Forward Leeds workers - Recovery Coordinator Mel Senior, BBV Nurse Karen Towning, and Recovery Coordinator Louise Maidens.
Drug and alcohol recovery workers at Forward Leeds say they are “here to help” people who have become more dependent during the Coronavirus pandemic.
The organisation, which has hubs in Armley, Seacroft and the city centre and a recovery centre in Burley, is reminding people about its services amid fears about the impact on people’s wellbeing during Covid-1
“We believe some people may be misusing drink and drugs to cope with boredom, stress, anxiety about the future, about job insecurity and job loss. They may have troubles within their relationships.
“We would like people to know we’re here to help them with any concerns or worries that they may have. Our friendly workers offer a full range of supportive services. They will work with you and develop a plan to deal with the issues you are facing.”
The Global Drugs Survey (GDS) found that more than 55% of British drinkers who responded reported an increase in the number of days they consumed alcohol each week during the COVID-19 lockdown, with 33% of people reporting an increase in binge drinking.
Almost 44% of British cannabis users reported the number of days they were using products containing THC had increased, whilst over a third of benzodiazepine users said the number of days they were using had increased.
Having more time on your hands and being bored are given as the main reasons for increasing the use of THC and benzodiazepine, with secondary factors including addressing mood and worries.
Lee Wilson explained that some people may not want to start to deal with issues or they may be worried about their safety or privacy. People may be thinking it wasn’t an ideal time to start dealing with this issue and they may also be worried about their safety should they begin counselling.
“We understand just how difficult things are at the moment and as a service we’re committed to continue to help those people seeking our support.”
Almost all appointments are taking place on the telephone, or via online Zoom meetings for both one to one and group discussions. This allows people to access services from the comfort of their home and to interact with others who are also receiving support.
Face-to-face appointments are available when needed, with steps in place to ensure people are kept as safe as possible.
To find out more, please call Forward Leeds on 0113 887 2477 or email info@forwardleeds.co.uk for more details on how they can help.
Leeds City Council could be weeks away from having to draw up an ’emergency budget’ due to the financial reverberations of Covid-19, writes Richard Beecham.
The authority is still in the dark over how much more money it can expect from government to plug a remaining £150m-plus gap in its finances caused by extra costs and loss of income caused by the pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
The leader of Leeds City Council claimed the government is expected to put together its own mini-budget early in July, which the authority has been ‘led to believe’ could include extra cash for councils.
But the council still has no idea how much the government is likely to add to the £43.7m it has already given Leeds, with the extra cost of Covid to the city’s coffers for 2020 alone expected to hit £200m.
This is despite the council announcing a week ago that it would need to devise an emergency budget, which could see huge cuts to many non-statutory services the authority provides.
Cllr Judith Blake
Coun Judith Blake (Lab) said:
“It is something the whole of the Local Government Association has been lobbying for, and we understand the government is planning a mini-budget in the first week of July.
“We are very hopeful that from the different returns that have come in from other local authorities from across that country, that they will listen to what we have been saying.
“We, along with other councillors from different parties have been led to believe that there will be some extra money in that, but the question remains the amount.
“We have been at pains to get across just how big the gap is.
“When we have a situation where 80 percent of local authorities across the country – run by different parties – are saying the same, it shows how profound and serious the problem is.
“If the government is saying that the reward for those working on the front-line is that those services can no longer continue and their jobs would be at risk, that would be a terrible situation and we must not allow that to happen.”
Rules around council spending mean it is illegal for local authorities to run at a loss, and therefore have to balance their budgets within the financial year.
Leeds says it would therefore have to put together an in-year budget, announcing further cuts to services, unless the government plugged the remaining £150m gap, or the rules around in-year finances were relaxed.
Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan said:
“I am feeding in on the same issues. What we are asking government for is the same treatment as other parts of the public sector, and the way the government is running its own finances to borrow over a long period at low interest rates.
“The extra costs needed this year and having a longer term approach to our budget instead of the annualised approach that we have at the moment.”
At a press conference last week, council officers warned no extra government financial help could mean a loss of more than 400 full-time equivalent jobs. It added the emergency budget would have to be produced in “late August/September time”.
The council’s chief executive Tom Riordan also hinted last week that culture and events may have to take a hit, as this was one of the few non-compulsory areas of council spending left to be cut.
