The latest Council update is below:
Leeds Digital Festival: This month sees the return of the Leeds Digital Festival, showcasing the fantastic digital and tech sector in the city. As part of this, the free-to-attend Leeds Digital Careers Fair is returning to the Leeds first direct arena on 26 September between 2-7 pm, brings together a wide range of training, apprenticeship, and career opportunities that are available, together with a host of fascinating talks from industry leaders. An unmissable event for anyone looking to start or take their next steps in a digital career. Tickets are free and can be booked here.
Wheelchair Rugby League: Leeds is also hosting the International Wheelchair Rugby League at the First Direct Arena on the 5th November. With plenty of local stars. BBC will be covering the England Wheelchair team in their rematch against France. This will be the first return to action for both teams since the dramatic 24-28 triumph victory for England in the Wheelchair World Cup Final!
UK Corporate Games 2024: We are thrilled that Leeds will be hosting the UK Corporate Games 2024 following a joint bid from the council and the University of Leeds. The event is the country’s largest multi-sport festival for businesses, with thousands of competitors from hundreds of companies coming together in a different city each year to network and build team spirit as they go for glory at everything from karting and golf to tennis and dragon boat racing. The games will be a further opportunity to showcase Leeds to visiting business’s, especially those considering relocation or expansion.
Leeds Child Mayor: Children and young people in the city are being encouraged to cast their vote in the election to decide the next Leeds Children’s Mayor. The programme is now in its 20th year and Leeds was one of the first cities in the UK to elect a young mayor. This year’s Leeds Children Mayor, Mason from Whitkirk Primary, in partnership with John Jamieson SILC, is now coming to the end of his successful term. Children and young people aged 5 to 18 years old who live and/or go to school in Leeds have till 5pm on 25th September 2023 to cast their vote and can do so by visiting the pop up voting station in Leeds City Museum and Leeds Central Library or alternatively they can vote online here.
LEEDS2023 Update - Dreaming: LEEDS 2023 have launched the final season of the year of culture, with the theme of “Dreaming”. Season 3 guides have been delivered to various council locations throughout the city including libraries, museums and galleries, community hubs and Merrion House. All the events are on the website, where you can also book tickets LEEDS 2023 Events - LEEDS 2023.
Active Leeds Update: Active Leeds has been selected as finalist for two categories in the national UKActive Awards which are taking place in Leeds in October. They have been selected for their Get Set Leeds Local work in the healthy communities category and their Love Yourself Marketing Campaign. Finalists revealed for the ukactive Awards 2023 after entries received from across the sector | ukactive The team will be meeting with the judges in September where they will be highlighting the impact of all the fantastic work and will find out the results at the awards ceremony in October.
Active Leeds has also been successful in some commission bids to use physical activity to help combat health issues One is a pilot working with partners in Public Health (Maternity, Infants and Children’s Physical Health improvement) developing an intervention to support women in pregnancy who have or at risk of Gestational Diabetes (GDM). The second is to add more capacity into the LEAP (Leeds Encouraging Activity Programme) to support referrals from Mental Health partners to refer into.
Leeds City Bikes: Some of the eagle-eyed amongst you may have seen some of the new bike docking stations around Leeds city centre. These are for a new public e-bike service, Leeds City Bikes. The fully electric bike service will be available to try from the 15 September. Just download the Beryl App in your App store to ride. A launch event will take place on Cookridge Street - outside Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, LS1 3AH on Saturday 23 September between 10am - 4pm, where you can win prizes such as free minutes on the bikes. Full details on this can be found here.
Connecting Leeds Works: Armley Gyratory highways construction enters next phase to replace footbridges. The removal of the Spence Lane footbridge over the Armley Gyratory is to begin later this month. This is the first of three footbridges around the Gyratory which will be removed and replaced with new footbridges with more accessible footways, set to complete next year. To allow for this Spence Lane work to be completed, motorists are advised there will be a weekend partial closure, starting 8pm Friday 29 September, until 5:30am Monday 2 October. With the approach to the Ingram Distributer (A643) closed and Wellington Road exit closed from the south, re-opening outside of these hours with lane restrictions. Future partial weekend closures are planned to complete the works which will be communicated and available on the project website here.
Covid 19 and vaccine programme: Given the new variant (BA.2.86 – unofficially known as ‘Eris’) there has been recent growth in cases, outbreaks and hospitalisations nationally. Due to this Ministers have agreed to accelerate autumn vaccine programme in England which has started this week as a precautionary measure. This will begin with care homes and the vulnerable.
Upcoming Events:
- Leeds International Festival of Ideas returns at the end of September Leeds’s largest celebration of brilliant minds and innovative thoughts brings together a fantastic variety of influential speakers to talk about the most fascinating and pressing conversations that face our generation. From cryptocurrency to grief, politics to gender, women’s health to true crime – this is a festival like no other.
- The 9th annual Public Health and Wellbeing Conference for Leeds will take place on Wednesday 11 October 2023 at Civic Hall, with the theme “A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Public Health in a “cost of living crisis”. A long with key note speakers, there will be a range of workshops and exhibitor stands from Leeds’s health and wellbeing sector.
- The first post covid Leeds Business Continuity Network Event is taking place on the 9th November, covering the current risks facing the UK and a will provide attendees with details of how their organisations can prepare and meet the requirements of Martyn’s Law, the new protect duty.
Local and National developments:
- Pipes fit for a queen as organ’s golden years return. The magnificent decorative pipes of Leeds Town Hall’s stunning organ are being restored to their former glory as part of a once in a lifetime renewal project. Full information on this can be found here.
- A room in Leeds’s iconic Civic Hall has been renamed in honour of the legendary politician, actor, and public servant, Honorary Alderman Bernard Atha CBE. Full information on this can be found here.
- Christmas in Leeds is set to be bigger and better than ever this year as the city prepares to welcome a brand new festive market. Full information on this can be found here.
- Plans for a new hotel development at Leeds Kirkgate Market have reached another important milestone. Full information on this can be found here.
- Leeds Kirkgate Market has half-a-million very good reasons to celebrate its status as one of the city’s best-loved shopping spots. Full information on this can be found here.
- New state of the art gyms have been unveiled at three popular Active Leeds leisure centres, as part of the council’s ambition to get more people moving. Full information can be found here.
