Leader of Leeds City Council on support for nightclubs, austerity and the future of the city
With the second-largest population of any council in the country and a net revenue exceeding £600 million, James Lewis is one of the most important politicians that you might not have heard about.
In many ways, Leeds is a city on the up. It has the most diverse economy in the country, with the largest legal and financial centre in England outside of London.
It’s the third largest manufacturing centre, and its thriving arts and culture scene and booming university sector have driven growth and brought hope to a city which was hit hard by the industrial decline of the late twentieth century.
It has the highest-paying jobs in the UK outside of London, with an average salary of £37,800 which beats out competition from Manchester, Cambridge and Bristol.
Leeds Bradford Airport is the country’s fastest growing regional airport and over the next decade, the economy in the city region is forecast to grow by 21%.
But fundamental issues – a poor transport network, housing shortages and high rates of deprivation in the city centre – hold the city back.
And like many other councils across the country, Leeds has faced budget pressures in recent years amid a perfect storm of inflation, spiralling social care costs and reduced funding from Westminster.
Earlier this week, councillors met to approve the budget for the next financial year with £65 million of reductions needed in council spending to balance the books.
To meet that shortfall, council tax is rising by 4.98% and savings will be made with cuts to services, job losses and building closures. Car parking charges will also be introduced at parks across the city.
I met James a few days after the budget had been approved at Nexus, an almost cathedral-like structure that houses a research and innovation hub at the University of Leeds, a gleaming example of what the city gets right.
A member of the Labour Party, James was first elected in 2003 to represent the south-east Leeds ward Barwick and Kippax before later becoming the councillor for Kippax and Methley. He was made the Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council just under a decade ago and in 2021 was elevated to the top job.
He lays the blame on the financial difficulties faced by his and other councils up and down the country squarely on “14 years of austerity” by Conservative government in Westminster. During this time, he says £2.7 billion of funding has been diverted away from the council.
“That means that we’re stretching the council tax further and further to cover the costs of services that used to be met by large government grants.”
“We’re also facing huge pressures from inflation and the cost of living. The council has got a gas and electricity bill like everyone else and we’ve also got huge pressures in terms of the number of people needing social care, which is one of the council’s biggest areas of spending.”
He stresses that Leeds, unlike other local authorities, has managed to balance the budget and is not at an immediate risk of bankruptcy. The situation, however, remains serious and a nearly 5% rise in council tax will be a tough pill to swallow during a cost of living crisis.
He is hopeful that if Labour wins the next general election funding for local government will be “more sustainable and fairer” for the city.
“Rishi Sunak, when he was running to be the leader of the Conservatives, told the Tunbridge Wells Conservative Association that he wanted to take money out of Labour areas and put it in places like that.
“That’s not where we need to be in a city like Leeds where we’ve got increasing levels of poverty and a need for social care.”
There is no doubt that we need better transport in Leeds. We’re the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system
After a bid to become the European capital of culture was dashed after Brexit, Leeds decided to press ahead and host its own year-long event in 2023.
The event, which was supported with significant investment from the council, was labelled a “damp squid” by Councillor Allan Lamb, the leader of the Conservative group in the council.
During a debate on the budget this week, he said the council executive “has taken no responsibility for the decisions they have made.”
“They haven’t owned up to the fact the £10 million they spent on a city of culture last year that no one knew was happening could have been spent on vital services that people depend on.”
James argues that the event, despite having only a third of the average spend of an official capital of culture event, lifted the profile of Leeds and brought joy to the city.
He insists its legacy will continue, most clearly in Hibiscus Rising, the exotic flower sculpture which was designed by the artist Yinka Shonibare and was unveiled on the south bank of Leeds city centre in one of the final acts of Leeds 2023.
In an otherwise downbeat budget, the proverbial rabbit was pulled from the hat with a surprise announcement that Leeds residents would no longer have to make the walk of shame to a bottle bank in order to recycle their glass.
Instead, from this summer, it will now be possible to recycle glass from the kerbside with estimates suggesting that 10,000 tonnes of waste will be saved from landfill.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats in Leeds City Council welcomed the move but criticised the “dithering”.
“After years of reflecting our budget amendments […] Labour are finally accepting its a good idea. Think how much additional glass could have been recycled in the years they’ve dithered.”
James says the council has prioritised free garden waste collection over kerbside glass recycling but is “pleased that we’re getting to the point where people will be able to put bottles and jars in the green bin.”
Last month, the nightclub operator Rekom UK announced that Pryzm, the largest nightclub in Leeds, would permanently shut along with several other venues across the country.
Its boss Peter Marks said the closures were caused by increased operating costs and reduced revenue as students cut back on going out as the cost of living crisis squeezes their budgets.
There are other challenges facing the industry too. Young people are drinking less and looser licensing laws mean nightclubs are competing with pubs and bars which close later than ever before.
We’re also looking about how we can be more positive and do more positive things for Leeds
The sector supports thousands of jobs and is undoubtedly a reason why so many talented students and young professionals want to live in the city.
The loss of Przym was a particularly big moment but it was just the latest in a string of closures.
James says the council was supporting the late night economy by approving more outdoor seating licences (which were first introduced out of necessity during lockdown), working with the police and the community to improve safety at night and helping to organise big public events.
“We put the Rainbow Bridge over Lower Briggate a few years ago to really support the LGBT+ venues. Leeds has the largest free Pride event in the country […] we have Light Night and other events around the year like the Christmas market, which was a huge success for increasing the number of people coming into the city centre.”
On safety, he’s working with the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin and her Deputy Alison Lowe OBE on their agenda to reduce violence against women and girls.
Brabin funded research which last month found that inadequate access routes, poorly lit areas and male-dominated public spaces made most women and girls feel vulnerable in parks.
“It’s something that we take really seriously around getting more police on the street.”
“It is also something that we want to do more on. We look at new programmes and initiatives when they come along.”
It is this cooperation between leaders – “Team Leeds” as he describes it – that James points to when asked what Leeds gets right.
“We work as a council with other public sector organisations, the police, the health service, the voluntary sector, businesses and try and come together and tackle the big issues we face in the city.
“We’re also looking about how we can be more positive and do more positive things for Leeds.
“I think there are areas we can do better. There is no doubt that we need better transport in Leeds. We’re the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system. We need to look at addressing that we need better train and bus services and that’s something hopefully in the years ahead, working with Tracy Brabin, we can bring about in Leeds.”
