South and South East Leeds
Area background
This area of the city has a cultural diversity that makes it a vibrant, interesting and unique place to live, work and do business. The highest levels of deprivation concentrated in the Inner South.
Despite the close proximity to the city centre, more than half of the neighbourhoods within the wards of City & Hunslet and Middleton Park fall within the 10% most deprived in the country. Priority neighbourhoods include Beeston Hill, Holbeck, Middleton Park and Hunslet. These neighbourhoods are characterised by lower skills levels, higher crime levels, health problems and a relatively lower quality of life compared to the other areas.
Developments in Leeds, especially in the Aire Valley area are expected to result in the creation of 15,000 to 20,000 new job opportunities in the next 10 years. Efforts must be made to ensure that residents of these parts of Leeds can take up these opportunities for the long-term sustainability of the new businesses and industries that will invest in the area.
Actions therefore being taken include improving education performance and in particular, basic competence levels in literacy and numeracy, and acquisition of the skills necessary to take up the employment opportunities coming into the area.
To celebrate the cultural diversity in South Leeds, there is an annual "I Love South Leeds Festival" held in the summer months to celebrate what is great about living in South Leeds and to develop better understanding between people and places.
Click on the links below to see more information on our strands of work and the ways in which business can support the regeneration of priority areas of South and South East Leeds:
