By Jo Gittins
Hello everyone, my name is Jo Gittins and I’m the Chair of the Farnley East Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.
Across Leeds, four areas have received Pride in Place funding – and two of those are here in LS12. The other is Armley and New Wortley, chaired by Reverend Phil Arnold, who I know well and will work alongside to share experiences and learnings to strengthen what we can achieve in our communities.
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all programme. It means different areas may come up with different ideas, plan things in their own way, and move at their own pace. And that’s exactly how it should be. Both boards are committed to keeping residents informed every step of the way, and making sure everyone has the opportunity to have their say. You can follow us on Facebook here Farnley East Neighbourhood Board | West Yorkshire | Facebook
What makes Pride in Place special is the level of community input it will bring so we would encourage you to get involved.
Board update
As a Board, we’ve already started building strong foundations.
Our first board meeting was held at the Unity Community Hub at Dixons Unity Academy, included a pizza-making team activity alongside important work to ensure our governance is transparent, robust and community-focused.
Our second meeting at St John’s Church in Wortley and Farnley Parish continued that momentum.
Farnley East – where’s that?!
We’ve had lots of questions about the name Farnley East, and rightly so. It doesn’t quite capture the area as we know it. For example, it includes parts of Wortley and Armley but not all of Farnley. The current boundary spans estates on both sides of Farnley Ring Road, including the Bawns, Butterbowls, Whincovers, Silver Royds, Heights/Farrows, Whingate and Thornhill.
One of our first priorities has been to review this and ask whether it truly reflects our community.
I’m delighted to share that the Board has unanimously agreed we should extend the area. A formal application will go forward in July and will be subject to Government approval, but we are hopeful it will allow us to include the Stonecliffes, Stonebridges, and Tong housing estates, as well as Farnley Hall Park, the Fishpond and local sports fields used by Farnley Falcons and Wortley Boys FC – all key parts of our community.
Community Connect Group
We’re working with a newly formed Community Connect Group – a passionate group of parents, carers and residents who live in our area. They didn’t know each other before, but they’ve come together with a shared ambition to support the community-led Board. The group will play a key role in our Pride in Place plans.
Youth Shadow Board
One of the most exciting developments so far has been the launch of our Youth Shadow Board of sixteen young people aged 11–17. You can read about this in our previous article here.
Our Youth Shadow Board is about making sure young people’s voices are heard, valued, and actively involved in decision-making. We provided an environment appropriate for their age and a structure that will build their confidence and skills. One comment from their first meeting stood out to me in particular:
“Adults don’t always get it right for young people, because they’re not young people.”
It was a simple but very powerful reminder that young people are the experts in their own lives.
Their voices are essential if we want to make lasting improvements. By the time the programme ends, these young people will be aged 21–27 – so the decisions and ideas they contribute now will directly shape the community they grow into.
- This is just the beginning of an exciting journey. Please do get involved, share your ideas on Facebook or by e-mail to PrideinPlace.Farnley@Leeds.gov.uk
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I do not agree with the decision to extend the boards area.
Farnley East was designed by the Office for National Statistics. It uses census data to ensure that it is not too small and not too big and that the communities within it are all similar. It was not drawn up by politicians or civil servants with a map and a pen.
Afterwards, nationally some of these areas were identified as needing extra help, hence the £20 million funding announced. Farnley East was found to need such funding. The proposed additional areas were not. This smacks of moving the goal posts by the board. The result of this is that the area identified as been in most need will not get the cash that was intended.
Through years of poor representation on the council by the green, the area is in a sorry state. Broken pavements, crumbling walls and rusting railings. Every penny of the £20 million is needed for Farnley East. I suspect that this expansion will go ahead, and later it will be expanded into The Gambles and the Cobden’s, leaving even less for the original area.
What a waste, but at least someone got to play chef and make some pizzas though.