How Leeds celebrates and protects its diversity

Leeds City Council has zero tolerance to all forms of discrimination.

We want Leeds to be a city that is fair and just, that recognises and embraces people’s different needs, situations and ambitions. The barriers that limit what people can do will be removed, and everyone will be enabled to be their best. For this to happen, we all need to take responsibility for our actions and behaviours and contribute positively to change.  We recognise that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is something that the council has legal responsibilities around however we want to lead on this agenda because it’s the right thing to do. Delivery of a successful programme around equality, diversity and inclusion is essential to support our best city ambitions. 

There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination in Leeds, and we will do all we can to eliminate racism and inequality – wherever we find it, by challenging and addressing inappropriate behaviour.

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 2023 to 2025 action plan says:

We will deliver against key equality related agendas including asset based community development, our Hate Crime Strategy, work on anti-Muslim prejudice and anti-Semitism, delivering against the Faith Covenant, LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds, Age Friendly and Child Friendly Leeds, Women Friendly Leeds and the Social Model of Disability. Through groups like our Leeds Race 4 Equality Forum we will work together to understand the root causes of racism and prejudice in Leeds and work as a city to address them.

Leeds has a social cohesion strategy which is about people from different backgrounds, cultures and social groups getting along. It is about celebrating the diversity of Leeds and making sure the city is inclusive.

Cllr Mary Harland says “In developing this strategy, we engaged with over a thousand residents through surveys and focus groups. The message is clear: Leeds is proud of its diversity and multiculturalism. We are committed to being a place where racism and prejudice are actively challenged, and where extremist views and hate are challenged and countered.”

Read the strategy here.

The new Hate Crime Strategy (2025-28) will help the council to deliver zero tolerance to all forms of discrimination.  The new Hate Crime Strategy intends to build upon the achievements of the 2021-2024 strategy that was developed by Safer Leeds and partner organisations with the goal of addressing hate crime through a set of targeted initiatives across Leeds. The Hate Crime Strategy for 2025-2028 which is in the process of being produced will continue to address the key issues and priorities that centred in the 2021- 24 Strategy, incorporate the findings from recent community consultations and information gained form relevant emerging data on hate an discrimination.  

The strategy will be supported by a multi-agency action plan that will be updated through quarterly progress reports at the Hate Crime Operational Group (HCOG). These updates will also be fed into the Hate Crime Strategic Board (HCSB) on a quarterly basis, providing accountability and strategic direction.

The work of this strategy will be carried forward by the Equality and Hate Crime Team in Safer Stronger Communities and by West Yorkshire Police, working closely with other key partners involved in addressing hate crime and supporting affected communities. The success of the Hate Crime Strategy will ultimately contribute to the broader goals of the Safer Leeds Executive, the council’s Community Safety Partnership.

The Hate Crime Strategy for 2028-2028 will be published once it has been approved by the Safer Leeds Executive and Executive Board in May/June 2024.

Safeguarding is all about protecting people from harm, especially vulnerable people. Afrikindness have been working with our 2024/2025 Lord Mayor, Cllr Abigail Marshall Katung, to produce new safeguarding training which is tailored to diverse communities. 30 community leaders have been trained and over 200 families have been reached.

The Leeds City Council 11-19 Learning Improvement team put together an offer for secondary schools called the Leading Learning Partnership (LLP). The focus for this offer for this academic year (2024/2025) and next academic year (2025/2026) is EDI. It will involve looking at how we use training and our networks to work with senior and middle leaders in schools to influence their curriculums and practice to be more inclusive for all our pupils across the city.

Leeds city council became a proud member of the Intercultural Cities Network (ICC) in June 2021. This Council of Europe initiative connects European cities and helps them to learn from one another when it comes to diversity. In 2019 Leeds submitted data about its diversity and scored 75/100 on the Intercultural Cities Index. Out of the cities in the network, Leeds was in 7th place in comparison to cities of a similar size, and 8th in comparison to cities that have a similar percentage of foreign-born residents. You can read the full report on Leeds here.

In May 2023, Leeds City Council joined the City of Sanctuary UK, a national charity that works towards building a movement of welcome towards refugees and people seeking sanctuary, by supporting organisations to turn compassion into action.

Stonewall is an organisation that advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgenders, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people, and is the largest organisation of its kind in Europe.

In July 2024, Leeds was recognised by Stonewall for being an inclusive employer for the LGBTQ+ community and for it’s support for children and young people in the LGBTQ+ community.

Council recognised as a leading inclusive employer and for supporting LGBTQ+ young people in Leeds

In 2024, the Lord Mayor of Leeds (Councillor Abigail Katung Marshall) introduced an International Day of Cultural Celebration. Read more here.