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Coordinates: 53°48′15″N 1°32′58″W / 53.80417°N 1.54944°W / 53.80417; -1.54944

Leeds Metropolitan University is situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with campuses in the city centre and in the suburb of Headingley. It gained university status in 1992; prior to this date it was known as Leeds Polytechnic. The number of students is listed by the HESA 2008/09 data as the 15th largest in Britain.^[6]

The current Vice Chancellor, Professor Susan Price, joined in January 2010 and three new deputy Vice Chancellors have been appointed to lead the areas of strategic development, research and enterprise, and student experience.^[7]

The university’s origins can be traced back to 1824, with the foundation of the Leeds Mechanics Institute. Leeds Polytechnic was formed in 1970 and was a constituent part of the Leeds Local Education Authority until it became an independent Higher Education Corporation on 1 April 1989. In 1992 the institution was given University status.

Lord Woolmer of Leeds is Chair of the Board at Leeds Metropolitan. Lord Woolmer has been a member of the House of Lords since 1999. He was Chairman of the House of Lords Selection Committee on European Internal Market Policies for four years and is currently a member of the Select Committee on European Economic and International Trade Policies.^[8]

In November 2006, the University won the award for "outstanding contribution to the local community" at the annual higher education awards ceremony hosted by The Times Higher Education Supplement. It also came second in the main category, "the University of the Year", which was won by the University of Nottingham. In this category, the University was highly commended for its "low-charging, high impact" strategy.^[9]

In June 2007, Leeds Met received recognition of its environmentally friendly attitude by being ranked number one in the UK in the Green League 2007: a ranking of sustainability in the higher education sector, compiled by People & Planet.^[10][11]

History[link]

Leeds Mechanics' Institute building, Woodhouse, LS6 2PD

• 1824 - Leeds Mechanics Institute founded.
• 1845 - Leeds College of Commerce founded.
• 1846 - Leeds College of Art founded.
• 1868 - Leeds Mechanics Institute became the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature, later renamed Leeds College of Technology
• 1874 - Yorkshire College of Education and Home Economics founded.
• 1907 - City of Leeds College of Education founded (part of City of Leeds Training College)
• 1933 - Carnegie Physical Training College founded
• 1970 - Leeds Polytechnic was formed from the amalgamation of Leeds College of Technology, Leeds College of Commerce, part of Leeds College of Art and Yorkshire College of Education and Home Economics
• 1976 - James Graham College and the City Of Leeds and Carnegie College of Physical Education joined Leeds Polytechnic.
• 1987 - the Polytechnic became one of the founding members of the Northern Consortium.
• 1992 - the Polytechnic became Leeds Metropolitan University, with the right to award its own degrees.
• 1998 - the University merged with Harrogate College, establishing the Harrogate campus.
• 2008 - Harrogate College left the University and merged with Hull College
• 2008 - the University petitioned the Privy Council to be renamed Leeds Carnegie University. However, a final decision on this has now been deferred indefinitely.^[12]
• 2009 - partnership with the University of North Florida established to begin a student and faculty exchange program.^[13]

Campus locations[link]

The University occupies the following campus locations:

City Campus[link]

This comprises an expanding number of locations in Leeds city centre. In addition to the former Polytechnic site, several other buildings have recently been acquired. These include: Cloth Hall Court, in the legal district of the city; Old Broadcasting House, the former home of the BBC in Leeds; Electric Press, a building on Millennium Square; and Old School Board, the birthplace of school education in Leeds. The latest additions for the 2008/09 year are the Rose Bowl, the new home of the Leeds Business School, opposite the Civic Hall, and Old Broadcasting Place, providing teaching space for the Faculty of Arts and Society and student accommodation.

Headingley Campus[link]

This is a 100-acre (0.40 km²) campus sited in Beckett Park, Headingley. The oldest property on this site is the Grange, a 1752 farmhouse once occupied by John Marshall.^[14] The site is mostly made up of low-rise 19th century buildings set around a central lawn. The site is in a park location and has many open areas on campus. In the 1990s, the University closed existing Halls of Residence on campus, converting the units to lecture theatres and teaching facilities.^{[citation needed]} In 2006, the Campus extended beyond the confines of Beckett Park to include the Carnegie Stand at the Headingley Stadium. This dual-purpose stand accommodates more than 4,500 spectators, and also provides teaching rooms and a hall. After bulldozing R.W.Rich Hall,^[15] a student hall of residence built in the late 1900s, the Carnegie Village was opened in August 2009, providing on-campus accommodation for 479 students.^[16]

Leeds Met India[link]

Leeds Metropolitan University has also become the first university in UK to set up a campus in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.^[17] Leeds Met India initiative is a joint venture between the Leeds Metropolitan University and JSWS (non-profit organization). Built across 36 acres (150,000 m²) the campus currently provides various courses in business management where students in India get a chance to study at the university and visit UK for one semester of study. The campus is equipped with facilities like wi-fi network, computer lab, library, basketball court, pool and fitness centre etc.

