Bramley rugby star Jamie Jones-Buchanan has received one of the city’s highest civic honours.
The Leeds Rhinos’ star’s dedication to his club and city has been recognised with a prestigious Leeds Award.
The Leeds Award formally recognises those who have made an enormous contribution to the city, with their names displayed on the wall in the antechamber of Leeds Civic Hall.
At a special ceremony this week, Jamie was presented with his award by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor, who congratulated him on his fantastic sporting career but also thanked him for his far-reaching charity and community work over the years.
Born in Leeds in 1981, Jamie is a one club man and has played for Leeds Rhinos for an incredible 20 years having come through their junior development programme.
He drew the curtain on his professional rugby league career in September but has represented the club in excess of 400 times since signing for them in 1999.
Asides from his many sporting accolades, Jamie also works tirelessly to support his city through extensive charity and community work. Earlier this year he officially opened Bramley Carnival.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan said:
“I can’t express what an honour it is to receive this award with my family. Leeds is my home and I am just a reflection of what the people of this great city have graciously given to me over the last 38 years.
“Our moto at the Leeds Rhinos Foundation is to ‘change lives through sport’ and as a professional sportsman, it’s been a privilege to share my thoughts and experiences to future generations, local communities and organisations.
“I love Leeds and want it to be the best city in the world and God willing, I will continue to serve this city until my last breath.”
There are some spooky Hallowe’en goings on in West Leeds – from fun Bramley Baths and Kirkstall Abbey to Om Yoga in Farsley and Pudsey Congs Cricket Club.
Here’s our guide to what’s on in West Leeds over Hallowe’en. Guide compiled by Jill Buckley.
Armley
Leeds Industrial Museum hosts Hallowe’en Half Term activities over three days, from 29 to 31 October. Among the activities there will be jack-o-lanterns and willow wand making and an opportunity to make bath bombs using herbs from the Autumn garden. 21st century witches from Leodis Pagan Circle will be there too helping you to find out the real stories of Halloween. All activities take place on the three days between 12.30 and 3pm.
Armley Conservative Sports and Social Club has its Hallowe’en party with fun for adults and kids this Saturday 26 October at 3.30pm. They are also looking for donations of wood for their bonfire in November. Get in touch if you have anything to donate.
Bramley
There’s plenty going on at The Abbey Inn on Pollard Lane. On Hallowe”en itself Thursday 31st October there’s the special Hallowe’en-themed music quiz from 9pm with food, spot prizes and pints to be won.
Pub with a spirit too many? Winners of the Abbey Inn’s music quiz. Photo: Jill Buckley
And of course it’s always worth a trip down during Hallowe’en week to see the fabulous decorations.
Bramley Villagers Club invites you to a Halloween party on Sunday 27th October between 2pm and 5pm. There will be party games and a disco. Tickets are only £2 each but they are limited. You can get them by phoning 0113 2578571.
Bramley Baths hosts a Hallowe’en half-term Splashtacular. There’s the Skeleton Scavenge on Monday 28 and Thursday 31 at 1.15pm when teams will scavenge the pool with the winning team collecting the most skeleton bones. There’s also Hallowe’en fun swims on Wednesday 30 at 1.30pm and on Halloween itself at 2.15pm where the pool will be filled with creepy and spooky inflatables. You are also invited to enter the pumpkin carving competition. Take your carved pumpkin to reception at 1pm on Wednesday 30 and see if you can win a prize for your design. Visit the Baths’ website for more information.
Calverley
The Little Coffee House is offering spooky afternoon tea every day through the school holidays at a cost of £7.50 per child. To book call 07974413097.
Farsley
On Saturday 2 November the Bay Horse hosts a Dead and Famous Halloweeen Spectacular from 7pm. Prizes to be won for the best fancy dress and music from DJ Blacka. Then at 10pm there will be cash and forfeits to be won.
For something a little bit different, Om Yoga Works hosts a Halloween Family Yoga Party on Tuesday 29 October between 3.30 pm and 5pm. The yoga workout will be designed for all the family and the dress code is super scary super cute. Cost is £10 per family and booking is essential. Contact Andrea on 07703 325031 or e-mail to andrea@anandalifestyle.co.uk.
Jackaboos play gym has its Halloween party on Wednesday 30th from 4pm to 6pm. Tickets are £8.95 and activities include arts and crafts and trick or treating with a raffle for the adults.
