Glen Road parking improvement plan

Proposals to improve the parking problems on the Glen Estate in Morley have been welcomed by Cllr Judith Elliott. The plan – which will bring additional parking bays on Glen Road – follows concerns raised by councillors and residents.

Cllr Judith Elliott said “Parking has been a problem on Glen Road for many years and means people have often parked on the verges which makes them unsightly. This proposal is very welcome and will improve the parking for residents and reduce the damage of green verges on the Glen Estate.”

Leeds City Council leader visits Morley

The Leader of Leeds City Council Cllr Judith Blake and Leeds City Councils Chief Executive Tom Riordan visited Morley on a fact finding trip last Wednesday. 

They visited different areas within both Morley Wards including Drighlington, Gildersome, Morley Town Centre and Lewisham Park.

We took the opportunity to lobby for the changes we believe Morley needs. This included getting a better deal for Traders in Morley Town Centre with their business rates; help to get the Pavilion redeveloped and increased support for Morley Neighbourhood Policing Team.

The visitors also looked at several Greenfield sites in Drighlington and Gildersome and we raised our concerns about the impact of development on local roads, schools and health centres.

We lobbied for more support to redevelop and improve Morley Bottoms – especially Brunswick Street – and we were told that this would be explored to see what additional help can be provided.

The visit concluded with a meeting between Councillors, the Police, Chamber of Trade representatives and Leeds Youth Service to discuss future partnerships.

Labour waves White Flag at Developers

Housing Developers are lodging numerous speculative planning applications on Greenfield sites around Morley following confirmation from a recent Court Case that Leeds City Council did not hold a 5 year development land supply for new homes.

Applications have been lodged for over 750 new homes at Dunningley in Tingley with a further 550 proposed on Laneside Farm in Churwell by Persimmon Homes. Barratt’s have submitted a planning application for a further 200 homes on Scott Lane off Bruntcliffe Road and Miller Homes have announced a further 200 homes proposed at a site off King Street in Drighlington.

The failure of Labour controlled Leeds City Council to agree a lower achievable and sustainable housing target has led to this rampage by Developers who aim to concrete over Morley’s Greenfield sites. Leeds City Councils target of 74,000 new homes by 2028 was always unrealistic and allows Developers to cherry pick Greenfield sites while ignoring previously developed brownfield sites that need regenerating.

Leeds City Council has also announced that Developers already hold planning permission for over 18,000 new homes, mainly on brownfield sites, which they have not yet built.

There is the new speculative proposal from Miller Homes in Drighlington and we know Developers are hovering over a Greenfield site to the rear of Street Lane in Gildersome. It is clear local primary schools are already full, local roads heavily congested and local health centres struggling to cope with demands from patients already living in the area. There are no coherent plans to deal with the overwhelming demand these new homes will bring and we will therefore be opposing each and every one.

Morley Borough Independent Councillors recently met with MP Andrea Jenkyns who shares their concerns about the over development of Morley Greenfield sites. She has agreed to request a Planning Minister visits the constituency to discuss local concerns.

Labour votes to close Siegen

Morley Borough Independent Councillors made a final bid to prevent the closure of Siegen Manor at a Leeds City Council meeting last Wednesday. The proposal, contained within a white paper resolution, pledged the Council to postpone closure for a further 2 years.

This final option to prevent the closure of Siegen Manor failed. We called on the Council to suspend the closure of all three homes on the closure list until there are guarantees of suitable accommodation of a better quality within the local area and despite the support of Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green Party Councillors the ruling Labour Administration rejected our call.

Leeds City Councils Executive Board voted to close Siegen Manor at its September meeting. The decision was referred back for further consideration following a Scrutiny Board Inquiry but the Executive Board reconfirmed the closure decision at its October Meeting.

We think closure is the wrong decision. Leeds City Council is gaining an additional £5 million a year – every year – via the Social Care Levy on Council Tax bills. It also agreed a £4million grant to Yorkshire Cricket Club towards guaranteeing test cricket in Leeds. This money should be used to postpone any final closure decision while better options are examined. The residents in Siegen Manor are some of the most vulnerable in our community and they deserve high quality care and accommodation. There is no guarantee this is what they will get if - as proposed - they are moved into the private sector.

Siegen Manor Call in Meeting

A special Call in Meeting to discuss the closure of Siegen Manor will be held on Tuesday 11th October at 10am at Leeds Civic Hall. The Scrutiny Board Meeting will look again at the decision made by Leeds City Councils Executive Board to confirm the closure of three care homes including Siegen Manor in Morley as well as homes in Armley and Seacroft.

