Leeds City Council has given its reaction to the announcement of a railways funding package by the Government. Ministers confirmed details of a £317m investment in the York-Leeds-Manchester Transpennine rail route, with funds also being released for the new White Rose and Thorpe Park stations in Leeds. Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City…
Keep ReadingBusinesses are being encouraged to apply for new COVID-19 funding support as Leeds prepares for the next crucial stages of the country’s lockdown exit roadmap. One-off restart grants are now available from Leeds City Council to help eligible businesses with the cost of opening up after coronavirus restrictions are eased. Non-essential retail businesses that have…
Keep ReadingLeeds City Council and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership have welcomed the news that Leeds will be the home of the country’s first-ever Infrastructure Bank. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, used his Budget speech to announce that the city has been chosen as the location for the bank, which will invest…
Keep ReadingIn what continues to be an incredibly difficult and challenging time due to coronavirus, Leeds City Council are continuing to provide a range of meaningful assistance to all market traders in Leeds. This includes as part of a package of financial support, providing a 100% rent concession for all outdoor and district market traders…
Keep ReadingCouncillor Judith Blake CBE, the Leader of Leeds City Council, has been chosen to be a Labour Party Peer in the upper chamber. A politician from Otley will take up a place in the House of Lords next year. Councillor Judith Blake was named among the new peers announced by the Government. Councillor Blake…
Keep ReadingEarly budget proposals for 2021/22 presented to Leeds City Council’s executive board next week detail efforts to address a £119m deficit, but the tough decisions presented won’t be finalised until February. The funding gap for the next financial year was first reported to the board in September through a medium term financial plan. Thanks…
Keep ReadingThe Government has announced a new national lockdown with rules coming into force from Thursday November 5. For four weeks until Wednesday 2 December the Government is asking people to stay at home, except for specific purposes; not to gather with others they don’t live with, except for specific purposes and is closing some…
Keep ReadingAfter an incredibly difficult academic year, young people across Leeds are receiving their GCSE results. On 18 March, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that GCSE and A-level exams would be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, schools were asked to produce Centre Assessed Grades for their students. These are the most likely…
Keep ReadingThe Conservatives offer a future in which we get Brexit done, and then move on to focus on our priorities – which are also your priorities. The first 100 days of a Conservative majority Government would see the passing of the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, a Queen’s Speech to introduce key domestic legislation covering…
Keep ReadingDrivers will benefit from reduced congestion on a busy West Yorkshire motorway as major work to improve two key junctions begins on the M62 next week. The roundabouts and slip roads at junction 27 for Gildersome will be upgraded as part of a two-phase scheme starting on Monday 23 July. The scheme – which…
Keep ReadingFollowing media interest, Leeds City Council wishes to clarify that no final contract was given to Carillion in regards to the East Leeds Orbital Road (ELOR). Tom Riordan, Leeds City Council Chief Executive said: “We are looking at the impact the news about Carillion will have on the council and wider city. We know…
Keep ReadingEver-increasing demand for adult social care services has led Leeds City Council to again propose adding an extra 3% to council tax to help with the hugely burgeoning cost of care. The council is proposing a tightly-managed budget for 2018/19 aimed at maximising efficiencies while coping with reductions to funding in the face of…
Keep ReadingHuge budget pressures have led Leeds City Council to again accept the government’s offer of adding 2% to council tax to contribute to the spiralling costs of caring for rising numbers of older people. A total council tax rise of 3.99% in Leeds for the coming year is proposed as the council deals with…
Keep ReadingThree landlords of Leeds houses have paid a heavy price for recklessly disregarding the safety of tenants this month as the council continues to crack down on rogue renters. In a series of prosecutions by Leeds City Council in November, three landlords were fined for breaching housing laws governing safety in HMOs (houses in…
Keep ReadingCouncillor Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council said: “The Autumn Statement does not go nearly far enough in addressing some of the UK’s basic inequalities and there was very little, if any, mention of much-needed support for council services in Leeds. “We need decisive action nationally to address rapidly escalating demand for social…
Keep ReadingLeeds City Council is facing further severe reductions in its funding over the next three years so challenging that it will have no choice but to make tough decisions that will impact on services. After six years of major cuts, financial planners are having to work increasingly hard to identify areas where savings can…
Keep ReadingLeader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said: “Leeds is barely mentioned in this report which really does smack of the government not taking the risk here seriously. Storm Eva caused absolute devastation for residents and businesses in Leeds, with many still recovering. The people of Leeds need the new Secretary of State to…
Keep Reading