Revealed: More than £11K spent drafting in security at Leeds polling stations during General Election

The sizeable sum, uncovered following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the YEP, paid for protection at 31 different locations during the election.

It included polling stations where security was deemed necessary as a result of “police intelligence” and concerns about possible “disruption”.

According to the chief executive of a charity that campaigns for respect in politics, the growing need for security comes “against a backdrop of increased instability”.

Leeds City Council disclosed in a response to the FOI request that a total of £11,432.57 was spent on security as voters went to the polls on July 4.

More than £7,000 of this went to private firm Showsec, while the remainder was spent internally.

The authority said those costs were recoverable from the Election Claims Unit and would not come as an expense to the council.

The unit is part of the government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which means the figure will still come as a cost to the taxpayer.

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The most significant spends were at Armley Park Primary School, in Armley, and Beechwood Nursery, in Seacroft. At both locations, Showsec security teams were hired at a cost of £745.20 each.

Half of the security teams in Leeds had been requested by schools to “meet their safeguarding requirements”.

Meanwhile, at Leeds Civic Hall, which was transformed into a polling station for the day, £100 was spent on private security as bouncers were “required to be on doors not usually open to the public”.

Two Showsec employees were seen in yellow uniforms at the door of the Holy Trinity Church on Boar Lane, where £421 was spent. The council said: “From previous elections - can be disruption at/around this polling station due to city centre location”.

There was a cluster of Showsec personnel based in Beeston where it was decided that three polling stations - all within less than a kilometre of each other - needed security. The council said it was acting on “police intelligence” in those instances.

Security teams were posted as far out as Wetherby, where three polling stations had paid-for protection.

The most common postcode for security was LS15, where five separate polling stations had additional staff drafted in.

Su Moore is the chief executive of The Jo Cox Foundation, which campaigns to end abuse that can discourage people from entering political life.

She said: “We don’t know about the police intelligence that was being acted on, but we saw in some places across the country that the additional requirement of voter ID at polling stations led to an increase in threats and intimidation.

“You can understand how it might raise temperatures. It would be interesting to know if that prompted the security requirement at all.”

The foundation was established after the death of Jo Cox. The former MP for Leeds’ neighbouring Batley and Spen constituency was murdered by a far-right terrorist in Birstall. Her murder in 2016 was a turning point in recognising the need for better politics, the charity has said.

Ms Moore said: “Over the last 10 years, there has been an escalation in the risk to politicians, both local and national. We don’t think social media is the only problem, but its evolution means it is much easier for people to make threats.”

Several MPs have spoken about the intimidation and harassment they faced during the most recent general election campaign. They include Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips, who said that campaigners in her team were shouted at in the street and even had their tyres slashed.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the former MP for Morley and Outwood, previously told the YEP that she considered quitting over abuse she had suffered.

Last year, the Jo Cox Civility Commission identified 28 practical recommendations to tackle abuse and intimidation of elected representatives in various sectors.

They included extending the available police protections for people in the public eye and improving political literacy amongst the general public.

The former Home Secretary James Cleverly suggested earlier this year that a £31m package could help “protect the UK's democratic processes from disruption” with measures including the provision of bodyguards for MPs considered most at risk.

Ms Moore said: “There is a suite of measures that the police can offer MPs. Politicians don’t have to take them up, and one of the reasons they might not is that many rely on the opportunity to mix with their constituents.

“I don’t think most of the politicians that I speak to would want to get to a position where all MPs are walking around with a bodyguard at all times.”

She added: “This comes against a backdrop of increased instability and the fact that two MPs having been murdered in the last eight years.

“Knowing whether a threat comes from a keyboard warrior, or from a person that could actually harm you, is a difficult balance. Threats cannot be taken lightly.”

Leeds City Council was asked to comment.

Here is the full list of polling stations where security was used on July 4 -

Polling stations in Leeds where security was used

• Armley Park Primary School - £745.20 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Beechwood Nursery, Beechwood Primary School - £745.20 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Cross Gates Primary School - £173.88 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Greenhill Primary School - £372.60 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Holy Family R C Primary School - £397.44 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Manston Primary School - £546.48 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Newlaithes Primary School - £186.30 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Otley All Saints C of E Primary School - £397.44 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Sharp Lane Primary School - £397.44 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Wetherby Deighton Gates Primary School - £173.88 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Wetherby St James C of E Primary School - £173.88 (Internal), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Adel St John the Baptist Primary School - £221.03 (Showsec), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Bankside Primary School - £631.50 (Showsec), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Building Blocks Centre - £321.01 (Showsec), From police intelligence (local elections - deemed appropriate for GE given proximity)
• Civic Hall - £105.25 (Showsec), Required to be on doors not usually open to the public
• Churwell Primary School - £147.35 (Showsec), Requested by school to meet their safeguarding requirements
• Dewsbury Road Community Hub - £326.28 (Showsec), From police intelligence (local elections - deemed appropriate for GE given proximity)
• Garforth Library - £315.75 (Showsec), To ensure electors only access space used for polling as this is an open plan building - requested by Library
• Halton Library - £315.75 (Showsec), To ensure electors only access space used for polling as this is an open plan building - requested by Library
• Holy Trinity Church - £421 (Showsec), From previous elections - can be disruption at/around this polling station due to city centre location
• Lakeland Court - £315.75 (Showsec), To ensure electors only access space used for polling as this is an open plan area
• Lovell Park Hub - £315.75 (Showsec), To ensure electors only access space used for polling as these premises are also used by vulnerable people in the community
• Mobile Community Hub - £526.25 (Showsec), Requirement of Mobile Hub Team to protect security of the vehicle
• Pudsey Primrose Hill Primary School - £147.34 (Showsec), Requested by school
• Rowland Road WMC - £315.75 (Showsec), From police intelligence (local elections - deemed appropriate for GE given proximity)
• Seacroft Community Hub - £326.28 (Showsec), To ensure electors only access space used for polling as this is an open plan building - requested by the hub
• South Seacroft One Stop Centre - £315.75 (Showsec), To ensure electors only access space used for polling as this is an open plan building - requested by One Stop Centre
• St Aidan's Church Hall - £631.50 (Showsec) - From police intelligence (local elections - deemed appropriate for GE given proximity)
• St Wilfrid's Church Hall - £631.50 (Showsec) - From police intelligence (local elections - deemed appropriate for GE given proximity)
• Sutton Park Community Centre - £326.28 (Showsec) - To ensure electors only access space used for polling as these premises are in use by others on polling day - requested by Community Centre Manager
• Wetherby Health Centre - £465.75 (Showsec) - To ensure electors only access space used for polling as these premises are in use by others on polling day - requested by Health Centre Manager