Opposition is continuing to grow to Leeds City Council’s proposals to close Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall in a bid to help balance its budget.
An online petition launched two days ago has attracted more than 450 signatures, while concerns over the closure have been expressed by volunteers at Kirkstall Art Trail. A public consultation into the proposals – where you can have your say – has also been launched.
Meanwhile, readers have been contacting WLD with their views. Here’s a selection:
‘Deplorable’ loss of valued teaching resource
I heartily endorse all the comments expressing dismay at the proposed closure of Abbey House Museum.
As a 90-year-old born in Kirkstall and living in Bramley for 68 years – 27 of those teaching at what was Bramley Primary School – I deplore this snatching away of a valued teaching opportunity for our children, enjoyed by so many over the years.
Would the closure of this amenity also include access to the scented garden and the wonderful Geoff Hodgson garden? The latter a memorial to a remarkable man and a tireless worker for the Kirkstall community, who was ironically a valued employee of Leeds City Council for many years. I hope the petition will achieve its aim!
- Margaret Waterhouse, by e-mail
Poor marketing
It’s interesting to see local residents petitioning for the museum, but where is the local councillors’ support? To close a historical asset would be an outcry.
The museum is not promoted and neither is the Abbey, where are the leaflets in the libraries, leisure centres promoting both. At Christmas the museum is also a fantastic place to take children to not only go on the cobbled streets but to visit Santa.
The marketing of both is very poor.
- Mrs K Wilson, by e-mail
Leeds should stop holding itself back
Leeds has potentially so much to offer as a centre for tourism and needs to make more of its amazing sites.
By encouraging more tourists it will put Leeds on the map, but in order to do this its industrial heritage needs to be valued.
Gotts Mansion could draw tourists from world wide if it became a major art collection for somebody like Alan Bennett. Likewise Thwaites Mill, the historic centre and shopping which is second to none.
Places like Kirkstall Abbey, the Industrial Museum and Abbey House could be thronged with visitors with good promotion and some wealthy local benefactors to fund the upgrades. Also of corse the amazing local countryside.
They all need high-quality cafes to support this sort of tourism. Leeds can do it. No matter how often local residents visit these places it’s not going to be enough to support the high cost of running those places!
- Judith Cain, website comment
Our culture and heritage
Culture and heritage are twinned concepts. I’m disappointed after Leeds City of Culture 2023 which embraced all this, that it’s not sustainable.
- Diane Law, via Facebook
‘Once it closes it will not reopen’
I agree, but also the fact that the annual Kirkstall Festival has for over 40 years worked with Museums & Galleries/ Parks & Countryside to bring the festival to the Abbey grounds up to 20,000 people through one day.
Add to that all the other events that take place within the Abbey grounds through the year does add up. In 2023 alone there was the Madness event, the three-day Comedy Club, along with a week-long beer festival, which no doubt generated significant money for the council.
Has the decision to close the museum already been made? Contact your Kirkstall ward councillors and ask what significant other individual significant closures have been made in other wards such as Bramley, Armley, Wortley etc.
And a second comment:
Along with filling out the so-called consultation, email our Kirkstall Ward Councillors to object. This is as such not a consultation, the decision to close the Museum has already been decided.
Once the museum closes it will not reopen. Our councillors change from year to year, make sure if it does close – the blame lies with them.
- John Liversedge, via Facebook.
Great memories
Yet another museum closing! What is wrong with Leeds Ciy Council? After Thwaite Mill closing now the wonderful Abbey House Museum.
I can remember from my childhood visiting this wonderful place, it’s stuck in my memories and I’m sure many other people have similar experiences. I’ve visited many times and all my friends from abroad who stay with me have loved it too.
Stop spending on unnecessary things in the city and concentrate on the people who live here. Leeds is a place for a city break, but shopping and eating is going to be the only attraction in this city soon. You’ll find that tourism will take a hit if you do away with our more important attractions.
- Janice Taylor, by e-mail
‘Decimating’ tourism
I read on WLD somewhere that the council only just opened expensive Changing Places toilets at Abbey House this year. Do they not think things through? What a waste of money! I noticed the Gatehouse cafe at Abbey House was closed last year and moved to the Abbey itself, also to save money. Seems to me the running down of tourism at the Abbey and its museum is a losing-term but ill thought-out plan to ditch and decimate tourism at an historical asset, alongside charging Leeds residents to enter the Abbey ruins.
This council faces unprecedented financial challenges due to increased costs and under-funding from central government over a long period, and I understand that. But it really doesn’t help itself, does it?
They need to be holding more events at these sites to generate money, not less. Such shortsightedness from our city fathers (and mothers) is breathtaking. The decisions taken now will be irreversible and affect generations of our young people to come…
- Mickey Smith, by e-mail
Background
Leeds City Council is proposing to close Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall as it faces unprecedented strain on its finances.
Job losses, building closures and a council tax rise of almost five per cent are also being considered by the authority.
Latest figures show the council needs to save £106.4m during 2025/26 to avoid having it declare itself bankrupt. The council already had to save almost £64m in the current financial year. The Abbey House Museum closure could save £160,000.
The council faces rising costs, particularly in adult social care, while central Government has underfunded local councils across the country over the past 14 years.
Follow WLD‘s ongoing coverage of Abbey House Museum here.
WLD Cutswatch
WLD is following ongoing council cuts, closures and building sales in our Cutswatch series of articles.
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Perhaps if Leeds City councillors spent less money on the ridiculous cycle lanes that are barely used, less money on stupid projects like the completely unnecessary works on City Square and the many other unnecessary projects that they have squandered OUR money on over the past years then they wouldn’t losing money and be in debt. It is only by the complete mismanagement of the City finances and excessive salaries of the Chief Executives that has led to these financial problems and caused the Council to consider.these ridiculous cost cutting exercises. They are taking the short sighted route to try and balance the books by getting rid of not only our heritage but much needed infrastructure such as Care Homes!
Let us hope that in the May elections we have a change of governance and councillors are elected that actually care about the residents of our great city of Leeds and its heritage.
Hi Stephen, sadly you’re regurgitating some well-aired but ultimately lazy tropes. It’s worth pointing that most major infrastructure projects aren’t paid for by Leeds City Council. They are usually funded by the council applying to central government for a grant to pay for the project. The cycle superhighway, for instance, received an £18m cash award from the Department for Transport (which, from memory, received the money from Europe) and £11m of local funding, most of which came from West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Major road schemes like Connecting West Leeds on the Ring Road were funded by the Conservative Government’s Levelling Up scheme, with extra funding from WYCA. The City Square scheme you mention was again funded by a grant. These grants come from specific posts of money and can only be used for specific types of projects. Of course, you are entitled to question whether the council is wise to bid for the money and carry out these projects in the first palace, but it’s a different argument.
And just to point out, Leeds City Council wards have three councillors in each and for three years running we elect one councillor. Councillors are elected for terms of up to four years. This means in the fourth year there are no Leeds City Council elections. 2025 is one of those years, so there are actually no elections until 7 May 2026.
You sound like a Councillor using a sock puppet account, although all your points are valid.
Perhaps the LCC administrarion could apply for a grant to keep this Magnificent museum open? Why cut this community facility in a ward which is very deprived? Sure infrastructure needs developing, but that’s got nowt to do with a vital part of Leeds and Yorkshire’s history being destroyed, which will happen unless we try to keep Abbey House open.
Us Parish Councillors can only do so much, LCC has the pursestrings.