A resident on Alma Road has been in touch to let us know about a local telephone cabinet which has been targeted by graffiti. We went to Alma Road today to see for ourselves, and found no less than four cabinets which badly need a clean-up!
If graffiti is left untackled, it can lead to higher levels of other street crimes. Meanwhile, the companies who own these cabinets have a duty to keep them clean. So we will be reporting the problem, and will update here with any progress.
The Liberal Democrats have always been at the forefront of the fight for LGBT+ equality. You can learn more about our campaigning record here. Today Penny Goodman and the Headingley Liberal Democrats were proud to join activists from across Leeds, marching to show our support for LGBT+ rights in the Leeds Pride Parade.
We all wish summer would last forever, but unfortunately winter comes all too soon! While out delivering leaflets today we checked on some of Headingley’s grit bins, and were surprised to find many of them either full of rubbish or simply empty of grit.
We will be reporting this issue to the council, asking them to make sure that the grit bins are filled up ready for the winter, and that proper rubbish bins are provided where people are using grit bins instead.
The Grade II listed Elinor Lupton Building on Headingley Lane used to be part of Leeds Girls High School. But in 2010 the school moved to new premises, and the building was put on the market. Then in 2014, local residents were dismayed to learn that the school had sold the building to Wetherspoons, who hope to turn it into a huge pub with a capacity of around 1000 patrons. Meanwhile, after five years standing empty, the building has fallen into a sorry state, covered in graffiti and fly-posters, and surrounded by rubbish.
Local Headingley campaigner Penny Goodman has written to the CEO of Wetherspoons, John Hutson, asking the company to take their responsibility for the building which they now own seriously, and clean it up. Here is the text of her letter:
Dear Mr. Hutson,
I am a local campaigner in Headingley, Leeds, and I am writing in relation the Elinor Lupton Centre on Headingley Lane: a local building which formerly belonged to The Grammar School at Leeds and was recently purchased by Wetherspoons.
As I’m sure you are aware, planning permission to convert this building into a Wetherspoons pub is currently being sought from Leeds City Council. Over 70 local residents and residents’ groups have objected to the application, citing concerns about the noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour likely to be generated by the numbers of customers anticipated in the plans, and the fact that an additional licensed premises in this area would contravene the Cumulative Impact Policy already in place for Headingley.
In the meantime, the building itself is increasingly becoming a target for graffiti, litter and fly-posting, turning it into an eye-sore rather than the distinctive landmark feature it once was. Since it is such a large building, and faces directly onto the main road through Headingley, the effect is to make the entire local neighbourhood appear run-down and neglected.
My view is that as the new owners of the Elinor Lupton Centre, Wetherspoons have a responsibility to ensure that it is kept clean and in good repair. Taking measures to clean up the graffiti, litter and posters currently disfiguring the site would also demonstrate your company’s commitment to the character of the local neighbourhood.
I am therefore writing to ask you to take measures to clean up the external parts of this building now, as a way of demonstrating Wetherpoons’ goodwill towards the local community in Headingley.
Yours sincerely,
Penny Goodman
Penny Goodman and the Headingley Liberal Democrat team were out on the doorsteps in the St. Michael’s Road area earlier this evening. We spoke to residents about their priorities for the local area, and picked up concerns about thefts of Yorkshire stone paving slabs and anti-social behaviour after matches in the Carnegie Stadium. We’ll now be working on those issues to help make for a better Headingley.
Yesterday, Tim Farron was elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. In a rally held to mark his election, Tim explained what he thinks the Liberal Democrats are for:
We are the party that sees the best in people not the worst. We are the party that believes that the role of Government is to help us to be the best that we can be, no matter who we are or what our background…..
That’s it. That’s our mission.
We see people as individuals not as opposing tribes, lined up against each other across borders. We favour co-operation over isolation – your failure is not my success. We stand up against the abuse of power, for entrepreneurship and individual endeavour.
We see immigration as a blessing not a curse and value the contribution every single individual has to make to this beautiful country of ours.
As the world changes around us, we see the opportunities and not just the dangers. Because we see the best in people. We trust people.
That’s why we stand up for the individual against the state. Why we stand up for the minority against the majority. Why we stand up for the outsider against the establishment. Because that is not just what we do, it is who we are!
You can read the full text of Tim’s speech here, or watch the video here:
Did you know that Headingley has its own air-raid shelter? A vent for it can be seen in the pavement immediately outside Boots on the corner of Bennett Road.
Some people have suggested that the ‘Headingley Hole’, discovered by workmen digging in the mouth of Bennett Road in 2010, might be part of the shelter itself.
Yesterday evening, we held a Thank You Party at the Original Oak in Headingley for everyone who had helped out in Greg Mulholland’s election campaign. There was cake of course!
Greg made good use of one of the beer garden picnic benches so that he could express his thanks to the many people who had helped to get him re-elected for Leeds North West.
He got an even bigger reaction than he was expecting, too. Down the road in the nearby Headingley Carnegie Stadium, a cricket match was going on. As soon as Greg had delivered his opening line, saying “I’m proud to have been the MP for Leeds North West for ten years now,” a huge cheer erupted from the stadium. It sounds like Headingley were pleased to have kept their local MP!
The Conservatives have pledged to push ahead with their plans to scrap the Human Rights Act and allow the government to snoop on your emails and web access.
Greg Mulholland MP said:
Governing with the Conservatives was difficult at times, and it was a constant fight to stop their worst excesses.
Now that they are governing alone, they are making no secret of their desire to implement the damaging and illiberal plans that we have been blocking for the last five years.
The Liberal Democrats will always fight these proposals and fight to protect the freedoms of individuals.
The Liberal Democrat fightback is well underway, with new figures revealing that over 14,000 people have signed up to join the party since polling day.
Penny Goodman said:
We’re fighting back and recruiting people who have never joined a political party before, but want to stand together against the things this Conservative Government is already planning to do – like introducing a ‘snoopers charter’ and scrapping the Human Rights act.
Our country needs strong liberal voices to counter attempts to pull us to extremes. I hope that more and more local people will join our party to help the fightback!
If you believe in personal freedom, value every individual and want to unlock the wasted potential of the disadvantaged, you can join us too.