About
Leeds
A publication jointly produced by Leeds City Council and NHS Leeds | Spring 2013 | www.leeds.gov.uk | www.leeds.nhs.uk
Leeds
Essential services protected LEEDS will protect essential services by making painful decisions we could no longer avoid. That’s the key theme of the city council’s latest budget. In 2013/14 Leeds City Council must save a further £54.9million. That’s added to the £145m achieved in the last two years. Leeds has been given the lowest settlement of all core, comparable cities bar one nationally. For this edition of About Leeds, we want to be up front with people about the scale of the challenge we face and what these changes will mean. Some services will change, others will stop altogether but we remain committed to protecting services for our most vulnerable residents.
Elton and ‘The Boss’ set for Leeds Arena openers AFTER years of waiting the doors to Europe’s newest arena will open in Leeds this summer. Leeds Arena has a starstudded series of opening concerts, including headlining shows from both Bruce Springsteen, “The Boss”, pictured right, and Elton John, above. Turn to page 6 for the latest on Leeds Arena and how you could win tickets to see Elton John.
COUNCIL TAX The annual sums for council tax in 2013/14 are: A £877.60 B £1,023.85 C £1,170.13 D £1,316.39 E £1,608.92 F £1,901.46 G £2,193.99 H £2,632.79 Figures include council fire and police precepts. They do not include levies from parish and town councils. The budget is underpinned by several elements – improved frontline services, delivering new homes, better accommodation for older people, maximising apprenticeships and jobs opportunities,
raising additional income and working more effectively. In making our decisions we have been guided by public consultation. More than 2,000 responses were received to our online budget simulator ‘YouChoose’, alongside sessions with young people and third sector groups. The results called for the focus of cuts to be made to culture and leisure services, as well as economic and planning-related services. Other findings from the survey show you wanted additional income from charging extra for car parking and raising leisure centre prices. The coming years will be tough, but it is important to remember Leeds is still a great place to live and we are confident the city has a very bright future.
We will be up front on tough decisions OUR position in Leeds means the city council has to make the following changes. In 2013/14 we are increasing council house rents, garage rents and service charges by 5.9 per cent. Children’s nursery fees are to increase by £2 per day – although they remain significantly cheaper than private providers. There will be an aboveinflation rise in council fees and charges to raise an additional £1.4million. Sports charges are to increase approximately four per
cent. Bereavement charges are to rise 7.5 per cent to reduce council subsidy of the service, although hardship grants will be available. We will be reducing the net cost of council events, with some seasonal closure of heritage facilities. School clothing allowances will stop, saving £600,000. We will end some elements of free home to school, or college, travel from September – saving £2.8m. Reviews will be carried out on car parking fees for evenings and Sundays,
charging for residents’ car parking permits and adult social care services which are free currently. Alternative week black and green bin collections will be rolled out across the city, helping to reduce landfill costs by £400,000 and improve recycling. The council is also looking to make a further £4.5m savings in dropping staffing levels by the equivalent of 334 full-time workers. This is part of a drive to reduce numbers by 2,500 from 2010-2015.
2 About Leeds Leeds City Council section Spring 2013
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It’s tough, but Leeds remains ambitious COMING SOON: Holt Park Active opens in October
Attention to growth and health GROWTH and health are other important parts of our budget. The ‘City Deal’ and its devolution of powers has brought this region £400million Investment Fund and £1billion Transport Fund for the next 10 years. Leeds also gets a share of two funds, totalling £9.6m, for business grants and a scheme to help young people with employment opportunities. There is also the new Apprenticeship Training Agency through Leeds City College, while 15 new apprenticeship places will be on offer in the council’s parks and countryside service. On health, the city council is building upon the legacy of both London 2012 Games with the introduction of the ‘Leeds Lets Get Active’ scheme. It brings free, leisure centre sessions for those not taking part in physical exercise currently. October sees the opening of the new £28million Holt Park Active wellbeing centre. It offers state-of-theart facilities for sport and services catering for older people, mental health needs and learning disabilities, among others. From April, the council takes on the public health responsibilities managed formerly by Leeds Primary Care Trust.