Cllr The residents of Siegen Manor are some of the most vulnerable in our community. Several are in their 90s with one resident over 100 years old. All have dementia and closure is likely to have a negative impact on their health.

The Scrutiny Board has the power to return the closure decision back to Executive Board for reconsideration.

Cllr Judith Elliott who also co-signed the Call in Request said “We do not believe the economic case for closure has been made. Adult Care Services received an additional £5 million from the Social Care Levy on council tax bills this year and that will increase to £10 million next year. Closure means residents will be dispersed to other homes across the Leeds City Council area. We think this is wrong and residents should only move when they can all move together to brand new extra care accommodation in the Morley area. This is what relatives want and this is what we will continue to campaign for.”

Councillors praise Police Action on Travellers

We have praised Police action following the eviction of Travellers from Morley Sports Centre last week. Police exercised their powers to require the immediate removal of the Travellers and their caravans who left the site early on Wednesday evening.

The Police deserve our praise for taking action as quickly as they could and issued a Section 61 notice to require the Travellers to leave. If they had not exercised their powers then an eviction Court Order would have to be acquired which could have taken over a week to obtain.

The Travellers occupied disabled parking spots outside Morley Sports Centre early on Tuesday morning with the unauthorised encampment also occupying greenspace adjacent to the skate park. Leeds City Council made a none toleration decision on the Tuesday and MBI councillors made a formal request for the Police to use their powers to evict after Council Officers undertook the welfare visit they are legally obliged to undertake.

The Police have powers under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which requires Travellers to move immediately should a Police Officer issue such a direction. The Police only use these powers selectively and I am pleased they chose to use a Section 61 direction to clear the unauthorised encampment as quickly as possible.

The section 61 notice also bans the travellers from returning to the site within a 3 month period or face court action.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Churwell Park

The Mayor of Morley formally opened the new children’s playground in Churwell Park by cutting a ribbon at a short ceremony this Sunday.

The new playground, which cost over £100,000, was built by Parks and Countryside Staff at Leeds City Council with money generated from a Developers greenspace contribution from a new housing development at Daisy Hill in Morley.

We are delighted with this new children’s play area and it has been welcomed by the local community. The playground was built following a large-scale consultation with local residents, Churwell children and Churwell based groups who decided the final design. It is a brilliant playground but we intend to look at improving it further perhaps with a smaller slide for toddlers as well as other play equipment.

The ceremony was attended by Churwell City and Town Councillors and was also supported by Churwell Environmental Volunteers, Churwell Bowling Club and Churwell Action Group who put on stalls and community games for residents and children to play.

We have worked closely with our Churwell Town Council colleagues to find the finance for this project. This is an excellent new children’s playground and we are already looking for additional finance to improve Churwell Park further.

A thousand objections lodged!

Laneside Farm - Churwell

A controversial housing plan on a Greenfield site in Churwell has already attracted a thousand objections with the numbers rising on a daily basis. The planning application for 550 houses - from Housing Developer Persimmons - at Laneside Farm in Churwell has seen residents lodging objections in large numbers since the plan was proposed in June.

I am delighted at the number of objections that have been lodged. A thousand objections show the strength of opposition to this proposal from the local community and how they want to protect an important local Greenfield asset.

The number of objections hit the thousand mark after Morley Borough Independent Town and City councillors put out a flyer and proposed objection letter to all residents across Churwell.

We are grateful for the support we have received from residents. We are objecting because 550 houses on this site will overwhelm Churwell Hill with traffic - worsening congestion that already exists. It will also mean local schools and health centres will be unable to cope with the demand for their services. This Greenfield site is one of the few remaining sections of a green belt which separates Churwell from Morley and we will continue to campaign to save it from overdevelopment.

The decision on the planning application will be taken by Councillors at a Plans Panel with a final decision not expected before the end of the year. Residents can continue to lodge representations up until a final decision is made.

Magpie Lane success

This is a picture of the new Playground on Magpie Lane. The project cost £120,000 to finance and has been warmly welcomed by local residents. My colleagues Cllrs Elliott and Varley have been campaigning for around 18 months to get it refurbished following concerns raised with them by local residents who were commenting on how old and tired the playground looked.