Leeds Met also has a South Asia Office in New Delhi, India. The office was officially opened by Edmund Marsden, Director British Council, India on 22 April 2005. Leeds Met South Asia is a one-stop shop for information about study opportunities at Leeds Met and acts as a catalyst for the development of partnerships in the region.

Accommodation[link]

The University provides 4,500 bedrooms in a variety of locations and all first year undergraduates are guaranteed a place in university accommodation.^[18] Carnegie Village was new for September 2010 and provides Passivhaus standard townhouses and apartments at Headingley Campus. The largest hall is Kirkstall Brewery on Broad Lane which has places for over 1,000 students and is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Headingley campus. As its name suggests it is a former brewery property, but is mostly modern blocks. The second largest is Sugarwell Court, in Meanwood, which is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Civic campus, and accommodates 388 students. This is also a converted industrial site.

Accommodation types vary. Across North Leeds there are many sites which are primarily low-rise buildings, often converted from a former industrial use. The growing number of sites around the city centre has led to the building of new highrise complexes, these include Opal 3, The Skyplaza and Broadcasting Tower.

Sugarwell Court residences in Meanwood.

Opal 3 student residences in Leeds city centre are shared with the University of Leeds.

There are also several sites owned by Opal Property Group in Burley near The Leeds Studios.

Leeds Met Repository[link]

In common with many institutions in the UK, and globally, the University maintains an open access repository that comprises an Open Access research archive and an OER repository: A store of Open Educational Resources produced at Leeds Met that are freely available for reuse under a Creative Commons (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales) licence

Both the research and OER collections can be browsed from http://repository.leedsmet.ac.uk/

Partner Colleges[link]

Partner colleges include:^{[citation needed]}

Belfast Metropolitan College, Bishop Burton College, Bradford College, Calderdale College, Chesterfield College, Craven College, Dearne Valley College, Kirklees College, Leeds College of Technology, Loughborough College, New College Durham, New College Stamford Newcastle College, North Glasgow College, The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education, The Hull College Group, The Manchester College, Wakefield College, West Nottinghamshire College, and York College.

Partnerships[link]

The University has established a number of sporting and cultural partnerships, both in the UK and overseas.

Sporting[link]

• Leeds Rugby — Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Carnegie
• Yorkshire County Cricket Club
• In January 2007, the University became the primary sponsor for Rugby Football League's main knock-out cup competition, the Challenge Cup. This is the first partnership of this kind between the governing body of a sport in England and a university^[19]
• In May of the same year, the University purchased a 51% stake in the Leeds Tykes rugby union club. The name of the club was changed to Leeds Carnegie to fit with Carnegie College^[20] The University has now divested itself of that stake^[21]
• Carnegie have also sponsored the last three Rugby League World Club Challenge matches. This is an annual match between the domestic champions of the European Super League and the Australasian NRL. Incidentally all three of the matches sponsored by Carnegie have been won by the European team.
• Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie F.C., a football club recently promoted to the Northern Counties East Football League
• Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie R.L.F.C. have won the national BUSA Championship and Plate competitions for the past two years undefeated (2005–06, 2006–07) and have been the only student side to progress to the 2nd round of the RFL's National Challenge Cup (2006–07)
• Leeds Metropolitan Ladies hockey 1st team did the double in the 08/09 season by winning the Premier women's North league and the BUCS championship
• Leeds Carnegie (Lacrosse) won the 2011 BUCS men's Lacrosse Trophy.

Cultural[link]

• Master of finance and international trade - Cooperating with Accedamy of Finance - Vietnam^[22]
• Black Dyke Band
• Opera North
• Royal Armouries
• West Yorkshire Playhouse

Controversy[link]

Rubbing Shoulders[link]

Simon Lee embarked on a controversial programme of partnerships with external bodies during his time as vice-chancellor, which came to be dubbed as "rubbing shoulders" after the university took a majority stake in the Leeds Tykes^[23] rugby club, renaming it Leeds Carnegie. It was later revealed that the club signed Waisale Serevi after he had already been paid for other work at the university.^[24] Subsequently the university sold their stake back in April 2009.^[25]

The university spent large sums in several other partnerships, including £423,000^[26] to the Northern Ballet Theatre and £283,000 to the Irish Football Association.

QAA Report[link]

In October 2009, the Quality Assurance Agency gave the university a "limited confidence" rating,^[27] due to concerns over maintenance of academic standards.

Resignation of Simon Lee[link]

In 2009, the then vice-chancellor Simon Lee resigned from his position^[28] following a series of controversies including ongoing arguments over the university's fees strategy, allegations of bullying^[29] and foreign travel for his wife paid for by the university.^[30] The chancellor of the university, Brendan Foster, also resigned less than a month later. Some of the controversies that led to these resignations formed part of the subject matter of the 29 July 2010 edition of the BBC Radio 4 documentary "Face the Facts".^[31]

The Student Wiki[link]

In 2006, students and staff from the University developed The Student Wiki, a new source of knowledge about student life. This is set to be discontinued in 2012.

