Eurocities

Leeds City Council, in partnership with the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, is an active member of Eurocities.

Eurocities is the largest network of European cities. It includes over 200 large cities among our membership, representing more than 150 million people across 38 countries, from within and outside the European Union.

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The network provides an opportunity for Leeds to meet similar cities tackling similar problems, exchange ideas and work together to bring positive change. We address global issues at the local level, from climate change to integration to the digital transition, among many others.

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Intercultural Cities

Leeds is proud to be one of the most diverse cities in the UK, and is a home to over 160 different nationalities. To support the city’s work around diversity, Leeds joined the Intercultural Cities Network (ICC) which is coordinated by the Council of Europe.

The network supports local authorities to help them manage diversity positively and build bridges of understanding and respect between diverse communities.

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ICC has supported Leeds, in partnership with Camden, to run the Brave Spaces project to tackle misinformation at a local level, as well as the Rainbow Connections project, in partnership with Oeiras in Portugal, project to tackle anti-LGBT+ discrimination.

Culture Next

The network is made up of current and former candidates to the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) title. The mission of the network is to support cities to implement culture-led urban development programmes and policies, building on the experiences, participatory processes and collaborations established during the preparation for the ECoC bid.

In 2017 Leeds was preparing to bid to become European Capital of Culture for 2023. However, the UK’s decision to leave the European Union meant that this was no longer possible. Despite this setback, Leeds with the support of members of the Culture Next network successfully ran its own acclaimed international festival of culture, Leeds 2023.

OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth 

Leeds’s ambition is to have a strong economy, within a compassionate city. This is being delivered through the Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy which seeks to ensure that the benefits of prosperity reach all our communities and citizens.

Leeds is not the only city taking this approach. The Champion Mayors Initiative brings together a coalition of global city leaders, including the Mayors of Paris, New York and Tokyo, who have committed to tackling inequalities and promoting more inclusive economic growth in cities.