In accordance with paragraphs 4.16 and 4.17 of the Community Committee Procedure Rules, at the discretion of the Chair a period of up to 10 minutes may be allocated at each ordinary meeting for members of the public to make representations or to ask questions on matters within the terms of reference of the Community Committee. This period of time may be extended at the discretion of the Chair. No member of the public shall speak for more than three minutes in the Open Forum, except by permission of the Chair.
Minutes:
In accordance with the Community Committee Procedure Rules, the Chair allowed for a period of up to 10 minutes for members of the public to make representations or ask questions within the terms of reference of the Community Committee.
The Leeds 2023 Cultural Ambassadors for Weetwood and Little London & Woodhouse attended the Open Forum and shared information about the programme of work and answered questions regarding the year of culture. Each ward will have an event created by the Ambassador. The Weetwood event will be an inter-generational skillshare and community building event. The Little London and Woodhouse event will be a celebration of the colourful local community. The June to August 2023 event programme will be announced in the week commencing 1st February 2023, with the events being staggered so that attendees may attend multiple events.
Local residents, Community Committee Members and the Leeds 2023 Cultural Ambassadors discussed the following:
· Councillor Pryor clarified that Leeds 2023 received seed funding from Leeds City Council, but it is not a Council run programme.
· Legacy was noted as being a concern for Leeds City Council, Leeds 2023 and local residents. Some events are hoped to become annual, as in the case of when Hull and Liverpool held Year of Culture events.
· Work to promote Leeds 2023 outside of digital spaces thus far has included, in addition to the Ambassador programme, paper information available in shops and other local spaces. The Ambassadors noted the need to ensure paper communications and will need to consider non digital contact details.
· One of the highlights of the wider Leeds 2023 programme included the recent opening ceremony, ‘The Awakening’ in January.
· The rest of the year has events planned including:
o A women and non-binary barn raising event called ‘Raise the WOW Barn’.
o A Literature festival in February
o The Leeds Children’s Day which was held annually until the 1960’s will return this summer, and there is a hope it will once again become an annual event.
o Meanwood Road community photography project
o Numerous other small events
The Chair then opened this part of the meeting to local residents in attendance, to raise any issues. Key issues highlighted included:
· Councillor Garthwaite advised a local resident that the closure of Monument Moor will be temporary and is due to gas installations in the centre of Leeds, and a suggestion for clearer signage was noted. Further to this, Councillor Garthwaite explained that Monument Moor is currently waterlogged, and the on-going works may restore the surface as a by-product.
· The theft of Yorkshire stone continues to be an issue across communities. Councillor Pryor informed the Committee of a chemical compound which has been trialled to track stolen slabs. Filling in cracks was advised as being an inefficient method to deter theft as it is costly and easily countered. Tarmac will continue to be used by the Council as gaps in slabs pose a trip hazard to the public, as it is considered to be the most cost effective way forward.
· A resident raised concern regarding the timeliness of enforcement of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) on Ash Road. Councillor Pryor noted that a review is pending, and discussion is on-going regarding the need to extend the scheme to additional wards, such as additional areas in Headingley and Hyde Park.