"The leader of the ruling Labour group at Bradford Council is an autocrat" ...

... Robbie Moore on being silenced, Ilkley Manor Trust's funding boost and a whole lot more in our latest roundup of news in Ilkley and West Yorkshire 🗞️

Oct 17, 2025

Ilkley Manor House Trust gets a welcome funding boost

Ilkley Manor House Trust will receive £16,782 from the Museum Renewal Fund, as part of a £20 million investment in civic museums across England.

The historic Grade I-listed museum is one of nine museums in Yorkshire and the Humber – including Bradford Museums and Galleries and York Museums Trust – and one of 75 in England to benefit from the cash injection.

According to Arts Council England, the funding is designed to help museums “meet the shortfall between operating costs and income throughout their 2025-26 budget”.

Fiona Ruth Twycross, the museums minister and a member of the House of Lords, said that the Museum Renewal Fund was contributing to the Labour government’s Plan for Change. She added:

“It ensures much-loved civic museums can remain open and continue to provide opportunities for future generations to learn about our shared heritage and how their local community has played its part in our national story.”

The BBC, via its Local Democracy Reporting Service, recently reported that Ilkley Manor House has submitted an application to Bradford Council for essential repair work to be carried out. It’s estimated it’ll cost £100,000.

DISTRICT

Bradford Council leader “an autocrat”

A former Bradford District Labour councillor has described the leader of the ruling Labour group at Bradford Council as an autocrat.

Marcus Dearden, who has sat as an independent for the Bingley ward since resigning from the party in February, told The Ilkley Journal that “with an individual sitting in control, unchallenged for so long, a dictatorship is formed”.

“This makes it incredibly difficult for any Labour councillor to air an opinion and be taken seriously,” he continued. “It also results in Bradford district Labour councillors failing to represent their communities in their best interests.”

Dearden, who described life as an independent as a “breath of fresh air”, also said that he expects the 2026 Bradford Council local elections to deliver “sweeping changes”. He has yet to decide if he will stand.

“There must be change, the irresponsible spending in the city centre and rising debt has resulted in years of financial restrictions across the whole district,” he concluded. “The rise in council tax will not improve services – it only services the debt accrued.”

1-00 plus electric car charging points coming to the Bradford District

Over 100 electric car charging points are to be installed across the Bradford District as part of the first phase of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) programme.

Bradford Council revealed that 104 electric vehicle charging bays will be installed in approximately 33 locations in the district, with funding coming from the government via the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

It is envisaged that when work on the LEVI programme wraps up – made up of three phrases – around 1,000 electric car charging points across 230 sites will have been set up. Blink Charging will be in charge of the installation for phase one.

“There are no financial implications on the council’s budget,” said Sarah Ferriby, executive member for healthy people and places at Bradford Council.

“The investment in electric vehicle charging will be fully funded from grants provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the LEVI Capability Fund.”

Some of the current charging points include Hawksworth Street Car Park and Ilkley Lido in Ilkley, Exhibition Road Car Park in Saltaire, Keighley Leisure Centre in Keighley and Vicar Lane Car Park in Bradford.

CONSTITUENCY

Local MP makes claim of “attempts to silence” him about the grooming gangs scandal

The MP for Keighley and Ilkley has claimed that there had been “concerning attempts to silence” him on the grooming gangs scandal in Parliament recently.

Robbie Moore was responding on Facebook to comments made by Anna Dixon, the MP for Shipley, on Tuesday 14 October, which referred to two online death threats she had received earlier this year in response to a video that the MP for Keighley and Ilkley had shared on social media.

“The video accused me of not telling the truth on a very sensitive subject: the horrific abuse of children by grooming gangs,” Dixon said. “If the honourable member had made those remarks in parliament, they would have been deemed unparliamentary.”

Describing Moore’s actions as being “at best irresponsible and at worst inflammatory”, the MP for Shipley asked for an apology, for the video to be taken down and to “refrain from personal attacks against me and other elected officials in future”.

Moore responded in his statement that Dixon was attempting to shut down any future criticisms, while rebuffing her argument that Moore had made a personal attack.

“It is a matter of public record, and not ‘misrepresentation’, that the MP for Shipley and other representatives in Bradford have repeatedly opposed victims’ calls for an inquiry into grooming gangs,” he went on to say. “It is not a personal attack to criticise local leaders for this.”

Moore also criticised the leader of Bradford Council, local councillors, the mayor, the deputy mayor and members of parliament, stating that he had faced “constant local opposition” to a full and independent inquiry into grooming gangs operating across the district.

“It is the culture of silence and intimidation that enabled the grooming gangs scandal to continue and to go unchallenged for too long,” he continued. “I will not be silenced. I will not be intimidated.”

The Ilkley Journal asked Dixon for a comment. Her team got back to us, stating that she did “not wish to issue a response” and to refer instead to the statement she made in the House of Commons.

The mayor of West Yorkshire was also contacted. Tracy Brabin told The Ilkley Journal: “As soon as the Casey report was published, I wrote to the previous and subsequently to the new home secretary to confirm our intention to invite the national inquiry to West Yorkshire, with the support of our local authority leaders.

“We continue to speak with victims and survivors across the region to ensure their voices remain front and centre of the inquiry. Child sexual exploitation and abuse is an abhorrent crime, and here in West Yorkshire we are determined to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

We also asked Bradford Council for a response. A spokesperson told The Ilkley Journal: “The MP knows that the leader wrote to the government in June committing Bradford to play a full part in the national inquiry. All councillors agreed at full council in July that this was the right course of action.”

