By John Baron
Councillors on the newly-formed Inner South and West Community Committee have approved funding for a lifeline pilot project supporting young people in Armley.
Armley Leisure Centre Youth Space received £4,250 from councillors on the community committee, which met for the first time at Leeds Civic Hall this afternoon.
Youth Space has been running as a pilot project since February 2024 and has been hugely successful, reaching its capacity within just a few weeks.
The space offers a range of activities, including sports, arts and crafts, drama and music, but only has funding until November. It had applied for funding to take it through to next Easter.
Grants were also approved for a number of groups and projects, including Armley Festival (£6,605), and repainting the vandalised mural at the railway underpass off Vicarage Terrace in Kirkstall.
Councillors also reluctantly agreed to a request to pay £10,000 towards LeedsWatch CCTV cameras, with concerns about value for money, positioning of the cameras and police usage expressed. Councillors agreed that the committee’s community safety delivery group should look into the issues as a priority.
The Inner South West Community Committee met for the first time since the number of the council’s area committees was reduced across Leeds from ten to eight to save £243,000 annually.
It replaces the Inner West Community Committee, which was cut earlier this year. The new committee is made up of 12 councillors from four wards: Armley, Kirkstall, Beeston & Holbeck and Hunslet & Riverside. It is made up of 10 Labour and two Green councillors.
The full agenda and papers can be found here.