Police have been clamping down on anti-social behaviour in Pudsey town centre by deploying a knife arch.
Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team and Special Constabulary have been patrolling the Pudsey area and deployed a knife arch to tackle knife crime and anti-social behaviour.
Police engaged with the groups of youths in the centre and asked them to go through the arch. Plain-clothed officers watched from afar and searched any youths who tried to run away.
Every week, West Leeds Dispatch brings the weekly planning applications from your area.
Here are the latest applications submitted to Leeds City Council over the past seven days.
Extension at first floor above 139 Town Street and internal alterations to change existing 3 bed flat into 2 one-bed flats. Extension at First floor above and behind 141 & 143 Town Street to form 2 one-bed flats, with partial change of use to allow access at ground floor to existing storage area to rear of existing retail units, 139 – 143 Town Street Stanningley Pudsey LS28 6ES
I noticed all the fuss recently about a black swan on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Rodley and wondered why? writes Mark Stevenson.
I took some photos of a black swan in Rodley in 2014 and don’t remember a fuss about it back then. Even though it is a well-deserved fuss.
I am not sure if the black swan has a ring on its leg as many other swans do. If it had you could tell if it was the same bird as I spotted in 2014.
If you keep a lookout for swans around West Leeds at places like the canal, reservoir at Farnley or Rodley Nature Reserve you will notice that some have a ring on each leg.
One ring is metal, and this has a code on it that identifies the bird (it is too small for my eyes).
Luckily they had people like me in mind and on the other leg is a brightly coloured ring with larger numbers/letters it to make it easier to read.
You can report a sighting here and if you are lucky they will reply with a bit of info about the bird.
Read more on West Leeds’ past in the Mark’s History column here.
Leeds Credit Union saved its members more than £1.7 million in high interest charges during the 2019 Christmas period.
The interest that a credit union charges on loans is limited to 42.6% APR. This means that those who took a loan from the credit union will collectively pay £1.7 million less in interest repayments than if they had gone to other high-cost lenders.
The £1.7m saved is a real boost for the local economy and keeps this amount of money in local people’s pockets, rather than flowing out of the community to unethical high-cost lending companies.
As well as providing affordable credit, the Christmas Club savings scheme has been going from strength to strength to make Christmas a less daunting time of year financially, particularly since the demise of other large savings clubs.
Customers saved more than £720,000 in Christmas club accounts during 2019, averaging nearly £400 each.
Leeds Credit Union has a branch in Armley One Stop Centre. It opens
Chris Smyth, Chief Executive of Leeds Credit Union said:
“I am delighted that the credit union has been able to help the local community save £1.7m in interest charges. This is particularly significant following the Christmas period where families can often feel the purse strings tightening.
“In regards to saving, the level of Christmas club savings by our members has increased every year for the past 10 years, and it’s fantastic that we were able to help our members better plan for their Christmases with this account.”
Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves has called for an urgent review into current shooting laws, following concerns from Rodley residents about the culling of geese near Leeds Liverpool Canal.
Ms Reeves and Calverley and Farsley councillor Peter Carlill have written to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Theresa Villiers MP about their concerns.
The letter follows months of concerns that people are killing Canada geese for sporting purposes and that villagers’ safety is being put at risk.
The Dispatch reported last September that shot birds had been found in different parts of Rodley, including on a football pitch and in people’s gardens. The letter states there have also been reports of masked gunmen walking through the village, causing distress to residents and children.
The cull is legal, provided the land owner gives permission, the shooters have licences and that it is part of a cull for agricultural purposes after all alternative methods have been tried.
In the letter, Ms Reeves and Cllr Carlill said:
“I understand that both National England and West Yorkshire Police have been involved in this matter, but due to current laws neither have been able to take any action nor ensure that the existing laws surrounding the shooting of wild birds are being followed.
“While the community understands that the occasional culling of wild birds can be necessary and is willing for this work to be carried out by a professional person, it appears that those currently participating are not shooting responsibly and are acting out of enjoyment.”
The letter adds that while the current landowner has revoked permission to shoot on his land, near to Rodley Nature Reserve, residents are concerned that any future shoots respect the community, consider health and safety risks and are carried out in a humane way.
