India trade trip 'a sign of intent' - say mayors

Yorkshire's mayors have declared their recent trade trip to India a "no brainer" and say they will go "wherever we need to" to help the region.

The trio of leaders travelled to Hyderabad and Mumbai last month to promote Yorkshire's business and education opportunities, signing a number of deals in the process.

However, questions have been raised over the cost of the trip to taxpayers, with the exact price yet to be revealed.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said it was "100 times worth the cost of going", while North Yorkshire's David Skaith has pledged the price will be presented "in due course".

Brabin and Skaith were joined by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, with a view to showcasing Yorkshire to India "as one team".

Deals signed include a health partnership with the IKP Knowledge Park in Hyderabad's Genome Valley and a textiles agreement between the University of Huddersfield and the Indian Technical Textile Association.

India is the world's sixth biggest economy, just behind the UK, and a new trade deal between the two countries started in July this year.

The government said the deal would be worth £170m to Yorkshire and the Humber, while exports from West, South and York and North Yorkshire to India more than doubled between 2021 and 2023 to about £770m a year.

But the question with these stories is how much do trips like this cost the taxpayer?

Brabin had already be quizzed by BBC Radio Leeds listeners about whether she would be turning left or right when she got on the plane to India.

She told them she had never flown business class as mayor.

But she insisted mayors, business leaders and universities needed to be in the room to do deals.

"It's a no brainer. The relationships that we are deepening really are paying off," she said.

"We know that across the whole of Yorkshire we have 80,000 Indian heritage citizens, in West Yorkshire alone it's 60,000.

"Being able to build on the diaspora we have here, make those connections and to have that trust and confidence makes a massive difference.

"You can't do that on a Zoom, it's 100 times worth the cost of going."

Skaith sought to reassure residents the financial breakdown would be revealed - but agreed with Brabin it was worth making the trip.

"It is worth it - we're still working on the costs as we speak and we will present the full costing of the entire trip in due course," he said.

"We want to be able to tell the full story what it cost but also what our business, colleges and university got out of it as well."

On the banks of Powai Lake, just north of the huge city of Mumbai, you can now study for a degree from the University of York.

The campus opened up earlier this year, complete with a mural of much-missed duck mascot Long Boi.

Lindsay Oades, provost of the University of York in Mumbai, said the branch aimed to build up student numbers.

"We're looking at an intake of around 270 students in the first year... and that should go up to 3,000-4,000 students each year over the coming years," he said.

Student fees at the Indian campus are about half of what it costs to study in York itself.

Prof Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York at the time the deal was confirmed, said it would be "a really exciting venture" and a chance to contribute to the education of India's "future leaders and entrepreneurs".

Skaith said it was important that different sectors benefited from the trade mission.

"It's the first time we've ever done something like this. It's not just about businesses, it's about the academic side," he said.

"We have a world now where things on the international stage are very complex at times, obviously looking at what's happening in the US in particular, so for us to build strong links with India, who are one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is key for York and North Yorkshire."

Coppard said more trips would happen in future, with the India trip a "massive sign of intent".

He said: "It won't just be India. We will go wherever we need to in order to ensure that jobs and growth come to South Yorkshire.

"These things do cost money but the return on that investment is significant because it's about more jobs, more growth in South Yorkshire.

"Some of it is very tangible - engineering firm Raghu Vamsi is now investing seven-figure sums in South Yorkshire because of the relationship - but less tangibly it's about the links between Yorkshire and India."