This newspaper is published for the residents of Leeds. It is available in Braille, large print or audio tape. To contact the newspaper regards a council matter: newspaper@leeds.gov.uk, 0113 224 3602 or About Leeds, Communications team, 4th Floor West, Leeds Civic Hall, Leeds, LS1 1UR. For more on the council visit www.twitter.com/ leedscc
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THINGS are undoubtedly tough, but our ambition is to make Leeds the best city in the UK. In striving towards this, we have a particular focus to the vulnerable, young and elderly. Leeds City Council, along with its partners, is changing the way it works – concentrating more on early interventions, giving people choices and more personalised services. This coming year, we are putting an extra £2.9million towards adult social care, while those with learning disabilities will benefit from an additional £3m. For children’s services, an extra £3.1m will improve special education needs, temporary social workers and fostering or adoption. Less children will be placed in external care – with savings of £6m – due to the success of prevention and early intervention measures. The housing maintenance budget is to increase by three per cent and there is a £3m New Homes Bonus on offer from the government if 2,000 new properties are built or brought back into use. Half-a-million pounds has been
CASH BOOST: an extra £3.1m is going towards special educational needs
allocated towards the possible redevelopment of Kirkgate Market, while we have £1.7m, three-year Arts Council England funding for museums and galleries. More cash injections include additional sums of £2.5m for family support measures, £250,000 for improving the environment of our housing estates and £558,000
for grounds – the latter covering grass cutting, bedding maintenance, weeding and litter control. n A scheme to protect the city centre from the risk of flooding has been given £32.5m government funding, to go with a council contribution of £10m. It will bring protection to 3,000
Picture posed by model
homes and 500 businesses, safeguarding over 18,000 jobs. The first part of the innovative scheme on the River Aire will see replacement, removable weirs at Crown Point and Knostrop. Work is expected to start before summer 2014. For more on flooding visit leeds.gov.uk/flooding.
Welfare support for vulnerable people LEEDS City Council is helping people affected by national welfare benefit changes with extra advice and support. Changes come into force from April in relation to council tax, housing, disabilities and social funds. For council tax, 35,000 Leeds households will pay more as the city gets £5million less government funding compared to a year ago. For many, support will drop by 19 per cent – a family on council tax benefit in a band A property will pay around £120 more. Exemptions, however, will continue for pensioners, lone parents of children under five, carers, households getting the severe or enhanced disability premium, war widows or widowers. Housing benefits changes affect council and housing association tenants living in a property assessed as having
EXEMPT: older people not affected by changes to council tax, housing benefits
more bedrooms than needed – exempting pensioners. For one bedroom too many, a tenant will lose around £10 per week, rising to £19 on average for two or more excess bedrooms.
There’s also a national cap on weekly benefits totals – £350 for individuals or £500 per family – to be introduced later this year. The cap doesn’t apply to households getting disability
living allowance, personal independence payments, attendance allowance, the support part of employment support allowance, working tax credit and war widows or widowers. Other welfare benefits changes involve disability living allowance recipients, aged 16-64, being reassessed for the new personal independence payment. Community care grants and crisis loans for living expenses stop from April. They are replaced by council schemes providing goods and help to families. For more visit leeds. gov.uk/ residents, selecting the ‘council tax and benefits’ link, or dwp. gov.uk/ directgov.
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About Leeds 3
C’est magnifique! Tour de France to depart from Leeds THE 2014 Tour de France starts in Leeds. The world’s leading riders will line up in front of Leeds Town Hall on 5 July for the Grand Départ. This opening stage will cover 120 miles and travel through Harewood, Otley and Ilkley before heading through the Yorkshire Dales and finishing in Harrogate. After this it moves on to York, Huddersfield and Sheffield, before a final UK stage from Cambridge to London. The Tour de France is the world’s largest annual sporting event. Hosting the first two stages is expected to generate more than £100m for Yorkshire and attract over a million spectators. As host city for the Grand Départ, Leeds will be the focal point of attention for several days. Competing teams will be presented to the public. There will also be cycle shows, displays, market stalls, competitions and many cultural events.