The finance for this playground comes from a Developer contribution that they are obliged to make when they develop new homes in Morley. In this case the funding was linked to the site being presently built on Wide Lane at Owlers Farm. The playground was developed after consultation with local residents and their children, the local primaries and other children’s groups. It is a fine playground with equipment that varying ages of children can use.

We are aiming to bring a similar playground to Lewisham Park later this year or the beginning of next year as Lewisham has no play equipment for younger children. We may have identified the funds needed and more news as the campaign develops!

Lewisham Park Action Day

I was involved in a a Community Clean Up day at Lewisham Park last week.

The Day was organised by Morley Housing Officers and included Housing Officers, Community Payback Team supported by the Probation Service and Cllrs Kidger, Elliott and Finnigan. The day allowed the team to tidy up the park with a litter pick across the area and also allowed the flower beds of the Memorial Gardens (one to Sarah Harper who lived near the Park) to be cleared up after they became overgrown. The delight of such an action day is that Councillors can get out of meetings and into local parks where they meet residents and hear what they have to say. It also allows us to literaly get our hands dirty and to work directly and practically on improving facilities for local residents.

One of the issues raised with us was they lack of a children’s playground at Lewisham Park. It has stuff for older children to do – such as a Multi-Use Games Area (or MUGA as they are called) but no swings or a roundabout for smaller children. We had identified some finance that might be available towards the end of this year or beginning of next which might help finance one. More news when we firm up the proposal.

New playground and outside table tennis table delivered

New Churwell Park Children's Playground

This is the new Churwell Park children’s playground which is opened to the public for the first time today. It is an excellent scheme and incorporates many of the proposals that came through the public consultation process. The park has been financed through Section 106 Developer contributions but has taken slightly longer that planned to deliver. It is an excellent new children’s play area which the community has been campaigning for many years and will accommodate the wishes of both younger and older children. We are grateful for the patience of local residents who have had to wait for a significant time for the playground to be refurbished but we are sure that when they use the playground they will accept it was well worth waiting for!

On a separate matter we have also delivered a permanent outside table tennis table for ping pong enthusiasts next to Scatcherd Park. The table is a permanent and robust one and follows a successful pilot programme last year where residents were able to play table tennis outside at nil cost. The project was jointly funded by the Town and City Councils and aims to get people – both young and old – to get more active and to play table tennis outside for free. We are encouraging everyone to bring their own bats and balls and to give the new table a good work out.

Both schemes have taken a great deal of work to deliver and I am grateful for the support of my MBI colleagues on both the Town and City Councils for putting in the effort to deliver two brilliant projects that initially stemmed from the local community. We are community politicians and we listen to the communities we represent. Perhaps other political party’s – especially those involve in the EU referendum - could learn from this approach!

Laneside Farm Public Meeting Tuesday 7th June at 7pm at Morley Town Hall

Proposal for 550 homes on Laneside Farm Greenfield site

Dear Resident,
A Planning Application for 550 houses for a Greenfield Site at Laneside Farm in Churwell has been lodged by Persimmons Homes.
Morley Borough Independent Town and City Councillors are opposing this application for 5 separate reasons. The first is the levels of highway congestion on Churwell Hill and the associated increase levels of pollution. This proposal will make things worse. Secondly local primary and secondary schools are already full and cannot accommodate the additional 137 primary school children and 55 secondary school children this site would generate. There are presently less than a dozen spare places in primary schools across the Morley wide area. Our third reason for objection is that the local health centre cannot cope with the additional 2000 + patients this site will generate putting more strain on an already busy local health service. The fourth is that this is a valuable Greenfield site which offers a positive “greenbelt” barrier between Churwell and Morley. The fifth reason for objections is the site is also allocated as a Phase 2 site in Leeds City Councils local plan and releasing it for development is premature and unnecessary.

The Development is likely to be modelled on Persimmons Daisy Hill site with the majority being 4 bedroomed executive style housing with little affordable housing. This will still leave over 2,000 people on the Morley housing waiting list without offering any real hope for residents needing a home at an affordable rent.

You can raise your concerns about this application by attending a Public Meeting at Morley Town Hall on Tuesday 7th June at 7pm.

You can also lodge a formal objection by completing the attached objection letter and returning it to the address on the letter or leaving it at the Town Council Offices in Morley Town Hall.

We hope we can count on your continuing support to keep Laneside Farm a Greenfield site. We believe in putting people first - not Developers profits. We recently defeated Persimmons application for housing on a Greenfield site at Churwell New Village and defeated McDonalds at Tingley to prevent a fast food takeaway next to Woodkirk High School. Together we can win this campaign.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you require any further information please ring the Independent Helpline on 0781 3322737.

