Red cross abuse, Airedale NHS league table ranking, cinema consultation and more
Ilkley news, Bradford District News, West Yorkshire News ... welcome to the latest roundup 🗞️
Welcome to the latest Ilkley Journal roundup. As per our new format, you’ll notice that there’s more news from across West Yorkshire. It’s part of a general shift in our perspective on what local is (which we’ll be looking at in an upcoming piece). Here’s some thinking about it.
One, we’re expanding our coverage to reach more people to increase our readership to increase our paid subscriptions. The business of journalism has always been brutal and we feel like focusing on just Ilkley isn’t financially sustainable.
Two, devolution is changing the way politics works. Right or wrong, the idea of local is multifarious and always moving. You can think of it as hyper (e.g. Ilkley), from a local authority perspective (e.g. Bradford District) and regionally (e.g. West Yorkshire). And so, in response, we’re rethinking our idea of local. It’s work in progress.
And three, whether you live in Ilkley, Leeds, Skipton or Hebden Bridge, what happens in your neck of the woods can, directly and indirectly, impact on someone else’s stamping ground (see free parking below as an example). So it’s useful, especially with the roundups, to see what’s going on in the wider West Yorkshire reading.
That’s all. As ever, any and all feedback is welcome, paid subscriber sign-ups is more than welcome and ideas for stories, tips and the like also welcome. Help us fix it, fund it and future proof it.
Have a top, top Saturday. And remember that brolly if you’re out and about.
LOCAL
Keighley Town Council launches local cinema purchase consultation
Keighley Town Council launched a public consultation over its plans to consider purchasing Keighley Picture House, which has been entertaining moviegoers since it opened its doors in 1913.
“Recently, Bradford Council placed the freehold of the Picture House on its asset disposal list, with the intention to sell via auction,” the council said. “Following a strong community response and interest from the town council, the auction has been paused to allow the council time to consider purchasing the building for the community.”
You can have your say here. You have until 5pm on Tuesday 23 September to respond. The council will meet on Thursday 25 September to make a decision.
DISTRICT
Bradford Council launches updated Statement of Community Involvement consultation
Members of the public were asked by Bradford Council to take part in its consultation on an updated version of its Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), a statutory document that basically outlines how it engages all stakeholders when undertaking planning activities like the preparation of the local plan.
Alex Ross-Shaw, executive member for regeneration, planning and transport at Bradford Council, said: “Being part of the planning process means that people from across the Bradford district’s many communities can play an active role in shaping places and neighbourhoods and be involved in the decision-making process.”
CONSTITUENCY
Climate Action Ilkley to meet Keighley and Ilkley MP
Climate Action Ilkley revealed that via one of its trustees, Steven Webb, it had secured a meeting with Robbie Moore, the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, to talk about the Climate and Nature Bill.
“The bill aims to create a new law that will commit the government to following the science in addressing the root causes of our climate and nature emergencies,” Climate Action Ilkley said.
According to Zero Hour, which describes itself as the campaign for the Climate and Nature Bill, Moore has not yet pledged his support to the bill. Bradford West MP Naz Shah and Leeds East MP Richard Burgon have pledged but not yet backed the bill in debate, while Shipley MP Anna Dixon and Bradford East MP Imran Hussain have.
We’ve got a guest post from Steven next week going into more detail about why this critical bill is needed and why it could be a game changer.
COUNTY
Free parking “to return” to Wakefield
Wakefield Council said that it was looking to bring back two hours’ of free parking to the city, nearly a year and a half after it was revealed that parking charges at council-run car parks were being reintroduced.
Matthew Morley, cabinet member for planning and highways, said that businesses had been consulted and that they were pleased with the idea. He continued: “This decision has been possible because of the grip we’ve had on running council finances. It shows the value of the work we’ve been doing to become more efficient.”
In neighbouring Ilkley, outrage over Bradford Council’s plan to scrap one-hour free parking in the town resulted in 1,558 putting their names to a petition urging the council to reconsider the decision.
Wakefield Council reveals red cross removal abuse
Wakefield Council officers were revealed to have been verbally abused across the district as they repaired vandalised road markings that had been daubed in St George red crosses as part of a complicated wave of so-called patriotic pride.
Joe Jenkinson, service director for planning, transportation and strategic highway at the council, said that both mini roundabouts and pedestrian crossings were marked white for safety reasons and called on the public not to “abuse the teams” that were simply doing their job.
“No-one deserves to be intimidated when they’re working and we won’t put up with it,” he continued. If you’re abusing our colleagues, it will be reported to the police.” Jenkinson said that there was no plan to currently take down the majority of flags that have sprung up.
Airedale Hospital ranked 44 out of 134 in new NHS trusts league table
Airedale Hospital found itself ranked in the top 50 hospitals in England as part of a new league table initiative launched by the government “to raise standards and ensure better value for patients and taxpayers”.
In a joint statement sent to The Ilkley Journal, both Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (which was ranked 37) said that they were proud of their strong performance, especially across key areas covered by the dashboard.
The statement continued: “Being among the top scoring trusts in the country is a significant achievement for both organisations, especially when considering the broad range of services we deliver. However, we are experiencing the same financial challenges as partners across the NHS which puts us both in segment three.”
