The public transport network of 1957 would put 433,000 of today’s residents within 30 minutes of Briggate. The network that actually exists in 2026, however, reaches only 256,000.

If you stood on Briggate at 8am on a weekday in 1957, and stood there again in 2026, in which year could you reach more of the city in half an hour? Samuel Bancroft has crunched the numbers. Since the 1950s, Leeds has got bigger - but the city has effectively shrunk.

Leeds West and Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves is out as Chancellor

"It went as far as getting death threats. People saying they would desecrate my dad’s grave.” Myers' cakes are so popular he has major supermarket copycats. All his dreams have come true. But his marketing strategy blurs the line between what's real and what's not.

This is the Old Red Lion, one of the Smith's pubs in Leeds, closed since Covid. @miajankowicz.bsky.social gives a beautiful description of the "eerie sense of the uncanny" generated when looking through its window.

"I’ve been perplexed by Samuel Smith’s for the best part of 20 years" 🍻 Where to start after the death of the mercurial Humphrey Smith?

TODAY'S READ: Working class bookworms vs the middle class literati. 📚 That's how author David Barnett encapsulates the two book festivals vying for readers' attention in Bradford this week.

An absolutely fascinating read for you today, courtesy of our guest writer Thomas Barrett, who has already treated you to an insight into the history of the Lee Gap Fair and whether the end is nigh after 900 years.

🚨 We’re hiring a Senior Editor 🚨 We need an exceptional editorial leader - someone who can edit ambitious journalism, develop writers, and help shape the direction of one of the most exciting teams in British journalism.

Our reporter, @braddeasjourno.bsky.social went to investigate and there he discovered just a single inhabitant was responsible for the little village. 2/3

When a large encampment appeared outside Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court a few months ago, the "content creators" quickly piled in. A prime example of everything wrong in Bradford, they said. But what was actually happening at the site? 1/3

🗣 “My mum met my dad at the fair.” After nearly 900 years, one of West Yorkshire’s oldest traditions is under threat.

Our first official edition is here - and it’s a big one. A council deadlock that’s left Kirklees without a leader, a £100m bus order reshaping transport across West Yorkshire, and a look at whether Leeds is losing its independent beer edge. Plus peregrine falcons picking Bradford over Leeds.

Well, have we got some news for you 🚨 With two weeks to go until launch, we wanted to introduce two of the people helping shape The Exchange. Introducing: Brad Deas and Mia Jankowicz.

So, we’ve got a name. Introducing: The Exchange. A new newsroom for West Yorkshire - built on the idea that places matter, stories matter, and that information shouldn’t just sit there.

WE ARE HIRING 🚨 We’re looking for two great writers to help us get our new newsroom off the ground.

🚨 Final call ‼️ We're officially building and we need a name. Have your say now.

500 pledges. It’s official. West Yorkshire has spoken. A new independent local newspaper for the area is moving forward. We’re officially launching. 🚀

20 pledges to go. We’re ready when you are.

⏰ We’re into the final stretch of our campaign to launch a new newspaper for West Yorkshire - and we’re now at 433 pledges. In this week’s newsletter, @djstimms.bsky.social explains where things stand and why this final push matters.

Less than a week left ⏰ A month ago we said: if 500 people backed the idea, we’d launch a new local newspaper for West Yorkshire based in Leeds. Overnight, we’ve just surpassed 400 pledges 💫 That means we’re within touching distance - but nothing is guaranteed yet.

350 pledges. 150 to go. If we reach it, we launch 🚀

It’s been a remarkable few weeks and this morning we’ve just hit 300 pledges 👏🏼 We wanted to share some of the messages we’ve received along the way. They’ve meant a huge amount.

Launching a new newsroom is simple in theory: If 500 people back it, we build it ⚒️ We’re working towards bringing independent journalism to West Yorkshire - and support like this from Robyn Vinter really means a lot.

Nearly half way to 500 - wow 🤩 The support so far has been brilliant - and it shows there's real appetite for serious local journalism here 📰

"In the Industrial Revolution, every big city in the north had a local champion newspaper." @tomforth.co.uk thinks cities like Leeds deserves one again. 👑

🎙️ “In journalism, you’re often having to pump things out quite quickly. It would be great to have something fresh where you’re able to invest time into stories” 💫 Aliza Kayan-Ahmed Journalism Student @universityofleeds.bsky.social

It's been 24 hours since we launched this - and honestly, we've been blown away 🤯 128 people have already pledged to support a new newspaper for West Yorkshire. Thank you! To launch, we still need 500 ✏️

People have been asking us to come to West Yorkshire 🏭 They've seen our award-winning journalism in other cities and thought: we want that here.

We’re launching a new independent newspaper for Leeds - funded by readers. If you want better local journalism in Leeds, this is how it starts. 👉 Pledge your support: leeds.ghost.io