'He's not welcome in Leeds': Protesters gather outside First Direct Bank Arena as Nigel Farage visits
Leeds protesters have said that Nigel Farage is “not welcome” in the city as they gathered outside the First Direct Bank Arena ahead of a Reform UK rally.
Reform UK is hosting a rally at the arena from 7pm today (Tuesday) ahead of the local elections in May.
The Time for Reform Rally will feature guest speakers from Reform UK and a keynote speech from the leader of the party, Nigel Farage MP.
The party, which is hoping to make ground in the local elections, has described the rally as a “high-energy, broadcast-style event” and expects thousands to attend.
Ahead of the event, a counter-demonstration has been organised by Stand Up To Racism Leeds, with members of trade unions, the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and other groups in attendance.
There is a heavy police presence outside the arena, with protesters gathering outside the main entrance as Reform members and supporters make their way into the event.
Sam Kirk, an organiser for Stand Up To Racism Leeds, said: “We’re here to say to Nigel Farage that he’s not welcome in Leeds.
“People have their own vote. He’s about dividing people and that’s why we’re here.
“You can hear how much sound there is here, how much support there is for opposition to him.”
Another protester from Leeds said: "Farage knows the right things to say to get people's attention, the buzz words - we've seen it before. He doesn't care about people in Leeds or in general."
Residents in the city will be heading to the polls on May 7 in the latest city council election. Find out more here.
Council elections are set to take place every May through to 2029, when the next fallow year is currently scheduled.
On its website, Leeds City Council explains: “Every Leeds City Council ward is represented by three councillors who are each elected to serve a four year term. Their terms are staggered so that we only select one councillor in each local election.
“This system is called voting by thirds because a third of councillors are elected each year, over a four year cycle. Due to this, once every four years, there are no local elections. This is called a fallow year. The next fallow year in Leeds is 2029.”
The council continues: “In 2018 we elected three councillors in each ward. This is because the ward boundaries had been independently reviewed to reflect changes in population and ensure each ward contains a similar amount of electors.
“It is likely there won’t be another ward boundary review in Leeds for around 15 years.”
The deadline to do so for anyone not already registered is midnight on Monday, April 20.