New Leeds red light zone report raises 'very real and serious concerns' about Managed Approach - Sir John Townsley, Gorse Academies Trust

Sir John Townsley, chief executive of the Gorse Academies Trust, said the Listening Well Report about the impact of the Managed Approach (MA) to on-street sex work in Holbeck "highlights very real and serious concerns".

Commissioned by the Voice of Holbeck, it features testimonies from residents who talk about the ways in which the scheme has left them feeling unsafe in their own community.

One section of the report, compiled by Leeds Beckett University, focuses specifically on the impact of children who have seen sex workers soliciting in residential areas - a breach of the terms of the scheme - or been approached by kerb crawlers.

Sir John, whose schools include The Ruth Gorse Academy, said: "All those involved with the Managed Approach should take notice of the Listening Well Report as it captures the true feeling of the residents of Holbeck, including children who have to live within and commute through the zone."

One parent quoted in the report said: "My child has been approached by men asking her for sex whilst in school uniform, going to school early in the morning and my eight-year-old has been flashed at by a female prostitute."

Another said she had been asked by her daughter about the sex litter and drug equipment seen in the street each morning, as well as who the sex workers are, concluding that those things were all "nothing a child should have to see".

Many parents who contributed spoke about the difficulty of explaining what the children were witnessing and not feeling able to let them play out near their homes.

Young people themselves shared their experiences too, with one saying: "People mistake my mum for a prostitute, asking my mum if she is doing business."

The results of surveys run for parents or pupils at Ingram Primary School and The Ruth Gorse Academy are also included, with the report noting that Ruth Gorse pupils asked for a bus to take them home as they are concerned about their journey through Holbeck and their experiences of the MA are negatively affecting their mental health.

The original intention had been to publish the report at the same time as an independent review commissioned by Leeds City Council, which last year concluded that the MA was "more effective" than any other approach to on-street sex work.

The scheme allows sex workers to operate on certain non-residential streets in Holbeck and within agreed hours without fear of arrest.

But the accounts set out in the Listening Well Report suggest that there is much more to be done to achieve the MA's stated aims, which include lessening the problems that on-street sex work creates for residents and local businesses.

Sir John said: "Unlike the ‘Independent Review’ into the Managed Approach, this report takes into account the issues surrounding children and the safeguarding concerns raised by schools. I am confident that Leeds City Council will take on board the important recommendations made within the report and address the safeguarding concerns raised.

"This report highlights very real and serious concerns; a failure to act on those concerns could lead to incidents which are potentially life-threatening."

The council has offered an assurance again this week that it is "ready and willing to take any steps that are required to make improvements and that the issue of safeguarding continues to be of the highest priority to us".

Meanwhile, it is continuing to assess the recommendations set out in its independent review last year so that action can be taken as necessary by the Safer Leeds Executive partnership.

Also in news: Leeds Tories call for ‘exit strategy’ for managed red-light zone

What is the Managed Approach?

Begun as a pilot by the Safer Leeds community partnership in 2014, the Managed Approach (MA) allows sex workers to operate on certain non-residential streets in Holbeck and within agreed hours without fear of arrest.

The aims from the outset have been to reduce the prevalence of street-based sex working, lessen the problems it creates for residents and local businesses, and better engage with the women involved to improve their safety and health.

Dubbed the country’s first ‘legal’ red light zone, the scheme has attracted intense national media interest since the murder of sex worker Daria Pionko in 2015 and been the subject of a BBC Three documentary series.

It has also provoked extensive debate over the years, with residents staging regular protests in 2018 amid rising anger over littering and soliciting creeping into residential areas.

Measures taken to mitigate the impact in recent years include a dedicated incident reporting number, designated police resource, and additional attention from council street cleaning teams both inside the zone where the MA applies and in surrounding streets.

In 2019, Leeds City Council commissioned an independent review by academics at the University of Huddersfield to examine how the MA had developed since its introduction and whether it should continue.

The findings were published in July 2020, with the conclusion being that it was "more effective at reducing the impact of problems associated with on-street sex working than any other approach or model".

However, review lead Professor Jason Roach stressed that the approach must continue to evolve and adapt.

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