This section provides an update on progress on the recommendations from last year’s report.
1. Leeds City Council, Leeds Health and Care Partnership, anchor organisations and third sector to work collaboratively to promote and implement the advice and actions in the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Adverse Weather and Health Plan
- Seasonal weather health bulletins are now issued to 550+ partners to strengthen city-wide preparedness.
- A cross-directorate approach is now in place to cascade UKHSA alerts through Essendex and Leeds Prepared Facebook for timely public updates.
- Continued investment in Beat the Heat resources for public, frontline staff and high-risk groups, including heat-illness guidance and home temperature monitoring.
- The Leeds NHS Net Zero working group is progressing recommendations on built-environment improvements, staff training and public messaging.
- Primary care health inequality templates are being updated with heat-risk prompts for identification and advice.
- Social determinant read-codes now include affordability of seasonal clothing and weather-affected living conditions (damp, mould).
- Leeds Water Safety Group has strengthened co-ordination of adverse-weather messaging.
- Weather and climate factors have been embedded into the Leeds Neighbourhood Health Model to target population-level interventions.
2. Leeds City Council, Leeds Health and Care Partnership, anchor organisations and third sector partners to work collaboratively to further improve access to cool spaces across the city by:
- Building on and promoting Leeds cool spaces guidance with partners and increasing public awareness.
- Insuring there is a fair spread of cool spaces according to need across the city including community venues and seating in shaded areas.
- Public Health and Financial Inclusion teams are piloting a Leeds Cool Spaces Network for Summer 2026 using community hubs, libraries, neighbourhood networks and potentially health centres.
- Hydration stations and refill points are being explored, aligned with Cool Spaces messaging.
- We are currently exploring how to integrate cool-space principles into Age and Dementia Friendly and Come in and Rest venues.
- We are collaborating with Climate, Energy and Greenspaces teams to support natural shading within current and future green space developments.
- Heat-responsive adaptations (timing, venue choice, cool spaces, water availability) will be reflected in future procurement cycles for key public health contracts.
3. Leeds City Council, Leeds Health and Care Partnership, and Third Sector partners to work together to review and increase opportunities for community engagement around the health impacts of increasing heat through the development of a city-wide action plan.
- The Thackray Museum of Medicine exhibited the Heat in the City film with information boards and an interactive activity to collect public experiences of heat.
- Leeds Climate Emergency Advisory Committee is supporting delivery of the action plan and disseminating public-facing messages via elected members.
- Regular engagement with Health and Wellbeing Champions is raising the profile of heat risks among elected members and communities.
4. Academic partners to support city-wide work to strengthen local research, evidence and evaluation in relation to urban-heat mapping and climate vulnerability tools.
- SHIELD study: A University of Leeds project is developing tools to help care homes and home care apply heat-mitigation guidance.
- UrbanCool bid: Joint Leeds partnership on heat-resilient infrastructure, green space and preparedness (decision due early 2026).
- The Ageing Well team is working with the University of Leeds on research into seasonal use of urban green spaces by older adults and the barriers to access.
- Public Health are collaborating on the development of technology-enabled care, including falls prevention, indoor temperature tracking and hydration monitoring.
5. Leeds City Council will ensure that heat and health is considered in planning, particularly within densely populated inner city areas by ensuring:
- That planning applications are informed by ward-specific heat data.
- Health Impact of heat is included in health needs assessments.
- Continued development of design guidelines for green spaces that are adaptable to the changing climate.
- Discussions are underway with LCC Planning and Sensing Leeds to strengthen heat resilience in policy and guidance.
- The provision of natural shading is being considered within new developments, including the Heart of Holbeck project.
- Heat-related questions are now to be considered as part of the Health Impact Assessment used in planning processes.
- Draft Street Café Licensing guidance includes considerations and messaging related to heat impacts.
6. West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Council will continue to work together to:
- Identifying opportunities for funding and investment in energy efficiency measures within Leeds housing stock.
- Lobbying for improvement in national policy around rental housing to ensure landlords are responsible for making improvements that protect against heat as well as cold.
- Promoting energy-efficient, climate-resilient housing.
- The new Warm Homes Local Grants Scheme (2026–28) will highlight the cooling benefits of thermal efficiency.
- We work with Home Plus Leeds to improve communication on how energy-efficiency measures help keep homes cool and to expand practical support.
- Review of the Good Home Hub included guidance and support on keeping homes cool.
- Public Health are working with housing and extra-care teams to ensure staff can support at-risk residents during periods of high heat.
7. Leeds City Council, Leeds Health and Care Partnership, Anchor Organisations, Third Sector and local businesses to work collaboratively to consider increased risk of vector borne diseases and heat for outdoor workers/workers at risk.
In summer 2025 Leeds City Council ran a social media campaign on tick awareness and prevention.
- Tick-awareness posters will be present in all parks from Spring 2026, as well as materials for garden centres and landscape suppliers.
- A partnership is in place with Leeds Anchor Network Climate subgroup to share UKHSA tick and heat-safety guidance with private-sector outdoor workers.
8. Health and Wellbeing Board to continue to address health inequalities via the Fairer, Healthier Leeds (Marmot City) and other health inequalities work. Address health inequalities through Marmot City work
- A new group has been formed to maximise the health impact of selective licensing, including focus on heat and cold.
- The Heart of Holbeck project is trialling the Health Equity Assessment Tool to influence design; recommendations include adding heat-related questions to consultation.
9. Leeds City Council, Leeds Health and Care Partnership, anchor organisations, and third sector partners to develop skills and knowledge amongst frontline workforce in protecting people at increased risk from the adverse health impacts of heat. Increase frontline workforce knowledge and skills
- The Weather Health Improvement Group continues to provide heat-related training and resources.
- Joint Public Health, ASC and RET workshops have been delivered on heatwave preparedness for care home and home care managers.
- Discharge teams across acute, community and adult social care services have been trained in MECC-based weather-health messaging, improving preventative advice and reducing the risk of heat-related readmission.
