Sorry, I always forget the paywall.
Here's an extract:
"The report based on the views of 500 residents has called for the red light district in Leeds to be moved to an “industrial area” away from families after it left them feeling unsafe, exposed children to sex work and drug-taking, and normalised street prostitution in their community.
Local parents in the Holbeck area of Leeds said they and their children had been propositioned by men seeking sex or prostitutes offering their services, had young children put at risk by needles from drugs and other litter and exposed them to the idea that “people are consumable commodities”.
One resident said: “A man approached [my daughter] in a car and asked if she wanted to earn any more. When she said no, he asked if her friends did. She was also approached whilst at high school in her uniform, she was asked if she wanted sex, if she would give a *.”
“A young lad, 14 years old, was approached a few weeks ago at a corner shop by one of the women asking for money and selling sex,” said another resident.
The report, published on Tuesday, recommends a move to a safer area for men to pick up prostitutes away from residents and with “more consideration” given to finding places where they could have sex
.....
The red light district, which costs the taxpayer about £200,000 a year, was launched in 2014 by the Safer Leeds partnership and has been seen as a potential model by local councils and police forces for safely managing street prostitution and the associated risks of violence to women.
A review for the partnership last year said the scheme had "significantly improved" the health and safety of sex workers, cut the prevalence of prostitution in the Holbeck area of Leeds and reduced the impact it had on people living in the area.
However, only 120 (six per cent) of the 1,940 residents in Holbeck responded to the survey, which the researchers admitted was a “very poor” response rate and meant "the findings cannot be taken as representative of the people of Holbeck”. .....
Many residents said they that felt unsafe unless they were at home with their doors locked. "These problems included car crashes, rapes, abusive neighbours, gangs on the streets, visible violence and issues associated with drinking and drug taking such as vomiting in the streets and littered needles," said one resident.
Another commented: "It teaches kids that people are consumable commodities it is a bad reflection for society. Horrific for self-worth, people should be taught that they matter.”
Residents called for more police officers on the street, particularly at school opening and closing times, more CCTV cameras and investment to help regenerate the area.
The partnership’s own report acknowledged they "neither functioned or performed well" until 2018, but said there had been major improvements once the management structure was overhauled, a dedicated policing team was set up and communication with local residents improved.
Sir John Townsley, the Chief Executive Officer of The GORSE Academies Trust, of which The Ruth Gorse Academy in Leeds is a part, said: "This report highlights very real and serious concerns; a failure to act on those concerns could lead to incidents which are potentially life threatening.”