The independent health and social care thinktank the Nuffield Trust said that there were “shortcomings in this league tables approach”, that it ran the risk of trusts focusing on activities to boost their ranking and that it could discourage patients from getting treatment at so-called poor performing trusts.
Leeds City Council bags big green award
Leeds City Council was named as Green Council of the Year at Political Purpose Awards, which recognises the work of politicians “who have supported and championed environmental causes over the last year”.
The council was recognised for its work since 2019, when it declared a climate emergency, including reducing household waste that ends up in landfill and electrifying its vehicle fleet.
James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Our comprehensive low-carbon initiatives and innovative waste management solutions are creating tangible benefits for all residents, making Leeds a greener, cleaner and healthier place to live for current and future generations.”
West Yorkshire Mayor reelected as chair of UK Mayors Group
The mayor of West Yorkshire was re-elected as chair of the UK Mayors Group (formerly the M10 mayoral group). Tracey Brabin, who took over from Dan Jarvis in 2022, said she was honoured to be able to continue in the role.
She added: “At a time when towns and cities across England face urgent challenges … it is vital that mayors of all political parties work together to speak with one voice, on behalf of the thirty million people we collectively represent.
There are now 14 metro mayors in England. Ten are from Labour, with the remaining four split equally between the Conservatives and Reform.
West Yorkshire MP appointed climate minister in government reshuffle
The MP for Leeds North West was appointed climate minister as part of the impromptu government reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s resignation last week. Katie White, who was elected for the first time as an MP in 2024, had previously worked for the WWF.
She said on LinkedIn: “Dream job alert… I am over the moon to share that the PM has asked me to step into the role of climate minister, and I have (of course!) accepted. It is a huge responsibility to take this on now. The challenges are real, but so is my belief that we can meet them.”
COUNTRY
Neighbourhood health services coming to West Yorkshire
A number of sites in West Yorkshire were revealed by the government to be part of the first rollout of neighbourhood health services, a new scheme that is part of Labour’s ambition to transform the NHS by, in part, moving more care from the “hospital to the community”.
A programme lead will be appointed to Bradford and Craven (Bradford South, Keighley and Airedale), Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds (Hatch, South, East) to set up a “neighbourhood health team” of professionals and local organisations to give people “easier access to the right care and support on their doorstep”.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “This is a pivotal moment as the NHS nationally embraces what the NHS locally has already started – transforming services to provide tailored healthcare to the people who need it most in their homes and local communities.”
WHAT WE’RE READING, WATCHING, LISTENING TO
Read | How Westminster Works … and Why It Doesn’t by Ian Dunt
There’s a media version of what unstable government is – see the often overblown crises of Keir Starmer’s Labour government (which, while a bit of a shambles and still very bad at comms – as the Reform-apeing “government of patriots” messaging suggests – isn’t anything like, say the denouement of the recent Conservative era … although the start of so-called phase two has been a monumental shitshow with the shambolic handling of the Angela Rayner and Peter Mandelson controversies) – and then there’s the very real chaos at the heart of British politics, which Ian Dunt masterfully unravels, explains and distills in How Westminster Works. Takeaway? We have our work cut out.
Watch | Alien Earth
We’ll admit that when we first heard of the idea of Alien Earth, with no perspective on the creative behind it, our first thought was, “well, that sounds shit”. Little did we know that it was the brainchild of Noah Hawley, who was responsible for the brilliant TV spin-off version of the movie Fargo. Five episodes in and we are hooked. As with Dan Trachtenberg’s excellent reimagining of Predator with 2022’s Prey, Hawley has managed to deliver a fresh perspective to the Alien world that pays tribute to the original while confidently charting its own, distinct path. It’s also very much a critique of the world we live in, from wild tech bros and the ethics of AI to the rampant, destructive impacts of unchecked capitalism.
Listen | The lucrative secrets of Boris Johnson (Guardian Today in Focus)
From the proroguing of Parliament and the appointment of Domnic Cummings as a senior political adviser to being “ambushed by a cake” (aka Partygate) and the Chris Pincher scandal, Boris Johnson’s three years as prime minister were defined by chaos, the abandonment of virtuous (political) norms and self-promotion-slash-preservation. The recently released Boris Johnson Files by the Guardian casts a new and disturbing light on his time as PM (and after it). It’s all well worth checking out but if you’re short on time, this episode sums it all up nicely.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
In a fascinating article in The Atlantic, David Brooks looks to the ideas of the late, Scottish-born philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre to answer, more deeply, what to some is one of the most perplexing questions of modern, western politics: “Why do some many people think Trump is good?” (which can be applied, sans actual high office, back here in the UK, to the obvious popularity of Farage, notwithstanding the media’s singular obsession with what is currently a very fringe political party).
WHAT’S ON
Ilkley Art Open 2025: Connection
Ilkley Art Open 2025, a collaboration between Ilkley Arts and Ilkley Manor House that explores the theme of connection, returned to the town last week after a two year gap.
Some of the artists featured, whose works extend across sculpture, metal, photography and watercolour, include Bianca Wallis-Salmon, Nicholas Wright, Jessica Jenyns, Sean Dowker and Lucy Rogers-Smith.
Ilkley Art Open 2025: Connection at Ilkley Manor House runs on weekends only until 12 October 2025.