The council’s deputy leader Coun James Lewis confirmed today there would already be a stop in non-essential recruitment and procurement, as well as service reviews to look at where spending can be cut.
He added: “I personally think the difference between statutory and non-statutory is a bit of a red herring.
“There are things we could do in terms of reducing the scale of services without switching them off completely. For example we don’t have government guidance on our sport centres, so they may operate differently for a while.
“It could be around both how we provide services as well as which services we do or don’t provide. The process is going through service reviews.”
A senior Leeds politician has claimed council pleas for the government to plug its £150m Covid-19 budget gap are ‘unrealistic’.
Calverley and Farsley Coun Andrew Carter, leader of Leeds City Council’s opposition Conservative group, made the comments in a meeting of senior decision-makers today, adding the council did itself no favours with its own financial management.
It follows claims from Leeds City Council it needed an extra £150m from government in order to cover its extra costs and losses caused by Covid-19, or would have to make further cuts in an “emergency budget” in the autumn.
Speaking to a meeting of the council’s decision-making executive board, Coun Carter said:
“We need a longer period of time to look at the effects Covid has had. To suddenly have to make reductions in spending in the short term does not necessarily deliver the right results.
“On the capital situation, I would like some reassurance that we have put a complete stop on any capital spending not financed by a revenue stream or from other grants.”
He added that the council’s use of minimum revenue provision, in which a local authority manages some of its debts by setting aside the minimum amount of taxpayer cash to repay them, had not received the ‘close monitoring’ it needed.
Coun Carter said:
“We are now asking the government to bail us out in full, which is unrealistic. We need to address the home-grown problems ourselves.”
Rules around council spending mean it is illegal for local authorities to run at a loss, and therefore have to balance their budgets within the financial year.
The council’s chief executive Tom Riordan said:
“This is an unprecedented situation – the approach to the way Leeds runs its budget stretches back a number of years.
“We are in this unique position where we have a perfect storm of different challenges.
“The government support so far has been welcomed, but clearly we have a much bigger mountain to climb than that. From my conversations with people in Whitehall, it is an issue for the sector as a whole.
“I am hopeful we will get to a point early in the summer where we can stabilise our finances.”
Last month, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils around the UK, claimed local authorities would need around £6bn in total to help cover the cost of Covid-19.
But leader of the council’s Liberal Democrats group Coun Stewart Golton called on the LGA to give the government a deadline, adding the continuing uncertainty around how much more government cash councils can expect is making it impossible for them to plan.
He said:
“It’s crucial that we are singing from the same hymn sheet and putting the pressure on government.
“I would like to see leadership from the LGA to set a date on the demands that have been made. We can’t just hang on and hang on and wait for the government to eventually decide something in a budget at some point.
“There needs to be clarity and leadership from the secretary of state for local government.
“We need to look at how this council can deliver an economic renaissance.”
Coun James Lewis: “I do believe in terms of the council’s financial position, we have a strong record of setting a budget and sticking to it that other councils don’t have.”
It was announced today that councils were expecting a so-called “mini-budget” in early July, which could provide further financial help to local authorities.
Council leader Judith Blake (Lab) told the meeting:
“The next few weeks are critical – we look forward to getting an announcement from government.”
A Facebook swap group where you can get anything from a sofa to a kid’s DVD for the price of chocolate has been providing a lifeline during lockdown.
The LS28 Swap Shop was set up by mum June Sinclair-Parker at the end of March.
The aim was to provide a group where people could access things they might need but couldn’t get due to lockdown.
People could swap their unwanted stuff for treats like chocolate, sanitise them and drop them off while doing their daily exercise and social distancing.
The group, which is thriving with dozens of posts each day, covers Pudsey, Farsley, and Calverley. Ms Sinclair-Parker said:
“I wanted to teach my 10-year-old a new skill when the lockdown started. I tried everywhere but the crochet needles I found would take a month to get to me. I had lots of wool so asked on my private Facebook if anyone would swap. Wool for a needle. No-one had one.
“So I thought I’d ask Pudsey Born and Bred group if I was to start a group to swap would anyone be interested. I had a few initial negative comments but as I own a salon in Pudsey I know about cross contamination etc.
“So I set it up, adding friends at first. As we were all initially worried about leaving the house for exercise so I asked that people collect and drop off items when they go for a walk. I knew having something to go out for and, in a way, look forward to would help.”