Students' Union[link]

Leeds Met University Students' Union operates out of offices at both the Beckett's Park and Civic Quarter Campuses. Its live music venue has played host to bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Fratellis and We Are Scientists. The Union runs three bars, with one at each site and another at the Kirkstall Brewery halls of residence, a Student Advice service as well as being a source of volunteers working in the local community.^{[citation needed]}

People[link]

List of Chancellors[link]

• Leslie Silver (1999–2005)
• Brendan Foster (2005–2009)

List of Vice-Chancellors[link]

• Professor Leslie Wagner (1994–2003)^[32]
• Professor Simon Lee (2003–2009)
• Doctor Geoff Hitchins (2009–2009) Chief Executive and Acting Vice-Chancellor
• Professor Susan Price (2010 -)

Notable alumni[link]

• Marc Almond
• David Ball
• Richard Buck
• Austin Healy
• Stereo Mike
• Stass Paraskos
• John Poulson
• Kevin Sinfield
• Andrew White
• Tim Williams
• Ricky Wilson
• Phil Willis
• Alexander Skarsgård^[33]

Honorary Degrees[link]

In recent years Leeds Metropolitan has awarded honorary degrees to Geoffrey Boycott, Dame Fanny Waterman, Sir George Martin, James Caan and Alexander Skarsgård.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leeds Metropolitan University

• Leeds Metropolitan University – website
• Leeds Met Open Access Repository – Leeds Met Open Access Repository (Research & Open Educational Resources)

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Leeds
—  City and Metropolitan Borough  —
City of Leeds
The Headrow, Leeds city centre at night
Official logo of Leeds Coat of arms
Motto: "Pro rege et lege" "For king and the law"
Leeds shown within England
Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W / 53.79972; -1.54917
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Ceremonial county	West Yorkshire
Admin HQ	Leeds city centre
Borough Charter	1207
Town Charter	1626
City status	1893
City of Leeds Met. District created	1974
Government
• Type	Metropolitan borough, City
• Governing body	Leeds City Council
• Lord Mayor	Cllr James McKenna (L)
• Leader of the Council	Cllr Keith Wakefield (L)
• Chief Executive	Tom Riordan
• MPs:	Stuart Andrew (C) Ed Balls (L) Hilary Benn (L) Fabian Hamilton (L) George Mudie (L) Greg Mulholland (LD) Rachel Reeves (L) Alec Shelbrooke (C)
Area
• Total	213 sq mi (551.72 km2)
Elevation	33–1,115 ft (10–340 m)
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	798,800 (Ranked 2nd)
• Density	3,574/sq mi (1,380/km2)
• Ethnicity (2001 census)[1]	89.1% White 5.4% Asian or Asian British 2.0% Black or Black British 1.7% Mixed Race 1.8% Chinese and other
Demonym	Loiner/Leodensian
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode	LS,part of WF and also part of BD.
Area code(s)	0113 (urban core) 01924 (Wakefield nos) 01937 (Wetherby/ Boston Spa) 01943 (Guiseley/ Otley) 01977 (Pontefract nos)
ISO 3166-2	GB-LDS
ONS code	00DA
NUTS 3	UKE42
OS grid reference	SE296338
Euro. Parlt. Const.	Yorkshire & the Humber
Website	www.leeds.gov.uk

Coordinates: 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W / 53.79972; -1.54917 Leeds (ⁱ/ˈliːdz/) is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England.^[2] In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247,^[3] while the entire city has a population of 798,800 (2011 est.),^[4] making it the 24th-most populous city in the European Union

Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the West Yorkshire Urban Area,^[5][6][7] which at the 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million,^[8] and the Leeds-Bradford Metropolitan Area, of which Leeds is the integral part, had a population of around 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom.^[9] In addition, the Leeds city region, an economic area with Leeds at its core, had a population of 2.9 million.^[10] Leeds is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside London,^{[11][12][13][14][15]} and its office market is the best in Europe for value.^[16] Leeds is considered a Gamma World City, alongside cities such as Phoenix, St. Petersburg and Valencia.^[17]

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds can trace its recorded history to the 5th century when the Kingdom of Elmet was covered by the forest of "Loidis", the origin of the name Leeds. The name has been applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small manorial borough, in the 13th century, through several incarnations, to being the name attached to the present metropolitan borough. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a major centre for the production and trading of wool. Then, during the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major industrial centre; wool was still the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing, and other industries were important.^[18] From being a compact market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century.

Public transport, rail and road communications networks in the region are focused on Leeds and there are a number of twinning arrangements with towns and cities in other countries. Its assigned role in the Leeds City Region partnership recognises the city's importance to regional economic development.