Kirkstall
The Conservation Trust at Hollybush have been busy creating and hiding spooky creations for their free Halloween trail. The self-guided trail is suitable for children between 2 and 6 years. To take part just pick up an activity sheet from the cafe between Tuesday 29 October and Friday 1 November from 10.30am to 3pm.
There’s all sorts to choose from at Abbey House Museum for Halloween. Activities run from October 29 to November 1. Join in with Halloween themed crafts, a Monster Mashup and Spooky Silly Science. There’s a full list of activities and times on the website here.
Big kids are invited to join Tammy and the team at the West End House for a Halloween spooky quiz night on Thursday 31st from 9pm. Free supper, fancy dress, prize Play Your Cards Right and beer tokens and goodies to be won. The decorations are always well worth checking out too. You can follow the West End House on Facebook and find out all about what’s coming up.
Kirkstall Leisure Centre has its Baby Boogie on Monday 28th October between 10am and 11am. Suitable for ages 4 months to 2 years prices start from £2.50. Call to book on 0113 3782086.
Sneaky Experience are back at Kirkstall Abbey with some spooky offerings for you on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November. There are afternoon and evening showings of Ghostbusters, Hocus Pocus and Interview with the Vampire. Visit their website for details and to book.
Pudsey
The Britannia is having a kids Hallowe’en Party on Wednesday 30th October from 4pm to 6pm. There’ll be a disco, party games and prizes for fancy dress.
Pudsey Congs Cricket Club hosts a Halloween party on Saturday 26th October from 7.30pm. Music, kids games, raffle and prizes for fancy dress.
Rodley
Rodley Barge has its Halloween party on Saturday 2 November from 7.30pm with music from DJ Chris. Fun and games, food and snacks and prize for the best costume.
Our guide isn’t comprehensive – if you know of any events we’ve missed out, please do add them in the comments section below.
Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves has criticised the decision by First Bus to hike most of its fares in West Yorkshire this weekend.
From today, typical single fares are due to rise by an average of 20 pence. In Leeds, that means a rise from £1.30 to £1.40 – an increase of 15% and nine times the rate of inflation.
Daily tickets bought on buses in Leeds tickets in Leeds will rise to £4.70 from £4.50 and weekly tickets to £18 from £17.
Ms Reeves says at a particular disadvantage will be people who do not use smartphones –the cost of their travel will rise more than those who use First’s smartphone app.
In response, Ms Reeves has written to Paul Matthews, Managing Director at First West Yorkshire, to demand an immediate rethink of the fare rises.
In her letter, Ms Reeves said:
“These increases are a slap in the face for West Yorkshire’s long-suffering bus users who already endure frequently unreliable and delayed bus services to get around Leeds.
“First Bus’s proposed fare changes put older and low-income travellers – the people most reliant on bus services – at a clear disadvantage because fare rises will be higher for customers who buy their tickets on the bus instead of using a smartphone app.
“That is unfair and clearly discriminates against certain users, effectively adding extra costs to their travel.”
West Leeds bus users have also criticised the move.
Sharon Baldwin of Farnley said:
“The prices get higher put the service gets worse. We’ve had public meetings and everything about the unreliability of the number 42 bus route. Nothing ever seems to get better.”
Mark Smith of Pudsey added:
“Pudsey’s bus services have been a shambles for years. And then they wonder why people drive.”
But Armley’s Alan Barker partially defended the rise. He added:
“It’s not fair for people to blame the bus companies for being late for traffic congestion – and then they drive into work, adding to the congestion, First don’t help themselves though.”
First Bus is encouraging commuters to switch to paperless tickets, offering cheaper prices on the First Bus ticket app.
UPDATE OCTOBER 28: This article was amended to clarify that typical fares have risen from £1.30 to £1.40, not £1.50 as originally published.
Flashback to 2015's flooding along Kirkstall Road.
The Leader of Leeds City Council is calling on the government to make a decision to be made over the remaining funding for the next phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.
Councillor Judith Blake has written the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Theresa Villiers outlining the importance of a decision being made by July 2020 at the latest.
Cllr Judith Blake
Cllr Blake (Lab, Middleton Park) says there is a current funding gap of £25.1million as part of the £112.1million project to provide flood defences along the Kirkstall Corridor and upstream on the River Aire.
Leeds City Council is wanting to install defences to the one-in-200-year level identified as being needed to protect communities along the River Aire catchment from a repeat of the Christmas 2015 floods. Current Government funding has pledged £65 million for one-in-100 year measures.