The group, which has more than 900 members, has become well-known locally as people can make their swap with chocolate or other treats. Ms Sinclair-Parker added:
“The choccy swap came by chance there were a lot of people asking for things and not giving. I then posted “offer, even if it’s chocolate ” – and that was it. Everyone has run with it and evolved!
“I have a few admin who monitor the content of the page and a few ‘MI5 type’ people who also keep an eye on it, but as I’ve learned people will find admin and block. So my spies keep me informed.”
LS28 Swap Shop rules include no offering of money, state in your post if you can’t get out, be safe and use all precautions when dropping items off and – above all – be kind.
A West Leeds man is looking to trace the relatives of a Wortley man who lived in the area from the1930s to around 1980.
James [Jimmy] Lofthouse was a well-known scrap metal merchant on Oldfield Lane in Wortley.
Malcolm Grainge is looking to speak to relatives or anyone wanting more information about Mr Lofthouse. Mr Grainge said:
“I worked for Jimmy and his brother George Lofthouse as their first non-family employee from early 1950s to mid 1960s.
“Jimmy had one daughter, Linda, who would be in her mid 70s now. So it is her children I am trying to make contact with, but I never knew Linda’s married name. I have lots of interesting and funny tales to tell!”
A scheme which matches people who are older or who have a health condition to share with people who are younger and fitter has a rare vacancy in Armley.
Leeds Homeshare matches people with a sharer – a younger adult – who can provide support and companionship.
The sharer gets low-cost accommodation in exchange for offering up to 10 hours weekly help to the householder, such as cleaning, cooking or gardening.
Leeds Homeshare is offerinf a large affordable bedroom in Armley, sharing with a householder in their forties.
They are seeking a reliable and trustworthy sharer who can carry out some low-level household tasks and who can provide the reassurance of being at home most nights.
A spokesperson said:
“Leeds Homeshare recognise that knowing someone is there in the home with you can provide peace of mind. It’s a great way to spend time with someone from a different generation and be more actively involved in your community.”
The scheme, part of Leeds City Council, also carries out background checks, provides a careful matching process and offers ongoing support to each Householder and Sharer.
One of their recent success stories was Margaret, who turned 100 last month. She said;
“I wanted a sharer so that I had the reassurance of someone with me in the house overnight. I get on well with younger people and I didn’t want to live on my own, I have a lot of life experiences and knowledge to give back to a sharer.”
The scheme is also welcome to expressions of interest from potential new householders who can offer their spare bedroom in exchange for having some support in their home.
Please contact Leeds Homeshare on 0113 3785410 or e-mail Homeshare@leeds.gov.uk.
St Thomas' Church, Stanningley. Photo: Mark Stevenson
A number of our gravestones in St Thomas’ Churchyard Stanningley have been deemed to be unstable, writes Andrew Hulme.
Works are required to put this matter right.
Headstones, monuments and grave kerbs are the property of the family and descendants of the deceased and should be maintained by them in good order and in a safe condition at all times.
St Thomas has a number of graves, including war graves. Photo: Mark Stevenson
Failure to maintain the grave monuments etc in a safe condition will result in the Parochial Church Council dismantling them to be left lying in the plot.
If you are a descendant of any deceased within the churchyard of St Thomas’ Church, Stanningley, you are encouraged to visit the grave, assess its condition and if necessary make it safe to avoid any distress in the future.
If you believe that you or anyone you know should be involved, please contact the Church by e-mailing stthomasstanningley@gmail.com. A representative will get back to you with the next steps.
Campaigners have vowed to fight on following the latest decision not to list a former Wortley sports field – where Leeds United legends once played – as an asset of community value.
The TV Harrison Community Action Group is fighting to stop Leeds City Council buying the land on Oldfield Lane and building up to 50 local authority houses on the site.
They had hoped to preserve the field, previously used by Leeds United legends including Paul Reaney and David Batty, as an asset of community value.
This would have given the field, which has been largely unused for 15 years, additional protection from development under the Localism Act 2011.
But the council has turned down the application for a third time, saying there has been no formal or permitted use since the site was closed by land trustees Leeds Schools Sports Association (LSSA) 18 years ago.
A council report – which can be read in full here – argued there is a need for housing in the area and stated:
“With no formal or permitted use, the site does not have a current or recent previous use that furthers the social interests of the local community. There has been no formal or permitted use of the land since 2002, which is not considered to be the recent past.
