Equality street! The suburban road where identical homes on one side are 'worth £100k more' than the other

Daily Mail​

20 hours ago

Homeowners have called on Royal Mail to adopt the postcode of a neighbouring suburb where average house prices are significantly higher.
A cluster of locals in Thornbury, a Bradford suburb straddling the city's eastern edge, have launched a bold bid to trade in their postcode to increase their house prices by £100k.
They say they are being 'penalised' by having the city's undesired BD3 postcode despite technically falling in the council jurisdiction of neighbouring Leeds.
Instead, they want to adopt the LS28 postcode of Pudsey, which carries a more desirable reputation.
But neighbours on Gain Lane, the vast majority of whom are covered by Bradford council, have branded the move 'snobbish' and a thinly veiled attempt to 'pretend they don't live where they do.'
One resident, firmly living in the BD3 postcode plagued by high crime rates, said: 'They're desperate to keep up appearances.
'Just because you buy a few hanging baskets and call your house 'The Willows' doesn't mean you live in Pudsey or Leeds.
'You're still in Bradford at the end of the day.'
Bradford's BD3 postcode covers some of the city's most troubled and poverty-stricken communities. It ranks among the worst postcodes in the country related to car theft and dangerous driving offences.
Whereas the neighbouring LS28 postcode covers the gentrified Leeds suburbs of Farsley, Calverley and Pudsey - represented in parliament by chancellor Rachel Reeves.
House prices in the well-heeled commuter hubs are tens of thousands of pounds higher than in Bradford.
Campaigners say they are being unfairly punished for having a BD3 suffix, despite technically falling under Leeds City Council's jurisdiction.
They say that they are having to pay out for higher car and home insurance policies as a consequence, while also having to ensure deflated house prices.
Lynda Berry, 59, admitted she wanted the LS28 postcode because it was 'posher'.
She said: 'We're paying more in council tax and then getting hit again with higher car and home insurance.
'And we don't even get the benefits of being in Leeds, even though we technically are.
'It's frustrating. I understand there has to be a border somewhere, but we're getting penalised for being in BD3.'
Russell Robinson, 69, who has lived in the area for over six decades, says the postcode saga has dragged on for years - despite multiple attempts to get it changed.
He said: 'If you're in BD3, you're paying hundreds more for car insurance because it's one of the worst postcodes in the country for car crime and bad driving.
'When I used to go to an insurance broker, they'd look at my postcode and say, 'If you lived in LS28, it'd be £200 cheaper.'
'For my Freelander I have to pay £595, fully comprehensive. For my other Defender quite a few companies wouldn't insure it all.
'It's not like I'm going Trans-European or up mountains in it. It's just the Bradford postcode.'
Mr Robinson, a retired council worker, revealed that when he sold his father's house - which also technically fell under Leeds but still carried a Bradford postcode - it sold for less than equivalent houses with an LS28 address.
He said: 'We got £190,000 for it, something like that. It was a well-built stone house.
'They're paying £200,000 for much less in Pudsey - small gardens, one car on the drive.
'It's just the LS postcode.'
According to Rightmove data, house prices in BD3 had an overall average of £120,323 over the last year.
In leafier LS28, the average was £262,061 over the last year.
Gurvinder Singh, 59, has lived in Gain Lane since 1989. He said he had pleaded with the council to swap his postcode to Leeds.
He said: 'Our house prices are low. Our insurance is high.
'There a difference of around £100,000. If our house was in LS28 it would go for £260,000. Here there's a limit of about £160,000.
'Because of BD3, the prices are not high. We keep spending money on the house but we're not going to get the full benefit.'
Asked if he tells people he is from Leeds or Bradford, Mr Singh, who works for Bradford-based baker Hovis, added: 'Leeds. Sorry to say, but Leeds.
'Bradford has a very bad reputation, especially BD3.
'I've caught drug dealers right outside the front of my house. I've had drugs thrown in my garden during a police chase.
'LS28 is like a different world. It's much better. The people are sensible, there are no idiot drivers on that side.'
One resident further down Gain Lane, firmly within Bradford Council's boundaries, said the campaign was 'classist'.
The woman, who would not be named for fear of riling neighbours, said: 'My house is in Bradford and I'm proud to be from Bradford.
'I think it's people trying to pretend they don't live where they do, to make them look and feel better.
'It's still Bradford, love.'
Priyan Welikandu, 56, said his car insurance premiums had soared simply because of the BD3 postcode - despite paying all his bills to Leeds.
He said: 'The car insurance is very high for no real reason. I've had this smaller car for 20 years, no claims, no accidents - and I'm still paying £700 a year.
'They told me it's because of the BD3 postcode. It should be around £300 or £400, but they said nothing counts for anything in BD3.'
Mr Welikandu admitted he tells people he is from Pudsey, not Bradford.
He added: 'If I say to my work colleagues, Bradford, they get the wrong idea - like it's dodgy. Pudsey is a bit more civilised.'
The postcode lottery has also hit businesses landed with a BD3 postcode, despite administratively falling in Leeds.
Mohammed Saqid, 20, who runs the Shandar takeawy on Gain Lane, said his business insurance premium had risen to £10,000.
He said: 'If this was LS28 it would be £2,500. So having a Bradford postcode is four times more expensive for us.
'We pay our rates to Leeds council, we're right by the sign that says 'welcome to Pudsey'. It doesn't make any sense to us.'
Conservative local councillors have backed the residents in their attempts to be reclassified by Royal Mail.
Councillor Andrew Carter said: 'I am supporting local residents, and they are in contact with Royal Mail. Every possible obstacle has been put in the way of progress. Residents want to be in LS28 and they are right.'
Cllr Craig Timmins said the postcode had also caused confusion for emergency services and council services.
He added: 'These streets are an important part of our community and should be able to identify that way with their postcode, instead of constantly being frustrated by it.'
Royal Mail said postcodes are designed to support deliveries, not to reflect geographies.
A spokesperson said: 'Postcodes are designed to support the efficient sorting and delivery of mail, not to reflect geographic or administrative boundaries. Each one is based on the delivery route and the local delivery office, which means the postcode may not always match the actual geographic identity of the area.
'We have previously reviewed the arrangements and given the structure of the local network and the needs of the nearby delivery office, we do not believe a change is appropriate for our operations.
'It is important to note that postcodes typically cover groups of addresses delivered together.