WE ARE OFF: the Tour de France starts at Leeds Town Hall
“I knew Yorkshire was a nice region but I didn’t imagine it corresponded so well to what we need for a perfect Grand Départ,” said Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme. The region’s success involved Welcome to Yorkshire, local
authorities and others. For more visit yorkshire.com/ le-tour-yorkshire or follow @letouryorkshire on Twitter. To register your interest as a possible volunteer, otherwise known as le tour makers, visit yorkshire.com/volunteer.
TRADITION: Yorkshire’s commitment to cycling played a large part in the bid
Trinity Leeds really has the wow factor TRINITY Leeds opens on 21 March. This is huge news for Leeds. The massive retail and leisure centre brings more than 3,000 jobs, a £350 million boost to the local economy and retail therapy for thousands. Loads of international shopping brands will be bursting out of the one million square foot city centre development. But that’s not all, Trinity Leeds will also boast acclaimed restaurants – like Crafthouse and Angelica from the D&D London group – on top of boutique cinema chain Everyman. Hardly surprising then that Trinity Leeds is already dubbed one of the UK’s biggest retail and leisure beacons – with a forecast footfall of 23 million visitors in its first year. It’s the only major scheme in western Europe that’s expected to complete this year. In the UK, no similarly-sized developments are set to open for the next four to five years. John Grimes, leasing director at commercial property company Land Securities, said: “Our confidence in the success of this new development is mirrored by our retail partners and together we will
Free wi-fi in Leeds city centre FREE wi-fi is available in the city centre. Briggate became one of the first city centre retail areas in the country to offer free wi-fi back in December. Millennium Square is, at the time of writing, due to follow suit in March with more city centre locations being looked at. The scheme is a collaboration between Leeds City Council and Virgin Media Business. Unlike some public arrangements where it is only free for 15 minutes, the Leeds wi-fi will remain so for as long as the user is connected. Setting up is a simple process. It’s part of a permanent push to enable easy online access to residents, visitors and businesses in Leeds.
Easter holiday consultation WHOLLY TRINITY: Leeds benefits in so many ways from the retail centre
create a retail beacon for the UK and a centre that offers a shopping experience ahead of the curve.” If you visit trinityleeds.com you can find out much about the city’s big new addition – like how to net yourself a job with real career opportunities. Earlier this
year, at the time of writing, trinityleeds.com was advertising for everything from a sous chef to store managers. During construction, meanwhile, main contractor Laing O’Rourke has gone local for suppliers and its workforce whenev-
Picture courtesy of Giles Rocholl
er possible. n The 21 March opening occurs during the distribution of this About Leeds newspaper. While most of you will have received the newspaper by then, some of our readership will not. We apologise if you missed the opening day.
WANT to have a say on when the Easter school holidays should fall? Then take part in the Easter school holidays consultation and let us know your views. Following public consultation in 2010, Leeds has its Easter break fixed for the first two full weeks of April currently. We are now seeking public opinion again. You can have your say at www.leeds.gov.uk/ easterholidayconsultation.
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High-speed rail link good news for city GOT THE KEYS: John Egginton, left, with Gary Brook, head of corporate communication at Leeds Building Society
Helping hand scheme for first-time buyers HIGH SPEED: HS2 is coming to Leeds
LEEDS City Council welcomes the announcement that a high-speed rail link is coming to the city. Journey times of just 80 minutes between Leeds and London are promised by the HS2 project – a major, high-speed revamp of the rail network between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. It’s not just about journey times though. HS2 will see Leeds’ position as the northern transport hub strengthened. It also unlocks major investment, job opportunities and
connectivity across England, alongside giving us a unique opportunity to create a striking new gateway into the city centre. Beyond this, HS2 could also be pivotal to our plans to regenerate the city centre’s South Bank – but the government must ensure any disruption to communities is minimised. HS2 in Leeds must match the city’s ambitions and it must be right for our communities. The announcement was made by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin in January. Aside from this council, HS2 is
also supported by local chambers of commerce in the region. The council is committed to ensuring HS2 is fully integrated with other transport developments in Leeds – including plans for the NGT trolleybus scheme, improvements to the station’s south entrance and electrification of the Trans-Pennine route. HS2 is a long-term scheme, as work will not start until the early 2020s. A website promoting HS2 in the region can be found at yorkshireneedshighspeedrail.co.uk.