History[link]

Toponymy[link]

The name Leeds derives from "Loidis", the name given to a forest covering most of the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century.^[19] Bede states in the fourteenth chapter of his Historia ecclesiastica, in a discussion of an altar surviving from a church erected by Edwin of Northumbria, that it is located in "...regione quae vocatur Loidis", the region known as Loidis. An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin.^[20]

Economic development[link]

The Leeds Corn Exchange opened in 1864.

Leeds developed as a market town in the Middle Ages as part of the local agricultural economy. Prior to the Industrial Revolution it had become a co-ordination centre for the making of woollen cloth; with white broadcloth being traded at the Leeds White Cloth Hall.^[21] Leeds was handling one sixth of England's export trade in 1770.^[22] Growth, initially in textiles, was accelerated by the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699 and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816.^[23] The railway network constructed around Leeds, starting with the Leeds and Selby Railway in 1834, provided improved communications with national markets and, significantly for its development, an east-west connection with Manchester and the ports of Liverpool and Hull giving improved access to international markets.^[24] Alongside technological advances and industrial expansion, Leeds retained an interest in trading in agricultural commodities, with the Corn Exchange opening in 1864.

Marshall's Mill was one of the first of the many factories that were to be constructed in Leeds from around 1790.^[25] In the early years the most significant of the factories were woollen finishing and flax mills; diversifying by 1914 to printing, engineering, chemicals and clothing manufacture.^[26] Decline in manufacturing during the 1930s was temporarily reversed by a switch to producing military uniforms and munitions during World War II. However, by the 1970s the clothing industry was in irreversible decline, facing cheap foreign competition.^[27] The contemporary economy of Leeds has been shaped by Leeds City Council having the vision of building a '24 hour European city' and a 'capital of the north'.^[28] It has developed from the decay of the post-industrial era to become a telephone banking centre, connected to the electronic infrastructure of the modern global economy.^[28] There has been growth in the corporate and legal sectors^[29] and increased local affluence has led to an expanding retail sector, including the luxury goods market.^[30] In 2011 it was announced that Leeds will become an enterprise zone, which will help small businesses in the region to increase economic growth.^[31][32]

Local government[link]

Leeds was a manor and township in the large ancient parish of Leeds St Peter, in the Skyrack wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire.^[34] The Borough of Leeds was created in 1207, when Maurice Paynel, lord of the manor, granted a charter to a small area within the manor, close to the river crossing, in what is now the city centre. Four centuries later, the inhabitants of Leeds petitioned Charles I for a charter of incorporation, which was granted in 1626. The new charter incorporated the entire parish, including all eleven townships, as the Borough of Leeds and withdrew the earlier charter. Improvement commissioners were set up in 1755 for paving, lighting, and cleansing of the main streets, including Briggate; with further powers added in 1790 to improve the water supply.^[35]

The borough corporation was reformed under the provisions of Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Leeds Borough Police force was formed in 1836 and Leeds Town Hall was completed by the corporation in 1858. In 1866 Leeds, and each of the other townships in the borough, became a civil parish. The borough became a county borough in 1889, giving it independence from the newly formed West Riding County Council and it gained city status in 1893. In 1904 the Leeds parish absorbed Beeston, Chapel Allerton, Farnley, Headingley cum Burley and Potternewton from within the borough. In the twentieth century the county borough initiated a series of significant territorial expansions, growing from 21,593 acres (87.38 km²) in 1911 to 40,612 acres (164.35 km²) in 1961.^[36] In 1912 the parish and county borough of Leeds absorbed Leeds Rural District, consisting of the parishes of Roundhay and Seacroft; and Shadwell, which had been part of Wetherby Rural District. On 1 April 1925 the parish of Leeds was expanded to cover the whole borough.^[34]

The county borough was abolished on 1 April 1974 and its former area was combined with that of the municipal boroughs of Morley and Pudsey; the urban districts of Aireborough, Horsforth, Otley, Garforth and Rothwell; and parts of the rural districts of Tadcaster, Wetherby and Wharfedale.^[37] This area was used to form a new metropolitan district in the county of West Yorkshire; it gained both borough and city status and is known as the City of Leeds. Initially, local government services were provided by Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire County Council. However, the county council was abolished in 1986 and the city council absorbed its functions, with some powers passing to organisations such as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority. From 1988 two run-down and derelict areas close to the city centre were designated for regeneration and formed the area of responsibility of Leeds Development Corporation, outside the planning remit of the city council.^[38] Planning powers were restored to the local authority in 1995 when the development corporation was wound up.

