The Leeds Initiative has begun initial work to develop a new Vision for Leeds, which will look at the long-term needs of the city between now and 2030.

At its meeting on 25 March the Leeds Initiative Executive agreed that a new vision should be commissioned, given that we are now living in a climate that has radically changed environmentally, economically and demographically.

The first steps in developing the new Vision were taken in June with at a meeting of the Leeds Initiative Assembly at the Leeds City Museum. It provided an opportunity for table discussions from the 120 people present, followed by interactive voting on 12 of the issues which emerged from the discussions.

Following additional research carried out over the summer, the Leeds Initiative team interviewed 23 thematic experts from our partner organisations to prepare a paper which sets out ‘Where are we now’. This aims to be the starting point to encourage thinking about what should or should not change in the future. The headings reflect what we believe are essential issues for us to consider in relation to the new Vision, but will not necessarily be the final themes that emerge.

The autumn cycle of Leeds Initiative partnership meetings is being used to test the theses set out in the ‘Where are we now’ paper, and partnerships will be able to express views on the Vision overall and the direction of individual themes. Download the 'Where are we now' paper by using the link to the right.

A Vision Steering Group will begin meeting in early 2010 to direct the work and ensure that all partners are able to contribute.

In the meantime, let us know what you think at our online forum - www.leedsinitiative.org/visionforleeds