Hunslet and Riverside Labour Labour values in action
June 2021 Newsletter
Welcome to the first monthly Hunslet and Riverside Rose, your monthly e-newsletter from us as your three ward Councillors. Residents asked us to do more to let you know about the work we do and so going forward we will get a month ward wide update written.
Contents
Use the links below to browse the sections of our e-newsletter and use the return to contents links at the end of each section to return here.Election 2021
Thank you to the 31% of residents who voted in the Local and Metro Mayor Elections. This was an improved turnout on 2019 but still disappointing that less 50% of people voted. Cllr Mohammed Iqbal was re-elected. We are of course happy as it means our ward team remains together and we can keep on track with our long term ward improvement plans.“Thank you. It has been a tough 15 months for everyone and I have dearly missed speaking to the residents of the ward as normal. I cannot wait to see many of you again as we return to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face community engagement.” Cllr Mohammed Iqbal
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Councillor Area Walks Return
With restrictions easing and the expectation of Councillors working from home unless essential removed - we have restarted pro-active community walks. For those who do not know about these – as Councillors, we walk every street in the ward on a rota. The idea is to find local issues which may not have been reported and report them to be fixed. With only 40% of the ward covered in the last three weeks since the election - we have already highlighted hundreds of issues.One of the big issues we have found is the huge number of blocked gullies and drains in the ward – with some streets not having one unblocked drain. This is unacceptable and action is now being taken. The Highways Leeds Gully Team has committed to clear these gullies within 28 days of them being reported.
“We are shocked to see how many gullies and drains have been blocked and clearly not cleared over the pandemic. Not only does this pose a risk of local flooding during heavy rain – but means loose soil isn’t washed away, which explains why some ward footpaths are so weedy. We will be ensuring catch-up work is done to unblock all the drains we find with urgency.” Cllr Elizabeth Nash
“The other thing about these area walks is we can just get to speak to people again – face-to-face. I know all three of us have missed this over the last 15 months as they help us pick up local issues right on peoples doorsteps. It is great to be back out again.” Cllr Paul Wray
Upcoming Public Meetings
We think it is vital to have regular contact with residents who do not live in an area covered by a Tenants and Resident Association. The following resident meetings are open to residents who live in the areas highlighted. Please come along and be heard.
- Hunslet Moor and Hall: This covers all of the Hunslet Moor Area in-between the M621 and Dewsbury Road and in-between Dewsbury Road, the M621, Beeston Road and Lady Pit Lane/Coupland Street. The meeting is at 18:30 on 21 June via Zoom http://bit.ly/HunsletMoorHallJune21
- Beeston Hill: this covers all of Beeston Hill in-between Dewsbury Road, Beeston Road, Cross Flatts Parks and where Lady Pit Lane meets Coupland Street The meeting is at 18:30 on 5 July via Zoom http://bit.ly/BeestonHillJuly5
- Hunslet Green and the Whitfield: this covers all of the estate in-between Church Street, Low Road and A61. The meeting is at 18:30 on 7 July via Zoom http://bit.ly/HunsletGreenJuly7
- Leeds Dock: this covers all of the development but the surrounding apartment blocks are welcome to attend. The meeting is at 18:30 on 20 July via Zoom http://bit.ly/LeedsDockJuly20
Councillor Drop-ins Return
Subject to further pandemic restrictions being lifted on the 21 June – Councillor Advice Drop-ins will be back every 4th Saturday of the month excluding August and December.Current project highlights
There are dozens of projects ongoing across the ward to improve the local area for residents. Here is a very small sample.
Hunslet Moor- Moor Road Height Barrier: This is due to be installed within 5-6 weeks. This work was delayed by Highways Leeds without Councillors approval and steps were taken to immediately order the height barrier once this was discovered. We apologise to residents in the surrounding area as this should have been installed in April and the delay is unacceptable.
Hunslet Edible Estate – Rochefords: The other planters on this Hunslet estate were due to be cleared this month but Hyde Park Source who run the project have had to delay this until sometime in June. Once the planters have been weeded and cleared – the edible plants and trees will be planted later this year.
Beeston Hill Bin Yard Clearance: Following the gating of a significant number of bin yards – Cleaner Neighbourhoods have ordered a Grabber Crane to have all the bulky waste removed. They will also use this opportunity to remove waste from a number of other open bin yards not currently gated. Work is now ongoing to lobby for extra funding to gate more yards to prevent more fly tipping.
Love Where You Live Beeston Hill: Work is in progress to finalise the details of a new project to improve the local environment on Beeston Hill. Initially, this will be a monthly programme of multi-agency days focused on different neighbours on Beeston Hill. Local plans will then be made to help keep each area clean and identify local solutions with partner and residents. As the project develops, local “Community Champions” will be found to adopt these small neighbourhoods and take a more active local role with the Councils support.
Return to contentsContact us
Do you have an idea about how to solve a local problem or a project idea to help improve the community – let us know using the contact form below and we could help make it a reality. You know your communities best and we want to make sure your local knowledge is used to help make it better for everyone.