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Councillors looking for community use for axe-threatened Abbey House Museum

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Abbey House Museum

By John Baron

Kirkstall’s councillors hope Abbey House Museum could be maintained for community use after council chiefs unveiled plans to close the facility.

Abbey House Museum could be closed as the cash-strapped council seeks to slash more than £100m from its budget.

Job losses, building closures and a council tax rise of almost five per cent are also being considered by the authority.

In a statement this afternoon, Councillor Hannah Bithell, Andy Rontree and Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall) described the decision as ‘incredibly difficult’.

They said: “It has had declining numbers of visitors for many years and with the 70% cuts to government funding that the council has faced over the last 14 years it can no longer be sustained. In 2025-26 we will have to make a further £104m of savings and after 14 years we are already cut to the bone, so things no-one wanted to see happen are having to be included in the proposals.

“We know how much this museum means to our community, especially as so many people will have visited there on school trips over several decades.

“To this end we are looking to find a solid community use for this building so that it can remain open to use to all of us. This could involve a community asset transfer, like Bramley Baths where a building transfers to a community group.

“We will convene a meeting just after Christmas for any interested community organisations who would like to be involved, so if your organisation is interested please e-mail hannah.bithell@leeds.gov.uk so I can send invites.”

The councillors said the collection housed in the museum would not be lost, but will be reallocated around the city’s museums and galleries estate.

“It is worth noting that the online budget consultation opens today. We will include the link in our weekly updates whilst it is open so you can easily access it,” they added.

“The Abbey Visitor Centre and the Abbey itself will remain open. The budget does however include a proposal to widen the scope of charging for entry to the ruins.”

Leeds City Council says visitor numbers have declined from 70,000 to 40,000 and are still falling.

Kirkstall: Abbey House Museum faces possible closure as council announces further cuts

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abbey house museum
Abbey House Museum. Photo: Welcome to Yorkshire

By Don Mort, local democracy reporter

Council tax will rise and a West Leeds museum could be closed as the council seeks to slash more than £100m from its budget.

Leeds City Council is proposing to close Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall as it faces unprecedented strain on its finances.

Job losses, building closures and a council tax rise of almost five per cent are also being considered by the authority.

Latest figures show the council needs to save £106.4m during 2025/26 to avoid having it declare itself bankrupt.

The council already had to save almost £64m in the current financial year. A report to the meeting said the Abbey House museum closure could save £160,000.

Council leader Councillor James Lewis said visitor numbers at Abbey House had dwindled in recent years.

He said: “We’ll still have seven museums and gallery sites across Leeds that people can enjoy. Sometimes you have to make hard choices.”

Coun Lewis, Labour member for Kippax and Methley, said the existing collection at Abbey House would be made available elsewhere.

Kirkstall’s councillors this afternoon said they are hoping a local organisation might take on the building and keep the building in community use.

The council said the rising cost of placing children in residential care was a drain on its finances.

In Leeds, the annual cost of external residential placements rose by 75 per cent in the past four years to £119m this year.

The council was spending around £6,300 per week on some of the placements.

A council report said the authority could save £15m next year by reducing the number of children in the care system and looking after more youngsters locally.

Coun Lewis said: “We’ve seen the costs of private sector external residential placements go through the roof. 

“Government inquiries have shown it is in many cases companies making really excessive profits.”

The council said it was planning for the equivalent of 243 full-time job losses, and could not rule out compulsory redundancies.

Cost savings also include a “pay as you feel” policy at city centre museums and galleries.

The council could also lease out Middleton Leisure Centre to save £220,000. Nearby Laurence Calvert Academy would take over some services at the centre under the arrangement.

The council has also earmarked ‘bowling green efficiencies’ in a bid to save £140,000.

Leeds Museums & Galleries could also see the introduction of ‘pay as you feel’ admissions.

Council tax would rise by 4.98 per cent, of which 1.99 per cent would be dedicated to paying for adult social care.

The council’s community committees – such as Inner West and Outer West Leeds – and Locality Working are also set to be reviewed.

The latest proposals will be discussed by the council’s executive board at a meeting next Wednesday (December 11).

Coun Lewis said the council would learn more about government action to support council finances later this month.

WLD cutswatch

Follow WLD’s Cutswatch series, which is chronicling local government cuts in West Leeds, here.

Former criminal talks about escaping crime in Armley presentation

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Speaker: Rod Williams.

By Andy Dalton

An ex-prisoner, former addict, drug dealer and criminal will be telling his story about his journey away from crime this weekend.

Rod Williams grew up in a loving family. However, he began to experiment with cannabis, which proved to be the gateway drug that took him into a dark world of hard drugs, crime, gambling and prison. 

Dealing in drugs at 18 he progressed to smuggling drugs by his early 20s. He was relentless in his pursuit to make money whatever the cost. By his 23rd birthday he was addicted to heroin.

