About

My name is Karen Bruce and I am the first Labour councillor to be elected in Rothwell in the 21st century having been elected in May 2010. As a Rothwell ward councillor on Leeds City Council I represent the people of Rothwell, Woodlesford, Oulton and Carlton.

I’ve lived in Carlton since 2002 and before that lived in Swillington and Methley. I live with my husband Stuart and our daughter attends Carlton Primary School. We’ve also got a cat and a Labrador dog.

I started my working life in the public sector and worked for West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive in a variety of different roles. For the last 10 years or so I’ve worked in and run my own small businesses. This enables me to better understand the challenges and difficulties faced by people in both the private and public sectors. This is my second time as a councillor as previously I was a councillor for the old Garforth and Swillington ward. This previous experience has enabled me to hit the ground running without the steep learning curve that many new councillors face.

As well as all my work locally within the ward helping local community groups and people I also sit on several council committees.

I’m a member of the Scrutiny Board (Health and Well-being and Adult Social Care), the Licensing Committee, South (Outer) Area Committee and the ALMO Aire Valley Homes (formerly known as South/South East Leeds Homes).