And they came from the North...
Our top story picks and thoughts from The Lead North's editors as 2024 comes to a close
Good morning,
It’s Saturday. Yes, we’ve reached that point between Christmas and New Year where it’s hard to remember which day it actually is. Hopefully this email helps emerge blinking from between cheese and chocolate comas and gives you some intellectual indulgence for 10 minutes before the festivities resume during this Twixmas weekend.
For our weekend edition then we’re taking a look back through the past 12 months of The Lead North - an ambitious project to put issues affecting the North of England at the heart of the stories you see on The Lead and also launch new local editions of the title, away from the bright lights of the likes of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool etc and in places which do a lot of the heavy-lifting in the North.
From Blackpool, to Teesside, to Warrington, to Calderdale, we’ve been publishing stories deeply-rooted in communities in the North. Whether it’s organising election hustings to campaigning about Blackpool rock it’s been far more than just writing stories about places. Not to mention printing close to 300,000 new local newspapers too!
We’ve asked some of our Northern correspondents to give their thoughts on a story from their patch which has resonated this year, a story elsewhere on The Lead they’ve enjoyed and what they see as being on the horizon in 2025.
First up, it’s editor of
and a man who definitely put an FOI request in on Christmas Day, it’s ….Favourite story this year and why…
In the three months I’ve been at the helm of
I’m incredibly proud of the variety of issues I’ve managed to cover in a short time. Broadly, I’m very pleased with my investigation into councillors who owe their authorities council tax. That work is ongoing, and I’m determined to bring light to the issue.Politicians are people, just like us, but if they hold elected positions I have no doubt that they have to be held to a higher standard than the rest of us if they set the rules.
In terms of a specific article, my story about the uncertainty over funding emergency repairs to the Tees Transporter bridge is a real favourite. Not least because Ben Houchen picked up its call to lobby the government to release promised funding to fix it during an appearance on Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC show a few weeks later.
Another piece from elsewhere on The Lead I’ve enjoyed…
Elsewhere on The Lead, I absolutely loved Zoe Grunewald’s piece on delays in the family court system causing trauma to those caught up in its’ slow-moving machinations.
It really lays out the story in incredible depth, and from a journalistic perspective her ability to get people to talk about such a personal issue cuts through, alongside voices of campaigners in the field.
The sort of piece that makes me proud to be professionally associated with this outlet.
What’s coming up in 2025 and on your agenda?
In January it will be a year since the government published the Tees Valley Review, an investigation into allegations of corruption at Teesworks which didn’t find any, but rang alarm bells about governance of public finances related to the huge redevelopment scheme.
It was recently announced that Tees Valley Combined Authority chief executive Julie Gilhespie - who oversaw many of the controversial deals at the heart of the controversy - will be stepping down in April. There are rumours of other senior officers also imminently leaving the authority.
Favourite story this year and why…
It's been almost a year since we started publishing on The Blackpool Lead and so the piece I'll draw attention to is our very first. This was the stories of people inside a warm bank in Bispham and set the tone for what was to come from our news coverage. It told an important, but difficult, story through people rather than simply facts and figures. Coverage about the disadvantages and challenges people in Blackpool face can so often be surface level and here we set a marker for the type of reporting we want to do.
Another piece from elsewhere on The Lead I’ve enjoyed…
Jamie's piece after the stabbings in Southport wasn't necessarily one that I could say I enjoyed, but it was incredibly moving. It was, literally, very close to home for Jamie, including the aftermath which saw protests on his doorstep. It was a window into what it was like to experience something like that first hand, and an emotional read for that reason. But it was also a skewering of the opportunistic and calculated tactics employed online in the aftermath, and that was very important.
What’s coming up in 2025 and on your agenda?
A decision is due in the New Year about the Multiversity project - which will likely see a number of homes taken from people by CPOs from Blackpool Council. It feels a foregone conclusion that this will happen - but Blackpool Council will hope that the level of investment it brings to the town makes it worthwhile. Meanwhile, we will continue to hold the council to account over the return over heritage trams. They're due back in the summer - but there are fears they'll be quietly forgotten about. We won't let that happen.