This letter is in response to one from the Secretary of State received earlier this month which stated the funding decision would form part of the next government spending review, which will not now take place until next year.
Cllr Blake is calling on the government to give an initial indication of its decision by February, followed by a final confirmation of funding approval by July at the latest.
Aerial view of the floods along Kirkstall Road, Leeds, in 2015.
Cllr Blake says the opportunity to integrate the additional works into the current contract will be lost, leading to the risk of the final phase of works being delayed and the costs rising.
To enable work to start on the scheme before the end of this year, a plan put forward by Leeds City Council has been agreed for the project to be carried out in two steps, with the first step using the funding already secured to deliver an initial one-in-100-year level of flood protection.
This would then be followed when the remaining funding has been secured by a final second step which would enhance the whole Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.
A plan is in place to deliver the work in full comprising of both steps in three years, but achieving this is dependent on the funding for the final step being secured by July 2020 at the latest.
Cllr Blake said:
“Everyone in Leeds and especially anyone living or having a business along the Kirkstall Corridor will remember the catastrophic impact of the Christmas 2015 floods.
“Until this project is completed in full to offer one-in-200-year level of protection our communities, residents and businesses remain exposed to the increasing threat of a repeat occurring.
“The plan is in place to deliver the work so now we need a decision from the government on the remaining funding to allow us to proceed, but the timeframe for it is getting shorter and shorter.
“If the funding is not secured by July 2020 getting this work finished is likely to be delayed, putting the lives of people in Leeds and along the River Aire catchment at risk.
“That is unacceptable so we are now calling on the government to make their decision as soon as possible so that we can get on and deliver these measures that our city needs and deserves. Our determination to deliver this scheme in full remains absolute.”
Phase one of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was completed in 2017, investing £50m in measures including state-of-the-art moveable weirs to protect the city centre and downstream to Woodlesford.
The plan for phase two was put forward following extensive survey and modelling work carried out by Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency after the Christmas 2015 floods to determine the comprehensive level of protection needed through a full catchment approach.
The impact of Storm Eva in Leeds at Christmas 2015 affected 3,355 properties in Leeds, of which 672 were commercial businesses.
Plans for 21 houses in Pudsey have been deferred, following councillors’ concerns about the ‘uninspired’ design of some of the properties.
The site, on Hare Lane, already has outline planning approval for the principle of residential development only for up to 21 units on the site of a (former) manufacturing business.
The outline approval is accompanied by legal agreement requiring improvements to Hare Lane, on-site greenspace, a replacement footpath and affordable housing.
But residents had claimed the number of houses would harm the local character of the area, have a detrimental impact on highway safety and have environmental implications.
They also said neighbouring properties will lose their privacy and outlook.
But councillors on the south and west plans panel decided to defer a decision on the proposals to allow for further negotiations with the applicant.
They want more variety in the house designs and pallet of materials, in particular reducing the amount of natural stone.
A council report recommending approval of the plans said:
“It is considered the proposal will provide good levels of habitation in an attractive and secluded setting. The housing proposed would act to improve the quality of the area above that of the existing industrial buildings.”
Councillors agreed to defer the application until November’s south and west plans panel meeting to allow for negotiations with developers Acrivarn Holdings and Mandale Homes North Yorkshire.
The members of the Farsley Community Initiative got together for the Annual General Meeting of the various successful groups working to make Farsley a better place.
It first started in 2004 with the Youth Festival on Hainsworth Park, which eventually led to the Initiative being formed in 2013.
Fun at Farsley Festival. Photo: Si Cliff
Farsley Festival is held every year and is now a very popular event in the Farsley calendar.
In 2019 more than 5,000 people of all ages attended. There was even a vlog by The Macmaster.
Friends? Hainsworth Park. Photo: Google
Friends of Hainsworth Park are working tirelessly to secure funding and grants to continue upgrading all areas of the Park.
Farsley Community Orchard continues to seed the wildflowers as well as keeping the hedgerow trimmed. They also operate a Christmas tree collection and disposal where they can turn the trees into a mulch for using at the Orchard and to sell to raise funds.
Popular: Farsley Farmers Market
The Farmers Market is very well attended every month with most of the stallholders returning regularly.
After the meeting a number of suggestions were made regarding Hainsworth Park including a “quiet area” for older people and a baby area.
They are also hoping to arrange a public consultation for other people to have their say.
The Farmers market is desperate for volunteers to help erect and dismantle the stalls on ,arket day any help would be appreciated.