Chance to save on energy bills ENERGY users across Leeds can save hundreds of pounds on their gas and electricity bills by joining a new scheme. Community Energy Direct has joined forces with consumer champions Which? and Leeds City Council to deliver the best deal possible from energy companies. You can sign up for the scheme via 0845 450 2581 or communityenergy.info. Households simply register to switch their energy supplier. Their details are
then passed to Which? who invite energy suppliers to put forward their best price deal. Community Energy Direct is based in Leeds. Director Hugh Goulbourne said: “This co-operative approach to energy sourcing really will enable domestic gas and electricity users to band together to get the best possible price deal from energy suppliers.” The more people who join the scheme, the more likely it is to get a better deal from energy suppliers.
SAVINGS: Hugh Goulbourne of Community Energy Direct is pictured with energy champion Ian Pickup
UP TO 18 new local homeowners are in line to secure their first houses, as part of a mortgage deposit scheme supported by Leeds City Council. Leeds Building Society’s ‘Helping Hand’ scheme is aimed at people who have the means to make monthly mortgage repayments, but cannot provide a full 25 per cent deposit required by lenders. Through it, first-time buyers are able to secure a property valued at up to £160,000 with just a five per cent deposit, as the council underwrites the
other 20 per cent of the deposit. At the time of writing, in February, 11 first-time buyers have completed deals to buy, with a possible further seven being processed. The first successful applicant is John Egginton of Kippax. “Towards the end of last year I spotted the advert for the 95 per cent mortgage and three months later I had my new house keys,” John said. For more about ‘Helping Hand’, drop into any local branch of the Leeds Building Society or call 08450 540 994.
Meeting the challenge of a turbulent winter THE RECENT snow and ice brought many challenges to services – here’s a round-up of what we did. We routinely collect around half a million bins each week. Late-January’s adverse weather meant we needed to recover 900 operational hours. We did this in just over a week. The majority of recycling collections were done by the end of January. For gritting, Leeds has 1,860 miles of roads. Strategically important routes are targeted including A and B class roads, principal areas, busy commuter and bus routes, and known trouble spots. We went into winter with 25,000 tonnes of salt and our 37 gritting trucks have been on constant standby.
At the time of writing, early February, we have salted the roads 75 times. This involved gritting crews working often throughout the night, as well as day times. During the periods of snow, staff from our parks and countryside service and locality teams helped to clear footpaths and filled gritting bins. All council leisure and sports centres, art gallery, libraries and one stop centres were open as usual. The mobile library service offered a reduced service. The adverse weather impacts the state of our roads. From October 2012 to February 2013 we have repaired over 9,500 potholes. A full list of details can be found on page 8 for contacting Leeds City Council about a service.
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About Leeds 5
We want everyone to have better life IT’S ALL very well to say ‘We want people to have better lives’. Of course we do.
Emergency support care service is there for you HAVE you registered with the Carer’s Emergency Service? They provide additional support in the case of an emergency to people who take care of a loved one. Leeds has more than 70,000 unpaid carers of ill, frail and disabled people, but less than two per cent are registered with the free emergency support service. The Carer’s Emergency Service provides a replacement care worker for up to 48 hours if the regular carer is unavailable unexpectedly. A response of less than one hour is guaranteed with qualified staff having undergone routine checks. The Carer’s Emergency Service is operated by Housing 21 on behalf of Leeds City Council. “Carers have a massive responsibility and often have to juggle caring with their own work and family commitments,” said Donna Holmes, local manager for Housing 21. “So to have something to fall back on in an emergency is a massive bonus for them.” To register contact 0303 123 1921 or cesregistrations@ housing21.co.uk.
