Deputation to Leeds City Council: Making and Feeding Futures of Leeds – The Floor Flag Manifesto

Description

As part of my ongoing design-research into care, public space, and infant feeding, I delivered a deputation to Leeds City Council. I was joined by Lyndsey Jakeman and Hayley Nobes from Shine Young Mums charity, and Angela Thompson from Leeds Art Gallery. A deputation is a formal speech to the council chamber, allowing residents and researchers to present urgent community concerns and proposals for civic change.

Our deputation shared the outcomes and recommendations from Making and Feeding Futures of Leeds: The Floor Flag Manifesto—a collaborative, creative research project developed through workshops with Shine Young Mums, Leeds Bosom Buddies (a breastfeeding peer support group), and the wider public at Leeds Art Gallery. The project was supported by the University of Brighton, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and made possible through Feed (In Certain Places) with curatorial support from Elaine Speight and Vicky Carr.

The Council voted unanimously in favour of the manifesto’s aims—endorsing a radical yet practical vision for Leeds to become a more caring, accessible, and equitable city for families, caregivers, and breastfeeding parents.

Key recommendations include:

Prioritising safety and accessibility in civic spaces, with links to tackling gender-based violence
Providing access to free drinking water city-wide
Supporting breastfeeding through inclusive design, education, and representation
Creating welcoming, free-to-access spaces for caregiving and rest
These interventions demonstrate how small, low-cost design changes can have transformative public impact. As stated in the speech: “This is not solely about breastfeeding. It’s about recognising care as a public good—essential to sustaining urban life.”

The project’s central artefact, The Floor Flag, now resides as a permanent resource at Leeds Art Gallery, symbolising the city’s commitment to reimagining care within public life.

Period	9 Jul 2025
Event title	Leeds City Council Meeting
Event type	Other
Location	Leeds, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	Regional