Suburban growth[link]

1866 map of Leeds

In 1801, 42% of the population of Leeds lived outside the township, in the wider borough. Cholera outbreaks in 1832 and 1849 caused the borough authorities to address the problems of drainage, sanitation and water supply. Water was originally pumped from the River Wharfe, but by 1860 it was too heavily polluted to be usable. Following the Leeds Waterworks Act of 1867 three reservoirs were built at Lindley Wood, Swinsty and Fewston, to the north of Leeds.^[39] Residential growth occurred in Holbeck and Hunslet from 1801 to 1851, but, as these townships became industrialised new areas were favoured for middle class housing.^[40] Land to the south of the river was henceforth developed, primarily for industry and secondarily for back-to-back workers' dwellings. The Leeds Improvement Act 1866 sought to improve the quality of working class housing by restricting the number of homes that could be built in a single terrace.^[41] Holbeck and Leeds formed a continuous built-up area by 1858, with Hunslet nearly meeting them.^[42] In the latter half of the nineteenth century, population growth in Hunslet, Armley and Wortley outstripped that of Leeds itself. When pollution became a problem, the wealthier residents left the small industrial conurbation to live in the northerly villages of Headingley, Potternewton and Chapel Allerton; this led to a 50% increase in the population of Headingley and Burley from 1851 to 1861. The middle class flight from the industrial areas also led to development beyond the borough at Roundhay and Adel.^[42] The introduction of the electric tramway led to intensification of development in Headingley and Potternewton and expansion outside the borough into Roundhay.^[43]

Two private gas supply companies were taken over by the corporation in 1870 and this new municipal supply was used to provide street lighting and cheaper gas to homes. From the early 1880s the Yorkshire House-to-House Electricity Company supplied electricity to Leeds until it was also purchased by Leeds Corporation and became a municipal supply.^[44]

Slum clearance and rebuilding began in Leeds in the Inter-war period when over 18,000 houses were built by the council on 24 estates in places like Cross Gates, Middleton, Gipton, Belle Isle and Halton Moor. The slums of Quarry Hill were replaced by the innovative Quarry Hill flats, which were demolished in 1975. Another 36,000 houses were built by private sector builders, creating the suburbs of Gledhow, Moortown, Alwoodley, Roundhay, Colton, Whitkirk, Oakwood, Weetwood and Adel. After 1949 a further 30,000 sub-standard houses were demolished by the council to be replaced by a total of 151 medium-rise and high-rise blocks of council flats in estates like Seacroft, Armley Heights, Tinshill and Brackenwood.^[45]

Recently, Leeds has seen great local expenditure on regenerating the city, attracting in investments and flagship projects,^[46] as found in Leeds city centre. Many buildings have already been built, boasting luxurious penthouse apartments,^[47] very close to the city centre.

Geography[link]

Map of Leeds in West Yorkshire

River Aire in Leeds

At 53°47′59″N 1°32′57″W / 53.79972°N 1.54917°W / 53.79972; -1.54917 (53.799°, −1.549°), and 190 miles (310 km) north-northwest of central London, the central area of Leeds is located on the River Aire in a narrow section of the Aire Valley, which is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. The city centre lies at about 206 feet (63 m) above sea level while the district ranges from 1,115 feet (340 m) in the far west on the slopes of Ilkley Moor to about 33 feet (10 m) where the rivers Aire and Wharfe cross the eastern boundary. The centre of Leeds is part of a continuously built-up area extending to Pudsey, Bramley, Horsforth, Alwoodley, Seacroft, Middleton and Morley.^[48] Leeds has the second highest population of any local authority district in the UK (after Birmingham), and the second greatest area of any English metropolitan district (after Doncaster), extending 15 miles (24 km) from east to west, and 13 miles (21 km) from north to south. The northern boundary follows the River Wharfe for several miles but crosses the river to include the section of Otley which lies north of the river. Over 65% of the Leeds district is green belt land and the city centre is less than twenty miles (32 km) from the Yorkshire Dales National Park,^[49] which offers some of the most spectacular scenery and countryside in the UK.^[50] Inner and southern areas of Leeds lie on a layer of coal measure sandstones. To the north parts are built on older sand and gritstones and to the east it extends into the magnesian limestone belt.^[25][51] The land use in the central areas of Leeds is overwhelmingly urban.^[48]

Attempts to define the exact geographic meaning of Leeds lead to a variety of concepts of its extent, varying by context; they include the area of the city centre, the urban sprawl, the administrative boundaries, and the functional region.^[52]

Leeds city centre is contained within the Leeds Inner Ring Road, formed from parts of the A58 road, A61 road, A64 road, A643 road and the M621 motorway. Briggate, the principal north-south shopping street, is pedestrianised and Queen Victoria Street, a part of the Victoria Quarter, is enclosed under a glass roof. Millennium Square is a significant urban focal point. The Leeds postcode area covers most of the City of Leeds^[53] and is almost entirely made up of the Leeds post town.^[54] Otley, Wetherby, Tadcaster, Pudsey and Ilkley are separate post towns within the postcode area.^[54] Aside from the built up area of Leeds itself, there are a number of suburbs and exurbs within the district.

