What's happening in Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton and Stourton
The recent council elections – and congratulations to all those elected in South Leeds and to Al Garthwaite from Beeston on becoming our city’s new Lord Mayor – was the first after a new law came in requiring us to show voter ID. In Leeds, 601 residents were initially turned
It was a great pleasure recently to visit Slung Low in their new home in Holbeck. Slung Low is a really imaginative and energetic theatre company that brings performing to the heart of our community and builds links all over the place. I first met Alan Lane and his team
Just under two years ago a constituent called Rory Burke wrote to me. He revealed that he has a brain tumour and asked me to attend a meeting to discuss ways in which we could try to find a cure. I went along and little did I know then that
Our right to vote was hard-won and is very precious. This May the way we vote will be changing because we’ll all need to show specified photo ID at the polling station in order to be given a ballot paper. Acceptable forms of ID include a passport, driving licence, a
Every year on the 27 January the world marks Holocaust Memorial Day. It is the occasion when we remember the six million Jews and others who were murdered by the Nazis, and all those who were killed in more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. It is by
First things first. Happy New Year and let us hope it is a better one than 2022 – mind you that wouldn’t be too difficult! So what about New Year resolutions? One that would make a real difference would be free school meals for all children of primary age, and
The BBC is planning to make cuts to local radio which will mean that we lose distinctive Leeds content for significant parts of the day. Although BBC Radio Leeds will continue to have its own dedicated local programmes from 6am to 2pm on weekdays, after that time programmes will be
I can’t quite let this column pass without making some reference to the recent goings-on at Westminster and 10 Downing Street. I have been involved in politics for over 40 years and I have never known a time like it. We have had three different Prime Ministers in the space
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, put national life on hold as we remembered her seven decades of constancy, service and devotion to duty. It was a privilege to attend the church service at Leeds Minister to mark her life and her passing.
You probably have to go back to the 1970s to find a time when the pressures on family finances were so acute. Then, it was the trebling of oil prices; now it is the huge increase in the cost of gas and electricity. The cost of living is rising at