Whilst Stephen Fry tops our all time heroes list, this page keeps track of which MPs and councillors have supported and opposed cuts to mental health services in Leeds. Please leave a comment if you have any information to contribute or email us on saveleedscrisiscentre@gmail.com or via Twitter on @saveleedscrisis.
Councillor David Schofield was the first to send us his support, followed by Cllr Colin Campbell and Cllr Ryk Downes, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. We salute them. Councillor Stewart Golton, Leader of Liberal Democrat Group (stewart.golton@leeds.gov.uk) has shared his letter to Councillor Yeadon with us.
We have heard nothing from the Conservative party’s leadership, nor from the Greens, who hold the balance of power in Leeds. Their two councillors are a husband and wife team: ann.blackburn@leeds.gov.uk, Cllr.david.blackburn@leeds.gov.uk. Ann Blackburn sits on the Executive board. Please join us in writing to them all to ask for their support.
Find your local councillors at http://bit.ly/gLfACz. There are 3 for each ward – 99 in Leeds in total! If you know your councillors’ names, their contact details are on our Things you can do page. Or put your postcode into www.writetothem.com which is a very quick and reliable way to send them a message. You could copy the text from the “About” page on this blog. We only have until the council meeting on Feb 12th to get them to listen!
Councillor Lucinda Yeadon (lucinda.yeadon@leeds.gov.uk) is the lead member with responsibility for adults’ services, but all Leeds councillors have a say in the final decision. Cllr Yeadon’s latest message and our response are on the blog.
Fabian Hamilton MP has indicated via Twitter that he supports the campaign to save Leeds Crisis Centre. Asked if he would fight to keep the service, Hamilton said, “I’m fighting it already. Will be meeting Councillors and have written to CEO and Leader of Leeds CC. Must save Crisis Centre.” (@fabianhamilton). We hear that Hilary Benn MP has expressed his concerns.
Greg Mulholland MP has written to Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, the executive board member with responsibilities for Adult Social Care, expressing concern about the proposed closure of the Leeds Crisis Centre in Headingley.
Greg has written to raise concerns with reports that there are plans to close the Leeds Crisis Centre, on Spring Road in Headingley: “The Crisis Centre offers free, short term, face to face crisis counselling 365 days a year, it would be a huge loss to Leeds’s mental health provisions if the plans to close it go through. I hope Leeds City Council will do everything possible to ensure that the centre does not have to close and that the Leeds Crisis Centre can continue to provide the hugely important service that it has done now for so many years.”
We have yet to hear from: Rachel Reeves (Lab, Leeds West, rreevesmp@gmail.com), Stuart Andrew (Conservative, Pudsey, contact@stuartandrew.com), Ed Balls (Lab, Morley and Outwood, ed@edballs.com), Hilary Benn (Lab, Leeds Central, bennh@parliament.uk), Alec Shelbrooke, (Con, Elmet and Rothwell, alec.shelbrooke.mp@parliament.uk), George Mudie (Lab, Leeds East, george@gmudie.fsnet.co.uk). Please email them!
The Yorkshire Evening Post is firmly on our heroes list for printing several articles about Centre’s plight! We’re also grateful to About My Area, North Leeds Life , Guardian Leeds and Guardian Cuts Watch, BBC Look North and ITV Calendar.
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I support the campaign.
Cllr. Campbell, Cllr. Downes and Greg Mulholland if you want to stop the closure of the crisis centre then stop supporting a government which is slashing funding for local authorities. If LCC has its budget cut it can’t provide as many services. It isn’t rocket science.
Greg Mulholland is particularly guilty. He supported Osborne’s budget which slashed council budgets. It is he that should be blamed for the situation.