JUST over 4,000 new companies were formed across the Bradford district last year, latest figures show.
West Yorkshire-wide, 16,604 businesses were launched – down from 17,837 in 2016.
But the total number of registered companies in the region has risen, by 5.3 per cent, to 113,471.
The data is from a review by software firm Inform Direct, which used information from Companies House and the Office for National Statistics.
John Korchak, director of operations at Inform Direct, said it had been a successful year for start-ups despite the drop.
"These figures show that West Yorkshire continues to be a fertile ground for entrepreneurs and new business ventures," he added.
"The fall in the number of new businesses mirrors the national trend and the slowdown could be attributed, at least in part, to ongoing political uncertainty and concern in the business community over the impact of Brexit."
UK-wide, new business formations dropped to 634,116, from 664,720 at the end of 2016.
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