Welcome to the Prosperity and Regeneration pages of the Bradford Observatory. These pages will provide you with access to the most recent information and intelligence that support this theme of the Big Plan. Economic success and physical regeneration are critical to the success of the The Big Plan, providing the resources and places we need to achieve our other ambitions. Equipping people with the skills, knowledge and ability to succeed at work is fundamental to improving everyone’s wellbeing, and to removing the barriers faced by people in more deprived communities (The Big Plan).

• The Bradford District Economy is worth around £7 billion, the third largest in the region.

• Around 15,000 businesses provide 195,500 jobs and local residents hold about 78% of these.

• …has the fastest rate of economic growth in West Yorkshire …with a projected 50,000 increase in the number of local jobs.

• …home to a number of large businesses with recognised brands operating on a national and international scale such as Wm Morrison, Yorkshire Building Society, and Hallmark Cards.

• Our visitor economy has grown, year on year, to a value of £500m in 2007.

• Business start-up and survival rates are also improving faster than national and regional averages.