Good afternoon, readers — Despite a rainy morning, we’ve started the week with a spring in our step, and it’s all thanks to you. Last week, we asked you for help achieving our dearest wish — to reach 6,000 members (free and paying) by the end of the week — and you delivered. We’re 6,027-strong now (hello to all you newbies) and would love to grow even more, so please forward this email to any friends that might want to sign up.
We also had a huge reaction to our weekend read from transport expert Gareth Dennis, who we invited to have a go redesigning Leeds’ transport network. He came back with an orthodoxy-busting tram-less map that had the comment section abuzz. “There’s a hypothetical metro map in here that almost made me fall to my knees in awe,” wrote one academic on Bluesky.
There’s a hypothetical metro map in here that almost made me fall to my knees in awe
— dr clementine’s monster (@clemmie.bsky.social) 2026-10-17T11:33:45.702Z
“This article made me a paid subscriber!” wrote new member Martin Bryant. “Almost this exact network is something I’ve dreamed of for years.”
Not everyone agreed. “Classic Dennis. 20% right, 80% wrong,” wrote one transit researcher. Whether for or against, it was fantastic seeing so many experts and interested folk discuss his proposals: exactly the kind of debate The Exchange wants to foster.
Now, here’s your weekly news round-up:
The round up
🏛️Bradford remains a city of sanctuary by the skin of its teeth, after a Reform-backed motion failed by a single vote. Proposed by Reform’s Ian Walker, the motion argued that “accommodation provided to asylum seekers [comes] at great cost to the residents and can undermine community cohesion.” If it had passed, the council would have dropped “any non-statutory migration-related pledges that fall outside the local authority’s core legal responsibilities.” Given Reform are the main party in Bradford, there was a significant chance the city might go the way of Calderdale, which also dropped its “local authority of sanctuary” status in July. In the end, the result was 38 votes for, 37 against. Although some Conservative councillors backed the measure, many abstained and one — Cllr Peter Cochrane — voted against, alongside what Labour called a “coalition of decency”.
💬 A rogue commenter somehow gained control of Meanwood Health Centre’s responses to Google reviews. Dozens of responses to both positive and negative reviews appeared, some of which were then screenshotted and posted by the curious minds of Leeds subreddit last night. The tone spans from silly, to rude, to just plain mean.
“Exquisite suffering is our aim,” reads the response to one negative review. “Someone has to employ sociopaths and we do our bit,” was the response to someone complaining about staff. The author of a complaint about the spinal clinic was called a “spineless twerp,” who should “get a job sitting down and stop being a parasite.” Another complainer was dismissed as “Old and gnarly. Disposable.” It’s hard to know when the breach took place: many of the reviews and responses date back years. However, those with admin privileges can edit an existing response any time, meaning they could be much more recent. Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the centre, told us this morning that they have since “regained control of access, meaning that no further unauthorised responses can be posted.” The rogue responses remain online at time of publication, although the Trust says it’s working with Google to get them removed and apologises for any offence caused. It’s also reviewing its account management arrangements.
👶 Leeds Baby Bank is fundraising after discovering a break-in at their building on Friday morning, which saw laptops, iPads and phones stolen. The charity shared images of a bashed-in office door, a broken window and rifled-through cabinets, adding that the incident is “a huge setback” for their vital work preparing bundles of essentials like nappies, clothes and formula for parents living in poverty. A GoFundMe appeal has already raised more than £24,000 to help them recover.
🚓West Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after an alleged racially aggravated encounter in the small hours of Sunday morning. At about 12.47 am, a police spokesperson said three men who had reportedly been asked to leave the Stick or Twist Wetherspoons on Merrion Way, then reportedly began performing Nazi salutes before surrounding and racially harassing an Asian man on Brunswick Terrace. Three men aged 25, 26 and 29 have since been arrested were taken into custody. Police are appealing for witnesses to get in touch with crime reference number 13260592802.
🏙️ Another student housing block is slamming on the brakes. In an interview with the Yorkshire Post, the developer behind 100MC, a 400-ft student skyscraper on Merrion Way, admitted the project had been “shelved”. Town Centre Securities boss Edward Ziff said that, in the time it took the company to secure planning permission from the council, “the markets changed dramatically,” adding that another student block they had in the works, the conversion of Wade House, in the same spot, is also being reconsidered. For anyone who remembers our report earlier this year on the slowdown of the purpose-built student accommodation market, this news will come as little surprise.
The big picture
A moody sky over Leeds, and the plane we probably all wish we were on … that’s our gorgeous image of the week from Kirran Gibson, whose angular, architecture-focused work you can follow on Instagram here.
Home of the week
Despite the cottagecore vibes, this cute white-fronted house in Ravenscar Avenue, Oakwood is actually a two-bedroom terrace. There’s a cosy-looking garden at the front, enclosed by large shrubbery, although the house is “in need of some modernisation”. Are you the right person to give it some love? If so, it’s yours for £240,000.
Things to do
🧑🍳 Lucky enough to have a full day off work next Tuesday? Then get yourself down to the First Direct Bank Arena for a full day of fresh-faced culinary expertise. The eight hopefuls vying to be named Young Chef of the Year Final are battling it out, to impress the likes of Pierre Koffmann and Chef Jono of Leeds' V&V fame. In between rounds, you’ll be able to enjoy more than 70 food and drink suppliers at the venue. The event takes place between 10am and 4pm, with tickets available for free here.
📖 “Silent… but social”... Further North - North Bar in Chapel Allerton is hosting a monthly bookclub with a twist: quiet reading, gentle conversation and no assigned books. This bookclub is for you if you “love reading but struggle to make time for it” and “feel intimidated by traditional book clubs”. The next meet is on Tuesday from 7.30pm, with tickets costing £5.
🗺️ Whether you’re new to the city or think you’re a local expert, we bet there’ll be something you didn’t know on this week’s “Hidden Gems and Curious Corners” tour. Run by urban geographer Rachael Unsworth, who helped publish The Illustrated History of Chapel Allerton, the tour promises to showcase “out-of-the-way and out-of-the-ordinary”. We like that this offers something a bit different to just a standard history lesson about our beautiful city. If you fancy it, it takes place between 11am and 1pm on Tuesday, with tickets £13.70.
