Prominent 'Welcome To Leeds' sign on Dewsbury Road to get much-needed repair after sponsorship secured
A ‘Welcome To Leeds’ sign that greets thousands of people as they enter the city every day is due to receive a much-needed repair.
The sign on Dewsbury Road that can be seen as drivers leave junction 3 of the M621 has been damaged over the years, with parts missing and display foliage long having died.
Coun Paul Wray said that after years of neglect work is now able to start on the brick-built sign, which is reported to have been unveiled in 1989 as part of a £30,000 scheme.
He said: “What should have been simple turned out to be very complex; no part of the council had overall responsibility for the sign, and no budget was set aside for its upkeep.
“It’s historically had sponsorship which paid for its repair costs.”
He said that responsibility for the sign has now been allocated and a sponsor has been found who will cover the cost of the repair work - expected to be around £3,000 - and subsequent upkeep.
Coun Wray said: “If all goes to plan, the sign should be fixed by the middle of this year.
“Long-term, we plan to commission an arts project to revitalise the site, creating an even better statement at this gateway to the city centre.”
He added: “The sign is seen by thousands of people daily as they travel into Leeds, and judging from the comments on my social media, it clearly has a sweet spot in Leeds hearts.
“My thanks go to the staff in City Centre Management team who have been working on finding a solution to this for several months.”