Morley has been selected as one of 100 towns across the country which could receive up to £25 million from central government to regenerate the town.
The £3.6 billion Towns Fund was announced last year and is aimed at improving areas which have traditionally been bypassed when it comes to cash injections.
However, the £25 million figure is the maximum that the likes of Morley could get. The total amount is not yet guaranteed and a detailed business case needs to be submitted to convince those in Whitehall to hand over the money.
There will be three opportunities over the course of 2020 for Morley to hand over a detailed report to explain how it would spend the cash, with the final deadline in autumn.
The boundary of the area which could benefit from the Towns Fund is shown in the interactive map above.
It stretches beyond Morley to include the likes of the White Rose Shopping Centre and Capitol Park, near junction 28 for the M62. Churwell and parts of Cottingley will be included too.
"This revised geography better captures the patterns of economic behaviour including commuting, shopping, living and leisure activity in Morley," says a council report.
In order to give Morley the best possible chance of getting the maximum amount, Leeds City Council is rapidly pulling together a team of local experts to draw up a plan.
A 'shadow' board, consisting of councillors and business representatives, has already met - but now a Morley Town Deal Board will be appointed.
It is expected that up to 15 members will be drawn from across the community and include those from the worlds of politics, business, education and religion.
'It is critical that a Morley Town Deal Board is established quickly'
The Leeds City Council report says: "Members of the Morley Town Deal Board should have clear links to Morley and a desire to support the town’s continued growth and transformation; be informed and able to contribute insight in relation to the Town’s needs, challenges, opportunities and priorities; and have a strong understanding of the context for growth at a local, regional and national level.
"Timescales for developing a bid for this funding are short and it is critical that a Morley Town Deal Board is established quickly to provide oversight and support to the development of this bid.
"There is therefore a need to rapidly establish the appropriate partnership and governance arrangements to drive the development of the Town Deal, develop and properly test proposals and to compile a robust and compelling business case that is underpinned by a strong evidence base."
A total of five towns in West Yorkshire have been earmarked for regeneration as part of the Towns Fund.
Castleford, Wakefield and Dewsbury will all submit proposals in the coming months, while Keighley and Shipley will draw up a joint business case.