Rod will be sharing his story and recounting his pursuit of a lifestyle that promised money, pleasure, power and popularity. Instead it left him broken, lost and desperate. 

Venue: Whingate Methodist Church

As a drug dealer who became addicted to heroin and gambling, he saw his life spiral out of control. He very quickly lost everything including his freedom. He found himself serving a four year prison sentence for importing crack cocaine and heroin into the island of Guernsey.

However when at his lowest point in a prison cell, Rod had what is best described as a ‘Damascus Road conversion’. The result was that it changed him forever – dramatically.  After his release he received help from a Christian rehabilitation residential programme in Cheshire. 

In 2014 he wrote a book about his experiences ‘The Real Deal’. This has now sold over 29,000 copies.  Rod is now going back into prisons to share with inmates that change is possible

Rod is also a professional trickster. From a young age he developed tricks/illusions to impress his friends.  During school break times he would perform card tricks and has never forgotten the amazement and astonishment on their faces. 

In recent years he has revived these skills and has performed over 300 events – best described as an illusion/magic show – and used them to illustrate and explain his dramatic journey away from drugs and crime.  

Rod has been invited by Leeds City Mission (LCM) to come and share some of these tricks and tell his amazing story at their special City Mission Christmas Evening. This will be held this coming Saturday evening (7 December) at 7.00 pm. New Whingate Methodist Church, Whingate, Armley, LS12 3EJ have kindly offered their premises to host this event. 

Leeds City Mission Development Worker Andy Dalton said: “Rod’s story will demonstrate that change is possible and there is hope for anyone who feels that they are struggling with addiction and temptation.  It is quite a story and the tricks he performs are just amazing.”

The event is free and all are welcome.

Leeds City Mission has worked among prisoners and ex-offenders for many years. 

Over its 184-year-history LCM has reached out with practical compassion and hope to those who have transgressed the law of the land. LCM employs a prison chaplain amongst its staff team. 

LCM is a multi-church agency organising a number of projects from its Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane, Armley, helping people at the margins of life. More details on 0113 345 3118 or e-mail lcm1837@gmail.com.

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Council confirms tree order at Farsley farm – despite eco homes concern

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Council: Leeds Civic Hall.

Council chiefs have confirmed a tree preservation order (TPO) at a farm in Farsley – despite an objection from a developer.

The order to protect a mature tree at Poplar Farm on Bagley Lane was made in June, but an objection was received, saying the tree needed to be removed to facilitate development of six eco homes.

The council responded to the objection by email. No further comment has been made.

Officers have this week confirmed the TPO following the objection. A report said: “Having carefully considered the issue raised by the tree owner, on balance it is considered that the Tree Preservation Order is warranted on the grounds of amenity and expediency.

“It will assist in protecting the distinctive green character of the city, amenity in the vicinity and assist in combating climate change by protecting the trees from unauthorised tree works or felling.”

The council report can be read here.

Leeds: Christmas and New Year bin collection day changes

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leeds bins
Household bin collections. Photo: John Baron/westleedsdispatch.com

Leeds City Council has released the details of this year’s changes to bin days over the Christmas period, together with a handy reminder of what can be recycled through the green bin.

The council is urging residents to check when their Christmas bin days are this year. Details will be provided on the council’s website, on the Leeds Bins app, through social media and in a leaflet being delivered to all homes.

The bin collections service will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day only, with crews operating throughout the rest of the festive period including Sundays to help make sure everyone still gets a collection. As a result, collection days will change from Sunday 22 December until Sunday 5 January.

A big change for all Leeds residents this year is that glass should now be recycled using the green recycling bin rather than the black bin. If households have more glass bottles and jars than usual over the festive season, there are still more than 700 bottle banks available to be used across the city.

Launched in August, glass collection through the green bin means that 68 per cent of the city’s glass is now being recycled, an increase from an initial 43 per cent. In October almost 900 tonnes of glass was collected and recycled from the green bins; the equivalent of two million wine bottles or 5.5 million beer bottles. Of that glass, over 82 per cent is being remelted into new bottles and jars locally in Yorkshire, saving more than 100 tonnes of carbon per month, with the rest being recycled for other uses.

However, that means that 32 per cent of glass is still being put in the black general waste bin, so the council is keen to encourage more households to make an extra effort this Christmas to put all their glass bottles and jars in the green bin or their local bottle bank.

For all the extra festive waste and packaging, household waste recycling centres will be open each day from 8am to 4pm except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. Check www.leeds.gov.uk/recycling for more information.

Once the festive celebrations are over both St Gemma’s and Sue Ryder hospices in Leeds are offering their services to collect Christmas trees again in early January.

