The Lead

Home
Notes
Chat
Politics
Health
Environment
Housing
Education
Culture
The Lead North
The Drift
Brick by Brick
Pitch us!
Archive
Newsletters
Leaderboard
About

The Lead North

Teesworks: £560m of public money spent and issues of 'governance and transparency' remain
Considering whether the National Audit Office need to be sent in to examine what's happening at one of the UK's largest brownfield redevelopment sites
 • 
Leigh Jones
 and 
The Lead
8
The government is moving in the right direction - but how can we all fight street homelessness?
As increased funding arrives to try and cope with a rapidly increasing homelessness crisis, CEO of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity Fran…
 • 
The Lead
Misidentified and wrongly convicted: Ademola Adejeji can resume law career after finally being cleared in court
Three men will be released but four others in the Manchester 10 had their appeals rejected - meaning campaigners say the result in bittersweet
 • 
Kevin Gopal
 and 
The Lead
Life near the 'intensely nauseating' landfill quarry making people flee their homes
Inside the battle against Walleys Quarry as firm behind the landfill prepare to fight Environment Agency closure notice
 • 
Hannah Hiles
 and 
The Lead
“We are known for this now”: The drawn-out aftermath of the Rotherham and Rochdale child exploitation scandal
Thirteen years on from the uncovering of a network of child sexual abusers in Rotherham and Rochdale, how do survivors live with their trauma
 • 
Katharine Quarmby
 and 
The Lead
How Andrew McIntyre hijacked the death of three young girls in Southport to spread far-right hatred
Condemnation of McInytre's action by councillor who saw disorder unfold on his doorstep in the town
 • 
The Lead
 and 
Jamie Lopez
And they came from the North...
Our top story picks and thoughts from The Lead North's editors as 2024 comes to a close
 • 
Ed Walker
, 
The Lead
, 
Leigh Jones
, 
Luke Beardsworth
, 
Andrew Greaves
, and 
Jamie Lopez
My newly immunosuppressed life
This time last year I started to feel a pain in my stomach. It felt sort of like trapped wind, but it just wouldn’t move, and it stayed for a few days.
 • 
Leigh Jones
The changing face of Blackpool's Grange Park
Grange Park is one of hundreds of housing estates built after the Second World War. Life has changed in the decades since; here The Blackpool Lead…
The story of Blackpool's South Shore Romany Gypsies
South Shore Romany Gypsies were central to the development of Blackpool as a tourist town, but as the town grew they were forced off the land. Is enough…
The Lead North moves to Substack - and launches first Yorkshire-based edition
Plus: The Teesside Lead relaunches with Leigh Jones as editor
 • 
Ed Walker
In the frame – Blackpool’s enduring photographic appeal
From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Don McCullin, photographers have long been drawn to Blackpool. But a cohort of local photographers are also documenting…
© 2025 The Lead Limited
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture