Afternoon Exchangers,
We know for many of you there’s just a couple more days until the little ones break up for summer but at The Exchange we’re just getting going. Although Brad is off this week, taking a well-deserved break after his excellent profile of controversial star baker Rich Myers pulled in hundreds of new members.
To all of you: hi! We’re West Yorkshire’s new quality newspaper. This is our weekly Monday news briefing, which is free. However, our midweek pieces and some of our weekend reads will be behind a paywall — this is how we fund our excellent independent journalism.
Speaking of, at the weekend, Mia took in the “Phantasmagoria: Folkloric Sculpture for the Digital Age” exhibition at the Henry Moore Institute. It’s a suitably eerie show about how the AI age is brewing a modern era of tech-addled folklore. Powering the tech behind such nightmare visions are massive data centres, such as the one recently approved for Skelton Grange. We’ve got an update on that divisive plan and more in your Exchange round-up.
The round-up
Topline: A fast-growing campaign is building against the massive Microsoft data centres proposed for Skelton Grange. In the few days since a petition was launched, there were more than 5,000 signatures.
The Exchange published a report by Rose Mason on the planned centres back in June, noting they “will be, in a word, colossal”, and examining their impact on water usage, power consumption, and nature.
The pushback: Lianne Marie Mease, the lead representative of a newly-formed campaign against the project, told The Exchange she was “overwhelmed” by the response. At their first meeting, she said, seven people showed up. At the last meeting, there were more than 100. More than 500 comments have now been lodged on the Leeds City Council planning portal.
The campaign represents a wide range of views, she said. “There are people who are completely anti-AI, there are people who are pro-AI or begrudgingly accepting, but feel that the way that this has been approached, they think this has been done without consultation.”
The aim of the petition, says Mease, is to prompt a “much more robust planning process in consultation with the people of Leeds.” By her telling, many of the people she’s talked to about the centre had no idea it was happening. For their part, Leeds city council says every aspect of the data centre, including design, scale and impact, was “given full and proper consideration during the planning process”. As far as the local authority is concerned, the public had an opportunity to give opinions, during a wide-ranging consultation process that included a two-day information event by the centre’s backers, as well as council site notices and an ad in the local press. The application was also discussed at publicly-viewable council meetings in February and April this year. The council didn’t comment on whether the recent uproar is impacting the planning process. Final sign-off, though, still hasn’t happened.
An American water bottling company pays less than £7,500 a year to extract tens of millions of litres of water from springs around the villages of Shepley and Highburton, according to an Observer investigation. The licences, given to a brand owned by US-based Niagara Bottling, are among several across the UK revealed by Freedom of Information requests to the Environment Agency, which manages the licences. It’s unclear how much profit Niagara Water is raking in, but nationwide, bottled water sales are worth about £2.5bn annually. The EA said licences are given out under “strict conditions” and are not intended as a “wider economic instrument.”
Two Reform councillors are under the spotlight after a pair of reports by the region’s doughty Local Democracy Reporting service. For Yorkshire Live, Lyra Auld dug up a recent series of posts appearing to be by Kirklees councillor Eric Butterworth, which included a wish to “make England Islam-free.” The posts have since been deleted and Butterworth did not comment. Meanwhile, Chris Young reported for the Telegraph & Argus how Bradford council’s new Reform leader Stephen Place was questioned by colleagues at a local authority meeting about now-deleted social media posts including sexually suggestive material. Other questions referred to conspiracy theories, asking Place about aircraft condensation trails and whether he believes the 1969 moon landing was “faked.” Place rejected the interrogation as “puerile playground antics”.
Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of the Jo Cox Way, a 290-mile cycle route dedicated to the Batley and Spen MP who was murdered by a far-right extremist 10 years ago. This year, around 80 cyclists are set to join, including two women who’ve travelled from New Zealand to take part. Ruby Boyden said that part of her inspiration to come so far was “as a political choice. It’s a reminder to turn toward community not away from it, particularly in times of increasing polarisation and divisive rhetoric.”
The big picture
Surely nothing captures the bustle of Leeds this summer than this photo from the recent heatwave by @mdc_uk_photography. We love the Martin Parr-like vibrancy that absolutely radiates off the screen here — follow this account for more West Yorkshire snaps.
Home of the week
“Deceptively spacious” is one of the descriptions given for this three-bedroom end terrace on Harrogate Road, Bradford. It features all the usual home essentials but also includes a commercial unit with shop front, which could be used as additional space for the house or for a business. There is a large side garden which is currently used for off-street parking. Hideous rugs not included. £160,000 for this one.
Catching up and coming up:
We’re reeling from the huge reader response to Brad Deas and Moya Lothian-McLean’s weekend read about Rich Myers, the baker behind the viral Bruce chocolate cake slice and any number of very public comment skirmishes via his GetBaked online bakery. Myers has traded on his notoriety for years — to the point that he’s not much loved by his Leeds hometown. But do all of his enemies really exist? And what’s the secret behind this — let’s admit it — marketing genius? Grab a spoon and dig in.
Brad Deas
Pulling that one together took a little longer than anticipated, and we’re making up for last week’s gap with an extra story this week in the form of a look behind the curtain at Kirklees Council. Mia was at Huddersfield Town Hall last week to see Reform’s group leader Councillor Sarah Wood finally grab a majority against a backdrop of email bickering, finger-pointing, and the threat of a government commissioner stepping in. Two months ago, Wood was a laughing stock, openly admitting she didn’t understand council procedures. Now, she commands a £467 million budget for Kirklees. Mia will lift the curtain on how on earth she got there in a bonus extra piece.
Things to do:
🏳️🌈 Straight after Leeds Pride Festival is The C*ntressas Tour at Viaduct Showbar tonight. Winner of Drag Race UK vs The World Season 3, Gawdland, is hitting the stages across the UK and Ireland alongside Mariah Balenciaga, Sminty Drop and Zahirah Zapanta. Individual tickets start at £22.38, but there's a two-for-one deal. The show will run from 6pm until 11pm.
🎾💃 Ever wanted to mix dance and racquet sports? Smashitevents is hosting an All White Party at Pure Padel North Leeds this coming Saturday from 12pm. The event says “get ready to shine in your freshest white outfit and join us for an epic day”. Instructions: “Dress head to toe in white and bring your best energy.” Tickets are £11.55 with no padel and £38.62 with.
👔 The Leeds School Uniform Exchange returns this week and it’s “bigger and better for 2026”. The initiative is run by charity Wear and Share Leeds and provides pre-loved school uniforms at no cost and with no referral required. This year’s pop-up will feature a larger retail space in the Merrion Centre and more stock available to give away. It can be found on the upper balcony level of the shopping centre, with the first dates this Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, between 10am and 3pm. It will run on selected dates until August 29.
