What's happening in Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton and Stourton
When I finished writing my column for South Leeds Life at the end of February, I could scarcely have imagined that so much would change so quickly in the following four weeks. As the coronavirus has spread across the globe with no vaccine yet available – although lots of scientists
Storms Ciara and Dennis have reminded us once again of the risk of flooding in Leeds and across the country. The flood defences in the city centre, including the movable weir at Crown Point Bridge which can be lowered when the water level rises, have made a difference, but there
At the end of this year, world leaders will gather in Glasgow for a big climate change conference as the scientific evidence of our changing climate accumulates. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is predicting that the average global temperature in 80 years’ time is likely to be between 3°C
The legacy of the terrible Grenfell tower tragedy still echoes across Leeds. Having identified all the blocks in our city with AMC cladding – the type used at Grenfell – a search has now begun for buildings clad in HPL following the serious fire at a student accommodation building in
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a very interesting presentation at a local GP surgery on social prescribing. It’s all about trying to help patients with the illnesses and problems they have in a new and different way rather than by writing out yet another prescription. One GP said
The latest recipient of a Leeds Civic trust blue plaque is The Holbeck. Known by most people as the Holbeck Working Men’s Club, it is the oldest such club in the country. It began life in 1871 as a community organisation with less than a hundred members. Into the 20th
Motorways don’t generally run through the middle of residential areas, so doing repairs and maintenance work isn’t usually an issue when it comes to noise. But the M621 in South Leeds is completely different. It cuts right through the heart of our community and in recent weeks life has been
Someone asked me the other day why MPs use the term advice surgery. Well, I replied, we do give advice but we’re not doctors. But that’s not how one person saw it. The first person who turned up at my very first advice surgery as a councillor many years ago
It is hard to believe that the Beeston Festival has just celebrated its 25th year. Always a highlight of the summer, I swear it’s getting bigger every year. Once again, the weather was kind and the crowds flocked into Cross Flatts Park to enjoy the music, delicious food and the
For the second time in recent years local residents and I have found ourselves dealing with a particular problem. Companies that start operating and causing disturbance in buildings when they don’t have planning permission for what they are doing. In the first case, a quiet residential block by the river