Lewisham Park Centre Public Meeting Update



Lewisham Park Centre under threat of closure by Labour

 There was an excellent public meeting at Morley Town Hall last Thursday to discuss Labours proposed closure of the Lewisham Park Centre and Gildersome Youth Centre. Over 200 people turned up and spoke passionately about the work they do and the activities they provide for local children, young people and adults. Groups from both Lewisham and Gildersome attended and made it clear that they backed the campaign to prevent closure.

It is clear that both centres must stay open as they provide a valuable service within communities that suffers from significant deprivation. The work all groups do amounts to thousands of pounds of unpaid work providing positive opportunities to residents both young and old.

I have so much respect for those volunteers who are clear and cut through all the rhetoric when it comes to putting their case passionately about why both centres need to remain open.

The campaign is now running and objection letters are being completed and sent to the senior officers within the Council who will be making the final decision.

A Working Group has also been set up to come up with a long term plan to make sure both centres are sustainable and survive and thrive in the future. This could mean Community Groups taking over the buildings or asset transferring them to their local Town or Parish Councils.

This really is about people power and communities coming together to resist the excesses of a Labour Administration which is disinterested in and detached from the people in Morley and Gildersome.

I am very optimistic and believe this campaign will succeed. With the people behind us we cannot possibly fail and both Lewisham and Gildersome Centres will be providing the support communities need long into the future.

Campaign launched to oppose Labours plans to close Lewisham Park Centre

Lewisham Park Centre under threat of closure from Labour

Morley Borough Independent Councillors have called a public meeting for Thursday 27th November at 7pm at Morley Town Hall to form a campaign to oppose the proposed closure of the Lewisham Park Community Centre. The proposal by Leeds City Council could see many groups left without a place to undertake their activities including dance classes and youth services.


The Lewisham Park Centre is well used by many local groups and there is not another community centre available within the local area. Many of the groups – especially the dance classes – have been using the centre for years and provide important positive activities for many local children and young people. This closure is not acceptable and we will be doing all we can to prevent it happening.

Labour Leeds City Council are proposing a series of community centre closures across Leeds and had previously closed a community centre used by local groups at Peel Street in Morley.

I know from personal experience what an excellent job these community based groups do. There is no realistic alternative option to the Lewisham Park Centre and we will bring together all groups to actively campaign to keep this centre open.

Labour Leeds does seem to have an obsession with closing facilities in Morley – such as Morley CAB, Siegen Manor and the Lewisham Park Centre. They are happy to close these well used and loved buildings while dumping piles of new homes on us that no one wants which will overwhelm local schools, roads and health centres.

The sooner we get to next year’s local and Town Council Elections and we can boot Labour out the better!

Labours LDF betrayal of Morley confirmed!

Labour Leeds Housing Plans for Morley

We backed a proposal for an early review of the 74,000 housing target proposed by Labour Leeds City Council in it Local Development Framework at a full council meeting last Wednesday.

The proposal, supported by the Morley Borough Independent, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green Party Councillors, would have seen an early review of the Development Plan to reduce the target down to 50,000 which would have saved many Greenfield sites from the threat of future housing development.

The 74,000 new houses target will overwhelm local schools, roads and health centres. This target is too high and will have a significant negative impact on local communities. Morley’s target of 7,400 new homes will see local families struggling to get their children into local schools and longer waiting times to see a GP at local health centres.

The Labour Administration used its majority to vote the Plan through despite all opposition parties coming together to propose an alternative reduced target.

This LDF plan is a Developers Charter which will allow house builders to rip up precious Morley Greenfield Sites such as Laneside Farm in Churwell and Spring Gardens in Drighlington. It will also give Developers the chance to avoid previously developed brownfield sites while they hover - like vultures - over Morley Greenfield sites. We will continue to campaign against this over development proposed for our communities.

Leeds City Council will start a process in 2015 that will identify the specific sites which will need to be developed to deliver the 74,000 target and will include a review of Greenbelt boundaries to accommodate this higher figure.

Labour – as ever the Developers friend – slavishly backed the 74,000 target giving backing to their mates in the House Building Industry to rip up Greenfield sites across Morley and beyond. Cllr Neil Dawson – a similar capitulator – offered nothing more than feeble words as his Labour Chums nailed the last nail in his election coffin next May. Morley Folk will not forget his duplicitous actions.

The type of housing we are offered in this plan is not affordable housing which will rehouse those on Morley’s Housing Waiting List but more Executive Style Housing. Local infrastructure cannot cope with this level of over development as local primary and secondary schools are full and Health centres packed. We will battle on through the site specific process next year to reduce the impact of this unachievable and unsustainable target foisted on us by Labour Leeds City Council.

Blocking the LDF - MBIs go into battle!

We will use a debate at next Wednesdays Leeds City Council Meeting to try to block the Councils proposed LDF Development Plan figures of 74,000 new homes across the Leeds City Council area with over 7,000 planned for Greater Morley. The debate will lead to a vote on adopting the LDF the Councils future development plan which confirms where all new development should go.


Everyone across Morley knows that local schools, roads and health centres are already full. Proposing an additional 7,000 homes across Morley will lead to gridlock and put the education of future Morley children at risk.

The MBI Group on Leeds City Council are the only set of Councillors who opposed the 74,000 target from the start arguing a lower target as this level of development was not sustainable or achievable. The Plan covers the Development needs of Leeds City Council up to 2028.

It is clear that we need more affordable homes to house local people. But this plan does not offer us this. The LDF means Morley Greenfield sites being ripped up to accommodate executive style housing while not providing the homes we need for young families or the elderly. Leeds City Councils pledge is that only 15% of these new homes will be affordable – that is not nearly enough to cover the housing needs of local people.

Morley was offered its own hearing with the Planning Inspector who considered the LDF – the only town in Leeds offered this option because of the high numbers of objections to the plan. The proposed LDF will mean the loss of Greenfield sites such as Dunningley, Tingley Station and Churchfields over future years as the 74,000 target has to be reached by 2028.

This is a totally unrealistic and unachievable target to reach. It is a Developers Charter which will allow them to pick and choose which Greenfield sites in Morley they plunder. Developers already have planning permission for over 20,000 new houses on mainly brownfield site across Leeds. By reducing the total development figure we can preserve most of our Greenfield sites and force developers to use brownfield sites first before coming to Greenfield sites.

MBI offices shut by Labour led Leeds City Council

Morley Borough Independent Councillors have returned to Morley Town Hall following closure of our offices by Labour Leeds City Council earlier this year. We are using the Council Chamber in Morley Town Hall to meet local residents to help them with their problems and concerns.

We have made a specific choice to be based in Morley Town Hall and not down in Leeds City Centre at the Civic Hall. Although we were evicted from our rooms by the present Labour Administration at Leeds City Council, we pledged to return to the Town Hall so people could drop in and see a councillors about the problems they need resolving. We have delivered on that pledge.

We are available through the week to meet with residents who can book an appointment with a councillor by ringing the MBI Helpline on 0113 2477538.

It is important we are available to meet our constituents. Shutting councillors away at Leeds Civic Hall where residents can’t meet them might be the way other political parties do things but it’s not ours. We are committed to meeting people locally. This approach makes us more accessible and more accountable and is clearly what constituents want.