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Locals fight for youth activities at risk from Leeds budget cuts

A sailing centre may be one of many services to disappear as the council hunts for £87m of savings
For many children from across Leeds, a visit to the Sailing and Activity Centre in the semi-rural town of Yeadon, on the edge of the city’s council area, represents a rare opportunity to get out into nature. “The staff
“Often they’ve spent all their time within their estate or within their close-knit community at home and not had the facilities to travel out into the countryside.”
But the service is under threat, due to £87m worth of cuts outlined in Leeds city council’s budget, which means staff could be made redundant and equipment sold off if a private sector operator cannot be found within a year.
“For people with money, a car and time, yes, you could travel to the Lake District. But what a shame not to have these resources here,” said Friend, who is part of a local campaign group hoping to save the centre.
A lack of funding from national government combined with the effects of the pandemic meant the Labour-run local authority was forced to make some huge savings in its 2021/22 budget, including cutting 800 jobs.
Council leader James Lewis said the situation was “pretty dire”, adding that if any more cuts needed to be made they would come from more essential services.
“If we had to reduce services further, we will be reducing back to sort of the basics of local government services, so child protection, protection of vulnerable adults and older people, keeping the highway network safe.”
The council was fortunate not to have to borrow money from national government by using reserves to prop up its finances and hoping that next year, revenue from services like sports centres and visitor attractions in the city would return.
Cllr Lewis said: “Obviously using reserves is money councils can only spend once but we were able to avoid having to go for a bailout.”
Leeds will no longer be showing big sporting events on the large screen in Millennium Square, including England’s appearances at the Euros this year, and has cancelled Christmas lights events, saving £88,000.
Theatres, museums and galleries are also facing a 15% reduction in grants.
Leeds Playhouse executive director Robin Hawkes said the cut would be “tough to deal with”, particularly as it was the last year of a four-year funding package that had been already accounted for.
“In one sense, we were counting on this money but the impact of the pandemic is such that a lot of the assumptions have needed to be reassessed anyway.
“The process of creating a balanced budget for the playhouse for next year was not going to be an easy one in the first place, so that just adds to that pressure.”
However, he praised Leeds city council for its ongoing support for culture, particularly compared with councils in other parts of the country, and acknowledged that the local authority had to make difficult decisions.
More controversially, some of those difficult decisions involved closing two care homes and three community centres, saving £689,000 in total.
Lib Dem councillor Stewart Golton, who represents Rothwell, said the decision to close the Windmill Youth Centre in his ward was shortsighted.
He said: “They need to make savings wherever they can but it’s how you make those savings. You should be making savings with the community, instead of against them.”
The centre, and others like it, had suffered so many cuts they had been hollowed out to the point where they had become “ghost buildings”, he said, with no staff based there during the day and bookings taken centrally in Leeds.
“It makes them easier to axe,” he said.
Indeed, despite the large scale of the cuts, the public reaction has been subdued, Cllr Lewis said. “We’re in our 11th year of austerity, it’s sad to say but people are used to job losses and services closing.”
source: Robyn Vinter
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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