Wakefield high street taskforce

Watch the short video on Building a fairer future and its plan at Wakefield Council, to make the district an even better place to live.

It is an exciting time for Wakefield as we are in the delivery phase of our Towns Deal projects.

The investment made possible by the Towns Deal will see our economy flourish through a focus on regenerating our city centre.

The aim of the Towns Fund is to deliver long term economic and productive growth through:

urban regeneration, planning and land use
making sure Wakefield is a thriving place for people to live and work by attracting more people into our city centre
strengthening local businesses and supporting our local heritage and culture
identifying areas requiring improvements and considering how we can deliver this through site:
- acquisition
- preparation
- remediation
- regeneration
making full use of the planning system to support a positive strategic direction and provide effective changes

The Towns Fund prospectus which details the guidelines set by Government is available here.

The Wakefield Taskforce played a key role in shaping the vision and strategy for the city centre. They created a Town Investment Plan and developed business cases for the towns deal projects.

Membership

Chair – Awaiting appointment - Could you be our new Taskforce Chair? View the job description here.

Deputy Chair - Kevin Trickett MBE

Kevin is a lifelong resident of Wakefield with a strong connection to the city. He spent 40 years in the Civil Service, reaching a senior position as a project and programme manager. Now, Kevin focuses on charity work, writing, public speaking, and exploring the world through travel.

Kevin has been the President of Wakefield Civic Society since 2002, having first joined the Society’s Executive Committee in 1990. He also chairs the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies (YHACS).

In addition to serving on the High Street Task Force, Kevin is a member of the Creative Wakefield Board. He has held trustee positions at Wakefield arts charity Beam. Here he served as deputy chair, and the Community Foundation for Wakefield District.

Kevin was awarded an MBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for ‘services to the community in Wakefield’.

All Members

Chair – Awaiting appointment
Councillor Darren Byford - Deputy Chair - Wakefield Council
Kevin Trickett – Deputy Chair – Wakefield Civic Society
Jonathan Allum – Allum's Butchers
Stephen Baker – John Baker & Sons Ltd
Rev Simon Cowling – Wakefield Cathedral
Mark Lynam – Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
Judith Furlonger – West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Martin Hathaway – Chamber of Commerce
Tony Hodges – Wakefield Business Improvement District
Richard Low – Orion
Brandon Titterington - Jordan’s Solicitors
Tim Welton - Williams & Co
Simon Wallis – The Hepworth
Sam Wright – Wakefield College
Sue Young – Wakefield District Housing

How do I get involved?

It is important for Wakefield residents to take part in this process. It will help them understand what they appreciate about their city and how they want it to meet the needs of the present and the future. There will be many public consultations during Wakefield's city centre Towns Fund projects.

Watch this space for news from Task Force meetings and information about future ways to get involved. If you have any comments or questions, please use the contact information below.

To view, our governance documents and Wakefield high street taskforce meeting minutes go to our Wakefield high street taskforce document library.

Contact Us

regeneration@wakefield.gov.uk

0345 8 506 506

City Regeneration Team Floor 2 Wakefield One Burton Street Wakefield WF1 2EB