Goodbye, local election candidates, water referendum ...
... and more news in Ilkley, Bradford and West Yorkshire in our round-up 🗞️
A goodbye of sorts
A note from the editor
And just like that, The Ilkley Journal turns two at the end of the month. The funny thing is that it feels like no time has passed at all, as if we’re still at the start of our journey and only just getting started. Time can be funny like that.
Yet, going through our archive of stories, reflecting on everything that happens behind the scenes, we have, if anything, been very busy trying to make a success of our little online newspaper since launching in April 2024.
We’re very proud of all that we’ve achieved with our journalism, whether it’s been our history of the building that now hosts McDonald’s, the battle for the heart and soul of Ilkley Tarn, our interview with CSE survivor Fiona Goddard or our wry take on one of Ilkley Town Council’s more lively meetings.
But despite all of that and our efforts to make a case for an alternative source of news in Ilkley, we’ve never quite cut through in a meaningful way. It’s been a steep learning curve and we’re wiser for it. Every day is a school day, so they say.
What now? Well, as we’ve got closer and closer to our two-year anniversary – and especially since the start of the new year – we’ve been thinking long and hard about how we move forward as a publication so that we can actually get to where we really want to be.
And our conclusion? We’ve decided to call it a day – well, sort of. Although we’re sadly going to be winding down operations at The Ilkley Journal – while still leaving the door slightly open – it’s by no means the end of our story. We’re simply adapting, pivoting and thinking big.
Instead of continuing with The Ilkley Journal, we’re going to shift away from being a hyperlocal, long-form newspaper specialising in slow journalism. Our focus will now be on covering the entire district of Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region, too.
It’s not been an easy decision – we love our brand, we love the town – but it’s been clear for some time that if we really want to grow sustainably as an independent news organisation over the next two years, we have to look beyond Ilkley.
Which we have been for a while now with our coverage. The problem is that this hasn’t necessarily translated into more subscribers, more supporters, or greater visibility and reach. And truth be told, our name has become something of a barrier. It’s too local.
Now, there’s more to say about all of this but we’ve got that scheduled for later this month. place. So do stay tuned. We simply thought it made sense to give you guys a heads-up as we’ve already started making public-facing tweaks.
Finally, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters for being part of our journey and sticking with us over the last two years. We hope you’ve enjoyed what we’ve offered and that it’s been of some value. You’ve honestly kept us going. And we hope that you’ll join us as we embark on the next chapter of our story, too, because we’re definitely not done yet.
Best,
the editor
LOCAL ELECTIONS
Bradford Council and Leeds Council reveal full list of candidates for 2026 local elections
Bradford Council and Leeds have respectively released a full list of candidates standing in the local elections this May (which you can read more about here in our jampacked guide).
All the major parties, from Labour and the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Reform UK, are fielding candidates across the district.
Both councils also have plenty of independent candidates looking to get elected, as well as candidates from smaller parties the Yorkshire Party and the Social Democrat Party and more fringe representation (like UKIP, which describes itself today as “the new right”).
In the Ilkley and Addingham ward, the following are standing:
Conservatives
Andrew John Patrick Loy
Jane Sellers
Richard Michael Downey
Greens
Ellan D’arcy
Richard Wilson
Ros Brown
Labour
John Flaherty
Lorraine Dowson
Stephen Anthony Hey
Lib Dems
Mark Fredrick Stidworthy
Reform UK
Ray Lenik
Greg Robinson
Craig Sanderson
You can see how the ward has voted over the last 20 years here.
In the Wharfedale ward, the following are standing:
Conservatives
Bob Felstead
Jo White
Peter Sidney Cochrane
Greens
Chris Turner
Daniel Guy
Lottie Kitching
Labour
Amanda Peters
Christopher Eric Steele
Peter Martin Iliff
Lib Dems
Pauline Heather Allon
Reform UK
Dan Neal
Nicholas Charles Carter
Ronald Harriman
Labour has had a majority on Bradford Council since 2014, as well as a majority on Leeds Council since 2011.
As these are all-out elections, you will be selecting three candidates this time around. The local elections will be held on Thursday 7 May.
LOCAL
Ilkley Clean River Group: we want a water referendum
The Ilkley Clean River Group are urging locals to back their call for a referendum to gauge whether there is widespread public support for bringing the water industry back into public ownership.
A petition urging that a binding national referendum be held has been set up, arguing that it would be one of the most effective ways to “give the public back its voice about its water”.
At the time of writing, it has so far attracted over 21,000 signatures. Any petition that hits 10,000 signatures will receive a response from the government. Any petition that achieves over 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in Parliament.
“It’s unforgivable how the government is ignoring the evidence and the public and saying water must stay privatised despite its catastrophic, expensive failure,” said Feargal Sharkey, the singer turned clean water campaigner.
“Privatisation has already diverted over £85 billion of billpayers’ money to shareholders who added nothing but greed and financial engineering to what should be a water industry, not a cash machine.
“It’s time the public had a say in this, not just the bond markets and financiers currently pulling the government’s strings for their own ends, and that is why I am 100% behind this petition.”
In October 2025, the Environment Agency reported that Yorkshire Water was one of three water companies that were “responsible” for 81% of serious pollution incidents.
Reform UK reveals Wharfedale candidates
Reform UK has picked Wharfedale locals Dan Neal, Nick Carter and Ron Harriman as candidates for the ward in the 2026 Bradford Council local elections.
Neal, who has lived in Burley in Wharfedale since 1995, is described as having a career in the NHS and “the wider healthcare sector”. He claims that he will be “focused on local priorities and securing better value for every pound of council tax”.
Harriman, who has been based in Burley for over 30 years, is said to have experience in “business, systems and management”. If elected, he claims he’ll “challenge inefficiencies and help reduce tax rises”.
Neal, who is a lifelong Wharfedale resident, has spent his career in education “as a principal and strategic lead”. He claims he is committed to “delivering cost-effective services for all residents”.
Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus last month, the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, said that he was of the opinion that Labour may struggle to hold onto its seats on Bradford Council.
They “may well go green,” he went on to say, “because there’s a particular Pakistani-Kashmiri vote that is now heading in that direction”.
According to Saving Broken Bradford, which describes itself as “the local Reform Bradford branch Facebook page”, the party will be standing 90 candidates across the district on 7 May.
DISTRICT
Bradford appoints new cultural leadership role
A new assistant director for culture, policy and events has been announced by Bradford Council as the local authority seeks to build on the legacy of a year-long status as the UK City of Culture 2025.
David Watson will take on the key strategic leadership role, which comes with a salary bracket of £99,433 to £112,411. Watson describes himself as a “cultural consultant, sector leader and audience experience creator”.
He has worked with cultural giants like the National Museums Liverpool and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. He is currently chair of the Chester-based arts centre/creative hub charity Storyhouse.
Watson will be tasked with building a long-term cultural strategy with the Bradford Culture Company to enable Bradford to achieve its ambitions to become one of the best destinations in the UK for culture.
“Bradford’s moment in 2025 has been powerful to witness. It’s the result of years of ambition, graft and belief from people right across the district,” said Watson.
“I’m delighted to be part of what comes next, building on that energy and momentum to create something that continues to transform opportunities and deliver real impact in people’s lives.”
The council revealed last month that it had secured £3.5 million in funding to invest in Bradford’s cultural sector from several sources, including Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
CONSTITUENCY
Local MP welcomes positive change in Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme
The MP for Keighley and Ilkley has welcomed news that the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme (ULS) has increased the amount of time that victims and bereaved families have for requesting a review of a sentence they feel could be tougher.
Instead of having just 28 days to put in a request, victims and bereaved families – and any other member of the public – will now have up to six months to ask for a sentence perceived to be too lenient to be reconsidered.
“Today, after much campaigning, the government has confirmed it is extending the amount of time victims and families have to appeal the sentences of their abusers … and introducing a mandatory duty to inform victims about the scheme,” Robbie Moore said.
“I would like to thank the solicitor general [Ellie Reeves] for meeting with me and being open to working cross-party on this issue to bring forward such necessary changes.”
Claire Waxman, the victims’ commissioner – a role that acts as the “voice of victims – said that she was delighted and paid tribute to Tracey Hanson’s role in bringing about change after years of campaigning following the death of her son Josh.
“The new duty to ensure victims are notified about the unduly lenient sentence scheme, alongside extending the rigid 28-day time limit, represents a significant and long overdue reform,” she went on to say.
“Ensuring families and victims are not only properly informed but also able to access the scheme even if they were previously unaware.”
COUNTY
West Yorkshire “one of the worst-hit areas” for church-based crimes
West Yorkshire has been named the second-worst-hit area for church-based crime, according to an investigation by the Countryside Alliance.
The region recorded 445 crimes at churches last year, with first-place London recording 531. Of the 445 crimes, 147 cases were related to thefts, 77 were related to criminal damage and 126 were related to violence.
Elsewhere, South Yorkshire reported 98 crimes at churches, while North Yorkshire reported 71 crimes.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said that criminals were treating churches and places of worship as “easy targets”.
“We cannot allow this to continue,” he went on to say. “Churches and places of worship are focal points for local communities, particularly in rural towns and villages where they play a crucial role in combating isolation. It is vital that the public keep a watchful eye and report any issues to the police.”
The Countryside Alliance describes itself as a “political campaigning organisation” dedicated to championing rural life.
Last month, Tim Bonner, the alliance’s chief executive, wrote to Emma Reynolds, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, “calling for urgent action to protect rural households’ access to log burners and wood-burning stoves”.
“This issue has been brought into sharp focus by the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting volatility in global energy markets,” he noted in the letter.
“Millions of off-grid households that rely on heating oil are now facing severe and immediate financial pressure, with prices having doubled in some areas since the start of the conflict.”
Kirklees Labour launch local campaign
Labour councillors and candidates in Kirklees have launched their 2026 local election campaign, stating that they are “unashamed in our ambition” and that they are “prepared to fight for residents”.
A total of 69 candidates will be contesting all 23 of Kirklees’ wards, Carole Pattison, the Labour leader of Kirklees Council, revealed.
“Kirklees Labour are the only party who have taken seriously the responsibility of leadership and administration,” Pattison said. “Where others have played politics or shirked the responsibility of their position, we have a united party and have delivered successive balanced budgets that prioritise funding for the most vulnerable, whilst investing in towns and villages across Kirklees, bringing economic growth which benefits all residents.”
The council has had no overall control since the 2024 local elections, which saw Labour lose its majority (it had gained control in 2022 following a brief period of no overall control).
“Labour locally and nationally has a message to share,” she went on to say. |We are the ones with experience, committed to protecting the vulnerable, ambitious for all our towns and villages and tackling the cost of living.”
Kirklees Council revealed last month that its local plan will be ready for examination in September 2028. Local plans help councils identify “strategic priorities for the development and use of land in their area”.