By John Baron
Councillors in ‘inner’ West Leeds have approved a £36,000 revamp of a run-down multi-use games area (MUGA) in Stanningley Park.
Members of the Inner West Community Committee approved the grant to resurface and re-paint Stanningley Park MUGA, which is in need of improvements to encourage greater community use. Last night’s meeting heard the work will cost £54,000 in total.
Councillors approved a £10,876 grant towards a £108,000 project to revamp the tennis courts in Burley Park.
The grant will be used to resurface and repaint the three courts and replace all net posts and nets, which will bring the courts up to a ‘very good’ standard. Fencing around the courts will also be replaced.
The money came from the council’s community infrastructure levy (CIL) fund, but Councillor Jim McKenna (Lab, Armley) raised concerns that the money would take up much of the CIL budget and that the deprived Armley ward ‘had had very little from CIL’ and told his fellow councillors ‘there are other sources [of funding]’ they could use.
But other councillors pointed out no scheme for CIL money had been put forward for Armley Ward.
Cllr Fiona Venner, (Lab, Kirkstall) said other sources of funding had already been allocated in her ward and added: “You have not put any applications in, Bramley and Kirkstall have put schemes forward.”
Cllr Caroline Gruen (Lab, Bramley & Stanningley) said that the Stanningley Park scheme had been flagged up in advance at the last inner west meeting. “Armley councillors may wish to do the same so we can discuss it,” she added.
Councillors said they would look favourably at any future scheme put forward by Armley councillors.
Other grants approved include:
- Kirkstall Art Trail – £4,000.
- Kirkstall Festival – £8,000. Eight councillors from all three wards agreed to put forward funds allocated to them as it was felt the event attracted attendees from across West Leeds. £5,000 came from Kirkstall wards, with £1,500 coming from funds allocated to Armley and Bramley & Stanningley wards. Only Cllr McKenna voted against, saying residents in the more deprived parts of Armley were unlikely to travel to the event.
- Kirkstall School Transition Club – £2,215 to continue a transition group for those young people living in the Kirkstall area who are in year 6 and will be transitioning into year 7.
- The Conservation Volunteers – £8,241 to deliver 22 practical environmental action days with targeted health and wellbeing outcomes.
- Friends of Armley and Gotts Park – £2,935 for community events in the park.
- Armley Basketball Project – £7,620.
- Bramley Youth Clubs – £1,200.
- DAZL Bramley Dance Programme 2024 – £3,861 to run weekly creative dance sessions.
- Breeze in the Park Event 2024 – Inner West (Bramley, Armley, Kirkstall) – £11,400.
A £12,450 bid from Interplay Theatre Trust for LS12 Creative Project to develop young people’s skills in theatre and film making was deferred for further information.
Members of the Inner West Community Committee also heard that their budget for grants in the next financial year had been reduced by 15%.
The committee is made up of nine councillors from the Armley, Bramley & Stanningley and Kirkstall wards. All nine councillors are Labour. Community representatives also sit on the committee, but have no voting rights.
The meeting was held at The Eric Atkinson Centre in Wellington Gardens, Bramley, and the full agenda can be found here.