Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds has had a council since 1626, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the majority of local government services in the city. It is the second most populous local government district in the United Kingdom with approximately 800,000 inhabitants living within its area; only Birmingham City Council has more. Since 1 April 2014, it has been a constituent council of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The council was under Labour majority control from 2011 to 2026, but has been under no overall control since the 2026 elections. It meets at Leeds Civic Hall and has its main offices at Merrion House.
History Leeds Corporation Leeds (historically often spelt Leedes) was a manor and then a town, receiving a charter from King Charles I as a 'free borough' in 1626 giving it powers of self-government, leading to the formation of the Leeds Corporation to administer it.Steven Burt & Kevin Grady (2002) The Illustrated History of Leeds, 2nd edn (Breedon Books, Derby) Diane Saunders & Philippa Lester (2014) From the Leylands to Leeds 17 The leader was initially an alderman, the first holder being Sir John Savile.Leeds Civic Trust Leeds Coat of Arms A second charter, granted in 1661 by Charles II, gave the town the right to appoint a mayor. The first holder of that post was Thomas Danby.
Leeds was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs were governed across England and Wales. The ruling body was then formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Leeds", generally known as the corporation or town council.Municipal Corporations Act 1835 When elected county councils were created in 1889 Leeds was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it became a county borough, independent from the new West Riding County Council. Leeds became a city in 1893, after which the corporation was also known as the city council. In 1897 the mayoralty was raised to a lord mayor.
Leeds City Council The modern city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the area of the County Borough of Leeds was combined with those of the Municipal Borough of Morley, the Municipal Borough of Pudsey, Aireborough Urban District, Horsforth Urban District, Otley Urban District, Garforth Urban District, Rothwell Urban District and parts of Tadcaster Rural District, Wetherby Rural District and Wharfedale Rural District from the West Riding. The new Leeds district was one of five metropolitan districts in West Yorkshire. Leeds' borough and city statuses and right to appoint a lord mayor were transferred to the enlarged district.
From 1974 until 1986 the city council was a second-tier authority, with West Yorkshire County Council providing many key services. However, the metropolitan county councils were abolished under the Local Government Act 1985 and the council took responsibility for all former County Council functions. Some functions, notably policing, fire services and public transport are run by joint committees of the five metropolitan boroughs in West Yorkshire.
Since 2014 the council has been a constituent member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The combined authority has been led by the directly elected Mayor of West Yorkshire since 2021.
Council services Leeds City Council is responsible for providing all statutory local authority services in Leeds, except for those it provides jointly in conjunction with other West Yorkshire authorities. This includes education, housing, planning, transport and highways, social services, libraries, leisure and recreation, waste collection, waste disposal, environmental health and revenue collection. The council is one of the largest employers in West Yorkshire, with around 33,000 employees.
Education Leeds Education Leeds was set up in 2001 as a non-profit making company wholly owned by Leeds City Council to provide education support services for the council. For its first five years it operated as a public-private partnership between the Council and Capita. The senior councillors of the council's executive board voted in March 2010 to stop using Education Leeds to provide services from 31 March 2011, thereby effectively causing it to cease operation.
Housing Until 1 October 2013, Leeds City Council's housing stock was managed and operated by three arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) since 2007. They were wholly owned by the council but operated as autonomous and self-governing organisations. The ALMOs, which are arranged on a regional basis were: East North East Homes West North West Homes Aire Valley Homes As of 1 October 2013, the ALMOs returned to Leeds City Council and all management of council housing stock became the responsibility of Housing Leeds. At this point, the ALMOs ceased to exist.
Management of more than 2000 homes in Belle Isle is carried out by Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation, the largest tenant management organisation in the UK outside London.
Leeds Museums and Galleries
Leeds Museums & Galleries is a museum service run by Leeds City Council.Leeds Museums and Galleries
Established in 1821, it is the largest local authority-run museum service in England, with one of the larger and more significant multidisciplinary collections in the UK, looking after 1.3 million objects.Leeds Museums and Galleries – About us The service is run and primarily funded by Leeds City Council (LCC), and plays a significant role in shaping the cultural life of the city, but as a leading museum service it has a regional and national reputation and role. In 2012 the organisation achieved Major Partner Museum status from Arts Council England, which brought significant additional funding and further national prominence and expectation.Rebecca Atkinson, "ACE Increases Number of Major Partner Museums", Museums Journal (1 July 2014).
The service has at times run major events across the city, with visitors numbering in the millions, such as the 2014–19 Legacies of War Project, which examined how Leeds was affected by the First World War,Chris Burn, "How army of people helped Leeds remember war that changed the world", Yorkshire Evening Post (31 January 2019). and developed teaching materials for schools."The cultural history of the city is now at teachers' fingertips", Yorkshire Evening Post (18 June 2018).
