Your Leeds local election 2018 A to Z: Otley and Yeadon
OTLEY AND YEADON - KEY ISSUES AND NUMBERS
Otley and Yeadon sits in the outer north west area of Leeds and includes Carlton, Gallows Hill, Otley, Weston Estate and Yeadon in its boundaries.
The ward is the sixth largest in area and the second least populated of the 33 electoral wards in Leeds.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe average age of 44 and life expectancy of 83 are both a fair bit higher than the city averages. Almost a quarter of residents are over 65, and 29 per cent are in the 25-49 age bracket.
The ethnic make-up of the population is almost 96 per cent white British, compared to a Leeds rate of 81 per cent.
Employment levels are high, with less than one per cent of residents claiming jobseekers’ allowance, a number that has dropped in the past year. The overall percentage of benefits claimants is also several points lower than the city average.
The average house price in the ward is £210,000 as of August 2017 (source: Leeds City Council) £32,000 more than the city average.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOf the 10,600 recorded properties in the ward, 1,400 are council houses.
In the past 10 years, 300 new homes have been built in the ward, with another 600 planned or under construction.
For local voters, affordable housing has been a key issue, but so has concern about schools funding.
One campaigner told the YEP that worries about a number of teaching posts that have been lost at Prince Henry’s School in Otley have been a real talking point on the campaign doorstep.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTraffic and public transport is also a major concern for residents of Otley and Yeadon .
The X84 and 33A routes serve the ward.
The former operates every 20 minutes during the day and once an hour in the evening, but reliability has been a worry for regular travellers in recent months.
The 33A, meanwhile, travels to the ward along the busy A65 corridor through Kirkstall, and suffers from the knock on effects of that congested area.
Leeds Bradford airport sits in the area and noise issues potentially affecting hundreds of residents have arisen as recently as a few months ago.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe YEP reported that locals would have to contend with increased aircraft noise if proposed flight path changes at LBIA got the go-ahead. Around 200 residents on six roads, including some near Otley and Yeadon, were potentially affected.