Dear sir,- Due to ongoing financial pressures, Leeds City Council have proposed to reduce the opening hours of libraries and community hubs in Leeds. Among those affected are the community hubs in Armley, Bramley, and Hawksworth in my Leeds West constituency.
The community hub in Pudsey will also be affected along with Calverley Library, and Pudsey Civic Hall is currently under threat of being axed. Over the past 14 years Leeds City Council’s funding from the Conservative government has been reduced by 30% and recently the demand for council services has gone up as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.Â
It cannot be understated how vital the services provided by the community hubs are. Every day my office speaks with constituents who need to use council services to get by or because they have fallen on hard times.
Further to this, several constituents have contacted me regarding the proposed cuts. My office will work with the council to ensure the services provided by the community hubs can continue no matter the circumstances. Across the country many councils are facing similar tough choices, but Leeds City Council will work to ensure that, even in the face of cuts, frontline services will continue to be delivered.
Currently, the proposed cuts are in the consultation phase and the council is seeking the opinions of Leeds residents on this issue. Completing the consultation form will only take five to 10 minutes and I would encourage everyone to make their voices heard through the consultation processes which can be accessed below:
- Pudsey Civic Hall Consultation (deadline: 19/01/2024):Â Pudsey Civic Hall Consultation (leeds.gov.uk)
- Community Hubs Consultation (deadline: 12/02/2024):Â Leeds Libraries Opening Hours Consultation
My office will continue to monitor this issue and will work ensure that the voices of Leeds West constituents are heard on this matter.
- Rachel Reeves MP, Leeds West MP
I couldn’t access the consultation document for Pudsey Civic Hall which I think is a horrendous proposal in an area where there are few other accessible venues of this size and where many events have been held for many years. Instead the council needs to be concentrating on marketing the venue to increase the number of events taking place there. Also the suggestion of reducing the hours of local libraries is again diabolical. They are an invaluable resource in an area where many people on low incomes cannot afford to buy books for their children to encourage reading and also these venues, I believe also provide places where people who do not have access to computers at home can use these for job hunting etc. Think again!!