“The site has been identified and allocated as a site for council housing as part of the Site Allocations Plan, and this was formally adopted in September 2019.
“There are firm and settled plans by the council as local housing authority to develop this site for housing, subject only to the grant of planning permission, and planning permission is highly likely to be granted given the planning allocation for the site. Therefore in Planning Policy terms, a sports pitch is no longer deemed to be a suitable use of the site.”
Protesters at Leeds Civic Hall last year
Campaigner Arron Lambert, from the TV Harrison Community Action Group, has said the fight will continue, despite the latest setback. He said the group was seeking to take legal advice to take on Leeds City Council was moving closer to finding a legal firm to take on their case. He added:
“I feel the council report is flawed. You can pick it apart fairly easily and we’re looking for the right legal people to take the council on. I’m strongly defiant but disenchanted with the people who run our city, who simply refuse to listen.”
Mr Lambert said a number of community activities had been taking place on the pitch until lockdown, and that the previously disused area had been tidied by community members. Campaigners had also collected a petition with more than 4,000 names on.
The former pitch been identified as a potential site for 61 local authority homes in Leeds City Council’s planning blueprint – the Site Allocations Plan.
The council says the Site Allocations Plan had been subject to extensive public consultation and a full public inquiry.
The field has been used for sport since at least 1850. It was bought by public subscription in 1928 and is held in trust by the Leeds Schools Sports Association to be used as a sports pitch. Leeds City Council owns a quarter of the site.
The ground also has strong historical links to Leeds United as the venue for the Leeds City Boys club, a representative team made up of the best players from Leeds’ schools. Its illustrious past saw it play host to former Leeds United stars such as John Charles, Brian Deane and Paul Reaney.
Last month, West Leeds Dispatch reported on how Wortley children had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking him to intervene and save the pitch.
Clarification: Our headline originally said it was the fourth time the campaigners had been refused. It is, in fact, the third.
Supermarket giant Aldi has helped a Pudsey charity provide more than 61,000 meals to vulnerable people in the area during the past year.
Food Revival, in partnership with Rethink Food, has been receiving donations of fresh food from Aldi stores across Leeds and Bradford each week throughout the past year.
The charity, based at the Grangefield Industrial Estate, has been redistributing the produce to primary schools and families throughout the area as part of the Rethink Food Education programme.
This work has supported families to live more food-secure lives and at the same time highlight a number of environmental issues associated with the food cycle.
Chris Green, Company Director from Food Revival, said:
“We’re seeing more people across West Yorkshire turning to us for support, and we are working hard to ensure that no one in the area has to go without food.
“We rely on the generosity of others, and Aldi’s regular donations are helping us to do even more to tackle food waste and food poverty in the area. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them.”
The milestone marks the one-year anniversary of Aldi’s partnership with community engagement platform Neighbourly, which sees each store donate perishable items such as fresh fruit and veg, long-life items and baked goods at the end of each day to local food banks and charities.
Since the beginning of the partnership, Aldi has donated over six million meals to good causes across the UK.
Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK and Ireland, said:
“We’re always looking for new and creative ways to put leftover food from our stores to good use. Our partnership with Food Revival and other charities in the area is enabling us to distribute even more surplus stock to those who need it most.
“Our aim is for fresh, healthy food to be accessible for everyone, and our successful partnership with Neighbourly has enabled us to extend this commitment by supporting more charities and community groups across Yorkshire. We look forward to continuing this important work with them.”
Steve Butterworth, Neighbourly CEO said: “Our partnership with Aldi has been a huge success over the past year, and we have plans to extend the programme further in the coming months, helping them to reduce more food waste and make a positive difference to the communities where they operate.”
How can you carry out your council work when you are in lockdown? Caroline Gruen, Labour councillor for Bramley and Stanningley, answers this question and discusses the future of historic Bramley Baths with community reporter Jo Fiddes.
Bramley Baths is currently closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Photo: John Baron
The day begins…
This is Caroline’s eighth year as a councillor, and it’s certainly the most unusual one so far.
Although she has always been interested in politics, for most of her working life she has held politically restricted roles in education so was unable to become politically active until after she retired.
“I initially stood to be a councillor in Weetwood, but despite my best efforts I didn’t win that election. But every cloud has a silver lining, and it meant I had the amazing good fortune to be selected to stand in Bramley and Stanningley. It is such an honour. It couldn’t be a nicer place to work.”