Yours truly

Morley Borough Independent Town and City Councillors

Leave Campaign in Morley for EU Referendum

Leave Campaign Bus in Morley

I was involved with the Leave referendum campaign last week when the Leave bus brought campaigners to Morley to listen to what Morley Folk has to say.

Although the rain poured down there was a very positive reaction towards the Leave Campaign with many Morley Folk confirming their intention to support Brexit.

The Leave Campaign has broad support across the political spectrum with Labour big hitters such as Kate Hoey, Frank Field, Austin Mitchell and Gisela Stuart joining with Boris Johnson and Michael Gove from the Tories and Nigel Farage from UKIP. Leave also has the support of some Trade Unionists who see the EU as an undemocratic and unaccountable organisation as does the Communist Party of Great Britain!

On the In side you have the bankers – Goldman Sachs and the others along with Tony Blair, David Cameron and George Osborne, the bosses union the CBI, the International Monetary Fund and others who have benefited and got rich because of their association with the European Union.

It’s clear Brexiteers are in favour of Europe but not the European Union – an organisation that hasn’t had it accounts audited for many years. The EU is unaccountable and undemocratic foisting on voters much of what they don’t want or need. Our destiny is better in our own hands rather than in the hands of self-seeking bureaucrats.

I’ve campaigned for years for decision making to be brought back down to a local level with decisions taken as close to the communities that are impacted upon by those decisions. A vote to Leave is the only consistent position I can take as I genuinely believe in bringing power back to the people – a concept entirely alien to the army of faceless bureaucrats that run the EU.

Keep Laneside Farm a Greenfield Site campaign

Persimmons proposal for 550 homes on Laneside Farm Greenfield site

A Planning Application for 550 houses for a Greenfield Site at Laneside Farm in Churwell has been lodged by Persimmons Homes.

Morley Borough Independent Town and City Councillors are opposing this application for 4 separate reasons. The first is the levels of highway congestion on Churwell Hill and the associated increase levels of pollution. Our second reason for opposition is that local primary and secondary schools are already full and cannot accommodate the additional 137 primary school children and 55 secondary school children this site would generate. There are presently less than a dozen spare places in primary schools across the Morley wide area. Our third reason is that the local health centre cannot cope with the additional 2000 + patients this site will generate putting more strain on an already busy local health service. The fourth is that this is a valuable Greenfield site which offers a positive “greenbelt” barrier between Churwell and Morley.

The Development is likely to be modelled on Persimmons Daisy Hill site with the majority of homes likely to be 4 bedroomed executive style housing with as little affordable housing for local people that the Developer can get away with. This will still leave over 2,000 on the Morley housing waiting list without offering any real hope for residents needing a home at an affordable rent.

You can help to oppose this application by attending a Public Meeting at Morley Town Hall on Tuesday 7th June at 7pm to discuss residents’ concerns.

We hope we can count on your continuing support to keep Laneside Farm a Greenfield site. We believe in putting people first - not Developers profits. We recently defeated Persimmons with an application they lodged for housing on a Greenfield site at Churwell New Village and beat McDonalds at Tingley to prevent a fast food takeaway next to Woodkirk High School. Together we can win this campaign!

Outdoor Table Tennis on its way!

A project to deliver an outside table tennis table outside Morley Sports Centre has commenced with the initial construction work being undertaken last week. The proposal, a joint project between Morley Town Council and Leeds City Council, will provide a robust table, bats and balls for table tennis to be played outdoors.

Cllr Judith Elliott says “We have previously supported a temporary outside table last year which was very popular amongst young and not so young residents who enjoyed playing table tennis out of doors. We decided to look for a partnership deal with Leeds City Council to deliver a permanent provision.”

The outside tennis table will be similar to ones provided by the National Trust and other organisations which allow people to play table tennis at any time without a cost. Morley Town Council are jointly financing the £2000 cost with Leeds City Council

Cllr Judith Elliott added “We are always looking at new ways to encourage all residents, young and old, to become more active and to keep fit. This proposal will mean the sport become more accessible for everyone as residents will be able to play for free.”

McDonalds Public Inquiry

I sat at the Public Inquiry dealing with the McDonalds take away planning application at Tingley for 4 days last week. We represented local residents as a Rule 6 Party which gives us the right to ask awkward questions of McDonald’s experts on Planning/Highways/Noise Nuisance and Public Health.

