‘No strategy’: West Yorkshire firms hope the budget supports industry

Salt’s Mill in Saltaire in West Yorkshire, now an art gallery, shopping and restaurant complex. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian

Almost 13 years ago, at the dawn of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, David Cameron chose Salt’s Mill as the venue for his first big economic speech.

With its 250ft chimney, the Mill was a towering reminder of how the Industrial Revolution shaped economy of West Yorkshire, and an indication of the new government’s ambition.