Richard Warren, from the Initiative, encouraged more people to get involved. He said:
“If anyone would like to volunteer, donate, have any ideas or to find out more about the Initiative please contact us by e-mail lovefarsley@gmail.com.”
The AGM was held at Farsley Celtic’s Citadel Stadium.
Colleagues from Pudsey Co-operative Funeralcare are making a journey to the D-Day beaches and cemeteries to retrace the last steps of the fallen.
They’re making the trip in memory of the people from Pudsey and District who served and lost their lives in World War Two and also hope to raise a generous amount in support of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.
The trip, which takes place this weekend, means a 500-mile round journey for one family in a specially decorated Poppy car.
West Leeds Dispatch visited Debra and Carl Brightmore of the Co-operative Funeralcare, on Lidget Hill, Pudsey to find out more about their plans for the trip.
What was your inspiration for this trip?
Debra>
“My grandfather served in Burma with the Duke of Wellingtons, but he never really spoke about his war experiences.
“When my grandfather passed away we didn’t know anything about his service or his medals, so I’ve always supported Remembrance whether its the Armistice Parade or putting up window displays – just to pay our respects really.
“I also had a friend who had been the in Army for years who had a sudden heart attack and died. We have a lot of family and friends connections to the Armed Forces.
“We organised the funeral of former Troop Sergeant Stewart Cooney (July 2016) who passed away with no known relatives.
“The public turnout was just amazing and that was the first veterans funeral I’ve ever been to. It sprung from there in my mind as to how many people turned up and the dignity that they show everybody, and them being marked as known and remembered.”
So from there how did you come to plan this epic trip?
Debra>
“Never thinking that we could get over to France to visit the D-Day Beaches, we thought we would ask our company for backing anyway, and Regional Manager David Knowles liked the idea a lot, and has given full support including providing a car and fuel for the trip.
“Because we run a lot of community fundraisers here in Pudsey, we thought this trip would be fitting for a change and the time of year on the run up to Remembrance Sunday.”
Having attended the Heritage Open Day hosted by Pudsey & District Civic Society at Pudsey Town Hall, Debra and Carl saw the maps of the D-Day beaches and decided that they were a must-visit for the trip, so that they can pay their respects.
Their colleague Emma has loaned her grandad’s medals (who was a WW2 POW) to go with them on the pilgrimage.
The Pudsey Poppy Display has created an amazing wreath of knitted poppies for them to take to Normandy and Pudsey & Farsley Royal British Legion Branch are supplying poppy crosses for the war graves that they will visit.
They are also taking another generation along to learn of what happened there 75 years ago; their two teenage sons Archie and Tyler.
“The boys are really excited about going, they play all the games online…and they are really interested to learn the real stories behind it on a journey of discovery.”
If you see the amazing Co-op Poppy Car people are encouraged to photograph it and share with hashtag #PoppyCoopCar.
Keep a look out for the Co-op Funeralcare Remembrance window display on Lidget Hill, Pudsey, leading up to Remembrance Sunday (10th November this year).
Also watch out for the stunning Pudsey Poppy Display containing thousands of hand knitted poppies.
Debra and Carl would like to thank the following for their support: Co-operative Funeralcare, Pudsey & Farsley Royal British Legion Branch and the Pudsey Poppy display.
Debra and Carl also want the families of those they are visiting in Normandy to know that their relatives will never be forgotten. Each soldier that they visit will be given a poppy cross on their grave, and they will read out what is known about their lives and be given a respectful moment of reflection in their memory:
Private Joseph Shaw, age 19. Son of Ernest Shaw and of Hilda Shaw of Stanningley, buried at Ryes War Cemetery Bazenville
Private Peter Pacey, age 20. Son of William Pacey and of Elizabeth Ann Pacey, remembered at Bayeux Memorial
Private John William Cooper, age 19. Son of Joseph and Bertha Cooper of Pudsey, buried at Bayeux War Cemetery
Private Benjamin Powell, age 21. Son of William and Grace Powell of Stanningley, buried at Bayeux War Cemetery
Private Robert Powell Townend, age 19. Son of Herbert Powell Townend and Sarah Lillie Townend, buried at Bayeux War Cemetery
Lance Corporal Charles Keir aged 28. Son of Charles and Amy Elizabeth Mildred Keir, of Pudsey, buried at Hottot-Les-Bagues War Cemetery
Corporal Alan Emsley aged 23, Son of Arthur and Bertha Emsley; husband of Edith Emsley, buried at La Delivrande War Cemetery, Douvres.