But it’s not the fact that we want to change things for the better that’s new, it’s how we are doing it. Against a backdrop of major financial challenge, it’s time to think differently. But our commitment is clear – to make Leeds the best city in the UK for people with social care needs. The council has published a local account ‘Better Lives Explained’. It describes exactly what we’ve done, what we’ll be doing in 2013 to make services better and, in turn, how we support our communities to thrive. The local account is honest and balanced on what we’ve got right and where we need to do better. It is written jointly by people with social care needs, carers and the council to include real-life stories and their experiences of our services. “The way in which Leeds citizens are able to access support has dramatically improved and is much more focused around choice, independence and dignity than it ever has been,” is how one contributor puts it. Better Lives has three main strands setting out how we want to work with others in the city: n Better lives through integrated services joins together Adult Social Care and parts of
the NHS to help residents with their health and social care needs. n Better lives through housing care and support focuses on providing the support for people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, living as independently as they can. n Better lives through enterprise which looks at how the council can actively help charities, other public sector bodies, social enterprises and businesses to improve existing services, and develop new ones. To get a copy, visit leeds.gov.uk – searching ‘better lives for people in Leeds’. For a paper copy contact asc.comms@leeds.gov.uk or 0113 247 8676. You can also follow Better Lives on Twitter @betterliveslds.
BETTER: three-quarters of people feel they have control of their lives
EFFECTIVE: our adult social care workers are looking to improve services
Working towards being a dementia friendly city ONE of the greatest challenges facing our ageing society is dementia – it’s possibly what people fear the most in later life. In Leeds, 4,000 people have been diagnosed with dementia, while it’s estimated that 8,400 people in the city have it. That’s why greater support is being developed as Leeds works
hard to be a dementia friendly city. The Leeds Dementia Action Alliance sees the council, NHS, companies, voluntary and community groups working together to promote the idea: dementia is everyone’s business. In making progress, Leeds is geared towards stronger involvement of those with
dementia, their families and carers – the latter being the most important support there is. We also aim to get villages to sign up to the programme, identifying their own leaders and ‘champions’ of dementia. The council will provide dementia-awareness training and work where appropriate, including
at supermarkets and transport providers. More schools will also be involved. If Leeds is to be dementia friendly, our work must be intergenerational. Dementia friendly is a nationwide initiative led by the Alzheimer’s Society and the Department of Health.
It is long-term and usually co-exists with other lengthy conditions. Dementia can be managed from awareness of early signs to care at the end of life. Family members and carers are often the most important support a person with dementia has. For more on Leeds’ work, visit leeds.gov.uk and search ‘dementia’.
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Stars line up to shine at Leeds Arena LEEDS Arena has a stellar collection of acts lined up for its opening series of shows. Bruce Springsteen is the opening act to play Leeds Arena. The Boss takes to the Leeds stage on 24 July for what should be a stunning show. Local boys the Kaiser Chiefs are playing a special one-off concert, in what is sure to be a massive celebration on 13 September. The world’s
most famous tenor Andrea Bocelli performs in Leeds on 14 September, having sold over 80 million records worldwide and won numerous awards. Cirque Du Soleil stages its awe inspiring production Alegria from 23–27 October. Expect breathtaking acrobatics from an international cast of 55 performers and musicians from 17 countries. For Christmas, how about JLS on 20 December? The phenomenally successful quartet is one of the biggest draws on the live circuit.
Miranda Hart has announced she will play Leeds Arena on 21–22 March 2014. Tickets are available, and selling well, for the award winning comedienne’s My, What I Call, Live Show tour. More acts will be announced shortly. For a definitive run down of who’s playing, and to buy tickets, visit eventim.co.uk/ leeds-arena. You can also contact the box office on 0844 248 1585. A second pop-up box office is based at Leeds Town Hall on Fridays and Saturdays, from 9am–2pm.
