Plan on how to avoid more Leeds Festival tragedy after death of 17-year-old girl set to be issued by council

Following an inquest into the death of a 17-year-old girl at the 2019 Festival, Leeds City Council was served with a Regulation 28 Report to prevent future deaths by the senior coroner for West Yorkshire.

The report had requested the council provide a response by March 12, but has since been extended to April 23.

A document produced by Leeds City Council officers, set to be discussed at a meeting next week, claims a “working group” of licensing committee members has met to consider the contents of the report.

It stated: “The last occasion that the festival took place was over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2019. The 2020 Festival did not proceed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“During the 2019 festival there was an incident involving a female of 17 years of age, and despite all best efforts by the medical services, it resulted in a fatality.”

An inquest into the death was held at Wakefield Coroner’s Court, concluding on January 13. The Senior Coroner, after hearing the circumstances of death set out his concerns in a Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths, which has been served on Leeds City Council as the licensing authority for the festival.

The council document added: “A working group has been established to consider the contents of the report. The first meeting of the working group took place on the February 9, from which it was agreed to ask the senior coroner for an extension to the original deadline of the March 12, to allow for further information to be gathered and presented, including from the organisers of the event.”

It was subsequently confirmed that an extension to the response had been granted until April 23.

Leeds City Council’s Licensing Committee is set to meet on Tuesday, April 6 to discuss how to respond to the coroner.