McDonalds were represented by a Barrister who presented their case with reports from his experts who all confirmed that there was not a problem with placing a McDonald’s Drive-through Take-away at this residential location. It is clear to me that some of the reports from McDonald’s experts were questionable but – as they have deep pockets – they can make sure any reports they have fully support their scheme.

To give credit the Leeds City Council, they also had a barrister putting their reasons for refusal who did an excellent job and used different independent reports to show that McDonald’s case was flawed.

What struck me – as I tried to do my best Perry Mason impression – was the patience of local residents who turned up day after day to listen to some fairly dry and involved evidence – and just how difficult it is with some Developers for them to appreciate the impact their Development has on local communities.

We put the case about the negative impact on Public Health having a burger bar next to a high school along with Highways concerns and the impact on the quality of life of local residents. All was carefully recorded by the Planning Inspector who will make a decision on the application later in the year.

I hope with all the efforts put in by campaigners, the community and local councillors that the decision to refuse the Planning Application is upheld.

MBIs back Community Orchard Initiative



MBI Councillors supporting the community orchard initiative


This blog often focuses on the politics of an issue and promotes a political view many people find provocative which, on some occasions, promotes heated debate.

Last Thursday I was involved, along with my MBI colleagues, with a community initiative that has unanimous support from everyone and was welcome by many varying and different groups.

The initiative was the planting of a community orchard in Dartmouth Park – the idea of the Friends of Dartmouth Park Group with support from Churwell Environmental Action Volunteers, local schools - both primary and secondary - Parks Staff and Councillors from different parties.

The project looks at planting fruit trees which, when they flourish, will make free fruit available to local residents both young and old.

The weather was excellent and the overwhelmingly positive approach adopted by everyone was a pleasure to be part of. I hope we can see further development of such a scheme across Morley as - in these health conscious days - free fruit for the community is something we can all sign up to!

Labour votes for fewer Police on Morley Streets

Labour backs reducing Police Officer numbers in Morley

Our proposal for an additional 22 Police Community Support Officers for outer areas in Leeds was voted down by Labour Councillors at Leeds City Councils Budget Meeting last Wednesday. Our proposal would see City Centre Parking Charges increased to cover more police community support officers on local streets.

We are disappointed that we did not get the backing of other councillors for increasing the number of PCSOs patrolling Morley’s Streets. It’s a double blow as the Leader of Leeds City Council also announced that they would reduce the number of PCSOs paid for by the Council for Morley from ten down to six. PCSOs have made a significant contribution to reducing crime levels in Morley and the reduction in their number is a step backwards.

The number of PCSOs is to be reduced in most outer areas in Leeds which is proving controversial as the Police and Crime Commissioner confirmed an underspend of £5 million on his staffing budget.

The PCC not only has a ring fenced budget and is increasing the precept all Morley residents pay to the Police, he has also underspent his staffing budget by over £5 million this year. There is no justification for cutting Police numbers in the Morley area and we will be campaigning for a Policing fair deal for Morley.

Morley Town Council increased its community safety budget by over 20% to £64,000 a year to support Policing levels across the Morley Town Council area. It’s clear that our commitment

to Morley Folk is much deeper than Labours!

Budget for Siegen Manor

MBI Councillors campaigning to save Siegen Manor

Morley Borough Independent Councillors will formally raise an amendment to Leeds City Councils Budget, due to be debated on Wednesday, to save Siegen Manor Older Persons home in Morley from closure. The home, which has many elderly and disabled residents, is presently subject to a consultation process due to be concluded in June this year.

We are amending the proposed budget to prevent Siegen Manor from being closed. Our proposal would see a general increase in parking charges which will raise enough money to prevent the closure of Siegen Manor and two other homes across Leeds.

A decision will be taken on Wednesday on whether to raise £5 million for Adult Social Care with a 2% levy on Council Tax bills.

We have been campaigning with residents and their families for months to prevent Siegen Manor from closing. We have found a realistic and affordable alternative to closure which would keep the home open until better extra care accommodation is available in the Morley area. The additional money generated from the 2% levy can be used to improve Adult Social Care in Morley and across Leeds.

We have campaigned with the local MP Andrea Jenkyns and the families of residents to raise a petition opposing closure with over 1200 signatures.

Our budget amendment offers a realistic alternative to closure and I hope we will gain the support of Councillors across the Leeds City Council area to keep Siegen Manor open as closure will have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of all the residents there.