Climate[link]

Sunny day at Park Square

Leeds has a climate that is oceanic, greatly influenced by the Atlantic and the Pennines. Summers are usually mild, with moderate rainfall, while winters are chilly, cloudy with occasional snow and frost. Spring and autumn are mild but snow and frost are not unheard of in either season

July is the warmest month, with a mean temperature of 16 °C (61 °F), while the coldest month is January, with a mean temperature of 3 °C (37 °F). Temperatures above 30 °C and below −10 °C are not very common but can happen occasionally. Temperatures at Leeds Bradford Airport fell to −12.6 °C (9.3 °F) in December 2010^[55] and reached 31.8 °C (89.2 °F) at Leeds city centre in August 2003.^[56] The record temperature for Leeds is 34.4 °C (94 °F) during the early August 1990 heatwave.

Being located on the eastern side of the Pennines, Leeds is amongst the driest cities in the United Kingdom, with an annual rainfall of 660 mm (25.98 in). Snowfall is common, but increases with altitude. Most snow falls in the months of December, January and February but can also fall in November, March and April. Frost is common, and usually occurs from November until April but can occur in October, June and September. Fog mainly occurs in autumn and winter, and Leeds can be susceptible to fog from the North Sea, especially during spells of easterly winds.

Though extreme weather in Leeds is relatively rare, thunderstorms, blizzards, gale force winds and even tornadoes have struck the city. The last reported tornado occurred on 14 September 2006, causing trees to uproot and signal failures at Leeds City railway station.^[57]

Demography[link]

Urban subdivision[link]

Leeds compared
Leeds urban subdivision within the West Yorkshire urban area
2001 UK Census	Leeds USD	Leeds district	West Yorks UA	England
Population	443,247	715,402	1,499,465	49,138,831
White	88.4%	91.9%	85.5%	90.9%
Asian	6.4%	4.5%	11.2%	4.6%
Black	2.2%	1.4%	1.3%	2.3%
Source: Office for National Statistics[59][60]

At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, the Leeds urban subdivision occupied an area of 109 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and had a population of 443,247; making it the fourth most populous urban subdivision within England and the fifth largest within the United Kingdom. The population density was 4,066 inhabitants per square kilometre (10,530 /sq mi), slightly higher than the rest of the West Yorkshire Urban Area. It accounts for 20% of the area and 62% of the population of the City of Leeds. The population of the urban subdivision had a 100 to 93.1 female–male ratio.^[61] Of those over 16 years old, 39.4% were single (never married) and 35.4% married for the first time.^[62] The urban subdivision's 188,890 households included 35% one-person, 27.9% married couples living together, 8.8% were co-habiting couples, and 5.7% single parents with their children. Leeds is the largest component of the West Yorkshire Urban Area^[48] and is counted by Eurostat as part of the Leeds-Bradford Larger Urban Zone. The Leeds travel to work area in 2001 included all of the City of Leeds, a northern strip of the City of Bradford, the eastern part of Kirklees, and a section of southern North Yorkshire; it occupies 751 square kilometres (290 sq mi).

Metropolitan district[link]

As of the 2001 UK census, the district had a total population of 715,402.^[63] Of the 301,614 households in Leeds, 33.3% were married couples living together, 31.6% were one-person households, 9.0% were co-habiting couples and 9.8% were lone parents, following a similar trend to the rest of England.^[64] The population density was 1,967 /km² (5,090 /sq mi)^[64] and for every 100 females, there were 93.5 males.

The majority of people in Leeds identify themselves as Christian.^[65] The proportion of Muslims (3.0% of the population) is average for the country.^[65] Leeds has the third-largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom, after those of London and Manchester. The areas of Alwoodley and Moortown contain sizeable Jewish populations.^[66] 16.8% of Leeds residents in the 2001 census declared themselves as having "no religion", which is broadly in line with the figure for the whole of the UK (also 8.1% "religion not stated"). The crime rate in Leeds is well above the national average, like many other English major cities.^[67][68] In July 2006, the think tank Reform calculated rates of crime for different offences and has related this to populations of major urban areas (defined as towns over 100,000 population). Leeds was 11th in this rating (excluding London boroughs, 23rd including London boroughs).^[69] The table below details the population of the current area of the district since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data.

Government[link]

Leeds Civic Hall is the seat of local government

City of Leeds is the local government district covering Leeds and the local authority is Leeds City Council. The council is composed of 99 councillors, three for each of the city's wards. Elections are held three years out of four, on the first Thursday of May. One third of the councillors are elected, for a four year term, in each election. In 2004 all seats were up for election due to boundary changes. The council is currently controlled by Labour. West Yorkshire does not have a county council, so Leeds City Council is the primary provider of local government services for the city. The district is in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and consists of an unparished area and 31 civil parishes. These are the lowest tier of local government^[71] and absorb some limited functions from Leeds City Council in their areas. The councils of Horsforth, Morley, Otley and Wetherby are town councils.^[72] There are 27 other civil parishes in the district.

