Please find below the latest Leeds update.
Hello and welcome to the latest bulletin with news and updates from across the city.
I hope you have been enjoying the brighter weather, as we head into the start of spring. This email includes news on: Leeds Innovation Village; Leeds Sports Awards; the Mayor’s Question Time; Leeds Academic Partnership; National Institute for Health Research funding; Connecting Leeds; and Housing Leeds.
Leeds Innovation Village
In response to development delays for the new hospital at the LGI, leaders from Leeds City Council, WYCA, the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have confirmed plans for the Leeds Innovation Village will still go ahead. This will be a key neighbourhood within the city’s £2 billion Leeds innovation Arc and one of the flagship projects of the £160 million West Yorkshire Investment Zone, with ambitions to start construction later this year. The Village, which is set to bring about £13 billion in economic growth for the city and around 4,000 jobs, will continue and is already into its first phase. For more information see here.
2025 Leeds Sports Awards
Nominations are open for the 22nd annual Leeds Sports Awards, celebrating local athletes and unsung heroes, which will be held at the Carriageworks Theatre on 15th May. 2024 was another fantastic year in sport for the city, led by the performances of local Olympians and Paralympians, with the city staging the Super League Magic Weekend for the first time, and hosting the second running of the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. Please nominate your sporting heroes at https://yorkshire.sportsuite.co.uk/forms/view/lsa25 until it closes on 15th March.
West Yorkshire Mayor's Question Time event
WY Mayor Tracy Brabin is holding a question time event on Wednesday 2nd April at Thackray Museum of Medicine. The events are regular sessions where the Mayor, supported by the Deputy Mayor and other leaders, responds to questions posed by members of the public on local issues/interests that fall under the Mayor’s control. These are evening events, held in-person and chaired by an independent host. To reserve a spot please visit this Eventbrite page.
Leeds Academic Partnership
A unique, high-level partnership in Leeds which focuses on research and innovation in health and care welcomed new city leaders to its board this month. Representing two of the city’s largest institutions, Leeds City Council’s Ed Whiting and the University of Leeds’ new Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West joined the board of what is one of the biggest and most diverse of its kind in the UK - Leeds Academic Health Partnership. Read more here.
National Institute for Health Research funding: Leeds City Council are delighted to have been awarded funding for a Local Authority Research Practitioner (LARP) role in Public Health. The two-year funding from the National Institute for Health Research will fund a new role to support the use research evidence in decision-making on public health and the building blocks of health. The role will champion research, support the team to use research evidence, develop partnerships with universities in Leeds and work with colleagues to develop research ideas and funding applications in collaboration with partners across the city.
Connecting Leeds update
- 24-hour bus service sees passenger numbers soar: West Yorkshire's first 24-hour bus service has seen a 138% increase in late-night passengers since launching last September. The 72 Leeds-Bradford service carried over 12,500 customers between midnight and 5am from September to December.
- £35.7m green light for major A647/A6120 Dawsons Corner/Stanningley Bypass scheme: The Department for Transport has given the green light of £35.7m funding for an improvement scheme which aims to improve traffic flow, with reduced bus journey times and safer crossing facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. Read more about the scheme here.
- Have your say on travel improvements to A61 and Pontefract Road: A consultation is now open on plans to improve safety and travel options along two key junctions of the A61 - Jumbles Lane and Carlton Lane - and the B6481 Pontefract Road, from Thwaite Gate to M1 Junction 44. The £9m scheme, delivered in partnership with WYCA, aims to enhance walking and cycling routes and improve road safety. You can view the proposals and share your views at Your Voice by 10th March or contact [email protected] for more information.
- Share your travel concerns with us: We want to hear residents' views on any issues related to travel in the Inner North East and Outer North East areas of Leed to help prioritise improvements when funding becomes available. Have your say via the links below:
- Inner North East (Chapel Allerton, Moortown, Roundhay) - https://t.ly/tk9hV
- Outer North East (Alwoodley, Harewood, Wetherby) - https://t.ly/Mp4_S
- Transpennine Route Upgrade – important updates: There are several key milestones over the coming weeks and months:
- Ravensthorpe and Leeds: Midweek track upgrades between Ravensthorpe and Leeds from 3rd March to 21st March will affect train services between Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds from Monday to Friday, over a three-week period. Diversionary routes and rail replacement buses will be in operation.
- Station Road bridge in Cross Gates: From 31st March to 25th November, the section of Station Road’s southbound carriageway across the railway bridge will be closed to enable the reconstruction of Station Road Bridge in Cross Gates. For more info on diversions read here.
- Barrowby Lane, Garforth: A new, safer bridleway footbridge is being installed at Barrowby Lane near Garforth, with works being carried out between 10th March and November 2025.
More info can be found here: Home - Transpennine Route Upgrade
Local developments:
- New proposals have been announced that aim to put Crown Green Bowling provision in Leeds on a more secure financial footing and safeguard the long-term local future of the sport. For more information see here.
- The Lord Mayor of Leeds Charity Appeal ‘Just One Day’ has been hailed a 'great success', after returning on 27th February with the theme of ‘one day to play’. For more information see here.
- A report to Executive Board has heighted Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy’s major achievements over the last three years and outlined a new action plan up to 2027. Successes include: improvements to Armley Gyratory, the A647 and Outer Ring Road between Horsforth and Rodley; the completion of East Leeds Orbital Route; the Vision Zero Strategy; the creation of safer pedestrian-friendly spaces in the city centre; the Park & Ride schemes; improvements to Leeds City Rail Station; resulting in fewer car commuters into the city centre since 2021, reducing congestion and improving local air quality. For more information see here.
- Volunteer Team Leeds, a new appeal, is inviting people to join the vibrant volunteering community that supports Leeds City Council affiliated events and initiatives. For more information see here.
