Middleton Park (ward)

Middleton Park is an electoral ward of Leeds City Council in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, including the urban suburbs of Middleton and Belle Isle. The ward is named after the public park and former manorial estate of Middleton Park.

Middleton Park
Middleton Park highlighted within Leeds
Population	20,215 (2023 electorate)
Metropolitan borough	City of Leeds
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
UK Parliament	Leeds South
Councillors	Rob Chesterfield[1] (SDP) Wayne Dixon[2] (SDP) Emma Pogson-Golden[3] (SDP)
List of places UK England Yorkshire

Demographics

In 2010, the ward had 27,487 inhabitants, of which 52.2% of the population were female and 47.8% male. 21.5% were aged 15 or under compared with an England average of 18.7%. Life Expectancy for males and females is more than three years less than the rest of Leeds. In 2001, 96.3% of residents identified as White British, 71.6% identifying as Christian and over 18% having no religion. Most houses in the ward are in the Council Tax Bands A and B. In April 2012, 1,493 (8.3%) people claimed Jobseeker's Allowance, nearly double the Leeds' average at the time. While all recorded crime was below the Leeds' average, criminal damage was substantially higher and nearly twice the England average.^[4]

Councillors

Election	Councillor		Councillor		Councillor
2004		Geoff Driver (Lab)[a][5]		Judith Blake (Lab)[b][6]		Stuart Bruce (Lab)[c]
2006		Geoff Driver (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Debra Coupar (Lab)[d][7]
2007		Geoff Driver (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Debra Coupar (Lab)
2008		Geoff Driver (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Debra Coupar (Lab)[e]
2010		Geoff Driver (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)[8]
2011		Geoff Driver (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)
2012		Paul Truswell (Lab)[f][9]		Judith Blake (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)
2014		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)
2015		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)
2016		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Judith Blake (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)
2018		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Judith Blake CBE (Lab)[g]		Kim Groves (Lab)
2019		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Judith Blake CBE (Lab)[h]		Kim Groves (Lab)
2021		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Sharon Burke (Lab)		Kim Groves (Lab)
2022		Paul Truswell (Lab)		Sharon Burke (Lab)		Wayne Dixon (SDP)
2023		Emma Pogson-Golden (SDP)		Sharon Burke (Lab)		Wayne Dixon (SDP)
2024		Emma Pogson-Golden* (SDP)		Rob Chesterfield* (SDP)		Wayne Dixon* (SDP)

  indicates seat up for re-election. * indicates incumbent councillor.

Elections since 2010

Source:^[12]

May 2024

2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SDP	Rob Chesterfield	1,882	42.8	−3.1
	Labour	Sharon Burke*	1,638	37.3	+0.6
	Green	Julie Gill	402	9.2	+4.9
	Conservative	Samson Adeyemi	332	7.6	−1.1
	Liberal Democrats	Michael Follows	139	3.2	+1.2
Majority			244	5.5	−3.7
Turnout			4,423	22.2	+0.8
	SDP gain from Labour		Swing	-1.8

May 2023

2023

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SDP	Emma Pogson-Golden	1,985	45.9	−4.6
	Labour Co-op	Lauren Summers	1,587	36.7	+0.7
	Conservative	Samson Adeyemi	376	8.7	+1.0
	Green	Eunice Agbemafle	186	4.3	+0.4
	TUSC	Joelle Donaldson	91	2.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Jude Arbuckle	86	2.0	+0.5
Majority			398	13.8	−0.8
Turnout			4,320	21.4	−4.9
	SDP gain from Labour		Swing

May 2022

2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SDP	Wayne Dixon	2,687	50.5	+15.8
	Labour	Peter Chambers	1,910	36.0	−4.9
	Conservative	Taiwo Adeyemi	408	7.7	−8.5
	Green	Kay-Lee Asquith	207	3.9	−1.5
	Liberal Democrats	Jude Arbuckle	82	1.5	−0.6
Majority			777	14.6	−0.1
Turnout			5,317	26.3	−1.5
	SDP gain from Labour		Swing

May 2021

2021

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sharon Burke	2,313	40.9	−2.3
	SDP	Wayne Dixon	1,963	34.7	+11.1
	Conservative	Samantha Bennett	913	16.2	+10.2
	Green	Kay-Lee Asquith	306	5.4	+0.5
	Liberal Democrats	James Spencer	119	2.1	−1.1
Majority			350	6.2	−13.4
Turnout			5,653	27.8	+5.4
	Labour hold		Swing