The district is represented by eight MPs, for the constituencies of Elmet and Rothwell (Alec Shelbrooke, Conservative); Leeds Central (Hilary Benn, Labour); Leeds East (George Mudie, Labour); Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton, Labour); Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem); Leeds West (Rachel Reeves, Labour); Morley and Outwood (constituency shared with City of Wakefield) (Ed Balls, Labour); and Pudsey (Stuart Andrew, Conservative). Leeds is within the Yorkshire and the Humber European constituency, which is represented by two Conservative, one Labour, one UKIP, one Liberal Democrat and one BNP MEPs. The voting figures for Leeds in the European Parliament election in June 2009 were: Conservative 22.6%, Labour 21.4%, UKIP 15.9%, Lib Dem 13.8%, BNP 10.0%, Green 9.4%.^[73]

Economy[link]

Leeds' Financial District

Leeds has a diverse economy with employment in the service sector now far exceeding that in the traditional manufacturing industries. In 2002, 401,000 employees were registered in the Leeds district. Of these 24.7% were in public administration, education and health, 23.9% were in banking, finance and insurance and 21.4% were in distribution, hotels and restaurants. It is in the banking, finance and insurance sectors that Leeds differs most from the financial structure of the region and the nation.^[74] The city is the location of one of the largest financial centres in England outside London.^{[11][15][75][76][77][78]} Tertiary industries such as retail, call centres, offices and media have contributed to a high rate of economic growth. The city also hosts the only subsidiary office of the Bank of England in the UK. In 2006 GVA for city was recorded at £16.3 billion,^[79] with the entire Leeds City Region generating an economy of £46 billion.^[80]

Bridgewater Place

Office developments, also traditionally located in the inner area, have expanded south of the River Aire and total 11,000,000 square feet (1,000,000 m²) of space.^[81] In the period from 1999 to 2008 £2.5bn of property development was undertaken in central Leeds; of which £711m has been offices, £265m retail, £389m leisure and £794m housing. Manufacturing and distribution uses accounts for £26m of new property development in the period. There are 130,100 jobs in the city centre, accounting for 31% of all jobs in the wider district. In 2007, 47,500 jobs were in finance and business, 42,300 in public services, and 19,500 in retail and distribution. 43% of finance sector jobs in the district are contained in Leeds city centre and 44% of those employed in the city centre live more than nine kilometres away.^[81] Tourism is important to the Leeds economy, in 2009 Leeds was the 8th most visited city in England by UK visitors.^[82] and the 13th most visited city by overseas visitors.^[83]

In January 2011, Leeds was named as one of five "cities to watch" in a report published by Centre for Cities.^[84] The report shows that the average resident in Leeds earns £471 per week,^[85] seventeenth nationally, 30.9% of Leeds residents had NVQ4+ high level qualifications,^[86] fifteenth nationally, and Leeds' employment rate stands at 70.4% in 2010, twenty-fifth nationally, but was the only major city, along with Bristol, to have an employment rate at or above the national average.^[87] It also shows that Leeds will be the least affected major city by welfare cuts in 2014/2015, with welfare cuts of -£125 per capita predicted, compared to -£192 in Liverpool and -£175 in Glasgow.^[88] Yet despite the affluence of Leeds, much of the city retains a strongly working class tradition, and the economic progress of recent decades has also been accompanied by poverty: much of inner city Leeds remains deprived, with areas like Gipton, Middleton, Belle-Isle, Harehills, Burmantofts, Bramley, Armley, Kirkstall and Seacroft containing streets and areas of council housing that are among the poorest and most deprived areas in the whole of the UK.

Shopping[link]

The extensive retail area of Leeds is identified as the principal regional shopping centre for the whole of the Yorkshire and the Humber region and approximately 3.2 million people live within its catchment area.^[81] There are a number of indoor shopping centres in the middle of the city, including the Merrion Centre, Leeds Shopping Plaza, St John's Centre, Headrow Centre, the Victoria Quarter, The Light and the Corn Exchange and Trinity Leeds to open in 2013^[89]. In total there are approximately 1,000 retail stores, with a combined floorspace of 2,264,100 square feet (210,340 m²).^[81]

