Our Culture and Economy team works across sectors to enable people and businesses in Leeds to thrive and to enrich the experience of everyone who lives here, works here or visits the city.  

Our purpose is to:

• enable businesses and cultural organisations to locate in Leeds, start up and grow through the delivery of targeted business support services and grants programmes  
• advocate for businesses and cultural organisations, building a resilient future which creates and sustains opportunities for the people of Leeds
• develop and nurture partnerships across the council, the city and beyond to deliver in and for our communities

Our cultural offer

We programme cultural activity, support arts development and manage museums and venues citywide.

Leeds Museums and Galleries care for a multidisciplinary collection of over 1.3 million objects, hosted at historic sites across the city. Whilst our collections are globally significant, they retain a distinct Leeds flavour, celebrating the people, culture and environment of our city and surroundings.

Our arts development team engages local people in cultural activities as participants, creators and audience members. Our arts planning team develops and markets the programmes for our venues, including Leeds Town Hall and the Carriageworks Theatre.

Our commercial and operations teams maximise the potential of our venues. The teams generate income from facilities hire, develop sponsorship opportunities and partnerships, and ensure everything runs safely and smoothly.

The events team runs the council’s annual events programme with calendar highlights such as the Ice Cube skating rink, Leeds Lights switch on and gigs in Millennium Square which attract some big names and cater for all musical tastes.  

Leeds Inspired is a partnership of Leeds City Council and arts organisations across the city, funding arts projects and curating the city’s cultural calendar. Whether you’re looking for grassroots gigs or global stars, you’ll find it on our website! 

Our offer for business and jobs

We lead on work to grow the Leeds economy, create new jobs, support businesses, promote enterprise and develop economic policy across all sectors.

The Best City Ambition is the council’s vision for our city’s future and we are pivotal to delivering the inclusive growth agenda. We have teams focusing on funding, innovation, employment, business support and economic policy who:  

• provide opportunities for people and businesses to develop skills, share experiences, innovate and thrive regardless of age, background or means
• understand challenges and trends to influence policy and allow us to be flexible in response to social and economic factors
• support understanding and delivery of inclusive growth and facilitate engagement, contributing to the council’s health and wellbeing ambitions and net zero goal

Our Employment and Skills team connects people and opportunities, promoting access to jobs, training and careers guidance and supporting employers with their recruitment and skills needs. 

We want everyone, regardless of their background and any barriers they face, to be able to access employment and training and to progress in their career. Our advisors help job seekers develop the skills and readiness for work that they need to find a job in today’s market.

To ensure our city has the talent it needs for the future, we work with education and third sector partners to provide careers guidance and development opportunities for young people. We also work with businesses to help them recruit, retain and develop a skilled workforce.

Join our team

It’s an exciting time to join our team, at a time of growth for the local economy and vibrancy in the city’s arts scene. We offer a huge variety of roles requiring different skillsets, whether your interests lie in business development or culture, arts and heritage.

If you would like to join us and promote Leeds as a great place to live, learn, work, visit and invest, visit our job site for current opportunities with our team.