The letter concludes:
“To prevent further exploitation, I would be grateful if current shooting laws could be urgently reviewed to ensure authorities are given greater powers to monitor and curb irresponsible shooting, and to protect residents and local wildlife.”
Pudsey Conservative MP Stuart Andrew also wrote to Theresa Villiers last month on the same issue. He said at the time:
“I understand that it is culling season and that culling can be carried out provided certain conditions are met.
“However my constituents have expressed deep concerns that the conditions laid out to ensure the culls are carried out humanely, while protecting the health and safety of nearby residents, are not being followed.”
According to regulations the shooters have no obligation to pick up dead or dying birds that have become injured and flown away from the scene to die.
A letter delivered to Rodley households back in September by one of the people carrying out the cull said:
“…We are advising you it is being done for your health and safety and legally, all authorised by the government & the general licensing law of the land and the landowners obligations and the police will be aware of the pest control activity going on.
“WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY DISTRESS TO ANYBODY but it is a much-needed job to be done and cannot be prevented.”
Schools from across the area recently came together to compete in the West Leeds Primary School Sports Hall Athletics final, writes Jo Fiddes.
The well-attended final, hosted by Priesthorpe Co-op Academy, was held after a series of six qualifying rounds.
25 primary schools from across West Leeds took part in the qualifiers, with an impressive total of 256 boys and 244 girls competing for their schools.
The primary schools that made it to the final were Lower Wortley, St Bartholomew’s, Stanningley, Valley View, Farsley Springbank and Pudsey Southroyd.
After some close competition, the winning school was Farsley Springbank, second was St Barts, with Lower Wortley taking third place.
Sharon Percival, headteacher of Farsley Springbank, said:
“I am extremely proud of the performance and sportsmanship exhibited by our pupils throughout this competition.
“We are now keeping our fingers crossed that we make it through to both the Leeds and the West Yorkshire finals!”
Farsley Springbank and St Barts will now represent their schools in the Leeds semi-finals, which will be held at Leeds Trinity University on Friday 24th January.
Bramley councillor Kevin Ritchie (Lab, Bramley & Stanningley), who was also in attendance, said:
“It was great to attend the indoor athletics school sports finals at Priesthorpe School. The atmosphere was terrific and the competition intense as everybody gave their all.
“Congratulations to the winners – Farsley Springbank – and the runners up – St Barts – who will go on to represent West Leeds in the Leeds semi-finals.
“Thanks also to the staff, working alongside the Leeds Schools Sports Partnership, for delivering another fantastic event, demonstrating school sports in the West continues to thrive.”
The Leeds finals will be held at Leeds Trinity University on Thursday 13th February, and the West Yorkshire finals will take place on Tuesday 17th Match in Huddersfield.
Bramley Councillor Jools Heselwood put setting up a menopause café in her manifesto and the speed this got established in 2019 shows it was long overdue, writes Iola Shaw.
At least six people have turned up to each session of the Bramley Menopause café since it started in August – and it’s proving so popular venues across the city are being sought.
In Bramley we now have a core group with people who attend each month and others may join for a session or two, often this depends on childcare, work and caring commitments.
Symptoms can start in your late 30s and early 40s, as the side effects start up to seven years before the actual menopause (the day one year after your last period).
While some people may breeze through it this is a group for those of us who have been less lucky.
Patricia, Lynn, Yvonne and I have been to most sessions since August and in January we discussed what it was that we found helpful:
“Knowing its not just me”,
“So I’m not going mad”
“Being able to laugh because we know it’s true”.
We may be pre or post menopause but we all have had some experiences that would have been easier with more knowledge.
We have had some great laughs at some of the stories shared, before nearly crying at some of the challenges and sleepless nights of anxiety that we have lived through.
Menopause is caused by changes to hormones and as a consequence there are around 34 common symptoms – not just hot flushes, short tempers, or brain fog.
Discussions around how to handle this with challenging teenagers, with changing work responsibilities and disbelieving bosses have been amazing.
What we have worked out is virtually everyone will be affected at some point, if not you personally, you as a manager, a child or a lover of someone who finds it a difficult time of life.