The city centre has a large pedestrian zone. Briggate is the main street where one can find many well known British stores like Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, Debenhams, Topshop, Costa Coffee and Harvey Nichols (Which is also part of the Victoria Quarter). There is also a large international presence in Leeds with stores such as H&M, Zara, Gap, American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, Foot Locker, L'Occitane en Provence, McDonald's and Starbucks. Some of these companies even have multiple stores within the city centre and the city as a whole. The Victoria Quarter is the finest area for shopping in town. It includes old buildings and two great dramatic passages that contain more than 70 stores such as Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, Nicholas Deakin, Space NK, Paul Smith, Diesel and Harvey Nichols. To the south of Leeds, just over the border into Kirklees district, lies the region's only IKEA store, next to Birstall Shopping Park which includes a Showcase Cinema and some casual and fast-food restaurants. In the Churwell area of Leeds is the White Rose Shopping Centre. Opening in 1997, the centre has at least 100 stores including Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Topshop/Topman, River Island, Disney Store, Monsoon Accessorize, New Look, Primark and Sainsbury's. Although the centre is nowhere near as big as other out of town [shopping mall|shopping malls] like the Trafford Centre or Meadowhall in nearby Yorkshire city Sheffield, it remains popular with international chains, for example H&M, Zara, Springfield, Nando's and McDonald's. Of the 40,000 people who work in retailing in Leeds 75% work in places which are not located in the city centre. There are additional shopping centres located in the many villages that became part of the county borough and in the towns that were incorporated in the City of Leeds in 1974.^[90]

As of 2012, a large shopping and leisure complex called Trinity Leeds is under construction. It is planned to cover the old Burton Arcades and the existing Leeds Shopping Plaza with its main entrance from Briggate.^[91] On completion, Trinity Leeds will contain approximately 120 internationally recognised retail and leisure units, including; Cult, Hollister, Mango, Topshop, Topman, H&M, Next and River Island, and will catapult Leeds from 7th to 4th place in the UK retail rankings (3rd in England).^[92] Furthermore, D&D London will be adding two roof top restaurants in Trinity Leeds to its portfolio of acclaimed eateries in London, Paris, New York, Copenhagen and Tokyo.^[93]

Landmarks[link]

City Square

Leeds displays a variety of natural and built landmarks. Natural landmarks include such diverse sites as the gritstone outcrop of Otley chevin and the Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve. The city's parks at Roundhay and Temple Newsam have long been owned and maintained by the council for the benefit of ratepayers and among the open spaces in the centre of Leeds are Millennium Square, Leeds City Square, Park Square and Victoria Gardens. This last is the site of the central city war memorial: there are 42 other war memorials in the suburbs, towns and villages in the district.^[94]

The built environment embraces edifices of civic pride like Morley Town Hall and the trio of buildings in Leeds, Leeds Town Hall, Corn Exchange and Leeds City Museum by the architect Cuthbert Brodrick. The two startlingly white buildings on the Leeds skyline are the Parkinson building of Leeds University and the Civic Hall, with golden owls adorning the tops of its twin spires.^[95] Armley Mills, Tower Works, with its campanile-inspired towers, and the Egyptian-style Temple Works hark back to the city's industrial past, while the site and ruins of Kirkstall Abbey display the beauty and grandeur of Cistercian architecture. Notable churches are Leeds Parish Church, St George's Church and Leeds Cathedral, in the city centre, and the Church of St John the Baptist, Adel and Bardsey Parish Church in quieter locations. Notable non-conformist chapels include the Salem Chapel, dating back to 1791 and notably the birthplace of Leeds United Football Club in 1919.^[96][97]

The 112 metres (367 ft) tower of Bridgewater Place, also known as The Dalek, is part of a major office and residential development and the region's tallest building; it can be seen for miles around.^[98] Among other tower blocks the 37-storey Sky Plaza to the north of the city centre stands on higher ground so that its 106 metres (348 ft) is higher than Bridgewater Place.

Elland Road (football) and Headingley Stadium (cricket and rugby) are well known to sports enthusiasts and the White Rose Centre is a well known retail outlet.

Transport[link]

Leeds is the starting-point of the A62, A63, A64, A65 and A660 roads, and is also situated on the A58 and A61. The M1 and M62 intersect to its south and the A1(M) passes to the east. Leeds is one of the principal hubs of the northern motorway network. Additionally, there is an urban motorway network; the radial M621 takes traffic into central Leeds from the M62 and M1. There is an Inner Ring Road with part motorway status and an Outer Ring Road. Part of the city centre^[99] is pedestrianised, and is encircled by the clockwise-only Loop Road.

Leeds City Station

The terminal of Leeds Bradford International Airport.

Public transport in the Leeds area is coordinated and developed by West Yorkshire Metro,^[100] with service information provided by Leeds City Council^[101] and West Yorkshire Metro. The primary means of public transportation in Leeds are the bus services. The main provider is First Leeds and Arriva Yorkshire serves routes to the south of the city. Leeds City bus station is at Dyer Street and is used by bus services to towns and cities in Yorkshire, plus a small number of local services. Adjacent to it is the coach station for National Express coach services. Buses out of the city are mainly provided by FirstBus and Arriva Yorkshire. Harrogate & District provides a service to Harrogate and Ripon. Keighley & District provides a service to Shipley, Bingley and Keighley. The Yorkshire Coastliner service runs from Leeds to Bridlington, Filey, Scarborough and Whitby via York and Malton. Stagecoach provides a service to Hull via Goole.