Leeds Museums & Galleries is made up of nine different sites: Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds City Museum, Kirkstall Abbey, Abbey House Museum, Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, Thwaite Mills, Lotherton Hall, Temple Newsam and Leeds Discovery Centre.
Waste disposal and recycling The city operates waste disposal and recycling facilities in Kirkstall, Meanwood, Middleton, Otley, Pudsey, Seacroft, Wetherby (Thorp Arch) and Yeadon.Leeds City Council, Recycling centres, accessed 4 September 2020
West Yorkshire Joint Services
West Yorkshire Joint Services provides services for the five district local authorities in West Yorkshire (Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield) in the areas of archaeology, archives, ecology, materials testing, public analyst, and trading standards.
Council structures
Overview and scrutiny The executive and workings of the council are overseen by six scrutiny boards. These panels involve councillors from all parties and some independent members. Scrutiny boards are able to review decisions taken by the executive or by officers of the council and to refer them for further consideration.
Regulatory The licensing committee of the council is drawn from councillors from all parties and is responsible for entertainment, refreshment, personal and premises licences established under the Licensing Act 2003. Three plans panels are responsible for determining planning applications which have not been delegated to officers for decision, such as large or controversial applications or those in which a councillor or officer has a personal interest.
Community committees Ten community committees are responsible for managing certain area-specific budgets and responsibilities, such as community centres and CCTV, in partnership with local communities. Five of the community committees cover areas in "inner Leeds" and five cover areas in "outer Leeds".Leeds City Council, Community committees – have your say, accessed on 9 July 2024 These committees also exert considerable influence over other areas of local interest such as street-cleansing and community policing.
Lord Mayor of Leeds
The Lord Mayor of Leeds is a ceremonial, non-partisan position elected annually by and from the councillors. As well as acting as the chair of the council, the Lord Mayor represents the City of Leeds at events within and outside the city.
The first Mayor of Leeds was Thomas Danby in 1661, and the first Lord Mayor was James Kitson in 1897. The current Lord Mayor is Stephen Holroyd.
During the mayoral year, the Lord Mayor's Charity Appeal raises funds for one or more charities of the mayor's choice.
Leadership
The council operates a Leader and Cabinet executive as defined under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 2000. The executive board of the council currently consists of nine executive members with portfolio responsibilities from the ruling Labour group, and the leader of the biggest opposition group (Conservative).
Since February 2021, the Leader of the council has been James Lewis (Labour). He succeeded Judith Blake, the first woman ever to lead the council.
+ Current council leadershipPortfolioCouncillor (electoral ward)TermCeremonial leadershipThe 132nd Lord Mayor of Leeds (2026–2027)First citizen of the City of LeedsStephen Holroyd (Ardsley and Robin Hood)2026–presentVice-chair of the councilJane Dowson (Chapel Allerton)2026–presentExecutive leadershipLeader of the CouncilLeader of the Labour GroupJames Lewis (Kippax and Methley)2021–presentDeputy Leader of the CouncilExecutive Member for the EconomySalma Arif (Gipton and Harehills)2026–presentDeputy Leader of the Council Executive Member for CommunitiesMary Harland (Kippax and Methley)2026–presentExecutive Member for ResourcesMohammed Rafique (Chapel Allerton)2026–presentExecutive Member for Transport and PlanningTom Hinchcliffe (Bramley and Stanningley)2026–presentExecutive Member for Equalities, Adults and HealthEmma Flint (Weetwood)2025–presentExecutive Member for Housing and Hubs Asghar Khan (Burmantofts and Richmond Hill)2026–presentExecutive Member for EnvironmentJames Gibson (Cross Gates and Whinmoor)2026–presentExecutive Member for Children and FamiliesHelen Hayden (Temple Newsam)2021–presentChief Whip of the CouncilLuke Farley (Burmantofts and Richmond Hill)2025–presentOpposition leadershipLeader of the OppositionLeader of the Conservative GroupAlan Lamb (Wetherby)2023–present Leader of the Green GroupPenny Stables (Wetherby)2024–presentLeader of the Liberal Democrat GroupStewart Golton (Rothwell)2010–presentLeader of the Morley Borough Independents GroupSimon Brown (Morley North)2026–presentLeader of the Garforth and Swillington Independents GroupMark Dobson (Garforth and Swillington)2017–presentLeader of the SDP GroupWayne Dixon (Middleton Park)2023–presentLeader of the Reform UK GroupRyan Taylor (Morley South)2026–present
Leaders and political control since 1945