Lord Mayor of London set for Leeds visit to showcase city as "a leading financial centre in the UK"

The Lord Mayor of London is set to to visit Leeds on Thursday (July 28) to discuss relations between London, the world’s leading financial centre, and Leeds, which has established banking, legal, and services industries.

Alderman Jeffrey Mountevans, the Lord Mayor, will meet business leaders in the city region as part of a visit organised by Leeds Chamber, part of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

He will meet with several significant employers in Leeds, including Vodafone to speak about their ‘Smart City’ campaign alongside Dr. Chris Seir of Newcastle University, an expert on fintech.

The Lord Mayor will also be visiting the Yorkshire Building Society to discuss the future of financial services at a breakfast roundtable with politicians and business leaders.

Speaking ahead of his visit, the Lord Mayor said: “As a leading financial centre in the UK, Leeds is key to facilitating economic growth, and creating quality jobs in the UK. It is important for us at the City of London to continue to work closely with the growing cities like Leeds to nurture this future growth.

“Leeds hosts more than 40,000 workers in the financial and professional services sectors, and indeed is the third largest centre for banking in the UK. Leeds also has vibrant legal and management consulting industries and growing Leeds’ international presence in these sectors is vital.

“We are engaging with the Government and EU policy makers to ensure that the interests and competitiveness needs of the UK-based financial and professional services industry are heard and recognised.”

The Lord Mayor Mountevans, the 688th incumbent of a role that dates back centuries, will meet with business leaders at a working lunch to highlight how links between London and Leeds’ financial services sectors can be mutually beneficial.

He will also discuss the importance of strong infrastructure and connectivity in regards to driving growth, as well as how the UK can maintain its status as a world leader in services and advanced manufacturing.

The Lord Mayor Mountevans will later attend a private dinner with representatives from the Leeds University Business School, as well as Leeds Chamber, Bradford Chamber and Leeds City Council.

Gerald Jennings, president of Leeds Chamber, said: “Leeds has long been known as a strong city for financial, legal and banking services, but it is increasingly being viewed as one of the key UK technology and digital centres and a place where innovation happens.

“With the increasing convergence of these sectors Leeds is one of the driving forces behind the ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘FinTech’ agenda. Connections to the City of London are vital if we are to maximise the economic benefits from these new technologies and we are very pleased the Lord Mayor is able to meet some of the people behind this activity.”

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