Fury as Yorkshire residents desperate to change Bradford postcode to Leeds

BD3 Gain Lane resident Gurvinder Singh Sandhu

Yorkshire residents are desperate for their Bradford postcodes to be changed to Leeds.

Gain Lane, in Thornbury, crosses the border between the pair of West Yorkshire council districts – but the whole road is covered by a BD3 postcode. A group of homeowners on the Leeds side have been fighting for the postcode change for a variety of reasons.

The homeowners want an LS28 Pudsey postcode as they’ve said they are ‘punished’ by the Royal Mail geographical coding in several different ways. They’ve shared horror stories where the emergency services have been confused, and say they are negatively impacted by the higher insurance rates for Bradford, while still having to pay higher council tax for Leeds.

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Residents and councillors say they have pleaded with Royal Mail to change the postcode, signing petitions, and even getting Leeds West and Pudsey MP Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves involved – but claim this has fallen on deaf ears.

Grandad Gurvinder Singh Sandhu, 59, spoke about the problems that arise from having a BD postcode, and the frustrating domino effect it’s had on his family and finances.

Gurvinder’s 84-year-old mum broke her arm last year and needed to be taken to hospital after falling over. He says emergency treatment would have been faster if they had a Leeds postcode, and his mum suffered agonising pain without treatment for “14 hours” as a result.

General views of the Leeds district end of Gain Lane

Gurvinder, who works as a dispatch operative for a baking firm, said: “We’re paying tax to Leeds Council but the postcode is BD3 7BN. The big problem is when we call the ambulance, the ambulance crews are most confused.

“The postcode should be LS28, not BD3. It affects our car and house insurance. Everything is a big issue with that as it’s higher in BD than LS. The problem is with the Royal Mail.”

He said the issue also caused a hassle when he was applying to send his three children, now grown up, to local schools Bolton Royd Primary School and Priesthorpe School, since renamed The Co-op Academy Priesthorpe.

'We’re being punished by both sides'

BD3 Gain Lane resident Abdul R Butt

Neighbour Abdul R Butt, 63, who owns Bradford restaurants Rawal Kebab House and China Chopstix, is also furious with the postcode situation. The grandad-of-seven said: “When we do the insurance, and give the postcode, it goes very very high. Whereas, in LS28 it’s much lower. We also pay higher tax so we’re being punished by both sides.

“It makes me feel very bad. Why can’t we get an LS28 postcode? I’m saying to the Royal Mail, can you please do something for us? We’re paying extra money.”

Mother-of-two Diane Isherwood, 60, lives on the Bradford side of the road. Diane said: “It was confusing because when we used to go to the council for school uniform or housing carry-on, we weren’t sure if it came under Bradford or Leeds. Same with the schools. It was confusing then but as the years went by, you understood it.”

BD3 Gain Lane resident Diane Isherwood

Conservative Councillor Andrew Carter said: “I am supporting local residents, and they are in contact with Royal Mail. Every possible obstacle has been put in the way of progress. Residents want to be in LS28 and they are right.”

Councillor Peter Carlill, Calverley and Farsley Ward said: "I've been supporting residents in the Thornbury/Pudsey area with this issue for many years, and Leeds West and Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves has also recently written to Royal Mail on their behalf to raise the issue.

“Royal Mail continue to insist that it is not up to them how postcodes may be used by other organisations, but over many years residents have had endless issues with medical records being misdirected, appointments or referrals being delayed or refused, and confusion among agencies as to who should respond.

"Although Royal Mail are not required to make this change, they could solve these very serious issues for our residents, with little or no impact on their operations."

Councillor Craig Timmins, Calverley and Farsley Ward: "As a new Councillor elected in May 2024, I had not been involved in previous campaigns to change this. However, I have spent time speaking with residents both on Gain Lane and the nearby Sunnybanks and Granges estates, listening to their concerns.

“It is clear that there are issues, such as confusion for the emergency services and unfortunately council services. These streets are an important part of our community and should be able to identify that way with their postcode, instead of constantly being frustrated by it."

Royal Mail and Leeds City Council have been approached for comment.