An excerpt from the latest Edition of Adel Bells Written by Cllr Billy Flynn
Well, (meteorological) Autumn started on 1st September so the long hot Summer days are well and truly over at last, but fear not, it looks as if 2027 will be even hotter!
Thanks, Billy
Memorial safety inspections and testing in Lawnswood Cemetery
You may have read about tragic incidents involving unstable memorials, including the death of a four-year-old child. In response, Leeds City Council has introduced a rolling programme to inspect and test headstones and monuments across the city. Notices have been displayed at Lawnswood Cemetery since November last year, and inspections there will begin in September. Memorials are privately owned, and grave owners are responsible for keeping them safe. If a memorial is found to be unsafe, the council must act immediately and cannot first try to contact the owner from the graveside. The council team will lay the headstone within its own grave space, with the inscription facing upwards so it remains visible, and leave a notice on the grave. Any headstone not laid in this way is unlikely to have been made safe by the council and may have fallen because of structural failure or vandalism. The owner is responsible for having the memorial re-erected by a qualified, accredited memorial mason, with council authorisation. Please contact us if you need further information.
Refuse collection – or not, as the case may be…
After many years of enjoying a pretty good collection service in the ward, it appears to have fallen over a cliff during the Summer. Missed collections should be picked up within 48 working hours but regularly fail to materialise. This is just a reminder to get in touch with ward councillors if you are missed. I am told that the online resident reporting system is ineffective, so I recommend reporting to us on the day you are missed.
Holt Park Library – celebration of Leeds first Royal Charter in 1626
Heritage and Research staff will be at the library on 14 October between 10am-11am for an informal session on exploring the history of Holt Park, using unique collections available at the Central Library. If you have anything interesting in your personal archive, you are welcome to bring it to the session so it can be scanned and possibly included in the city Leodis image archive or in an upcoming exhibition for Leeds 400
Winter Vaccinations 2026/27 – remember to get vaccinated
The flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme has begun as follows: Flu vaccinations available from 1 September 2026 for pregnant women and children. From 1 October 2026 for adults aged 65+, people in clinical risk groups, carers, frontline health and social care workers, and people experiencing homelessness. The aim is to offer vaccinations to most eligible groups by 30 November 2026, with the programme running until 31 March 2027. The autumn/winter COVID-19 programme runs from 1
October 2026 to 31 January 2027 as follows: COVID-19 vaccinations are available for, adults aged 75 and over, residents of older adult care homes, people aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed. Eligible residents will be contacted directly by the NHS when appointments become available.
If you have any queries about this or any vaccination programme, please contact Adel Pharmacy our excellent local chemist who will provide any advice you may need. Remember, if you do not use our wonderful local services, you might lose them.
Play area for Adel – at long last?
There is a glimmer of hope that we may finally be near to having a play area in Adel. The major problems we have faced over the years include the funding, anything up to £250k, a suitable location, i.e. which one that does not attract objections and is accessible. Billy Flynn found a site 10 years ago, but this was turned down by council officers without any real explanation. However, your ward councillors have now managed to secure some funding, but the location is still an issue. The council owns very little land in Adel and what there is, is not suitable so we may need to use a privately owned site. For example, most of Bedquilts is owned by the two main universities and Wade’s Charity. Another factor is that many residents understandably do not want a play area near where they live because of potential anti-social behaviour during the evening. You will appreciate that there are still a number of obstacles to overcome but we are slowly getting there.
