Headingley and the referendum result

It is now clear that the overall result of the EU Referendum is a majority for Leave. But it is equally clear that this is not what Headingley wanted. We stood at the count and tallied up the votes as they were counted, and from the Headingley ballot boxes we could see that our area had voted to Remain by a margin of about 8 to 1.

The long-term consequences of the overall result are far from clear at the moment, but whatever happens the Liberal Democrats will continue working hard for the people of Headingley, and for the people of the UK. We believe in being outward-looking, tolerant, cooperative and compassionate, and we will keep on applying those values and working for our communities in this new post-referendum world.

Vote Remain board

Please vote to REMAIN today!

Today is polling day for the EU Referendum. Headingley Liberal Democrats have been campaigning hard for the Remain side, because we believe that Headingley, and all of the UK, is better off working together with our neighbours, rather than standing apart.

The EU allows us easy trading access to our nearest markets, opens up huge opportunities in study or work for our young people, makes it easy to travel, makes the UK attractive to international investors, and helps us to tackle cross-border issues like pollution and crime. And at a time when the effects of terrorism and financial crashes are now felt globally, it seems very short-sighted to isolate ourselves in any way from our nearest geographical and cultural neighbours.

We hope you’ll join with us in voting Remain today, to help keep Headingley safe and prosperous for the future.

Tim Farron EU proud

Thank You Focus leaflet

We are currently busy delivering our latest Focus leaflet in Headingley. You may have received yours already. If not, it should reach you soon.

Thank You June 2016 front crop

Thank You June 2016 back crop

Note: we aim to deliver a Focus leaflet to every household in Headingley, but of course some addresses are inaccessible (e.g. flats with entry codes), and sometimes we just run out! That’s why we put our stories online as well. You can browse through them by following our ‘focus stories’ category.

Shaw Lane / Grove Lane sewer repair works

Yorkshire Water are currently undertaking repair works to a collapsed sewer underneath Shaw Lane. Last week, they notified local residents that this would mean having to close off the end of Shaw Lane, where it meets Grove Lane, for about four weeks.

However, they have now discovered a new complication, which means that the work is now also affecting traffic on Grove Lane. In an update sent out yesterday they write:

Works began yesterday morning to carry out repairs to the collapsed sewer on Shaw Lane.

Unfortunately when undertaking the initial excavations the contractors discovered a large void underneath the carriageway which extended into/under the east bound lane of Grove Lane ( i.e. towards Meanwood).

Obviously this has changed things somewhat on site and as of this morning [i.e. Wednesday morning] the works have now encroached onto Grove Lane, narrowing it to below the required carriageway widths allowed to maintain  two way traffic.

A priority system is now in place and seems to be working ok –  however this type of traffic management will not be appropriate when the traffic flows increase during peak times.

Between 15.30-18.30 tonight [i.e. Wednesday] a trial will be undertaken using Stop/Go boards to try and manage traffic around the work site safely without causing major disruption

If the trial proves successful then this method will be used every morning and evening until the road is safe enough to allow two way traffic to flow unobstructed.

On the flip side, if it is clear that Stop/Go boards cannot manage traffic safely then we will have no choice but to close Grove Lane  – one way (eastbound only).

This would mean that there will be no left or right turn into Grove Lane from Otley Road A660 but traffic traveling from Meanwood would be unaffected.

Yorkshire Water’s contractors will continue to work 7 days a week however it is now expected that these works will not be completed until mid/late June.

I hope this explains the difficult situation we find ourselves in and I will be sure to keep you all updated with any developments.

We will post any further information which they provide here.

Shaw Lane Grove Lane roadworks

Headingley Stronger IN Europe

Penny Goodman joined a team from Britain Stronger IN Europe yesterday evening outside the Headingley Arndale Centre. Together, they handed out flyers and talked to local people on their way home about the benefits of staying in the EU.

Britain IN Headingley

Penny said:

For me, being in the EU is about working together with our neighbours instead of putting up barriers between us. The practical benefits of easier trading, easier travel, and being able to cooperate on issues like climate change and cross-border crime speak for themselves. But fundamentally it is about being open, collaborative and internationalist – not isolated and inwards-looking.

Trolleybus scheme rejected

The news has come today that the proposed Leeds NGT trolleybus scheme has been ruled ‘not suitable for development’ by the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

The project attracted huge controversy after local communities protested that it could not deliver the improved journey times being promised, and would damage the local environment, local businesses and precious green space. The decision today follows an extensive public inquiry undertaken in 2014.

The £173m which the government would have contributed to the trolleybus scheme will still be retained for spending in Leeds, however. This means that the door is now open for a proper discussion about what transport solutions might actually work for our community: for example light rail, a tram or improvements to the existing bus services.

The full story is covered here by the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Thank you!

Headingley Liberal Democrats would like to thank everyone who voted for Penny Goodman in the local election on Thursday, and the fantastic campaign team who supported her.

Sadly, Penny was not elected, but her vote share went up by 6 percentage points, from 12.4% in 2015 to 18.7% this time – a real testament to all her hard work over the last year.

The full details are in the table below, for local politics geeks!

Results spreadsheet

Beyond Headingley, the overall Liberal Democrat vote share across Leeds also went up, and the Liberal Democrats have proven the biggest winners in the local council elections across England. These are the overall results currently showing on the BBC’s local election coverage page, with 122 of 124 council election counts now completed.

BBC overall results

We will be back out on the streets of Headingley again soon, listening to local views and working for the community. But for this weekend, we think we have earnt a pint!

Veritas after the count smaller

Vote Penny Goodman on May 5th!

Elections to Leeds city council are taking place on Thursday May 5th. Our candidate for Headingley is Penny Goodman.

Penny lives locally on Grove Lane, and has been working hard all year, speaking to residents, helping with local issues and campaigning for Headingley. But she can do so much more if she is elected to the council on May 5th.

These ten pictures show what Penny has already done for Headingley, and what she is campaigning for now. Just click on any picture for more information about her work.

Record of Action Post Office

Record of Action Cumberland ginnel

Record of Action Victoria Road

Record of Action Yorkshire Stone

Record of Action Ash Terrace

Record of Action broadband

Record of Action Lupton bins

Record of Action recycling

Record of Action Elinor Lupton

Record of Action telephone cabinets

Penny’s fight for better broadband

Broadband providers offer super-fast speeds when you sign your contract, but residents in Headingley and Hyde Park have told local campaigner Penny Goodman that they are not getting what they were promised.

People feel let down by their providers. Many residents and students are having problems completing even simple tasks like downloading music or completing assignments.

Broadband problems
Penny Goodman doesn’t think people should be paying for a service they aren’t receiving, so she ran a petition in the Headingley and Hyde Park areas to show the scale of the problem. In some streets, almost every household signed up to call for a better service.

Penny has now written to the major broadband providers, calling on them to investigate the problem, and to put in better infrastructure so that everyone gets the service they were promised. The good news is that Virgin Media have now responded, and have agreed that there are congestion problems in the LS6 1** postcode area in particular.

Virgin Media will now be working to improve the infrastructure in this area, and are also urging all customers affected to call their technical support line on 150 (free from a Virgin Media land line) or 0345 454 1111. This will provide a clearer picture of the problems across the area as a whole, as well as allowing them to help customers on an individual basis.

You can still add your name to the petition here.