May 2019

2019

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paul Truswell*	1,879	43.2	−17.9
	SDP	Wayne Dixon	1,027	23.6	+1.3
	UKIP	Will Lockwood	831	19.1	+19.1
	Conservative	Hugh Findlay	259	6.0	−5.3
	Green	Eunice Delali Agbemafle	212	4.9	+4.9
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Jacques	137	3.2	−2.1
Majority			852	19.6	−27.0
Turnout			4,362	22.4	−1.2
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.6

May 2018

2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kim Groves*	3,373	61.1	+12.2
	Labour	Judith Blake*	2,747
	Labour	Paul Truswell*	2,366
	SDP	Wayne Dixon	1,232	22.3	+9.7
	Conservative	David Herdson	621	11.3	+4.9
	Conservative	Rita Jessop	613
	Conservative	Gareth Lamb	451
	Liberal Democrats	Kathryn Gagen	293	5.3	+3.2
Majority			2,141	46.6	+25.0
Turnout			4,594	23.6	+1.3
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

May 2016

2016

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paul Truswell*	2,285	48.9	−1.3
	UKIP	Craig Sweaton	1,278	27.4	−2.7
	Independent	Wayne Dixon	605	13.0	+13.0
	Conservative	Hugh Findlay	300	6.4	−5.9
	Green	Fiona Sarah Heather Love	104	2.2	−0.7
	Liberal Democrats	Sadie Fisher	99	2.1	−0.3
Majority			1,007	21.6	−0.5
Turnout			4,671	25.3	+4.2
	Labour hold		Swing

May 2015

2015

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Judith Blake*	4,974	51.2	−13.3
	UKIP	Craig Sweaton	2,921	30.1	+30.1
	Conservative	Zena Lopez	1,199	12.3	−0.9
	Green	Fiona Love	280	2.9	+2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Sadie Fisher	237	2.4	−2.5
	Left Unity	Nick Jones	103	1.1	+1.1
Majority			2,053	21.1	−26.0
Turnout			9,714	51.0
	Labour hold		Swing	-21.7

May 2014

2014

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kim Groves*	2,489
	UKIP	Craig Sweaton	1,756
	British Democrats	Kevin Meeson	358
	Conservative	Barbara Harpham	287
	Green	Austen Thompson	219
	Liberal Democrats	Sadie Fisher	79
Majority
Turnout				28.04
	Labour hold		Swing

May 2012

2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paul Truswell	2,696	64.3	−0.2
	BNP	Kevin Meeson	893	21.3	+3.9
	Conservative	James McFarland	412	9.8	−3.4
	Liberal Democrats	Sadie Fisher	191	4.6	−0.4
Majority			1,803	43.0	−4.1
Turnout			4,192
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.0

May 2011

2011

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Judith Blake*	3,313	64.5	+15.3
	BNP	Kevin Meeson	892	17.4	−3.2
	Conservative	James McFarland	679	13.2	−1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Sadie Fisher	252	4.9	−8.5
Majority			2,421	47.1	+18.5
Turnout			5,136	28
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.2

May 2010

2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kim Groves	4,477	49.2	+10.9
	BNP	Kevin Meeson	1,875	20.6	−16.8
	Conservative	James McFarland	1,292	14.2	+0.0
	Liberal Democrats	Beth Fisher	1,222	13.4	+3.3
	Green	James Fell	231	2.5	+2.5
Majority			2,602	28.6	+27.6
Turnout			9,097	50.9	+21.5
	Labour hold		Swing	+13.8

See also

• Listed buildings in Leeds (Middleton Park Ward)

Notes

1. Driver first represented Hunslet East and West ward from 1978 and then Hunslet ward since 1980.
2. Blake was previously a Weetwood ward councillor from 1996 until she lost her seat in 2000. She went on to serve as a Hunslet ward councillor from 2002 until her election for Middleton Park ward.
3. Bruce had been a Middleton ward councillor since 1999.
4. Coupar was previously a councillor for Morley South ward for a year from 2003 before losing her seat in 2004.
5. Coupar was later elected as a councillor for Cross Gates and Whinmoor ward in the 2013 by-election and has represented Temple Newsam ward since 2016.
6. Truswell represented Headingley ward from 1982 to 1997. He resigned as a councillor following his election as Member of Parliament for Pudsey at the 1997 general election.
7. Blake was awarded a CBE in November 2017.
8. Blake was created a life peer as Baroness Blake of Leeds, of Gledhow in the City of Leeds on 10 February 2021 and resigned as Leader of the Council on 24 February. She did not seek re-election in the May 2021 council election.^[10][11]