Leeds City Council executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space Councillor Mohammed Rafique said: “As the classic song goes it is the most wonderful time of the year, but it is also the time when household bins get full, so we would encourage everyone in the city to note when their bin collections will be over Christmas and new year to ensure they don’t miss it.

“We also ask people to remember to put their glass in the green bin rather than the black bin to ensure it can be fully recycled.”

The St Gemma’s online booking form is currently live and available via Treecycling | St Gemma’s Hospice. They will be collecting between 9-16 January, covering postcodes LS4, LS5, LS6, LS7, LS8, LS9, LS13, LS14, LS15, LS16, LS17, LS18 and LS25.  

Sue Ryder are collecting 9–14 January, covering LS6, LS7, LS8, LS12, LS13, LS16, LS18, LS19, LS20, LS21, LS26, LS27, LS28 and BD11. Their booking website is now live at Sue Ryder Christmas Treecycling Leeds | Sue Ryder

Photovoltaic panels plan submitted at historic Farnley Hall estate

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Proposals to install 24 roof-mounted photovoltaic panels to the roof of a metal shed in the grounds of historic Farnley Hall have been submitted to council planners.

Applicants Cenergist Ltd and Leeds City Council acknowledge that development within the curtilage of a Listed building like Farnley Hall is ‘almost always a balance’ between the potential harm caused by the development and the benefits that it brings.

Farnley Hall
Farnley Hall. Photo: Mark Stevenson

A heritage and design report submitted with the application states: “The proposals as presented do not harm the existing fabric of the adjacent listed building Farnley Hall and Stables, or grounds.

“The works are in the setting of and not into the building. There is no disturbance to the existing site and no excavation of ground.”

The plans can be viewed in full here.

Pudsey: Driveway plans at Listed homes withdrawn by applicants

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By John Baron

Revised plans in Pudsey to alter the access to Grade II Listed houses in Pudsey have been withdrawn by the applicants.

The joint application by three householders wanted to remove a shared access from Greenside and widen the existing driveway, build two new driveways and add drop kerbs and boundary treatments.

It’s unknown whether the applicants will submit their proposals again.

Initial proposals were refused by council planners in July and had attracted six objections from the public. The council’s highways department had concerns over road safety.

A planning statement submitted with the latest proposals stated: “It is understood that concerns were raised about the removal of the green space outside the listed buildings during the previous application. 

“To overcome these concerns we propose that the extended driveways are formed from a grasscrete (or similar) product that acts to reinforce the grass and provide a stable base for parking on. We have proposed that this is bordered with a stone sett edging to delineate the spaces. Soft landscaping has been proposed around the drives to further mask them.

“It is proposed that low level stone walls are built along the property boundaries to further delineate the spaces and provide each property with a private terrace area.”

The report concluded: “The proposal contained within this application overcomes current parking issues for the three properties referred to and provides them all with their own parking spaces and private external terrace areas. The choice of materials proposed aim to reflect what is currently on site and aim to retain the green space that currently exists.”

Access to two of the driveways would have been via Greenside Grove.

The plans can be read in full here.

In photos Red Kite over Bramley, Kirkstall Bridge Inn at night

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Photographer Susan Tellum continues to capture West Leeds through the seasons.

This time she captures a Red Kite in flight over Bramley, Kirkstall Abbey in early winter sunshine and the Kirkstall Bridge Inn at night.

Check out a slideshow of her photos below:

Reader’s letter: Leeds flood defences ‘prove devolution works’

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westleedslife
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The barrier at Calverley is raised to help prevent Leeds from flooding. Photo: Sonia Koren

Sir;- We in Leeds and surrounding areas of West Yorkshire were lucky to avoid the worst of the flooding from the latest storm to hit the UK.

We were protected thanks to the works of Leeds City Council in constructing new flood defences in recent years. The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was recently completed, after millions of pounds of investment to prevent the dreadful flooding we saw around Boxing Day in 2015.

We also should give thanks to the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin and the works of our devolved West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).

They have helped build extensive flood risk management programmes such as the “Chellow Dene Urban Wetland” in Bradford, “Landscapes for Water” scheme in Calderdale, the “Albert Street Flood Alleviation Scheme” in Kirklees, and several other programmes of natural and human-made flood defences.

The installation of natural flood managment dams, planting trees, creating designated wetlands and meadows in flood prone areas; the construction of weirs and culverts which protect the banks of our rivers, all reduce erosion and stop sediment being carried into our town streets.

These projects have flourished thanks to the hard work of our Labour Mayor.

Working together with local Parish/District councils, the WYCA liases with communities and businesses so that we are in a much better and safer position than without the added funding and strategic vision created by the WYCA, and other combined authorities in Yorkshire & the Humber,  granted to us through the process of devolution.

All of these projects show how effective devolution in our region improves all of our lives and protects us from the ongoing effects of climate change.

Better construction of flood defences and re-wilding through devolvedmoney improves the health of wildlife biodiversity.

