Fifteen Leeds businesses have joined the Aire Resilience Company to fund natural flood management across the Aire catchment, marking the start of an innovative model where companies pay annually to protect the city from climate-driven flooding.
The Leeds business news initiative brings together Yorkshire Water, Leeds Building Society, Lloyds Banking Group, University of Leeds, ITV, Leeds Bradford Airport, Sainsbury’s and others to fund tree planting and soil management that reduces flood risk while improving biodiversity and water quality.
ARC was established in 2025 through collaboration between Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and the Rivers Trust, supported by the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, creating a sustainable business model to increase climate resilience as flooding risk grows.
750,000 Trees to Reduce Peak River Flows
The target is reducing peak flows on the River Aire by 5% during large floods—offsetting increased river levels expected by 2069. Achieving this requires planting 750,000 trees and implementing soil and land management across 1,304 hectares in the upper and mid Aire catchment.
Georgina Mitchell, Chair of the Board for the Aire Resilience Company, said:
“The Aire Resilience Company model provides a sustainable, long-term solution to alleviating the risks of climate change that benefits everyone. Our business partners, delivery partners and landowners each play an integral role in creating a healthier and more resilient environment for both people and wildlife from Malham to Leeds.
The benefits of ARC will protect the people, businesses and infrastructure of Leeds from the devastating impact of flooding. They also stretch beyond Leeds City Centre – the communities in the Upper Aire are likely to feel the benefits of improved water quality, biodiversity and improved farmland.”
Business Collaboration Model Funds Ongoing Maintenance
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport, and sustainable development, said:
“Our Ambition for Leeds is to be a healthy, growing, thriving and resilient city. As climate change worsens over time, ARC’s work will protect our people, communities, businesses and services from the disruption and destruction of a flood, as well as the financial and environmental cost of clearing up after a flood. Managing flood risk through sustainable and natural methods such as this is a cornerstone in our target to be the UK’s first net zero and nature positive city.”
The full list of Leeds business news partners includes Andel, Azets, Beyondly, Hogan Lovells, ITV, Johnson Mowat, Leeds Bradford Airport, Leeds Building Society, Leeds City Council, Lloyds Banking Group, Quod, Sainsbury’s, Steeper, University of Leeds, Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, and Yorkshire Water as lead partner.
Why this matters for Leeds
The Aire Resilience Company demonstrates Leeds businesses taking direct action on climate resilience rather than waiting for government funding, creating a scalable model other cities can replicate. This collaborative approach protects Leeds infrastructure and communities from flooding damage that would disrupt business operations, while the natural flood management delivers biodiversity and water quality benefits extending across the region.