Keeping Police Numbers high in Morley

We are presently in discussions with the Police Service about keeping Police Numbers as high as possible in the Morley area. Following news that the Police and Crime Commissioner has been given a ring fenced budget and that he does not need to make any cuts to Police numbers - we have gone back to negotiate firmly to make sure we keep as many PCSOs in Morley as we can.

Morley residents already pay three times for the Police Service. This includes a precept to the Police Authority, payment to Leeds City Council who finance PCSOs and in their precept to Morley Town Council who again make payments for additional Policing.

We will not tolerate reductions in PCSO numbers if Morley's Policing Team is reduced to provide additional PCSOs to those councils - such as Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale - who do not put their hands as deeply into their pockets as Morley residents do.

We are negotiating hard at Town and City Council level to make sure we retain Police numbers as high as we can and will be moving a budget amendment at Leeds City Councils Budget meeting to deliver more Police on Morley streets.

Crime levels across Morley have decreased over the last decade and we need to work as hard as we can to keep them as low as possible.

Morley Bottoms Enforcement Plan

Councillors met with Enforcement Officer from Leeds City Councils Planning and Environmental Action teams to explore the options for a combined plan to improve Morley Bottoms. Following a walkabout to look at some of the untidy sites and building in disrepair, officers agreed to a plan to explore using their powers to get the area cleared up.

Planning Enforcement have powers to issue Section 215 notices under the Town and Planning Act 1990. This compels the owners of untidy properties to take action to tidy them up or face court action. Environmental Action Officers also have similar powers to have overgrown and untidy greenspaces cleared up.

The Enforcement Action team agreed to use their legal powers to issue notices to the owners of untidy building and greenspaces.

We are aiming to make more progress with the regeneration of Morley Bottoms and the action the Enforcement Team are to take will help to start the longer term project of clearing up the area.

Drighlington Football Scheme supported

Morley North Ward Councillors have backed a scheme which would provide the support Drighlington Football Club needs to play football at a higher level.

The agreement would introduce football style barriers along the length of both football pitches adjacent to Drighlington Meeting Hall. The proposal, which is to be supported by a £9,000 grant from the Football Foundation, will give the Club the potential to play games at a higher footballing level and advance into more senior football leagues.

We have been discussing this proposal since last February with the Parish Council, residents groups and other sporting groups in the village. A final decision had to be made by January 31st or the £9,000 grant would have been lost.

The barriers will be removed during the summer months which will allow full and open access for Drighlington Gala.

Some of the problems raised have been resolved and I am sure most residents will back this scheme which will assist Drighlington Football Club. The club provides a lot of support to children and young people from Drighlington and the surrounding areas, giving them positive opportunities and this work, supported by the Football Foundation grant, will help the club with their future ambitions.

Save Siegen Manor Street Stall

The campaign to save Siegen Manor from closure took to the streets this weekend when Morley Borough Independent Councillors set up a street stall to collect signatures on a petition opposing closure. The Older Persons Home is part of a consultation process run by Leeds City Council with closure the only option being put forward.

We set up our street stall outside the Town Hall on Saturday and got a lot of support from residents with the campaign to keep Siegen Manor open until better Extra Care Accommodation is available in the Morley area. New Council Tax Rules mean Leeds City Council can raise a further £5 million to support Adult Social Care from a levy on Council Tax and we believe some of this money should be used to keep Siegen Manor open.

Despite the cold weather councillors collected hundreds of signatures. The aim is to deliver over 1000 signatures opposing the closure of Siegen Manor to Social Service Chiefs in Leeds.

We think there are better options than the closure of Siegen Manor and this alternative option is what we will be putting to Social Services Officers before any final decision is reached.

Bruntcliffe Road Bus Service Victory

We have welcomed news of improved bus services on Bruntcliffe Road in Morley. The new services were introduced following an 8 year campaign between Councillors and local residents to have the bus service improved following the withdrawal of services along Bruntcliffe Road over several years.

We have been working for many years with residents and Metro to try and improve the bus services along Bruntcliffe Road. There are many older and disabled residents who live along this corridor who welcome this improved bus service. It should also serve the new development on Bruntcliffe Road and help those residents who don’t have access to a car.

The new services were introduced after a long series of consultation meetings with local residents and comes after an eight year campaign involving Morley Borough Independent Councillors and Morley Town Council.

We are delighted Metro have worked with us to resolve this problem and we are grateful to local residents for their support and their patience over the years.