Our People and Places
Our People and Places
Bradford District is alive with the energy, enterprise and ambition to be expected from one of the UK’s biggest, youngest and most diverse cities. The district is home to over half a million people, innovative, enterprising and globally connected businesses, inventive, forward thinking public services and a strong and vibrant VCSE sector. It is increasing in size and diversity and offers unrivalled potential for economic growth.
Big. Bradford is the country’s 5th biggest metropolitan district, home to over 563,600 people, 16,600 businesses, over 5,000 VCSE organisations and almost 16,000 volunteers. The population continues to grow, with the most recent forecasts predicting it to reach over 570,000 by 2032.
Young. 28% of the population is under 20 and 22.3% under the age of 16 so ensuring that this is a great place for children to grow up and succeed in is a priority.
Diverse. Bradford has a long history of migration, from within the UK, Europe, South Asia and the Caribbean and has more recently welcomed people from Syria, Afghanistan and Africa. Our diversity continues to increase with the proportion of people from ethnic minorities rising from 36.1% to 43.3% between 2011 and 2021 and 165 languages are spoken in our schools. Over 25% of people are of Pakistani heritage, the second highest proportion in the country.
Bradford district ‘s 141 square miles include a mixture of urban and rural, city, towns and villages including Bradford itself, Keighley, Shipley, Bingley and Ilkley and the tourist attractions of Haworth and Saltaire World Heritage Site. Two thirds of the district is rural.
The district’s scale and complex diversity of people and places requires local partners to serve, work, engage with, and represent a wide range of individuals, communities and businesses with multiple and differing needs and interests.
Home to a wealth of assets and opportunities
Bradford offers a wealth of assets and openings which collectively represent an unprecedented opportunity to generate growth at scale, improve health, wellbeing and quality of life and to provide everyone with chances to achieve their potential.
A £13 billion economy with 16,000 businesses including a strong and innovative manufacturing sector with strengths in in digital, advanced manufacturing, space and satellite technology, health innovation and sustainability.
High business start-up rates, support for small businesses and work life balance are among the factors that have seen Bradford named as the UK’s most entrepreneurial city, achieve a place in the Sunday Times top 20 places to do business and be named as Barclays best place to start a business.
Exports - our globally connected businesses export goods and services valued at £2.7bn a year; 60% of exports go to non-EU markets.
Culture and creative industries are at the heart of Bradford’s plans for growth and UK City of Culture 2025 will build a legacy of growth and participation in cultural activities and industries with a lasting impact on health, wealth and quality of life.
Private and public sector investment and partnerships have transformed our city centre through a high quality pedestrianised public realm, One City Park Grade A office space, Bradford Live and Darley Street market.
A long-term pipeline of infrastructure projects includes work to connect Bradford to the mainline TransPennine Express line and build a new city centre station and West Yorkshire Mass Transit System. Together these would unlock Bradford’s Southern Gateway a development area with the potential to be the “Kings’ Cross of the North” delivering thousands of new homes, offices and jobs alongside our plans for City Village a pioneering inner-city, low-carbon neighbourhood.
In Keighley and Shipley, Towns Fund projects are supporting skills, business growth and the visitor economy while Airedale Hospital is among wave one of the new hospital building programme offering opportunities for health, jobs and regeneration.
Bradford is part of the £1.8bn West Yorkshire devolution deal with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) among the next in line for an integrated financial settlement. Delivering Bradford’s growth priorities is key to WYCA’s Local Growth Plan.
Leading the way on sustainability Bradford’s Clean Air Zone is delivering better health and reducing pressure on the NHS. Meanwhile partners are working to deliver a city centre District Heat Network and the UK’s biggest art hydrogen refuelling station.
The University of Bradford is a leader on sustainable growth, space, and AI technology.
Living Well is the Bradford district whole systems approach to healthy weight and wellbeing. It coordinates activity that contributes towards creating a district where it is easier to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
Born in Bradford is a unique health data analytics resource focussed on early years and evidencing effective preventative and early help interventions and maintaining Bradford’s longstanding reputation as a centre of pioneering social reform.
A large and vibrant VCSE includes 1489 registered Charities, Community Benefit Societies and Social Enterprises rising to over 5000 including unregistered charities, community associations, sports clubs and informal groups. VCSE turnover of the 699 largest groups in 2024-25 was over £176m and there are almost 16,000 registered volunteers.
The schools linking network pioneered in Bradford delivers excellence in building cohesion and links between communities. Bradford is the north’s first RSA City of Learning and is home to some outstanding practice in skills and work with NEETs.
Green Space, Heritage and quality of life. Bradford District offers exceptional quality of life with outstanding landscapes and urban green space alongside stunning architectural heritage including Saltaire World Heritage Site, Bradford’s Victorian centre and Bingley’s five rise locks. The world’s first UNESCO City of Film, the District’s cultural assets also include the National Science and Media Museum, Alhambra Theatre, Kala Sangam Arts Centre, Bronte Parsonage, and Keighley and Worth Valley Railway which sit alongside a vibrant and growing contemporary cultural and culinary offer.
Bradford is a City of Sanctuary and a national innovator and leader on approaches to building community cohesion and bringing diverse communities together.
Collaboration is essential to achieving our ambitions. Bradford has a strong tradition of people and organisations- public, private and third sector - working together to improve lives for people in the district that goes back many years. Free school meals started in Bradford along with many other pioneering social changes. This spirit of working together to focus on difficult issues is a key asset in the district.