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The millions of EU grants handed to causes and companies around Leeds have been revealed by new research.

Figures show the city has secured at least £263m in European Union grants in recent years, most of which has gone to the city centre area.

But the real figure could be much higher as Leeds institutions, such as the universities, have taken part in some £2.2bn of EU funded projects, with the exact amounts dished out directly to the city not always clear.

Research by pro-Remain groups, MyEU and Best For Britain, shows the bureaucrats in Brussels gave large chunks of money to Leeds City Council, the Leeds based West Yorkshire Combined Authority, our hospitals, and the city's two major universities.

(Image: Huddersfield Examiner)

The sums revealed are thought to be underestimates, but they are:

University of Leeds - £174m

Leeds City Council - £18.4m

WYCA - £14m

Leeds Teaching Hospitals - £1.2m

Leeds Beckett - £837,213

Alongside university research, many of the large grants went to government bodies based at Quarry House, including the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health.

In total, more than 800 projects were backed by cash from Brussels over the past eight years, according to the research.

The largest grant outside the public sector went to Granary Wharf based not-for-profit organisation Lhasa Ltd. They have received more than £4m since 2010 towards their work creating a data sharing system for the chemistry and life science industries.

The team behind MyEU commented: "The UK Government will spend about £809 billion this year, and less than 2% of this goes to the EU.

"We wondered what impact that spending was having in the UK, and made this site to find out.

"This isn't a complete list – we know that there are data sources and projects we haven't captured yet."

Best For Britain says the country no longer backs Brexit.

It claims 193 'leave' constituencies have changed their minds and 422 of the 632 constituencies in the country no longer support leaving the EU.

Britain is due to leave the EU at the end of this month, but Prime Minister Theresa May this week offered MPs the chance to vote to seek an extension to Article 50 to delay its departure if her deal is defeated and a no-deal Brexit is rejected.

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