Please find below the latest Council update:
"Hope you are all well, despite the cold weather. Following my email on Sunday, here is a further update about the severe weather situation. Cold overnight temperatures continue to be forecast over the next few days and it remains very icy. The more positive news is that temperatures are set to rise again over the weekend.
Council staff continue to work extremely hard in challenging weather conditions to keep our residents safe and the city moving the best we can. Although there has been impact on some services, which may require some time to recover, the majority are working as normal.
Below are specific updates on how the weather is affecting services of Bin Collections, Highways, Schools, Children’s Centres, Community Hubs & Libraries, Homelessness Prevention and Winter Wellbeing.
Bin collections
Due to the ongoing challenging road and path conditions, bin collections in Leeds continue to be impacted. The safety of the public, their property and our staff will always be the priority. If a scheduled collection is missed this week, residents are advised to leave their bin out and staff will do their best to empty it by Sunday (12 January). Extra waste from missed collections will also be taken if it is left in a securely tied bag and placed by the bin. If the waste has not been collected by Sunday, please take the bin and any bags back in and present on the next scheduled collection day. All eight household waste recycling centres across the city are open as usual, seven days a week, where excess waste can be taken to. The Council apologises for any inconvenience around these unexpected changes caused by the weather, and thanks residents for their ongoing support and assistance.
Highways
Gritting teams have been out all week early in the mornings and again in the afternoons and will continue to be out during the remainder of the cold weather spell. Priority remains on keeping primary routes clear. Our teams continue to monitor the road surface temperature forecast and will deploy our gritters as required. Due to recent rainfall freezing we urge people to take extra care on footways during this period.
Schools & Children’s Centres
Schools and Children’s Centres are using local judgement regarding closure or delayed opening. Information about closures or delayed openings can be found here:https://www.leeds.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-closures.
Community Hubs & Libraries
These are all open, with the exception of the mobile service which again is not operating due to road conditions.
Homelessness – Cold Weather Protocol
The council ensure all vulnerable people, including those experiencing homelessness, are given proper care and attention during periods of cold weather. Whenever temperatures are forecast to fall below zero for the night, we immediately activate an emergency protocol with partners – including homeless charities, commissioned services, NHS Leeds and the police – to provide extra beds for people who might otherwise end up sleeping rough. During these periods we provide an increased provision of accommodation, often utilising communal spaces within existing supported accommodation sites. The main service used to deliver the additional resource is the city centre’s long-established St George’s Crypt homeless shelter, together with other providers linked to the council-led multi-agency Leeds Street Support team, who undertake increased ‘outreach shifts’ to locate rough sleepers and engage with offers of support.
Anyone who has concerns for the welfare of a person sleeping rough is asked to contact Leeds’s street outreach team on 0113 245 9445 or via email at [email protected] or via StreetLink - Connecting people sleeping rough to local services who send an alert to local services to make a connection.
Winter wellbeing
Anyone can become unwell in cold weather, but some people are more at risk than others. Welcome Spaces are around for people to gather for free in a warm, safe place. More info can be found at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/campaign/welcome-spaces. We have put out messaging to remind residents to heat their homes to a temperature that is comfortable for them. Low indoor temperatures can have a serious impact on health, especially for those who have medical conditions or are older. Find more information about winter wellbeing at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/campaign/winter-wellbeing.
As ever, we are keeping the situation under review and will update you again if there is anything significant to share."
