Leeds Greens come to grief

Dear readers — welcome back to another glorious week. Unless you’re a member of the Leeds Green party, which seems to be undergoing some serious ructions over a disagreement on cash that went to Mothin Ali. Following reporting in Private Eye, one Green councillor has called for the cash to be given back. That’s below.

As well as that, we’ve got what we hope is the first step in a revival of Sam Smith’s pubs, an update on who’ll be running the Weaver Network buses, and a tantalising mention of a Leeds tram at No.10 North (if only in wish-list form).

The round-up:

✈️ Jet2 made a grab for hearts and minds at Leeds Bradford Airport after EasyJet announced the end of all its flights from there. Easyjet, which previously ran routes to cities including Barcelona, Paris and Geneva, said it wanted to focus on its “most popular” routes, the BBC reported. Jet2 — which is headquartered in Leeds — was quick to announce a suite of discount codes and reiterate its “longstanding commitment” to the airport. 

🚋A tram network for Leeds and a new railway station for Bradford have achieved the status of “item on a whiteboard in No.10 North,” according to a Sunday Times interview with Andy Burnham over the weekend. They’re part of a wishlist pulled together by asking mayors “what powers they wanted to create the growth the country desperately needs? What red tape needed to be cut? What blockages needed to be unblocked?” the paper wrote. 

🚌The Weaver Network’s first contracts have been announced and one of them just happens to be … First West Yorkshire, which was formerly headed up by Paul Matthews, who is now WYCA’s bus franchising director. Campaigners Better Buses for West Yorkshire told the BBC they’re unhappy, pointing to a passenger survey that ranks FWY as 62 on a list of 72 national providers. While First will take routes serving Huddersfield, TransDev — which doesn’t appear in the rankings — is set to cover services in Dewsbury. 

🛍️Overwhelming support for the revival of Pudsey Market could see specialist vendors in farmers’ goods, vintage, street food, and arts and crafts setting up shop on Saturdays and Sundays following a Leeds City Council survey, according to the West Leeds Dispatch. Currently, rental income only covers about half the site’s running costs, the council says.

🦁 There are signs of life at the Old Red Lion on Meadow Lane, a Samuel Smith’s pub in Leeds that’s been closed since the pandemic. A little while back, we published a feature in which Mia wrote (with comically poor instincts) about “the suspicion that, while the rest of the world moves along, nothing will ever happen in here again.” Perhaps she provoked the fates — a few days later “opening soon” flyers for the boozer started circulating, and a newly-created Facebook page has ads for staff and pics showing the dusty interior getting a good clean-up. We look forward to getting a round in after it opens on Wednesday. 

The big picture:

If you want a sense of deep time, consider the dragonfly, which has been on this planet in some form for more than 300 million years. Unfortunately the zippy little critters barely ever sit still, so we’re lucky to have Becky Cawthorne’s sumptuous nature photography — she captured this tiny primeval predator on camera at the RSPB St Aidan’s nature reserve, between Leeds and Castleford, just a week ago. For more natural wonders, you should follow her Instagram here. 

The big story: Greens come to grief