We want to help you change the world around you, and as residents of Leeds there are a lot of decisions being made in the city that will affect you. On this page there’s information about the many ways you can make your voice heard on local issues.
Leeds City Council is responsible for over 500 different services in Leeds, including leisure facilities, waste & recycling and libraries. It is run by elected councillors (see below) and other officers, and makes a lot of decisions that will affect your life in Leeds.
The council website (www.leeds.gov.uk) has a directory of your local services here: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/Whereilive/Pages/default.aspx
Leeds is divided into 33 different wards, each of which has three councillors elected to represent residents in the area. Getting in touch with your councillors is an important way of raising local issues, whether it’s a problem with your recycling bins or concerns about local services.
To find out which ward you live in, visit http://www.writetothem.com/ and type in your postcode.
You can find out more information about your councillors here: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/council/Pages/Councillors-and-Committees.aspx
There are many council meetings that are open to the general public, and they are places where you can ask councillors questions about issues you care about, and where you can hold your elected officials to account.
To find out which meetings are relevant to you, look up your councillors’ profiles on the council website and see which committees they sit on. Details of the next meetings will be linked from the website.
If you live in university-run or private halls, you are automatically registered to vote. Otherwise, you must register yourself.
You can find all the information you need about registering, as well as the forms required, on the following website: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/students.aspx
If you are not a British citizen you may not be able to register. For a full list of who is eligible click here: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/who_can_register_to_vote.aspx
Remember that if you have recently moved house you must fill in an electoral registration form at the new address. The council will send the forms to fill in during the year.
As a resident of Leeds you are eligible to vote for councillors to represent your area. Whilst some of you will also be eligible to vote in another area (for example, where your parents live), we think it’s really important to vote in Leeds.
The councillors you elect in Leeds have a real impact on the services you receive as a student, including policing, landlord accreditation and recycling & waste, so it’s really important to use your vote.
The next local elections will not be taking place until May 2014, where one of three councillors in your ward will be elected.
This November there will be elections in Leeds and other cities for a police and crime commissioner, who will be in charge of the police force throughout West Yorkshire.
The date of the election is Thursday 15th November 2012.
This person will have responsibility for the services keeping you safe, so it’s really important that you make your voice heard by voting. As the election approaches we will be giving you more information about the candidates so you can make an informed choice.
The next general election will be held on the 7th May 2015 (unless parliament votes for an early election, or the government collapses.)
For more information on voting in the general election, and how to change where you’re registered to vote, click here.
Your Community Officer, along with community reps and hall reps, are here to represent you and to help you change and improve the things that matter to you.
Hi I’m Ben, one of 6 elected students that run the Union. As Community Officer I’m here to represent your views in the city of Leeds. My overall aim is to ensure that the city listens to the concerns of students, whether that’s about good quality housing, local services or your safety.
Leeds University Union has X community reps, each responsible for a specific area of the city, who work to represent your views in your area and help give you the information you need to get involved yourself.
If you have any concerns or ideas to improve your area, get in touch with your community rep. Click here to find out who your rep is and how to contact them.
Hi my name is Bryony. I’m the rep for South Headingley. Living in halls last year I was only vaguely aware that Leeds existed beyond the campus and the high street. Thankfully my move into a little terraced Hyde Park house coincided with my becoming a rep, and my horizons have become broadened once and for all. The longer I live here and the more people I meet, the more I fall in love with the area and its lovable character. And so my main aim will be to showcase what goes on around Leeds.
Every hall at Leeds University has a group of elected students called a Hall Exec. They're there to make sure that your year in halls is an amazing experience.
Every member of the Hall Exec is a Hall Rep. They are responsible for representing your views at the Better Leeds forum and to make sure that their work as a Hall Exec reflects the needs and opinions of everyone in your halls.
For more information on your Hall Exec, click here.
The Union has three forums where any student can submit an idea for things they want the Exec and the union to work on. The Better Leeds Forum allows you to submit ideas to make real changes to things in your local community.
Past ideas include getting the Union to lobby for cheaper buses, which resulted in a £1 fare being introduce from Headingley to the University, and asking the union to support local community groups who want to create new community centres, which saw LUU support the redevelopment of Woodhouse Community Centre and the Royal Park School campaign.
There are five Better Leeds Forums, all held on campus, where ideas submitted are discussed, debated and voted upon by a randomly selected panel of 16 students, representative of the demographics of the university.
If student panel cannot decisively decide whether to pass or reject an idea, it is then sent to a campus wide vote.
For more information on how to submit an idea, or to follow the progress of ideas passed as previous forums, head to the Your Ideas page.
Sell your old party wear in preparation for the Summer Ball!