Leeds City Council’s executive board will next week consider plans for a new community-led improvement programme covering all 33 of the city’s wards, tackling everything from street cleaning to flytipping and graffiti based on what residents themselves identify as priorities.
The plans go before the council’s executive board when it meets at Civic Hall on Wednesday 16 September, with the programme set to launch the following month if approved. Under the proposals, council teams and local partners would work directly with residents to shape and deliver visible local improvements.
The approach is built around giving communities real input into decisions affecting their own areas, working alongside the council and partner organisations under what’s being called the “#TeamLeeds” ethos, with the broader goal of establishing a more joined-up way of working long-term, with the programme also intended to help address both health problems and inequality directly. To achieve this, council services will make joint decisions alongside health partners, West Yorkshire Police and third-sector groups on how resources get allocated.
Embedding sustainability
The model runs on a four-phase rolling cycle: first, building a profile of each ward’s existing services and characteristics; second, engagement work to hear from people of every age, feeding into an action plan that residents themselves take the lead on; third, carrying out coordinated improvement works with partner support; and finally, embedding longer-term sustainability through regular review of progress and impact.
Council services involved span Housing Leeds, parks and green spaces, highways, the Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team, public health, Active Leeds, community hubs, waste management, and jobs, skills and volunteering support, working alongside West Yorkshire Police and third-sector partners. The initiative sits within the council’s wider Leeds Ambitions strategy, tackling inequality via better health, helping different areas grow, giving communities the chance to flourish, and building resilience citywide.
Shaping neighbourhoods
Councillor James Gibson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment, said: “This new community-led programme is really exciting because it gives local people a real say in shaping their neighbourhoods, bringing residents, council services and partners together to deliver improvements that people will see, feel and benefit from every day.
“We want this to be the beginning of a new way of working in Leeds, with everyone pulling together through the ‘#TeamLeeds’ approach. By supporting local communities and giving people the tools to make a difference, we can help improve neighbourhoods and the lives of those who live in them.”
If approved, further details — including a dedicated name and identity for the programme — are expected to follow.
