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BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Teachers to leave Yeadon school after closure threat
Teachers are set to leave a primary school due to its uncertain future despite a council reversing a decision to close it City Council said Queensway Primary School in Yeadon would shut at the end of this school year due to dwindling pupil numbers and financial the decision was put on hold after parents launched legal action. It is the second time the school has been threatened with closure since Mark Duce said he and other staff at the school had now made the "incredibly difficult" decision to leave amid the uncertainty. He said: "Despite the halting of the second consultation to close the school and due to the lack of clarity provided regarding the long-term future of Queensway at this stage, class teachers and myself have had to make the incredibly difficult decision to leave the school at the end of the summer."I am working alongside governors at present to ensure an effective leadership and teaching team is in place for September and will endeavour to share updates as soon as we are able to do so."We thank our parents and potential parents for their patience at this time."Fears were raised for the welfare of children with special educational needs after the council launched a consultation over the school's future. Law firm Irwin Mitchell then successfully challenged the closure decision, saying there were flaws in the consultation process, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Alan Lamb said the council should issue advice for parents of children to the school, which will now be open as normal in at an executive board meeting, he said: "What's been fed back to me is there has been a total lack of clarity. Very limited communication."However, councillor Julie Longworth said apologies had been given for the distress caused to teaching staff and families. "We have been in regular communication and conversation with the leaders in the school and also with the governors," she council said it has launched a "lessons learned" exercise to improve the way it would handle future school decisions.A report and recommendations will also be discussed by councillors on the Children and Families scrutiny board at a meeting on Wednesday 25 June 25. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
27-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Leeds City Council approves more than £100m of budget savings
Councillors in Leeds have approved budget savings of £103.8m for the next financial means council tax in the city will rise by almost 5% for 2025/26, with a proportion ring-fenced for adult social services for children and families will be placed under review along with the future of 56 children's will be a reduction of more than 230 full-time equivalent staff jobs, and council leader James Lewis said the authority could not rule out compulsory redundancies. Earlier this month, Leeds City Council confirmed it had received £67m in extra funding for the next noted it was the first budget set under the new Labour government, saying: "We've started to see more money come into the council."The government is allocating money to councils based on deprivation now which is a big change from the last Conservative government, so a city like Leeds is beginning to see more money coming in."But the council will still need to save £103.8m overall to deliver its legally required balanced said: "We've agreed to have a look at community buildings in the city."We have about 180 buildings used for community services, some of those are really well used and we'll keep them open and invest."Some of them aren't well used and we'll look at whether we can put those services close by." Council tax to rise 4.99% He said some of the reduction in spending was "good news".He highlighted the fact there were "more children's homes in the city so we can look after our children and we've really invested in kinship carers and foster carers in our adoption services".Meanwhile, councillors approved a maximum 4.99% council tax figure comprises a 2.99% rise in council tax, plus a 2% increase in the adult social care a Band D property this means an increase of £86.29 for the year (£1.66 per week). The £67m funding boost means the proposed 10% funding cut for neighbourhood networks in Leeds will not be required, and there will be no reduction made to wellbeing and youth activity funding.A a "pay as you feel" admission charge will be introduced at some council-run museums including at Leeds City Museum, Leeds Art Gallery and Leeds Discovery authority is also considering charging for entrance to Kirkstall will hand over the running of Middleton Leisure Centre to a third council said possible changes to bowling green provision in the city are to be further consulted on, with the aim of looking at ways to raise income and reduce the number of proposed closures. Opposition parties were critical of the council's group Leader Alan Lamb said people living in the city would feel the impact of the multimillion-pound said residents would notice the difference when they "have to pay for parking when before they didn't, when fees and charges for older people are going up, when support for social care is being cut - they're not funding social care properly - and of course council tax is going up by 5% so they are asking people to pay more and deliver less".Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