This year we hope to not only help each other but to encourage others to be more supportive and better informed.
The group is peer lead and wouldn’t function without Fran from the Bramley Community Centre, who has enabled us to have a great space for open discussion.
We’ve shared lots of information about our experiences. For some HRT has been a lifeline, some have found other ways to manage the symptoms and we definitely all have knowledge to share.
We’ve had tasters of complementary therapies and a visit from employment experts.
Please do come along to Bramley Community Centre at 5pm on the first Monday of the month if you too want to be somewhere …
“Where you can talk about things with people who know exactly how you feel and what you’re going through.”
The importance of the natural environment for the health and wellbeing of individuals and their families is now acknowledged, writes Tim Barber.
In today’s busy world, parks, woodland and open spaces are now seen as important assets to the community.
Wade’s Charity – Leeds oldest independent charitable trust – has been helping the lives of residents of Leeds since it was founded in 1530.
Providing large areas of parkland, city centre and community open spaces, recreation grounds and sports fields across the old pre-1974 Leeds City – Wade’s land can truly be considered “Leeds Natural Health Service”.
Wade’s parkland such as Middleton Park, Gotts Park in Armley and Beckett Park in Headingley are vital “lungs” where inner city residents can enjoy both relaxation and amusement.
Playing fields and recreations grounds owned by Wade’s are to be found throughout its territory including: Rodley, Adel, Osmondthorpe, East Leeds, Cross Green, Hunslet and Burmantofts.
These spaces provide vital venues for scores of local sports clubs and teams as well as places for residents to exercise, unwind, relax and simply have fun.
Working with Leeds City Council and community groups Wade’s has contributed financially to the improvement and upgrading of these facilities.
The charity also has substantial areas of communal open space where local groups help in their care such as woodland at Gledhow and an orchard in Far Headingley .
Recent findings from Public Health England as to the benefits of spending time in the natural environment show:
A recent House of Commons report into the benefit of public parks also concluded parks and green spaces contribute £2.2bn to public health in England, whilst the benefits of wellbeing add an extra £30bn to the UK’s economy.
Many Leeds residents have never heard of Wade’s Charity but do know of the open spaces they own and lease to Leeds City Council at a peppercorn rent or the grants provided to local community projects.
But whilst Wade’s Charity remain one of Leeds best-kept secrets –the benefits they provide to Leeds Natural Health Service through their landownership cannot be underestimated.
For more information about Wade’s Charity and their lands, visit their website.
Calls have been made for a “transport revolution” in Leeds as a heated debate took place among city councillors over the possibility of resurrecting plans for a mass transit system in the city, writes Richard Beecham.
It followed a motion, known as a white paper, introduced to councillors by the leader of the authority’s Conservatives group Coun Andrew Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley), suggesting the city take advantage of recent government funding announcements to try and put together plans for a brand new transport network.
Previous rail-based schemes for the city were cancelled by governments in 2005 and 2016, the latter due to advice from an independent inspector who ruled the works would cause too much disruption to existing transport networks.
But, following a recent announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that an extra £4.2bn would be pumped into transport schemes in the north, Coun Carter told a full Leeds City Council meeting he believed the city could once again get the transport system it needed.
Seconding the motion, Coun Neil Buckley (Cons, Alwoodley) added:
“Leeds is the biggest city in western Europe without a mass transit scheme. It regularly succumbs to this situation of gridlock.
“Stop reinforcing failure.”
Leader of the Greens group Coun David Blackburn (Farnley & Wortley) called for an amendment to the motion to include the use of disused rail infrastructure which was shut down during the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and 70s. He said:
“We need some kind of system for the whole city.
“Surely we can use some of that infrastructure and deliver it much cheaper than if we started it from scratch. We have to use as much as we can.”
The Liberal Democrats group suggested amending the motion to also focus on road-based transport systems, as designing and building an integrated transport scheme would take the authority past its 2030 climate change targets.
Coun Jonathan Bentley said:
“A mass transit scheme is part of the solution. We all know that even if Coun Carter’s optimism is fulfilled, we are not going to get a mass transit system any time soon.