CLASS: clockwise from top, Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli, Miranda Hart
Don’t miss chance to win tickets for Elton Elton John and his band will be among the opening series of shows at Leeds Arena and organisers expect all 12,000 tickets to sell out. As one of the greatest and most successful artists in the world, who better than Elton John and his spectacular show to adorn the stage in front of his many, adoring Leeds fans? Five decades since his career began in 1969, he has achieved 35 gold and 25 platinum a l -
PLAY THOSE SONGS: rocket man Elton John plays Leeds Arena. You could win tickets to see him
bums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits and has sold more than 250 million records worldwide. Oh and don’t forget he also holds the record for the biggest selling single of all time! Elton’s landmark awards include four Brit Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, five Grammy Awards and a Grammy Legend Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, 12 Ivor Novello Awards and who can forget his knighthood. To cap it all, Elton has performed a staggering 3,500 concerts across the globe. His show this September is not only a massive attraction for the new Leeds Arena, but will also be his first in Leeds with his band in 29 years. His last performance? Queens Hall in 1984! Fans will be able to enjoy number one hits and classic songs from his 40-year career in this state-of-the-art arena for the very first time – and you could be there.
For your chance to win a pair of tickets to this show, answer the following question: How many consecutive top 40 hits has Elton John had? To buy tickets for this and other shows, contact the Leeds Arena box office on 0844 248 1575 – open 7 days a week from 8am-10pm. You can also visit eventim.co.uk/ leeds-arena or buy tickets in person at the Leeds Arena pop up box office, located in Leeds Town Hall, Fridays and Saturdays 9am-2pm. Booking fees may apply. Terms and conditions: Employees of SMG Europe, Leeds City Council, affiliated companies, advertising agencies and immediate families are not eligible to enter. Entrants must live in Leeds. Prizes are not transferable and there is no cash alternative. We do not accept any liability for tickets which are lost, delayed or damaged in the post or otherwise not received. We will not replace the prize if the event is cancelled. You may not commit SMG (UK) or Leeds City Council to any expense or any other obligation. In the event of disqualification of a winner for any reason, we may decide in our sole discretion to select another winner – in this event, a further entrant will be selected on the same criteria and subject to these terms and conditions.
Elton John tickets competition! How many consecutive top 40 hits has Elton John had? Answer:................................................................................................................... Your name:............................................................................................................. Address:................................................................................................................. Daytime contact telephone:................................................................................... Send completed entries to: Elton John Competition, About Leeds newspaper, Leeds City Council, Communications, 4th Floor West, Leeds Civic Hall, Leeds, LS1 1UR. Deadline for entries is 7 May. Winner will be the first correct entry drawn at random after the deadline.
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PUT this date in your diary, Wednesday 4 September.
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Leeds City Council section Spring 2013
More than a gym: get fit in 2013
JUST FOR YOU: our professional staff can advise on activities
IF you want to get fit in 2013 help is at hand. Leeds City Council has 16 leisure centres offering more than just a gym at fantastic prices. Professional staff can help choose the right activity for your age and lifestyle. We have hundreds of fitness classes, including Zumba, Bokwa, pilates, tai chi, kettlebells and studio cycling sessions. Our special Active Life fitness sessions for the over-50s offer variety, covering chairbased and gentle activities to table tennis and swimming. Adult swimming lessons are available at our pools, along with lane swimming and aqua aerobics. You can build strength and endurance using the latest equip-
ment at our Bodyline gyms. If that’s not enough, we also offer squash, racquetball, badminton, football and table tennis. Everyone starts somewhere and whatever the level you won’t be alone. Bodyline fitness memberships offer fantastic value for money and great choice. Free inductions are on offer to members, giving you a personalised programme, free water bottle and towel. It also offers discounts and special offers on other leisure activities as Bodyline membership is also a LeedsCard. And with Bodyline, you can get ahead of the crowd with eight days advanced booking. Visit www.leeds.gov.uk/sport for more information.
