We produced the economic narrative for the Leeds Growth Strategy. The brief was a review of ‘the city’s strengths, weaknesses and future prospect to inform the Leeds Growth Strategy’. The aim was to present a coherent plan for economic growth in the city region between 2017 and 2020, with a focus on inclusive economic growth. We produced forecasts for employment and GVA, taking into account both the local context and wider exogenous impacts such as Brexit uncertainty. Our work was adopted into the current growth strategy.