Latest news with #MessagetheMayor
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Deputy mayor says police funding needs to increase
West Yorkshire's deputy mayor for policing says the chancellor needs to give forces across the country more money if they are to halve violence against women and girls. Labour's Alison Lowe has been answering questions on Message the Mayor on BBC Radio Leeds. She has also been talking about crossbow laws, tackling anti-social behaviour, and "unacceptable" delays into domestic abuse-related deaths. Read our takeaways from the interview below or listen to the full interview here. "Over the next three years, that is the national deficit for policing - irrespective of the money the government are giving us. And that's because of the cuts that have happened, and the underfunding." Last week, the West Yorkshire's Chief Constable John Robbins signed a letter to The Times, saying years of cuts had left forces overstretched and working in "broken" buildings with "outdated" technology. "I just don't think six months is enough. We should be saying it is a minimum of 12 months, just to manage some of those expectations of the families." The deputy mayor was asked about today's BBC News story, which suggests just 1% of reviews into domestic abuse-related deaths are being completed within six months - the target set by the government. Lowe says the government is creating a new "oversight board", to help speed up the process of reviewing these reports. "I'm hoping they (the government) equate crossbows with guns. So you can't get a crossbow unless you go through a process, you're registered, you're licensed, all the rest of it." Lowe says she doesn't know why anyone would want a crossbow and personally thinks they should be banned altogether - but recognises a "tiny number" of people use them for sport. In April, two people were injured in a crossbow attack along the route of the popular Otley Run pub crawl in Leeds. "West Yorkshire Police have got 60 courses, all age appropriate, from [school] years one to 13. "They teach children about how to stay safe, about how anti-social behaviour can impact them and about how they can become perpetrators or victims." But the deputy mayor says investing in lessons in schools today is a "long-term culture choice", and it could be 10 years before people see big benefits. "It's a huge issue and it does lead to crime in communities, because where you've got a bit of green space that's been desecrated by fly tipping it means more people dump stuff, crime happens, kids start congregating and fires get lit." Concerns have been raised recently that the closure of rubbish tips, in places such as Birstall and Bradford, will lead to more waste being dumped at the side of the road. PM warned more funding needed to halve crime against women Met chief warns anti-crime pledges need funding 'Delayed review into my daughter's killing has left me broken' Pub crawl crossbow attack raises route safety fear Tip closure blamed for rubbish-dumping spike
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mayor calls for tougher crossbow laws
The mayor of West Yorkshire has said she supports calls for tougher rules around the sale of crossbows following an attack in Leeds. Labour's Tracy Brabin has been answering questions on Message the Mayor on BBC Radio Leeds. She also spoke about the local election results and a recent Supreme Court ruling that legally the term "woman" means a biological woman. Read our takeaways from the show below or listen to the full interview here. [BBC] 'Shocked and appalled' at crossbow attack "I'm absolutely shocked and appalled that someone would take it upon themselves to attack two women," Brabin said. "Obviously he was unwell himself and he's lost his life as well. But I would want to reassure members of the public that this was an isolated incident." Brabin praised the police for how they responded to a recent attack on two women in Headingley, and said the investigation was continuing. [BBC] [BBC] 'Clarify' plan for new crossbow laws "It's quite easy to purchase one. We need to clampdown on that. "Let's work together to clarify where government are, to make the case, press for clarity on when we are going to hear." Following the Headingley attack, the government said it was committed to bringing in tougher rules on the sale of crossbows, but the mayor said creating new laws would take time. Currently, it is legal to buy and own crossbows under certain circumstances. [BBC] [BBC] Clearer legal position on trans women "Legally we now understand what the position is. My role as mayor is to lead an organisation that is fully inclusive and nothing has changed from where I sit. "But we also now have a legal clarity and understanding particularly around shared spaces, toilets, in my organisation. And I am looking forward to further guidance coming out." Brabin was asked for her reaction to last month's Supreme Court ruling stating that the term "woman" means a biological woman. [BBC] [BBC] 'Different' to work with Reform UK mayors "Its going to be different. I've always said being a mayor is place over politics. So I really hope they want to work with us as a group of mayors. "I would suggest being a mayor is not about party political campaigning its about delivery." Reform UK won two northern mayoral elections, in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire, on 1 May 2025.
