City leaders want to listen to the views of women from Leeds

Funding has been secured by Leeds City Council to research the views of women who may not have previously engaged with Leeds City council or other services, and as a result may face barriers to achieving their potential.

It is believed that research gathered by the Leeds Listening Project will help women to make the most of the opportunities and support which is freely available to them.

Councillor Jools Heselwood, Leeds City Council’s lead member for Women, said: "Whilst recognising that we have come a long way, particularly over the last 100 years we also must acknowledge that our society still has a way to go before women are truly equal."

The funding has come from the Government Equalities Office to support a programme of work to engage with women from across Leeds.

The project will run until March 2020 and will provide an opportunity for women to speak about the barriers they face and identify solutions that would help tackle some of these challenges they have identified.

Women will have the opportunity to attend focus groups in local community locations.

The outcomes from the focus groups will be used to shape services for women and girls in Leeds and will be fed back to the Government Equalities Office to help to influence national policies.

Coun Heselwood added: “Programmes like this are one way we can ensure that the voices of women and girls in our city are not only heard but that their views can be acted upon.

“Speaking directly to women in the community will give us the opportunity to find out what challenges they face, what is important to them and what are the real solutions they feel would benefit them most."

"A range of work is already taking place across the city to ensure that women and girls are empowered to have a greater voice and influence, but there is so much more to do to ensure that as Leeds continues to thrive, the benefits of economic growth are felt by all and not just the few."

For further details about the project contact [email protected].