COUNTY

Investment and jobs in Leeds following India trade trip

The Labour government’s trade mission to India has resulted in two tech companies announcing major investments in Leeds, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has said.

It announced that Mastek, which describes itself as an “enterprise digital & cloud transformation specialist”, and Algorithms Software, which sells itself as the “construction ERP solution you’d build yourself”, will collectively invest £7 million to upgrade and open new offices respectively.

Approximately 253 jobs will be created on the back of this, with the WYCA hopeful that more developments will come off the back of the trip to the benefit of West Yorkshire.

“There to champion West Yorkshire’s amazing strengths in the creative industries and financial services, we were building on the success of our previous trade missions to India, proving our worth as a global region,” said the mayor, Tracy Brabin.

“This is devolution in action: mayors working with government to secure the jobs and investment that will put more money in people’s pockets back home.”

According to Labour, the government secured a total of 10,600 jobs across the UK from the two-day trade trip to India.

Yorkshire Party welcomes argument for more regional fiscal power

The argument for boosting the fiscal power of local mayors and regions has been welcomed by the Yorkshire Party, which campaigns for a “stronger Yorkshire in a fairer United Kingdom”.

Responding to Jeffrey Matsu’s piece in the Local Government Chronicle – Matsu is chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy – which argued that fiscal firepower is the “missing piece” in devolution, the Yorkshire Party said that without this, “England’s regions will never reach their full potential”.

“Devolution in name alone isn’t enough,” the party said. “Local leaders can’t build prosperity or plan for the future if they’re forced to beg Whitehall for every pound.

“Across the country … we’ve shown that when power and accountability are matched with fair funding, outcomes improve. But too many areas are still held back by short-term grants, ministerial control, and a system that keeps England the most centralised country in the developed world.”

In his piece, Matsu listed five things the government can do today to boost fiscal firepower at a local level.

They include extending single settlements beyond the trailblazers (aka the combined authorities of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands respectively) and piloting pragmatic fiscal devolution where “visitor levies and retention uplifts [are] tied to transparent impact reviews”.

NOTICEBOARD

How to make Ilkley’s homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run

Climate Action Ilkley in partnership with Wrapt Homes is hosting a session on how to make homes more energy efficient at the Clarke Foley Community Hub on Thursday 30 October at 7:30pm.

The not for profit community group and specialist energy-efficient housing company will focus their attention on how to make “stone-built and older homes warmer, healthier and more affordable to heat”.

“The factors linked most strongly to energy efficiency are a property’s age and type,” the House of Commons Library noted earlier this year in an introduction to a paper of the energy efficiency of homes in the UK.

“Newer homes have much higher ratings, as do purpose-built flats, while older homes, converted flats and bungalows have the lowest average ratings.”

What is the Climate and Nature Bill? A presentation for Keighley and Ilkley

Climate Action Ilkley is inviting locals to attend an hour-long online presentation and Q&A about the proposed Climate and Nature Bill on 3 November 2025 at 7pm.

It will be by Jamie Russell, the Grassroots Manager at Zero Hour, which describes itself as the “campaign group behind the Climate and Nature Bill”, which its supporters have described as being the “only proposed legislation that’s written by scientists to ensure we tackle the climate and nature crisis”.

“You may have followed the series of articles following the meeting Climate Action Ilkley and other local groups held with the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, Robbie Moore, to ask for his support for the Climate and Nature Bill (which he declined to give),” said a spokesperson for Climate Action Ilkley.

“To give everyone with an interest in climate and nature to learn more, we have arranged a one-hour briefing from Zero Hour. Their expertise will explain why this legislation is so vital and answer any questions you might have. This is a great opportunity to increase what you know about this important topic.”

You can join the online presentation here.

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WHAT’S ON

Spirograph Reimagined to bring to life the patterns of a beloved drawing experience

A special light show celebrating the spirograph, a geometric art activity that has captivated kids and adults alike for years, will take place in Brodrick Hall at Leeds City Museum next week.

Spirograph Reimagined, which is one of many events and experiences taking place during Light Night Leeds on 22 and 23 October throughout Leeds, will bring to life the paper patterns by “reimagining them as an immersive digital animation”.

A collaboration between artists Lesley Halliwell and William Card, the show will also feature music by James Bagshaw.

“It feels especially meaningful to be unveiling Spirograph Reimagined here in Leeds because the spirograph itself was invented in the city by engineer Denys Fisher,” said Halliwell.

“It first went on sale in Schofields department store in 1965, the very year I was born. So this project is a double celebration of 60 years.”

For more information about Light Night Leeds and all the events taking place, check out the main website here.

Turner Prize 2025 showcases an eclectic mix of British Art

Get up close to a variety of art by the four artists who have been shortlisted for the 2025 Turner Prize at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford.

Nnena Kalu’s hanging sculptures, Rene Matić’s photography, Mohammed Sami’s paintings and Zadie Xa’s installation are all vying to win this year’s prestigious and controversial art prize in early December.

The exhibition, which runs until 22 February 2026, has been described by Apollo Magazine as a “curious, chimerical sort of beast”, “a knockout” by Plaster Magazine and as having “an urgency greater than the sum of its parts” by The Observer.