Your Leeds local election 2018 A to Z: Roundhay

THE CANDIDATESArif, Farzana - Conservative Party Christie, Malcolm Scott - Alliance for Green Socialism Cohen, Elayna Beverley - Conservative Party Ellis, Paul Charles - Green Party Goddard, Jacob Stephen - Labour Party Hannah, Jon Charles - Liberal Democrats Iqbal, Najeeb - Liberal Democrats Khan, Aftab - Conservative Party Mason, Rory Thomas - Liberal Democrats Quinn, Tony - Independent Tunnicliffe, Eleanor Judith - Labour Party Wenham, Angela Ruvena - Labour Party
2017:  A group of parents who launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to refurbish and replace play equipment in Roundhay Park near the Lakeside Cafe.
Picture: Tony Johnson.2017:  A group of parents who launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to refurbish and replace play equipment in Roundhay Park near the Lakeside Cafe.
Picture: Tony Johnson.
2017: A group of parents who launched an appeal to raise £100,000 to refurbish and replace play equipment in Roundhay Park near the Lakeside Cafe. Picture: Tony Johnson.

ROUNDHAY - KEY ISSUES AND NUMBERS

Roundhay ward is in the inner north-east area of Leeds and includes Gledhow, Lady Wood and Oakwood in its boundaries.

With 25,500 residents, it’s the seventh most populated ward in the city. However in terms of land area, it’s the 13th smallest.

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The Roundhay area itself is one of the most affluent in Leeds. It is one of several north Leeds ‘des res’ neighbourhoods, with average house prices at £250,000-plus, almost £75,000 above the city-wide average.

It’s also a popular area with families and professionals – a fifth of residents are under 15 and 36 per cent are aged 25 to 49.

Roundhay is also one of the most diverse parts of the city. Just 66 per cent of residents are white British. Of the remainder, the largest ethnic group is British Asian.

Joblessness and numbers of benefits claimants are lower than the city average, as is the level of young people not in education, employment and training (NEET).

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There are six primary schools and two secondary schools located in the ward. And it is schools – and school places specifically – that have been the overriding talking point in recent years, as well as on this 2018 local election trail.

The north Leeds school places ‘black hole’ has dominated discussion groups and local headlines for three years. An advanced parent-led campaign for a new free school fell at the final hurdle and recent talks have centred on a new site, possibly on land which forms part of the golf course. Other issues popping up on the campaign trail include concern that money earned from major events at Roundhay Park is not filtering back into improvements at the park itself. A £100,000 fundraising campaign is currently under way for new play facilities and local voters will want reassurances and support to maximise the park as a cherished and beloved resource for families in the area.

>What other issues matter to voters in Roundhay? Email [email protected]