Leeds City Council closed Royal Park School five years ago. Since then, it’s allowed the school to be vandalised, and has done nothing to repair the resulting damage. Two weeks ago, local residents moved into the school to prevent further deterioration and to make repairs. Everyone in the area rallied round, including a local firm which offered free of charge, to replace lead that had been taken from the roof, provided the council returned it. But instead of giving back the lead, the council handed residents a summons to appear in court. And so, on Monday, residents were ordered to quit the building, which they did the next day. The council also asked for, and was awarded, costs against the residents.
The year that the council closed Royal Park School, 2004, was also the year that it produced a document called
“Vision for Leeds 2004 to 2020”. How does the council reconcile its actions over Royal Park School with the promise on page 27 of this document to “involve local people in planning the future of their areas”.
And how does evicting residents from the school and asking for costs against them help to achieve any of these aims contained in the Leeds Strategic Plan :
- Increase the number of local people engaged in activities to meet community needs and improve the quality of life for local residents.
- Increase the number of local people that are empowered to have a greater voice and influence over local decision making and a greater role in public service delivery.
- Enable a robust and vibrant voluntary, community and faith sector to facilitate community activity and directly deliver services.
- Increase the sense of belonging and pride in local neighbourhoods that help to build cohesive communities.
Whilst it may be true that the “Vision for Leeds 2004 to 2020” and the “Leeds Strategic Plan” aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, it’s also likely to be the case that producing the two documents cost more than it would have cost to give Royal Park School to the community.
(photos courtesy of Yorkshire Post Newspapers)
