Leeds statue review: Majority want them left in place

A review of statues in Leeds, which was launched amid the Black Lives Matter protests, found that most people want them to stay where they are.

The review was set up after damage to statues in the UK, including one of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston.

More than 800 people responded, many mentioning the Woodhouse Moor Queen Victoria statue defaced in June.

There were also suggestions of new commemorations for people from Leeds including Olympic boxer Nicola Adams.

The review was led by Leeds' first black councillor Alison Lowe, who said: "The process has showed me that Leeds is a tolerant city, a city of people who are pragmatic.

"The vast majority of responses were for little or no change and we have listened to the voices of the people who fed back in that process."

Earlier this year, the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody was the catalyst for anti-racism protests around the world.

This led to calls for UK statues linked to slavery and colonialism to be removed, with protestors tearing the Colston statue from its plinth before dumping it into Bristol harbour.

In Leeds, the Victoria statue was sprayed with graffiti including the words "murderer" and "slave owner", prompting the council to announce a city-wide review.

Ms Lowe added: "I think Leeds City Council wanted to have a conversation with the people of Leeds to understand what was important to them, how they should honour contributions from citizens of Leeds and whether or not there were some difficult questions that needed to be answered around the statues that currently exist."

The review considered opinions expressed in 780 responses and while the majority of feedback was for little or no change, there was also a "big minority of people" who wanted things to be different.

Many of the respondents provided suggestions of people who should be further celebrated in the city such as Arthur France, founder of Leeds West Indian Carnival.

Ms Lowe, who was made an honorary alderwoman of Leeds earlier this year, has written a report which will be reviewed by local academics and historians before being sent to the council later this month.

She said it was unlikely, based on the feedback received, that any statue would be earmarked for removal but the final decision would be down the council.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or send video here.