate into West Yorkshire.”

On the Santander announcement, Mr Davies said: “It is not a great surprise, to be honest. I think that it has been expected that there would be job losses in the banking area. It was inevitable, particularly at Abbey after they merged. It is a huge tragedy for people concerned and their families and all we can do is try to make sure people who lose their jobs have other jobs to go to.

“We need to attract other financial institutions to come to the Bradford district. We will have so many skilled workers in our area and it would be a travesty if they were not utilised. We need investment in West Yorkshire.”

Keighley and Ilkley Labour MP Ann Cryer said: “It is going to be so bad in West Yorkshire. We have to look at what happened in Northern Ireland when no one wanted to take their businesses there – they were offered incentives.

“I think that through Yorkshire Forward and local councils in the area, they ought to offer the incentives for financial institutions to come into the area. This way we can make sure people who have the skills can use them.”

Bradford North Labour MP Terry Rooney described the research as speculation.

He said: “Yorkshire Forward are saying we are the least or second-least affected area in the countr – the most affected areas are the South East and London.

“We had our problems in the 80s or 90s – that is when we suffered.

“There is obviously an economic downturn. How it will manifest itself is not apparent. A lot of work is going on with Yorkshire Forward and the Government with initiatives including a 100 million training pool.”

Labour group leader Councillor Ian Greenwood said it was clear the whole economy is going through a downturn but to predict which parts of the country will be worst hit was “not much more than ambulance chasing”.

He said: “Yes, we are going to lose jobs in a downturn of this nature. All of us should be working to try and ensure that the economy does as well as possible in a difficult situation.”