Chequers Inn Ledsham: Leeds villagers protect historic 16th century pub as it's listed as community asset

Parish councillors in Ledsham said the Chequers Inn was a vital meeting place that acted as a community centre for the east Leeds village.

The pub, which dates back to 1540, was nominated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) under legislation designed to project community buildings.

It means that if the site was put up for sale, the community would have a legal right to bid for the property.

A Ledsham Parish Council spokesperson said: “As the centre of the village’s social life, the council felt it was sensible to nominate the inn as an ACV.

“As far as we know, there are no plans to sell the inn in the near future so the nomination was pre-emptive, to give the council an opportunity to look at funding a bid if and when the inn were to come up for sale.”

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The Claypit Lane inn has been added to Leeds City Council’s list of ACVs after the nomination was accepted.

A city council report said the Chequers Inn was previously awarded the status in 2016, but that lapsed after a five-year period.

The report said: “In addition to events such as weddings, the Chequers Inn hosts meetings for organising committees of local events as well as club dinners and charity events.

“Ledsham Parish Council state that the Chequers Inn is a meeting place for all in the absence of a community centre and attracts customers from far and wide.”

ACV status means that if an asset is put up for sale, community interest groups are have the right to be treated as a potential bidder.

The sale is then paused for six months to allow the group to raise funds for a potential purchase.