SPORTING LIFE: make great savings and get special offers with LeedsCard
About Leeds 7
What’s on
FANGTASTIC: Peter and the Wolf
ALL THE HITS: The Magic of Motown
GET BACH: Nigel Kennedy
FOR the best in what’s going in the city we’d recommend you visiting leedsinspired.co.uk or leeds.gov.uk. Here are just some of the highlights of what’s going on in Leeds in the coming weeks: n Fate and Fickle Fortune, Abbey House Museum, good and bad luck is focus for this exhibition, runs until 31 December n Natural Beauty, Leeds City Museum, photographer Sara Porter exhibits alongside a competition for local snappers, runs until 30 June n Northern Life and Landscape, Temple Newsam House, exhibition of Julius Caesar Ibbetson’s painted life and landscape, runs until 10 November n Northern Art Prize, Leeds Art Gallery, best artists in the north of England get new spring slot, 28 March to 16 June. For more northernartprize.org.uk n Our Fathers, the Carriageworks Theatre, show inspired by stand-up, dance and The Sopranos, 28 March, £9–£11 n Peter and the Wolf, the Carriageworks Theatre, family tale classic by Sergei Prokofiev brought to life by Sea Legs Puppet Theatre, 30 March afternoon shows, £7–£8 with £28 family ticket n Psychic Sally on the Road, Leeds Town Hall, stage show from TV psychic – as seen on Sky Living, 4 April, £23.50 n Men of the World, the Carriageworks Theatre, hilarious and poignant play from the pen of John Godber, 4–5 April, £7–£9 n Travelling by Tuba, the Carriageworks Theatre, fantastic voyage through world of the tuba involving plenty of audience
participation, 4 April, £6–£8 with £24 family ticket n Orchestra of Opera North, Leeds Town Hall, Michail Jurowski conducts a concert delight, 13 April, £12.50–£31.50 n The Enormous Turnip, the Carriageworks Theatre, traditional tale for children and grown ups, 13 April, £6–£9.50 with £32 family ticket n The Magic of Motown, Leeds Town Hall, 36 massive hits from all-star cast, 20 April, £20–£24 n Inspiration: And the Winner is, Leeds Town Hall, take a journey through greatest musical theatre hits, 21 April, £10–£20 n Bach and Fats Waller, Leeds Town Hall, violinist Nigel Kennedy celebrates contrasting music, 28 April, £15–£34.50 n The Hallé, Leeds Town Hall, Beethoven, Mozart and Berlioz recreated, 4 May, £12.50–£31.50 n Moscow State Symphony,
Leeds Town Hall, unmissable, 18 May, £12.50–£31.50 n Leeds Midnight Walk, Kirkstall, raise vital funds for St Gemma’s Hospice with a fun, alternative girls night out – featuring a seven-ten mile fun walk, live music and shopping, 18 May, from 10pm. To sign up visit leedsmidnightwalk.co.uk or call 0113 218 5505 n JFest International, The Carriageworks Theatre, renowned Jewish Performing Arts Festival of music, drama and comedy stages 15 varied shows, 2-6 June. From April, visit leedsjewishfestival.co.uk for more – enewsletter available on request from info@makor.co.uk Dates and prices correct at time of writing, please check with venue n Abbey House Museum, leeds. gov.uk/abbeyhouse, 0113 230 5492 n Leeds Art Gallery, leeds.gov. uk/artgallery, 0113 247 8256 n The Carriageworks Theatre, carriageworkstheatre.org.uk, 0113 224 3801 n Leeds City Museum, leeds. gov.uk/citymuseum, 0113 224 3732 n Leeds Town Hall, leedstownhall.co.uk, 0113 224 3801 n Temple Newsam House, leeds.gov.uk/templenewsam, 0113 336 7560. Due to limited space we cannot list every venue. For more, check out leeds.gov.uk/discoverycentre, leeds.gov.uk/kirkstallabbey, leeds.gov.uk/armleymills, leeds. gov.uk/lothertonhall, leeds. gov.uk/thwaitemills, wyp. org.uk, leedsgrandtheatre. com, city varieties.co.uk and 02academyleeds.co.uk.
