Senior councillors in Leeds discuss annual Safer Leeds progress report

The council’s executive board considered the annual report, which detailed the positive partnership work happening across Leeds to make the city safer and the good progress which has been made against the council’s nine Safer Leeds priorities.

The work that has been undertaken is a key part of the council’s drive to ensure people in the city are safe and feel safe.

In November 2021, the three-year Safer Leeds strategy launched and since then, thanks to extensive partnership working across the city, positive progress has been made against the priorities, including:

• Development of more than 6,000 multi‐agency safety plans over the past 12 months for high‐risk victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse. 
• In July 2022, Forward Leeds (the city’s commissioned drug and alcohol service) received an Outstanding CQC rating. Forward Leeds plays a pivotal role in helping individuals in the city achieve and sustain recovery from drug and alcohol use. Working with the service, the council is committed to exploring innovative, evidence-based approaches, including continuing to develop partnership working opportunities.
• Over the last 18 months Safer Stronger Communities have worked with partners and West Yorkshire Police  to disrupt and reduce the threat and impact of Serious Organised Crime in the city.
• The council’s Prevent Team works with partners to continue to support people most at risk of radicalisation. A series of training sessions have been delivered to schools to raise awareness of the early warning signs of radicalisation and training has been given to hotels in the city to help staff in a range of roles recognise the signs and indicators of child sexual exploitation.
• Reducing rough sleeping remains a priority for the city. The council have worked with housing providers to create movement in the supported housing pathways, enabling people to move more quickly into their own tenancies, with support if required from an assigned Navigator. The Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub was also set up to support women fleeing domestic abuse into long term accommodation.
• A series of initiatives have been set up to reduce violence against women and girls. Working with partners, including West Yorkshire Police and Women Friendly Leeds, the women’s night safe bus was launched, as well as the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative. The Safer Leeds Executive has worked closely with colleagues in the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to ensure that the Safer Stronger Communities City Plan 2021‐24 aligns with the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Plan 2021‐24 to maximise opportunities for effective partnership working to achieve shared priorities and share good practice across the region.

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said:

“As a city we are committed to tackling and reducing crime and ensuring everyone in Leeds is safe and feels safe.

“Our partnership work is a fundamental part of that and I am proud of the progress that has been made and in particular the work we have done around supporting people who are victims of crime.

“Leeds is a welcoming city and there is no place for crime and anti-social behaviour, it is something we will continue to work hard to tackle while maintaining our people-focused approach.”

A copy of the full report can be found at Council and democracy (leeds.gov.uk)

Notes to Editors

The Safer Leeds executive is the city’s Community Safety Partnership which has a responsibility for holding partners to account in keeping communities in Leeds safe by tackling crime and disorder.