Your Leeds local election 2018 A to Z: Little London & Woodhouse

THE CANDIDATESAkhtar, Javaid - Labour Party Ashford, Brandon John - Conservative Party Brooks, Kayleigh - Labour Party Campbell, Lorna Christine - Liberal Democrats Foren, Christopher Mark - Green Party Green, Amy - Conservative Party Harper, Gerry - Labour Party Harper, Stewart Peter - Conservative Party
Children from  Little London Community Primary School, Leeds, with teachers. PIC: James Hardisty/YPNChildren from  Little London Community Primary School, Leeds, with teachers. PIC: James Hardisty/YPN
Children from Little London Community Primary School, Leeds, with teachers. PIC: James Hardisty/YPN

LITTLE LONDON & WOODHOUSE - KEY ISSUES AND NUMBERS

Little London and Woodhouse sits in the inner north west part of Leeds.

This inner city ward has been newly created after a boundary shake-up.

Little London Community HubLittle London Community Hub
Little London Community Hub
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Previously linked to Hyde Park, it has lost most of that student heavy area but now includes much of the city centre.

In its previous guise, this ward was the second smallest and the third most densely populated in the city.

For those fighting to represent people in the area, the challenges are slightly different now that the boundaries have changed, but there are still many similarities.

While Little London and Woodhouse have a lot of families, the city centre will bring in more of a young professional mix to the local demographic.

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Council housing is important, and recent developments include an 800-home PFI project which the area has been part of.

Poverty is rife, with the effects of austerity felt deeply.

Little London is also one of the most diverse parts of Leeds.

In one local primary school, a staggering 58 different languages are spoken.

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It’s an area that has seen its share of people migrating in, although the population is a lot more fixed than it has been.

The heavy student population on the Woodhouse side means there have been ongoing issues with litter, often related to the annual ‘changeover day’.

Extra resources have been pumped into dealing with this in the last few years, but it remains a problem.

There is an obvious knock-on effect from the neighbouring Hyde Park ward - and graffiti in the park is a regular talking point.

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Anti-social behaviour has traditionally been a major problem.

The old ward managed to retain its cohort of three PCSOs (police community support officers) when a major overhaul last year - blamed on funding cuts - saw resources prioritised in the higher crime areas. But pockets of trouble remain.

>What else matters to voters in Little London and Woodhouse? Email [email protected].