'Trailblazing' women from Leeds 'who have made history' to be honoured with 'beautiful panels' at Civic Hall

Members of Leeds City Council’s executive board will next week be asked to give their backing to plans to add the names of six inspirational women to the walls of the council chamber at Leeds Civic Hall.

If approved, they will become the first women to see their names permanently added to the prestigious chamber, taking their rightful place alongside men from the city’s past who already feature.

At the meeting next week, (Sept 18) members of the executive board will hear that, if approved, a series of beautiful panels matching those already on the chamber walls will be added, which will bear the names of:

• The Barnbow Lasses: These women worked in the Barnbow Munitions Factory, where 35 women and girls were tragically killed in an explosion during the First World War. It remains the single biggest loss of life in the city’s history.
• Leonora Cohen OBE: A pioneer of the Suffragette movement, born in Leeds. She was famously arrested for smashing a glass case containing royal insignia at the Tower of London in protest against the government’s position on a woman’s right to vote.
• Gertrude Paul: A founding member of the Leeds West Indian Carnival and the first black head teacher in Leeds. She also founded the Leeds International Women’s Group, the Afro Asian Organisation and the United Caribbean Association.
• Alice Bacon MP CBE: The city’s first female MP, as a minister in the Home Office in the 1960s she oversaw the introduction of substantial societal changes, including the abolition of the death penalty, the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the legalisation of abortion.
• Beryl Burton OBE: English racing cyclist who dominated the sport in the UK and abroad, winning more than 90 domestic championships and seven world titles and setting numerous national records.
• Ivy Benson: Born in Holbeck, Benson was a saxophonist and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson’s band were the first entertainers to be invited to perform at the VE celebrations in Berlin in 1945.

When Leeds Civic Hall was built in 1933, men who had a close association with Leeds or who contributed in a significant way to the history of the city saw their names added to the walls of council chamber.

Over subsequent decades, the council has been keen to ensure inspirational women from the city’s past were also recognised and undertook a public consultation earlier this year to choose suitable names.

The executive board will also be asked to approve future work which will see more inspirational women recognised within the council chamber at a later date.

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for resources said: “This project has really captured the city’s collective imagination, and it’s clear that each of these exceptional women and their remarkable accomplishments have a very special place in the hearts of the people of Leeds.

“Honouring their legacy in this unique way will also make a very poignant and powerful statement about Leeds, it’s commitment to equality and our desire to ensure that women and girls living and growing up here can have the belief that anything is possible.”

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Funding for the project will come through savings made from the outgoing council chief executive Tom Riordan not taking a pay award for a number of years.

Tom added: “During my time in Leeds, I’ve been fortunate to witness many historic moments for equality, including the first female leader of Leeds City Council and the first black Lord Mayor of Leeds.

“This project is a fitting tribute to the legacy of those who paved the way, and will stand as a lasting monument and inspiration for many years to come.”