Dear Exchangers — (is this a thing now?), welcome back! Come in, come in. Daniel will be absent for the next six weeks, attending to the small matter of the birth of his second child, a darling baby boy who arrived on Thursday at 10:38am.
Alas, not even the creation of life is enough to shut this show down, certainly not when there’s the latest from the Wyke waste saga to be reporting on. That and loads more below.
Before that, this: It’s been a huge week for Mill Media, our parent company, and our sister paper in Liverpool: The Post. They secured a significant win in a long-running legal battle against Lawrence Westgaph, a TV historian who was the subject of an award-nominated exposé by The Post’s Abi Whistance (a journalistic talent reared in these parts) early last year.
To give you an abridged version, Westgaph had attempted to use the machinery of GDPR law to learn the identities of The Post’s sources, who, as alleged abuse victims, had been anonymised. There’s a journalistic exemption for such things, but it had never been tested in court. Ultimately — after an exhausting legal process and £75,000 in costs, the judge took a dim view of Westgaph’s approach (including his use of threatening Facebook posts vowing “revenge” against The Post — see below for levity).
It’s a victory for Mill Media, but a shocking example of how independent media can be targeted with bad-faith lawsuits — making your support all the more important.
The round-up
A massive flytipping site has finally been cleared from Wyke, Bradford. The saga began in 2023 when Bradford Council began to hear complaints about dumping and burning of rubbish on the Wyke Lane site. It then took three years (and court action from the Environment Agency) to finally get it cleared. The landowner, 57-year-old Andrew Leadbeater, has pleaded guilty to two charges relating to waste offences.
Behold, the offending Wyke waste pile:
Fly-tipping has long been an issue in Bradford. Three tips - Ford Hill in Queensbury, Sugden End in Keighley and Golden Butts in Ilkley - were closed in 2024, with two of these sold by the council. Leader of the Conservative Group in Bradford, Councillor Rebecca Poulsen urged the council earlier this month to reopen the Sugden End site and find replacements for the other two locations, as reported by Local Democracy Reporter Chris Young.
Last Tuesday, new Reform Leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Stephen Place, said in a video announcement that the local authority was "reviewing with officers" all issues regarding Household Waste Recycling Centres and added, "we're hoping to open some more".
We'll keep you updated on that one.
♿ Leeds Powerchair Football Club are national champions. They won the EE Disability FA Cup in their category this weekend, coming through with a 3-1 victory against Teesside. Formed after the 2012 Olympic Games, the team now hosts and trains national-level players. You can watch striker Dan Rigby’s championship-sealing goal here.
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💰 A long-running equal-pay claim against Leeds City Council is collectively worth “hundreds of millions of pounds” to the more than 4,000 women who have joined it, according to GMB Union. GMB say that roles typically held by women, such as teaching assistants, haven’t been rewarded as well as those typically performed by men, such as refuse collectors. Leeds City Council said in a statement that they settled “some elements” of the claims last year, and that they are “keen to continue talks”.
🧳 It’s student changeover week in Leeds, which sees tens of thousands of bright young things lugging their stuff out of one place and into another. A byproduct of this is colossal amounts of waste, so Leeds City Council is urging students to donate, recycle or sell as much as they can, lest the city start to look like Andrew Leadbeater’s land. Unipol, the student accommodation charity, has produced this handy map of recycling and donation points.
🚌 West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin met with around 40 protesters outside her office in Leeds on Thursday to address claims of a “culture of secrecy” at West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The protest was focused on securing the ability for the public to ask questions at public meetings, an issue that has frustrated the Better Buses for West Yorkshire campaign. “It’s about transparency, accountability and democracy,” campaign chair Gareth Forest told The Exchange. For now, Brabin has agreed to a Mayor’s Question Time devoted to bus discussion. A WYCA spokesperson said it’s “categorically untrue” that council business is conducted in secret, and pointed to the mayor’s question time events and monthly phone-in on BBC radio as opportunities for public questions.
The big picture: Remember these?
After a stifling week we bring you: the concept of rain. Thanks to Matt Gibbons, who was in Halifax to photograph this colourful umbrella display in the Old Arcade earlier this month. Follow Matt’s fantastic work here, and contact Mia if you’d like a photo featured.
Home of the week
Ever wanted to look out across the Leeds skyline from the comfort of your casa, and be part of one of its most “iconic” buildings? Well, a two-bedroom apartment on the 11th floor of Bridgewater Place has come up, on sale for £200,000 (reduced to this price today). It includes two bathrooms (one an ensuite), large windows with “panoramic city views” and even an allocated parking space. It’s a leasehold and can be found here.
Catching up and coming up
Last week Brad reported on a sprawling homeless encampment outside Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court. Online content creators have seized on it, directing opprobrium at Bradford Council and the camp itself in equal measure. Brad talked to its inhabitant, Gary, whose views on living rough — and the world in general — are complex. Despite offers of support from the council, Gary claimed to be content busying himself as “king” of his own realm, right up until the court order arrived to move him along. Read Brad’s reporting here.
The Otley Run — Hogarthian pit of iniquity or treasured pub institution? That’s the question raised by guest writer Tom Horn, who followed a trail of revellers along the route while pondering its explosion in popularity post-2020. People now travel across the country to have the “full Otley” experience, yet a horrific crossbow attack last year raised new policing concerns. Read Tom’s reporting here.
This Wednesday we feature guest writer and archive-comber Thomas Barrett, who has written about Evelyn Lintott, an England, Leeds and Bradford footballer who was killed on the very first day of the Battle of the Somme. We publish on the 110th anniversary of Lintott’s death. Barrett not only digs into his sacrifice but his rich political and sporting life.
What we did last week
On Sunday, Mia headed to Vinyl Grounds in Leeds city centre for the issue 1 launch of Pickled, a new indie art and culture magazine throwing itself into the busy Leeds zine scene.
Publisher Amina Naheem — an artist herself — told The Exchange that as a student at Leeds Arts University, zines and books became her main medium. Post-graduation, while working a day job at Flannels, she felt the need for a new creative project. “I was like, you know what? What’s the worst that could happen,” she said. “I’ll make a magazine.”
She put out a call for artists and got a massive response, with contributors hailing from close by to international makers. “It’s very much a platform for artists’ processes,” she said.
Amina hides behind her magnum opus while a crowd builds up for the launch. Photos: Mia Jankowicz
From one new Leeds-based media venture to another, let’s hope there’s more issues to come.
It’s wedding season for Brad (no less than four ceremonies to attend in the next six weeks) and the starting gun on an intense period of nuptials got underway on Saturday. Thankfully, (in the view of money and social battery) this one was just an evening invite.
Brad went along to the beautiful Thornton Hall County Park, set among rolling countryside, to celebrate the bride and groom and had a jolly good time dancing along to the usual hits, with a saxophonist and bongo-drummer accompaniment. Sunday was the proverbial day of rest, interrupted only for a roast with all the trimmings at Toby Carvery to chew over the fat of the night before and reenergise the body.
Things to do
📚 Romantasy is all the rage at the minute and if that’s a bit of you, Independent bar and bottle shop, Hoc Loco in Horsforth is the place. They run a monthly book club on site and tomorrow night they’re welcoming the trio behind Tats, Tales & Talons for their meet. You can “dive into romantasy reads and drink amazing wines” between 7pm and 9pm. Tickets are £6.13.
📿 Indie business, EBA Jewellery, which was set up by 25-year-old Amy from Bradford, is running a charm jewellery workshop on Wednesday evening at the home of one of the finest craft breweries in the UK, the Northern Monk Refectory and Garden LDS, in Holneck. You’ll have the chance to create your own jewellery by adding unlimited charms to either a necklace or bracelet. A free drink is included in the ticket price of £37.80. The workshop runs from 6pm until 8pm.
⚽ There’s something in the sporting world that’s fairly important on Wednesday night as well. Any ideas? England are taking on D.R. Congo in the first knockout round of the World Cup after topping their group. We’ve got a couple of new suggestions for those lucky enough to clock off work early for the 5pm kick-off. Trinity Kitchen is running a fanzone again for the latest match, boasting eight screens, 11 street food vendors and free bars. Standing tickets are free, but premium-seated tickets can be booked for £10. Another option is The Brotherhood on New Briggate. A go-to for televised sports events, and it looked rammed for the Panama game. It was walk-ins on a first-come first-served basis for that one and though they’re yet to advertise exact details for tomorrow (they are showing it), we imagine you’d be best getting down their as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Editor's note, 30/06/2026: This has been updated to reflect the fact that we will publish the story on Evelyn Lintott on the 110th anniversary of his death, not the 108th. Apologies for the error.
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