Voters in Pudsey Ward will go to the polls on Thursday May 2, 2024 for the Leeds City Council elections. One councillor will be elected.
Voters are reminded that photo ID is needed to vote at polling stations. More details here.
Your West Leeds Dispatch has attempted to contact candidates asking them for a statement of up to 300 words and a head and shoulders photograph to help you decide who to vote for. Here are their responses…
Ahmed, Riaz: Labour Party
32 Moorland Grove, Pudsey, LS28 8EP
I love living in Pudsey, but I want to help us make Pudsey, Swinnow & Tyersal even better. I’m standing to be your councillor to help make a difference.
I’m a local community champion, regularly supporting local causes such as Pudsey Foodbank, regularly attending police community meetings and campaigning to get the best deal for our area, including to save local bus services from cuts and community centres.
I stood as your Councillor last year and narrowly missed out by just 159 votes. After encouragement from residents across our community, I’m standing again because I know that as your voice on Leeds City Council I could achieve so much more.
My pledges to you are:
- Standing up for local residents and businesses through the Conservative cost of living crisis.
- Making our streets safer by tackling anti-social behaviour and dangerous driving.
- Campaigning for the best local services including better access to health services,
- Fighting for more frequent and reliable public transport to ensure our bus and rail services connect our community.
- Championing our local community bringing residents together and nurturing our green spaces.
- Continue to stand for the protection of green belt areas, such as Tyersal and Tong village which are in Bradford district. I will use the influence of Labour Party and mine to protect green belt.
I promise if you elect me on the 2 May, I will be a strong, local champion for Pudsey, Swinnow & Tyersal. I will be a hard- working Councillor all year round, not just popping up at election time. I will hold regular surgeries to be open and accessible to residents, and keep you updated with regular newsletters.
Together with Rachel Reeves, your Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Leeds West and Pudsey, we will always fight for you.
On so many doorsteps you’ve told me you want and are ready for change in Pudsey ward. Only a vote for Labour (Riaz Ahmed) can bring the change.
Glover, Christine: Liberal Democrats
3 Harker Terrace, Stanningley, Pudsey, LS28 6BL.
Christine has been a long-term local resident.
Her involvement in local conservation groups and as a school governor has led her to appreciate the need for local communities to have a bigger say in how their environment and services are delivered.
Liberal Democrats’ commitment to localism and putting communities in control led Christine to volunteer to be a candidate for the party.
Seary, Dawn: Conservative Party
4 Victoria Rise, Pudsey, LS28 7SU
It’s been a privilege to represent my home town for the last three years. In that time we’ve made real progress.
We have secured funding for leisure centre upgrades with new equipment, invested in all our parks and green spaces, our playgrounds have been completely transformed and I’m looking forward to the ice cream hut in Pudsey Park reopening soon.
If re-elected I’ll keep backing our residents, our hardworking volunteers and our amazing businesses who all make our area what it is. My job is to challenge the decisions that are made by the council, protect our green spaces, and make sure our voices are heard!
I’ll hold the Mayor to account, making sure we get police back on our streets; working with and investing in youth services and tackling those shops which contribute to the anti-social behaviour in our bus station.
Being a councillor is about so much more than just the ‘glitter’; I’m supporting vulnerable families across the ward needing help with special educational needs, and demanding answers from the council when they’re ignored. I’m assisting with housing repairs, getting potholes fixed, and supporting school applications so that children can attend their local schools.
We now have diggers in the ground, with new council housing to be built on the brownfield site off Hough Top – building the houses we need without destroying green spaces, and listening to local residents to make sure we build it right first time.
You have a big decision to make in May. Another Labour councillor in Leeds ready to toe their party’s line or to support my plan for lower Council tax and meaningful investment in our area.
I’ll continue to remain open, honest and transparent. So, let’s keep our community on the right track; vote Dawn Seary on May 2.
Ward, Suzanne: Green Party
Address in Leeds.
Whitehead, Andrea: Reform UK
Address in Leeds.
My name is Andrea Whitehead and I’m proud to be standing for election as a councillor for the Reform Party in Pudsey.
I am a retired business woman and in recent years have been interested in politics. I’m truly dismayed by the state of local services and the woefully inadequate city councils, mostly run by Labour.
I’m especially concerned about policing and the crime level in Pudsey and the police force’s apathetic attitude towards petty crime and the rise in crime amongst young people. Reform have a zero tolerance towards crime.
The state of the roads seem to be another area of concern, which seems to be not just a local issue, and I would work hard to keep the motorist on the road and speak out against anti-motorist policies.
Wasteful council spending is out of control, council tax just goes up and up and Labour Leeds City Council focuses on vanity projects that cost the hard-working tax payers dearly. There needs to be more transparency and accountability.
Pudsey already has a good community spirit and I would hope to make a difference to the people of Pudsey. I think it’s important to listen to people’s concerns and do the best to try and find a solution to them.
Thanks for reading, please vote Reform – and don’t forget your ID!
The shoplifting curse in Pudsey Town Centre is getting out of hand. On Sunday morning while in Sainsburys, on Church Lane, I spotted a suspicious chubby man dressed in black shorts & a black hoodie taking food off several shelves on the front isle of the store. As he approached his car outside the store I told a staff member what the shoplifter had taken without paying for the items & she couldn’t be bothered to go and challenge the thief. Typical. The worst shops in Pudsey for shoplifting are B & M, Sainsburys & Greggs. You also get pestered by people pretending to be homeless, especially outside Sainsburys on Church Lane.