“We need to be doing other things as well. Things that are quicker to implement and relatively inexpensive.”
Coun Stewart Golton (Lib Dem, Rothwell) added:
“Without devolution and the flexibility offered to us, we are going to end up with something that is elitist. The debate until recently has been ‘how do we get middle class people out of cars?’.
“It’s not about how sleek it is, it’s about how affordable it is.”
Council leader Judith Blake (Lab, Middleton Park) warned that massive transport overhaul was needed, and the region needed more than just a new mass transit scheme.
Responding to Coun Carter, she said:
“Integration all the way through is the thing. How do we really remove the need for people to get into a car in the first place? We need to have a revolution to get people into other forms of transport.
“Public opinion is not with us on [Next Generation Transport].”
She suggested a system similar to the recent climate jury to find out what could get people out of their cars and into public transport.
Summing up, Coun Andrew Carter said:
“We are peddling the politics of despair – either the world is coming to an end and we can’t do anything, the government won’t give us what we want.
“The people of this city want something a bit more positive. Mass transit is a part of the jigsaw, the railways are part of the jigsaw and the private car is part of the jigsaw.
“Nobody is pretending that tomorrow we will deliver a mass transit system, but it doesn’t stop us from strategic thinking to have a bigger idea down the line.
“Please, please, please, let’s have some positive thought about what we can do incrementally.”
Councillors then voted through an amended motion from Coun Judith Blake.
A Bramley & Stanningley councillor has called Leeds teachers the ‘fourth emergency service’ for children who are living in poverty, writes Richard Beecham.
The comments came during a discussion on the council’s new child poverty strategy, which was adopted late last year and claimed more than 30,000 children in the city were now living below the breadline.
Coun Julie Heselwood (Lab) told a full Leeds City Council meeting that teachers in the city were having to bring in uniform, shoes and even food for poverty-stricken pupils. She said:
“Children living in poverty is a long-standing problem but it has nearly doubled in the last decade.
“It means going to bed hungry and cold, not being able to do your homework and children crying at the end of the day because they don’t want to go home to a cold house.”
She added that examples of teachers having to intervene include:
“Buying uniform and shoes, bringing in food for children at lunchtimes and helping them deal with the emotional impacts of poverty.”
She concluded: “Teachers in Leeds have become the fourth emergency service for many of these children and families.”
The authority’s child poverty strategy was approved by decision makers in November 2019. It claimed a fifth of children in the city were living in poverty.
The council’s executive member for children and families Cllr Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall) said:
“There are more food banks than branches of McDonalds. It is shocking that that is the world young people are now growing up in.
“It was depressingly predictable that there was nothing in the queens speech about tackling poverty.”
Pop along to Whiteley’s Farm in Pudsey for this year’s rhubarb tours, which start later this month.
Take a tour of the farm, off Hough Side Road, where you will find out how Whiteley’s grows its Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb along with a history of the farm and a tour of the sheds.
After this there will be a tasting session of some delicious homemade jams and a tea or coffee, followed by a demonstration of how to make your own rhubarb gin.
Tours will be on Sunday 26 January, 9 and 23 February at 10am.
Places are limited and must be booked in advance, tickets are £15 and include all the above plus 1kg of rhubarb to go home with.
Call 0798 1211016 or e-mail whiteleysgardens@yahoo.com to book your place.
A group opposing the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport will hold its next meeting in Kirkstall.
Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) maintain that pushing on with airport expansion plans are “incompatible” with Leeds City Council’s declaration of a climate emergency.
Last month a planned link road to be built near Leeds Bradford Airport was scrapped, and Leeds City Council is instead pressing ahead with plans for a smaller ‘spur’ road and a parkway rail station more than a mile from the site.
Plans to demolish LBA’s terminal and replace it with a new building that could cost up to £150 million were announced today.
The terminal currently deals with about four million passengers annually but the airport hopes to increase numbers to seven million over 10 years.
LBA said the proposal would “support our region’s economic growth”.
GALBA will meet on Tuesday 21st January, from 7.00pm – 9.00pm at Kirkstall Valley Development Trust, Unit 11, Kirkstall Bridge Retail Park, off Bridge Road. All welcome to attend.