Caroline is currently recovering from an operation on her spine, so the day begins with her physio and exercise. Before her operation, she was unable to walk more than two or three steps with a walking stick, and stairs were impossible.
“Lockdown has actually really helped with my recovery because I have been able to devote time to getting better. I exercise daily and am now able to walk for an hour and a half, albeit slowly.
“I can do stairs again too! My rehabilitation has been quicker because I have been able to commit to this daily. I think if it had been “business as usual” it would have taken me much longer, so for me this has been a real positive of lockdown.”
While no two days are the same, inevitably meetings (now conducted via Skype or Zoom) still feature heavily.
The statutory business of the council has continued, and Caroline has been “virtually” attending scrutiny boards and planning panel meetings throughout the lockdown period.
She feels that having these meetings virtually makes things harder and more cumbersome, but all the councillors are working through it to find solutions.
Caroline Gruen with fellow councillors Kevin Ritchie and Jools Heselwood, alongside Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves at historic Bramley Baths
One thing that has taken up lots of Caroline’s time – and caused her sleepless nights – is her role as a board member of community led Bramley Baths. She said:
“This has been an incredibly worrying time. We have been having daily finance meetings, and at one point it really looked to be touch and go as to whether we would be able to re-open at all.
“Things look a little brighter now – we have secured grants and loans, and the Friends of Bramley Baths scheme has helped. Still, we are not out of the woods yet, and so I would encourage everyone to become a Friend of Bramley Baths so we don’t lose this fabulous community asset.”
Caroline is also a Trustee of the Leeds Cares Charity, and she spends some time helping with their fundraising efforts. Because the council aren’t meeting, the Civic Hall car park has been empty…but it has been put to good use by Leeds Cares.
“We have been able to provide healthy, home cooked meals for staff coming off duty at the LGI, from the back of a van parked in the Civic Hall car park. It has been hugely gratifying to be able to do this, to show our support for these front line workers, and they have really appreciated it at the end of a long and difficult shift.”
Caroline is also a Governor at both Hollybush Primary School and at Leeds West Academy, so it has been a big responsibility working with school leaders to ensure children of key workers and vulnerable children were in school – and more recently the extensive planning involved in the schools’ opening more widely. She says:
“Both schools have pulled out all the stops. We are blessed to have fabulous staff and especially head teachers, who have been working incredibly hard. I have been proud to play my part.”
The day ends…
Meetings still take place in the evenings, including a weekly Bramley Baths board meeting bringing everyone up to date with the current position.
When the meetings are done and the laptop is closed, Caroline finds time on reflect on the day’s events and lockdown in general.
“The cancellation of the two Bands in the Park events and also the Bramley Festival have made me really sad, but I remain optimistic.
“This crisis has really brought out the best in some people and I have seen some wonderful and generous acts of kindness – delivering food parcels, befriending lonely older people, children giving away their books.
“It’s shown what an amazing community Bramley and Stanningley is. And that’s what I miss the most – being in the heart of it all: visiting sports clubs and residents’ meetings. I’ll be glad to get back to that.”
If you need any help with Bramley & Stanningley issues, you can contact Caroline by e-mail – caroline.gruen@leeds.gov.uk.
More of Jo Fiddes’ regular ‘A day in the life’ features can be read here.
Swinnow Community Centre needs your help. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to provide support during the Covid-19 pandemic – and the centre itself needs support from the community and local businesses. Here’s the centre’s appeal:
We have been providing packed lunches for the elderly and vulnerable the funding is coming to the end but we would like to carry on providing this service if possible but we need your help.
Also we do not come under the government’s criteria for funding for loss of income etc – and due to having no income coming in (hall hire, events etc) and still paying our bill we will struggle to ‘re-open’ ..
This appeal is to ask any businesses if they can help with any donation in any way – and to you, the community.
We know times are hard at the moment but if any would like to help, maybe organise a sponsored walk, a raffle, whip rounds, donations and ideas to help raise much needed funds it would be much appreciated.
We have tried our very best to help as many elderly and vulnerable people as we can, we would love if even a few of you could help us now we really need it.
Obviously keeping the centre running is an expense in itself, which we normally cover with hall hires and groups, at the minute we are unable to raise any revenue from hires, groups, parties etc.
