Residents in Leeds have called for better street lighting and cleaner neighbourhoods as part of a new council programme aimed at improving areas across the city.
The council is urging people living in Hyde Park and Headingley to share their views on what changes they would like to see in their neighbourhood at a public event at All Hallows Church tonight from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
Further events will take place in Little London and Woodhouse ward on the 14th October at the Woodhouse Community Centre from 4:30pm to 6:30pm, and in Moortown on the 15th October at the Moortown Baptist church from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
The council plans to work with residents to identify local priorities and visibly improve 33 wards.
James Gibson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment, who launched the programme, said “It will be directed by the community and community led.”
But what changes do residents want to see?
Amelia Blackledge, a resident of Hyde Park said, “I think that the council should spend money on lights for the public footpaths through Woodhouse Moor park.”
“As a woman I would never walk through the park when it’s dark because I don’t feel safe when there is no street lighting along the paths,” she said.
Ryan Bourne, another Hyde Park resident said, cleaner streets could help make the area a nicer place to live.
“They should clean the streets, so it becomes a nicer area to live in and then hopefully crime rates will decrease too,” he said.
Source: Tamsin Taylor | All Rights ReservedResidents have your voice heard
Over the course of the week the council is going to be working closely with residents, community groups, partners and council services to identify priorities and agree local actions.
Gibson said the programme was intended to make a visible difference to neighbourhoods and want residents to see how council spending benefits their areas.
“We are conscious as a council, that council tax keeps on going up and up, and people complain that they’re not seeing anything for it,” he said.
“We want to do something really visible that people can see and can see where the council taxes go and deliver some real positive changes in people’s areas.”
Which areas will benefit?
The first ward selected for the programme was Chapel Allerton, with work having begun in early October.
Headingley and Hyde Park, Little London and Woodhouse, and Moortown are also included in the programme’s initial stages, with improvements happening all throughout November and December.
The council’s approach aims to put residents at the heart of the programme’s decisions about what needs to change in their neighbourhoods.