The Lead North's toast-dropping journalism in 2025
Our award-winning titles delivered exclusives, battled misinformation and plenty more this year
While the day of the week might not be clear, one thing definitely is and that’s our continued commitment to telling stories in the North of England.
From the Red Rose county of Lancashire, to the sweeping coasts of Teesside, the beaches of Southport and Blackpool - and in the moors and towns of Calderdale, our journalism is at the heart of the communities we serve.
We won a national award for our work too - being crowned as Press Gazette’s best regional newsletter in the Future of Media Awards. To quote the judges we are "a wonderful example of local news journalism fighting back with original reporting, and an eye to rebuilding a local news ecosystem fit for the 21st century.”
Here our editors of Lead North titles pick out stories which have made a difference, set the agenda and done local journalism proper in those places.
Blackpool - The Metropole: Closer to a prison than a holiday for asylum seekers
The story: The Metropole is Blackpool’s asylum seeker accommodation. It is a historic - though dilapidated - hotel in a key promenade location. There isn’t really anybody who is happy that the hotel is being used for that purpose, but the reasons behind that are wildly different.
For those who protested outside the hotel so consistently in 2025, it is often an objection to the presence of asylum seekers at all. But for others, it is recognition of the fact that this is one of the most unsuitable sites that could possibly be chosen in Blackpool.
We spoke to a former Serco employee who blew the whistle on the conditions inside the hotel.
Why it matters: We had covered some of the conversation around The Metropole but this story was the first time we had the opportunity to properly tell the story of the conditions that people are living in inside the hotel.
We reported that asylum seekers are stuck in limbo, are largely families and are living in a severely neglected hotel plagued by a number of issues.
That was important because some of the nastier online discourse suggests that these people are living in a luxury - a sort of permanent holiday funded by the taxpayer. But try telling that to a family trying to get kids to school on a tenner allowance.
It told a bleak picture of far-right narratives versus reality. It was picked up on by ITV News who produced a report that followed where we had led. It will never change every heart and mind, but hopefully inspired a little more compassion in the community.
Lancashire - Senior Reform UK figure at County Hall suspended by party
The story: A senior Reform UK councillor was suspended after admitting to being the author of leaked messages that alleged the part was far more ‘hardline’ on immigration issues than they were showing to the public. Other messages in the group included strong anti-Islam sentiments and talk of stockpiling weapons to commit domestic terrorism.
Cllr Tom Pickup was suspended by Reform UK while an investigation, which is ongoing, takes place and so sits as an independent. He was one of the more recognisable faces in the party, which was notable in that unlike many of the most prominent politicians at County Hall - he is not a former Conservative.
He denied being aware of the sort of content that was posted in the group, and pointed to his work with cross-faith charity The Light Foundation as evidence that they are not views that he agrees with.
Why it matters: The story was broken by The Lancashire Lead and went on to make national headlines when they got to it some hours later. While other Reform UK-led councils in the UK had been subject to various controversies and scandal (side-eye to Kent), Lancashire had been seen as the authority avoiding all of that. This damaged, though did not completely shatter, that perception.
It has further consequence that might be lesser reported on. Cllr Pickup was said to be advocating for a business where its outdoor shelving had been ripped out by Lancashire County Council despite trading for decades. That’s now been dropped and County Hall has no plans to pick it back up.
Teesside - Ben Houchen lied about contact with Sabic over redundancies
The story: Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen lied about being in contact with Sabic while they were planning to close their Olefins 6 cracker plant on Teesside, and only reached out to the Saudi Arabian company after The Teesside Lead asked for proof of their correspondence.
Leigh Jones submitted an FOI request to the Tees Valley Combined Authority on 12 August asking to see “any correspondence between TVCA and/or Ben Houchen and Sabic since 1 January 2025”.
The earliest correspondence between TVCA and Sabic came three hours after that FOI request was made.
Why it matters: As a journalist, it’s very rare that you actually get to see politicians scuttling about to cover themselves, but that’s exactly what happened with this story.
When Ben Houchen appeared on a BBC radio phone-in and told a worker who was being made redundant that his team had been “working directly” with his employer, it wasn’t until three hours after Leigh put in an FOI asking to see evidence of that that the mayor actually reached out to the company.
Leigh said: “On a personal level it’s satisfying to see a politician who’s ignored you for three years scuttling like that, but more importantly it’s almost overwhelming to see one’s work as a journalist have a direct impact on holding politicians to account.”
Southport - Children’s A&E could return to Southport within five years
The story: More than two decades after emergency paediatric care was removed and families told to travel to Ormskirk, local NHS leaders pushed forward with plans for a single emergency care centre in Southport.
Documents prepared for that meeting explained a review of emergency care began in spring 2024 and resulted in a desire for the co-location of adult and paediatric services.
Sources told The Southport Lead that NHS leaders are aiming to have construction work under way by April next year and hope it could be completed as soon as 2028. That would be 25 years after the original closure but is considered an ambitious target with a five-year timeline cited in documents.
Why it matters: Whenever proposals like this come along, there are two common responses - either ‘it’ll never happen’ or ‘it’s already been decided’.
The reality is that people need to make their voices heard to those making major decisions.
Detailed reporting such as this both informs the public and places a greater spotlight on the decision making process.
In just a few months after launching, it was not out first coverage of the potential plan and certainly won’t be our last.
Calderdale - ‘No child should have to go to school in someone else’s underwear’: Halifax charity founder on battle to end child poverty
The story: When Kim Sheddon and her sister Emma Jayne Carter set up the Halifax-based charity Mothershare, they didn’t know how long they would be needed.
The mission statement was simple: to provide essential equipment and clothing for babies and children, supporting parents and carers in meeting basic needs and improving lives.
Now, 11 years after its formation, Mothershare is helping more families across Calderdale than ever before.
Why it matters: It’s Andrew’s favourite because it was one which made him feel quite emotional during and after speaking to her because of the impact that it has on families.
Child poverty is a huge issue but he hadn’t realised how big it was in parts of Halifax and the tales Kim told really got to him.
Mothershare does some fantastic work to help families and it was a privilege to shine a light on that. ■
Thanks for reading, and if you’ve been inspired by what we’re doing with The Lead North make sure you’re signed up to receive The Lead direct to your inbox as each Thursday our Notes From The North rounds up what our journalists have been up to and the stories they are breaking.
We’ll be back in your inbox on Saturday with our first edition of 2026 when our Westminster Editor Zoë Grünewald casts her eye on what to expect in the year ahead and what the government will be navigating. Subscribe to ensure you’re one of the first to read it. Until then, have a lovely remainder of 2025 and a Happy New Year to all our readers.