We also need to cover the expenses of still helping our elderly, who many at the moment can’t get out, but many are also too afraid to go out. As you can all imagine, this all adds up and we are really struggling to find a solution.
So we will be appreciative of any help, we thank you all in advance, we appreciate any ideas, sponsors or donations no matter how small.
If you can help, e-mail swinnowcommunitycentre@gmail.com.
Climate change experts in Leeds have claimed individuals’ habits made in the lockdown could actually help with the long-term battle against climate change, writes Richard Beecham.
It comes after an environmental group listed 10 ideas for the city to combat climate change in the future, following last year’s climate change jury initiative.
One of the suggestions involves creating “15-minute neighbourhoods”, in which most amenities and services can be accessed on foot within 15 minutes.
“Opportunity to create a renaissance of local life…” – Paul Chatterton
Bramley-based Paul Chatterton is a professor of urban futures at the University of Leeds. He believes people’s lifestyle habits learned during the lockdown could help with this. He said:
“Building on what we saw in lockdown, there’s an opportunity to create a renaissance of local life, especially through the idea of the 15-minute neighbourhood – where most things that we need in our daily lives can be easily reached by a short journey by bike or foot.
“This locks in a whole range of potential benefits around local employment and business, physical activity, better air quality and safer roads.”
Our Future Leeds, which put together the list, included other suggestions such as networks of community hubs, more green spaces and more secure employment across the city.
“We are familiar with some of the shortcomings of Leeds’ economy – low paid and precarious jobs and independent businesses squeezed out by large corporations.
“What has been most staggering about the response to the (Covid-19) crisis is the rapid uptake of measures that only weeks ago would have been unthinkable: mortgage and rent holidays, statutory sick pay, shifts to nationalise services especially health and transport, wage guarantees, suspending evictions, and debt cancellations.
“We now seem to be revaluing what matters: key workers who support our wellbeing; local shops that offer commitment to their community; access to local greenspaces, goods and services.”
He added now was the time to “supercharge” plans to increase the amount of green space, adding: “Quality public and green places need to be radically expanded so people can safely gather after the trauma of this experience.
“Diverse green spaces directly underpin our emotional and psychological wellbeing and offer a range of positive effects on storing carbon, cleaning air and preserving wildlife.”
Our Future Leeds was formed in early 2019 to lobby Leeds City Council to declare a climate emergency.
Since then, the city saw the youth climate strikes as well as the recommendations of the UK’s first citizens’ jury on climate change outside London.
Bradford Road, at Thornbury Roundabout Junction. Image: Google
Leeds saw the number of road accidents more than halve following the introduction of the government’s Covid-19 lockdown measures, a document has revealed, writes Richard Beecham.
A report, set to be discussed by Leeds City Council decision-makers this week, showed more than 200 fewer casualties on the district’s roads from the end of March onwards, compared with the same period in 2019.
The number of instances of killed and seriously injured (KSI) on the district’s roads also reduced, from 64 last year to just 33 in the same period in 2020.
The report added, however, that as lockdown restrictions ease, the number of serious accidents was beginning to increase once more, and warned that road users should be extra vigilant.
The document, set to go before the council’s executive board on Wednesday, states:
“Comparing road traffic casualties in the first 23 weeks of 2020 with last year shows that casualties are down by 40 percent compared to the same period in 2019 (from 785 to 473).
“From week 12 (late March), the total number of all casualties fell by 54 percent from 379 in 2019 to 176 in 2020, while those killed and seriously Injured (KSI) went down by 48 percent (64 in 2019 vs 33 in 2020).
“The number of weekly road casualties however is now starting to increase as lockdown eases. In week 23, more casualties were recorded in 2020 (23) compared to 2019 (18). In response, links are being made with the Road Safety Great Britain “Take Extra Care” campaign and we are discussing with the Police the resumption of the close pass initiative related to cycling and increased speed enforcement.”
Predictably, this followed a decrease in traffic levels, for which morning ‘peak flows’ were down 48 percent compared to the beginning of March. For the weekend of 6 and 7 June, traffic flows were down an average of 42 percent compared to the beginning of March and 42 percent on the same week in 2019.
It added: “These again represent the highest levels of weekend traffic since mid-March. These rising trends in traffic flows will continue to be monitored each week particularly in coming weeks when many shops will open across the city centre.”
