Council chiefs have been holding talks with the bosses of some of Bradford’s major companies to get their active support for boosting the local economy as the baton for economic development passes to the private sector.

Bradford Council’s chief executive Tony Reeves has been meeting chief executives of firms to get them to add weight to Bradford’s case for Government support for economic initiatives.

The Government wants business and Councils to work together on job creation and economic regeneration, based on Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Regional Growth Fund.

The talks were revealed at a meeting of the Bradford Professional Network at which Mr Reeves and Council leader Ian Greenwood spoke.

Coun Greenwood said Bradford had to believe in itself and having business ‘big hitters’ on board would be a boost.

Mr Reeves said the business leaders had shown a willingness to get involved and do their bit.

The move follows a recent pledge by Morrisons’ boss Dalton Philips that the supermarket group will play a bigger role in supporting Bradford.

He told Bradford Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner in November that Morrisons would make its Gain Lane head office available for business events as well as helping to promote Bradford as a place to invest and do business.

Chamber chief executive Sandy Needham said news of the meetings between Mr Reeves and company chiefs was encouraging.

She said: “Such meetings do take place to ensure the Council is informed about local companies’ plans for investment and employment and such meetings are held regularly.

“We were encouraged by what Dalton Philips had to say and I’m sure that having other heads of leading firms involved in efforts to help Bradford is a good move and very encouraging.”

Coun Greenwood and Mr Reeves said it was essential for business people to play a leading role in the new Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, covering 11 local authority areas, including Bradford.

The LEP board, chaired by leading Leeds lawyer Neil McLean, was being recruited and would consist of representatives of business and local government.

Coun Greenwood said that as the leader of a district with a local economy of £7.5 billion, he expected to be on it, saying: “There’ll be trouble if I’m not!”

One of those responsible for deciding which projects receive a slice of the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund over the next four years said they would act like Scrooge rather than Father Christmas.

Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, deputy chairman of the Fund’s independent advisory panel, told a business magazine the first successful bids should be announced in March.

Sandy Needham understood that about 60 bids from this region had been submitted to the RGF. The key criteria for winning support was proving that a project would create private sector jobs.

‘Retread’ bids from agencies delivering previously publicly-funded schemes would be unlikely to succeed, she said.