ON THE ROAD: Psychic Sally
8 About Leeds Leeds City Council section Winter 2012/13
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Get in the swim BRAMLEY Baths is available for people across the city to enjoy. Since January, the Grade II listed building has been managed as a community enterprise after a successful, council-backed transition. It houses a gym, a 25m swimming pool, Russian steam room and recreation room. A special activities programme for children and young people takes place at Easter. LeedsCard holders can get discounts on a packed programme of events – including zumba, pilates, BoxFit, yoga, and aqua aerobics classes. New to Bramley Baths is
hula hoop fitness class and zumbatomic for four to 12 year olds. Some prices have been reduced – a saving of 50p for each adult swim, while child swimming lessons are down to £5 per class. A Bramley Baths membership scheme is also available in place of Bodyline. Bramley Baths first opened in 1904 and is the last remaining of eight Leeds public bath houses from the era. For more, contact 0113 214 6000 or hello@bramleybaths.com. You can also visit www.bramleybaths.com.
RHINO ON THE CHARGE: Zak Hardaker makes a break in last winter’s clash between co-hosts England and Wales
Leeds is ready for world cup glories THE Rugby League World Cup 2013 is coming to Leeds in November – and demand for tickets is already overwhelming. Leeds has a big role in RLWC2013. We’ve adopted world champions New Zealand who clash with Papua New Guinea on the 8th at Headingley Carnegie Stadium, which also hosts a quarter final on the 15th. Tickets – with half priced £20 or less – are available from Headingley Carnegie Stadium, the Leeds Visitor Centre at Leeds
Railway Station, 0871 423 1315 or tickets@leedsrugby.com. “I hope, especially with the great offer on ticket prices available, that all fans turn out to support the competition,” said England and Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield. Before then, both South Leeds and Headingley Carnegie stadiums play host to the 20 nations competing at the Festival of World Cups in July. It’s a feast for fans of the 13-aside code featuring five tournaments – one each for competing
students, women, disability players, the police and armed forces. Everyone – including those who haven’t experienced RL – can enjoy Leeds’ packed programme of cultural and sporting events. There will be something for everyone as RLWC2013 promotes the themes of team work and participation. Plans include a mass dance, on top of many other arts and cultural events. For updates on Leeds’ massive year for rugby league visit rlwc2013.com, Twitter @leedsrlwc or facebook.com/leedsrlwc.
SPLASH HIT: Bramley Baths is for everyone across the city Picture by Lizzie Coombes, supplied by Friends of Bramley Baths
Traffic information in a tweet FOLLOW @leedstravelinfo on Twitter for real-time traffic and travel help. Run by Leeds City Council, we keep an eye on traffic and tweet on any traffic-related news – including problems and delays, bus and rail information and
others’ relevant retweets. The Twitter feed is an extension of the council’s leedstravel.info website. This site has information on CCTV, car parks, journey times, road works, taxi rank locations and public transport.
Contacting Leeds City Council For general enquiries call 0113 222 4444. For advice on many services, Leeds also has 16 one stop centres. For your nearest one visit leeds.gov.uk/ whereilive. For quick-fire alerts on many Leeds emergencies follow @leedsemergency on Twitter
Adult Social Care Antisocial Behaviour Children and Young People’s Social Care Council Housing (for registration and bids) Council Tax and Benefits Customer Relations Electoral Services Environmental Services Highways Housing Options (for homelessness advice) Planning Registrars (for births, deaths, marriages) Minicom (for all services) Leeds City Credit Union
0113 222 4401 0113 222 4402 0113 222 4403 0113 222 4413 0113 222 4404 0113 222 4405 0113 222 4411 0113 222 4406 0113 222 4407 0113 222 4412 0113 222 4409 0113 222 4408 0113 222 4410 0113 242 3343
Housing repairs and tenant enquiries: Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation (repairs) 0800 389 5503 (office hours) 0113 376 0499 (out of hours) bitmo-enquiries@belleisletmo.co.uk Belle Isle TMO (general) 0113 214 1833 East North East Homes Leeds 0800 915 1600 enehl.enquiries@enehl.org.uk Aire Valley Homes Leeds 0800 915 6660 avhleeds.enquiries@avhleeds.org.uk West North West Homes Leeds 0800 915 1113 wnwhl.enquiries@wnwhl.org.uk Emergencies outside of opening hours: Highways, street lights, signage and building repairs 0113 376 0499 Noise problems 0113 242 5841 Adult Social Care and Emergency Accommodation 0113 240 9536