There will be disruption to Leeds council passenger transport services beginning this month, as almost 80 Unite members will strike over safety fears from tomorrow (9 January 2026).
The workers involved in dispute include drivers who take service users, including children and older adults with learning difficulties, special needs and complex health problems, to locations such as schools, respite placements, medical appointments and community centres. Others involved in the dispute provide passenger assistance and office support for the service.
Over the past 18 months, there has been a noticeable decline in the service due to funding cuts. The most pressing problems are workers having a lack of vital equipment such as restraints, inadequate first aid and no risk assessments. Due to this, there have been numerous occasions where both staff and service users have been hurt, including assaults on staff by service users and incidents involving service users harming one another.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
“It is completely unacceptable that council cuts are not only putting our hardworking members at risk but also people who rely on this vital service.
“Workers should never bear the brunt of funding cuts which are not their fault. Management must take our members’ concerns seriously and come up with a workable, solution to the problems at Leeds council. Our members have Unite’s unwavering support.”
Other issues with the service in recent months include buses not being covered at short notice due to sickness, staffing shortages or administrative errors. This has led to situations where entire busloads of children have missed school because cover hasn’t been arranged in time.
Members also report low morale, a stressful working environment and pressure to resolve problems quickly without proper processes being followed – particularly where complaints have been escalated via councillors or MPs.
One worker said:
“I regularly support around 12 service users on school transport and have experienced incidents where staff and other service users have been attacked. I am also under constant pressure due to additional work being added to my role, which makes it harder to properly support both colleagues and service users.”
Another said:
“I am working in a service where failures that once would have been exceptional now feel routine. Missed cover, last-minute changes and lack of staffing mean vulnerable children and adults are the ones who ultimately suffer and staff are left dealing with the fallout from mistakes that were avoidable.”
The strikes will take place on 9, 16, 23 and 24 and 29 and 30 January and 4 to 6, 11 to 13, 17 to 20 and 24 to 27 February.
Unite regional officer Chris Muscroft said:
“Strike action is a last resort for our members but these serious problems are not being addressed and they have no choice but to make their voices heard to protect themselves, their colleagues and those using the service.
“Unite has been constantly open to negotiations, as our members really care about the service users they look after, but management are refusing to take their concerns seriously.”
Unite is currently demanding better funding for councils through its Fair Funding Now for Local Government campaign. It is calling on the government to end years of austerity amid a visible breakdown in public services and worsening pay and conditions for local authority staff.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said:
“We have been working hard to resolve concerns which have been raised by Unite locally and we continue to work with them to find a resolution. We take all concerns seriously and have undertaken a number of measures to address these.
“The pressure on passenger transport is being experienced by many local authorities, however in Leeds there have been no cuts to frontline services and we have increased the number of staff working in the service.
“This Friday (9 January) we will be making every effort to prioritise school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
“However, as with any industrial action, it remains unclear exactly how services will be affected. We are therefore encouraging people to make alternative arrangements where they can. We are engaging our service users and keeping people updated as best we can in the circumstances.”
This post is based on a press release issued by Unite
Photo: The council’s Passenger Transport depot at Westland Road in Beeston
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