Staying in Lancashire and
launched in April and has grown a loyal following of those interested in the political goings-on across the Red Rose County. reflects on his year at the helm…Favourite story this year and why…
As picked out by Luke in his choices, undoubtedly the biggest reaction I've had to any piece published in The Lancashire Lead so far was in response to the riots in Southport - detailing what it was like to witness and how it felt to have an unimaginably tragedy hijacked and exploited. I often find it difficult to write more personal, first person pieces but the words came out quicker than I could type them on that occasion and I was very humbled to be told that I had managed to express what many people were feeling but had been unable to express.
Another piece from elsewhere on The Lead I’ve enjoyed…
One of the many exciting development for The Lead this year has been the rollout of the new regional titles. There are many examples I could pick out but Leigh Jones' work in Teesside exposing the councillors not paying their council tax and all things TVCA showcase what can be done when talented journalists are given the freedom and backing to follow their instincts.
What’s coming up in 2025 and on your agenda?
Coming into 2025, the devolution issue still hangs heavy over the county. Even as the historic deal was being signed off, alternative plans were in motion. We'll be digging deeper to find out exactly what is going on and why.
You can also look forward to a series looking at the state of the court system across the Lancashire (spoiler: it's not pretty)
Finally, we head to the Calder Valley and our newest title
edited byFavourite story this year and why…
The Calderdale Lead is still only a couple of months old but I'm really pleased that I managed to secure an interview early doors with Nicky Chance-Thompson, the chief executive of The Piece Hall in Halifax.
The Piece Hall is such a magnificent asset to the borough and it's had a couple of amazing summers of live music which has put both it and Calderdale on the map. I was keen to find out from Nicky how the venue was going to top that in 2025 and beyond.
Another piece from elsewhere on The Lead I’ve enjoyed…
Elsewhere on The Lead, I'm always a big fan of the work Kevin Gopal does for us (I might be slightly biased as I've known and been commissioned by Kevin over the years!) and his recent interview with Havana Marking about her film Undercover: The Rise of the Far Right was an excellent read.
I started my journalistic career at the Burnley Express in 2001 so I reported on first the race riots in the town of that summer and then the rise of the British National Party as an electoral force in the town over the years that followed.
The Far Right and the its rise has fascinated me for the last few years and Kevin's interview with Havana was a fascinating look at the process behind making what is really incredible documentary.
What’s coming up in 2025 and on your agenda?
I think 2025 is going to be fascinating on both a local and a national level. The Government has a very big job on its hands in terms of getting various parts of society back on side and behind its vision (or is it a mission?) for the country.
Decisions made at Westminster are felt keenly in the regions and that's certainly true in Calderdale. I'm looking forward to meeting up with our borough's two MPs in the new year to build a relationship with them and help keep the people of Calderdale in the loop as to what is going on in that there London!
I'll be there at the centre of it all - with a mix of investigations, big interviews, cultural deep dives and more besides - and I can't wait for January 1 to really get going!
We hope you enjoyed the stories which stuck in our minds from this year and get a chance to read them between catching up with family, friends and trying to figure out where you left the batteries for inevitably needing some AAs for whatever new toy you [or your children] have been bought.
Thank you for reading us throughout this year, we’re always all ears for feedback and story tip-offs so ed@thelead.uk if you want to get in touch.
This is the final edition of The Lead for 2024, we’ll be back in your inbox on Saturday 4 January when
looks ahead to the challenges awaiting Keir Starmer and crew in the coming 12 months. Make sure you’re subscribed to receive it in your inbox direct and if you’re able to consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help ensure we’re able to report, inform and evaluate what the government are doing.All the very best for 2025 and we hope you enjoy your celebrations whatever you’re up to.
Ed, Zoe, Luke, Sophie, Natalie, Leigh, Jamie, Leah and Andrew
p.s. In case you missed it, Dimi is off to pastures new. His farewell piece is a lovely read.