Bramley-based group Pyramid, are looking for local people to volunteer with three of their community groups.
They run creative sessions for adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
Making music in Bramley. Photo: Mindy Goose
Working alongside adults with PMLD, the volunteers will help to make music, create stories and help to bring them to life, and create sensory art.
Volunteers don’t have to be experienced artists themselves, as everything will be easy to pick up in these fun sessions, and they may even surprise themselves. The volunteers will be fully supported by a team of experienced artists.
Working with adults with PMLD is very rewarding and as a volunteer, you can gain many skills. These could include:
Becoming
more aware of what’s happening in your community.
Being
more involved in your community.
Becoming
more confident in your abilities.
Being
more aware of disabilities and how to use this knowledge in your daily life.
An
increased knowledge of assisting people with disabilities with decision making.
The
opportunity to attend arts-based, interactive Foundation training with other
volunteers.
Improving
your wellbeing.
The groups
On Tuesday afternoons there is a group in the Aspire Fulfilling Lives Centre, Railsfield Rise at 1pm-3pm. Every term a different artist works with members covering a term of music, a term of movement and a term of visual arts
Working with adults with PMLD is rewarding. Photo: Moindy Goose
Thursday afternoon from 12.30pm-2.30pm at Bramley Community Centre is Movement. The group picks a theme and creates a performance for the end of term.
Music meet at Bramley Lawn on Friday mornings, 10am-12pm. They develop a new musical every term that is performed at a public venue.
Get in touch
If you are interested and would like more information, please get in touch with Julie, Bramley Development Worker, at Pyramid.
A new public sculpture will be installed in Leeds City Centre in 2020 designed by artist Pippa Hale, who was responsible for the sculpture unveiled last year at the Belgrave Retail Park in Stanningley.
The sculpture will feature the names of over 200 women from the Leeds area, past and present, who have been or are successful in business, sport or entertainment, as well as unsung heroes such as doctors, teachers and volunteers.
If you know a woman who has been an asset to their local community, submit her name here.
The deadline for submissions is the 30th November 2019, and over 200 names will be added.
Francesca Joy as Tasha and Piotr Baumann as Grandad in Jadek. Photo: Anthony Robling
An Armley-based theatre company is set to tour its new production to key venues in Yorkshire.
Jadek – which is Polish for ‘Grandfather’ – is a semi-autobiographical story of its writer Francesca Joy, who in her 20s moved in with her blind 94-year-old Polish grandad.
The play, produced by the Imagine If company, explores how this unexpected turn of events affected both their lives. It also looks at racism, xenophobia and fear against a backdrop of Brexit.
Francesca Joy as Tasha and Piotr Baumann as Grandad in Jadek. Photo by Anthony Robling
Founding Artistic Director of Imagine If, Francesca Joy, spent ten years living in Armley. She says that living there help shaped her outlook – and her latest play:
“Jadek is about blindness, not just physically, but metaphorically. I believe some places are valued more than others. There’s a lot of good people doing good things in Armley, Interplay Theatre for instance, but the area needs funding from the Government. It often isn’t valued.
“Jadek is loosely based on my relationship with my grandad, who is my absolute superhero.
“I was touring and afterwards had nowhere to live, so it made sense to go and live with him. It changed the way I saw the arts and ultimately, how I saw the world. It was beautiful, hilarious and heartbreaking.
“When a child grows up in a family of violence, they experience the same brain patterns as a solider at war. I left home at 14 – me and my grandad both grew up as soldiers. He taught me how to stand up for what I believe in.”
In the play, grandad found a home in Yorkshire in 1945 after spending six years fighting and surviving World War Two.
He likes a whisky and hates the ventilation in his front room. Every morning he opens his eyes and a sorrowful “bloody hell” escapes his lips as he realises he’s still blind.
Tasha found a home at her grandad’s house after spending what felt like most of her life at war; she drinks way too much beer, has moved house over 30 times, and is trying to sell her children’s storybook to London publishers.
Francesca said:
“The theatre we create is based on the world around us comprising real stories from real people. We aim to create work that is inspiring, entertaining, thought provoking and unashamedly honest for intimate audiences
“Jadek parallels a lot of what is happening with Brexit and Trump now. There are also parallels with the segregation of cultures, xenophobia and the fear of World War Two repeating itself.
“How is this still happening? I still hear a lot of racism – people don’t know I’m half Polish.
“Jadek is for the broken ones, those who’ve fought wars, the blind, the Polish, the working class, the ones suffering in silence. This is for every single one of you. And as always, this is for my old man, my grandad, my Jadek.”
Yorkshire’s own BAFTA award winning writer Mark Catley [EastEnders, Casualty, Call the Midwife] is working with Francesca as an advisor on the piece. He said:
“Jadek is a beautiful story that starts small and ends up universal. The dialogue between grandfather and granddaughter is so entertaining you’ll want to move in too. The revelations are breath-taking.”
Taking the role of Grandad is Piotr Baumann – an established Polish actor who has just spent a year on Coronation Street as roofer Jan Lozinski.
“I’m delighted to be working with Francesca and Imagine If” said Piotr “Jadek reminds me of growing up with my father in Poland.”
Jadek is audio described for those with visual impairments and Imagine If is working extensively with blind/visually impaired communities and those with Polish heritage in each of the regions on the tour.
Imagine If
Imagine If is an Armley-based theatre company and charity founded in 2014. It tours new writing to theatres and prisons across the UK.
Francesca Joy is a trained actor, writer and producer and uses her first-hand experience to inform the art the company creates and is passionate about working with those under-represented in the arts.
Francesca uses theatre to engage with prisoners, improve their lives and ultimately reduce reoffending and recently worked in America with Tim Robbins [Shawshank Redemption] and his company The Actors’ Gang.
She has worked with young adults in care and recovering addicts, engaging them in theatre to enable them to rewrite their story and ultimately make active change in their lives and has raised over a £250,000 for Imagine If to work with disadvantaged people through the arts.
Jadek is on tour from October 16th to December 4th 2019. It’s in Leeds at Slung Low and Holbeck Working Mens’ Club on November 17.
Groups of youths who barricade roads and launch fireworks in the Burley and Hyde Park areas will face arrest during Bonfire Night.
An injunction being sought by the police and Leeds City Council to tackle firework-related anti-social behaviour that has plagued the community in recent years.
Residents in The Kelsalls area have had their lives made a misery by large groups congregating on the streets and indiscriminately letting off fireworks, often aiming them at people, homes, cars and the emergency services.
The cluster of streets, bordered by Alexandra Road and Burley Lodge Road and including Burley Lawn park, has been described at times as being “like a firework factory going up”.
Between September and December last year nearly a third of the 151 calls made to the police from the area related to firework-related nuisance.
Groups of 30 to 50 youths were involved in anti-social behaviour around the streets and in the park causing considerable distress and intimidation to residents, many of whom would not go out after dark.
Incidents included roads being barricaded, fireworks launched along the ground at people and vehicles, and the anti-social use of motorbikes and cars.
Many of those involved wore masks or other face coverings which has presented challenges in identifying them and taking appropriate action.
Police and council teams say they are working closely in partnership to tackle the issues this year.
To support their work, Leeds City Council is applying to Leeds County Court for an injunction under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. It will be used against ‘persons unknown’, being anyone engaged in anti-social behaviour in the area.
It would create an exclusion zone covering the area in which anyone would be forbidden from:
Being in possession of any firework or other explosive or pyrotechnic material in public.
Disguising their identity with items such as masks for scarves
Congregating in a group of three or more and engaging in behaviour that causes nuisance to residents.
Behaving in a manner that is threatening or abusive to any other person engaged in lawful behaviour in public.
The restrictions would be backed by a power of arrest.
Inspector Andy Loftus, who heads the Leeds North West Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
“The dangerous use of fireworks and other related anti-social behaviour is an issue that affects communities across Leeds at this time of year, but the situation that comes about in this particular area of Burley stands out as an absolute priority for us to tackle.
“For a sustained period of weeks and months, this concentration of residential streets linked by ginnels becomes the setting for a completely unacceptable level of behaviour that has a really negative impact of the quality of life of people living there.
“We have been working in partnership with our council colleagues to address these issues over the years but we have faced some challenges both in terms of our ability to identify suspects and to be proactive in targeting those involved before incidents occur.
“This injunction, if successfully granted, will give us much-needed additional powers to intervene at an early stage and prevent incidents before they occur. We hope this will help to reduce the number of incidents and improve the situation for the long-suffering residents.
“We also hope our use of these additional powers will send a very clear deterrent message to those youths who think it acceptable to behave like this.”
Cllr Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said:
“We will not tolerate any form of anti-social behaviour in our communities, and will always use every tool at our disposal to put a stop to it. I welcome therefore the application for this injunction to tackle and stop firework-related anti-social behaviour in the community of Burley.”
