The potential regeneration of Bradford is one thing and it is good that the City Park is moving on and it is encouraging we have seen some new shops opening.

But there is a lot more to reviving a city like Bradford than physical regeneration.

As a new report from the Trades Union Congress shows, the state of the city’s job market is very depressed.

We still have a higher than national average of employment in manufacturing which leaves the city prone to job losses. And we still have the full impact of the Council’s cuts to spending on the local labour market to come.

The latest report from the TUC paints a very gloomy picture, with 9.1 people fighting for every available vacancy according to its figures. They show the number of people claiming job seekers allowance in Bradford has doubled in the past six years, with 16,178 people claiming it in March this year.

Sadly, when you take into account the factors outlined above, this is a situation that is not going to get better quickly.

There has been some positive news, with plans for an extra 250 jobs at Provident’s new call centre and almost 200 by the Italian Furniture Company’s proposed development at Lidget Green.

But more needs to be done to bring investment in to keep driving the city forward.

The Council needs to redouble its efforts to squeeze more money out of the Government to help support the creation of new jobs by attracting more new businesses to set up here.

That is the only way to help to grow the city’s economy and carry it forward hand in hand with the ongoing regeneration.