What's happening in Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton and Stourton
For several years now, the number of people contacting me about housing has been getting bigger and bigger. They are either desperate to get a council house, are in a private let but can no longer afford the rent, are overcrowded or have been waiting for ages to move. House
The war in Ukraine continues to dominate our television screens and newspapers. It is still hard to believe that in a modern European country people are being bombed, shelled, starved and displaced by another country that has decided to invade them. As I write, the situation in Mariupol is particularly
Although in our hearts we probably knew it was coming, no words can quite convey the profound shock we all felt when we woke up to discover that Russian forces had started their invasion of Ukraine. This is not a conflict in a far-off country of which we know little.
Preparations are now well under way for Leeds’ 2023 Year of Culture. We were one of five UK cities which originally bid to become the European City of Culture, but Brexit put paid to that. So, in typical no-nonsense fashion, Leeds decided to have a year of artistic and musical
As I write this article on 23 December, it’s not yet clear whether further measures may be put in place in England immediately after Christmas to deal with the rising number of Omicron cases of Covid. Meanwhile, the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have all announced new
There is real anger at the decision to scrap the eastern leg of HS2 which would have brought high-speed rail to Leeds. We were repeatedly promised that both HS2 East and Northern Powerhouse Rail – a new high speed route connecting Manchester and Leeds via Bradford – would be delivered
The killing of Sir David Amess while serving his constituents came as a great shock, and our hearts go out to his wife and family. He was much liked on all sides of the House of Commons for his cheerfulness, good humour and utter dedication to his constituency. Just five
Last month, a blue plaque was unveiled in memory of the Rev Don Robins. He was appointed vicar of St George’s Church in the heart of Leeds in 1930 at the time of the Great Depression. Looking around his new parish, he saw the homeless, the hungry and the destitute
The speed of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan took many people by surprise, and there must come a time when we look back and reflect on what happened so we can learn the lessons. But for now we have to deal with the sadness and fear these events have created.
Recently, I attended a demonstration at Leeds Dock organised by the leaseholders who live there and who are affected by the cladding scandal. Many of them were holding cardboard signs showing the amounts of money they fear they may be asked for to fix the fire safety defects in their