Your Leeds local election 2018 A to Z: Pudsey

THE CANDIDATESArbuckle, Jude Patrick - Liberal Democrats Coulson, Mick - Labour Party Cunningham, Lou - Labour Party Glover, Christine Amy - Liberal Democrats Harrison, Mark Thomas - Conservative Party Hart, Helen Lesley - Green Party Hughes, Martin Gareth - Liberal Democrats Lewis, Richard Alwyn - Labour Party Neve, Mark Johnathan - Conservative Party O'Neill, Conor Andrew - The Yorkshire Party Seary, Simon Anthony - Conservative Party
Tardis    picture oct 2015
Pudsey Bus StationTardis    picture oct 2015
Pudsey Bus Station
Tardis picture oct 2015 Pudsey Bus Station

PUDSEY - KEY ISSUES AND NUMBERS

Pudsey sits in the outer-west area of Leeds and includes Fulneck and Swinnow in its boundaries.

The ward is the 15th smallest in the city, and the 15th most populated.

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Average house prices are £17,000 lower than the city average. Crime and anti-social behaviour is also lower than the city average, however there are pockets where it is an issue.

Key local campaigns in recent years have included efforts to keep the Post Office on Church Lane open and a successful attempt to keep the library as a community resource. It was eventually turned into a community one-stop shop.

Lack of green space has been a point of concern in recent times, and efforts to transform bits of wasteland for public use – and to reclaim other green spaces like the Woodhall football pitches – have been welcomed.

Pudsey is an old market town with many unique independent businesses, therefore councillor candidates will need to put supporting the local economy at the heart of their plans.

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Community and identity are important here, as evidenced by the success of the Pudsey Carnival in the last few years.

Development and new housing is a major talking point for voters. Pudsey has experienced its biggest boundary change in more than 30 years as it takes in a raft of Victorian terraces off Richardshaw Lane, the Owlcotes Centre and the Grangefield industrial estate. So for wannabe councillors, this could be a real opportunity to make a significant impact on the look and feel of the area that some feel has been neglected for years.

The biggest issue on the doorstep, according to one candidate, is the lack of housing to rent at a reasonable cost and overcrowding. Wide-ranging transport issues also keep cropping up – road safety, poor-quality bus services and highway maintenance.

>What else, for you, is a vote swaying issue in Pudsey ward? Email [email protected].