Regional devolution also allows the better spending of taxpayer money to be allocated in the right areas, decided by people (Mayors) who have the local knowledge to do proper planning and management of reasonable infrastructure and housing development.

This assists developers, so that we don’t build too many new buildings on floodplains like in other parts of the UK and England, which is part of the reason why the floods from Storm Bert have sadly hit southern parts of England and Wales so strongly.

While there has been some damage, it has been greatly reduced from the  damages we have seen in previous years. The local knowledge of Mayor Brabin is to be sure, a huge factor in the successful damage reduction we see here, in comparison with the awful property damage seen in other areas of our country.

I am sure even more can be done to keep communities, people and property safe and dry in future storms with more devolution, funding and powers.

If anyone wishes to research what other flood defences the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has created to help protect our communities, visit the WYCA website.

Devolution works, and if you have feedback about concerns with flood defences or management in your local area, please get in touch with the WYCA and they will be more informed to help at CustomerFeedback@westyorks-ca.gov.uk or by emailing members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Climate, Energy and Environment Committee 
which can be found on the WYCA website.

Thank you for reading.

Cllr Tyler Callum Wilson-Kerr
Aberford & District Parish Council

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Rachel Reeves MP: ‘I will not take for granted the people who send me to Parliament’

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A contemplative Rachel Reeves MP - just after laying a wreath on behalf of the people of West Leeds. Photo: Ivor Hughes

By Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leeds West & Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves

I am delighted to be continuing my regular column in the West Leeds Dispatch, and welcome readers who are new to my constituency which now includes Pudsey, Calverley and Farsley.

For over 14 years I have proudly served communities of West Leeds in Parliament, and following the general election in July I am incredibly grateful to continue to do so.

Community spirit feels particularly pronounced at this time of year. In November the nation comes together to honour the fallen, communities pay tribute to those who have served in our Armed Forces.

Across Leeds West and Pudsey we are deeply proud of our Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and the families who support them. Theirs truly is the ultimate public service, and it was an honour to commemorate this by laying a wreath at the Bramley War Memorial.

Remembrance is a timely reminder of how joining together as a community creates a powerful force, a shared sense of belonging in a time of collective reflection.

Now, as the countdown to Christmas gets under way, community spirit continues across all corners of West Leeds, such as the magic of the Christmas lights switch on in Farsley earlier this week.

Farsley Christmas lights switch on and lantern parade 2024 on Farsley Town Street. Photo: Kelvin Wakefield

And all year around, from our incredible community organisations across the constituency from Bramley Elderly Action to the Interplay Theatre, in our local park runs, and our local charities doing vital work such as Pudsey Community Project and Barca to name a few, it is plain to see that the strong sense of community is thriving across my constituency.

The strength of our communities and the people of Leeds West and Pudsey I have the privilege to represent were very much on my mind when delivering the Budget to Parliament in October.

I have made it clear I will not take for granted the people who send me to Parliament; it is my mission as your Chancellor and your local MP to deliver the change this Government promised, so that my constituents benefit from restored stability to our public finances, an NHS back on its feet and a Britain renewed.

While serving as Chancellor, I am very much still at your service as a constituency MP. If you are a constituent and there is something you think I and my office will be able to help with then please do get in touch via rachel.reeves.mp@parliament.uk or 0113 255 2311.

For as long as I am your MP I will be a local champion for our communities and a national voice for Leeds West and Pudsey in Westminster.

West Leeds planning applications: 1 December 2024

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Each week we publish a list of the latest planning applications related to the six council wards in West Leeds.

The following applications were published on the Leeds City Council website in the past seven days:

Armley Ward

Bramley & Stanningley Ward

Calverley & Farsley Ward

Farnley & Wortley Ward

Kirkstall Ward

Pudsey Ward

Decided applications

Here are the planning applications decided by Leeds City Council this week:

Armley Ward

  • Tree works, Centre West, Stanningley Road, Leeds LS12 3AP.
  • Tree works, The Old Vicarage, 43 Armley Ridge Road, Armley, Leeds LS12 3LE.

Bramley & Stanningley Ward

Calverley & Farsley Ward

Farnley & Wortley Ward

Kirkstall Ward

Pudsey Ward

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Get ready for Santa’s sleigh ride around Kirkstall

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By Rhian Williams

Join the Kirkstall Valley Development Trust for Santa’s annual sleigh ride round Kirkstall!

Santa will be setting off from the KVDT Hub on Norman Street at 3.30pm on Thursday, 19 December, with lots of stops around Kirkstall to say hello to local children and sing some songs.

He’ll be finishing at Kirkstall Valley Farm (behind Ready Steady Store on Kirkstall Road) around 6pm – kids and adults all welcome to join us for hot drinks, samosas, mince pies and singers.

More info including all Santa’s stops here.

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