Loved reading about this. I wish we had something similar here, but it was demolished like everything else. And fair play to @miajankowicz.bsky.social for enthusiastically promoting it.

The Exchange@theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · 7d ago

Leeds' Kirkgate Market in Leeds has been there so long that it's easy to assume it always will be. But footfall has stalled, and is still way off the market's heyday. @miajankowicz headed there last week talking to the traders that keep an iconic venue going — and what it takes to do so.

We were sent some very strange audio this week. Just what is going on here? Answers in tomorrow's edition...

Ok, this was a really enjoyable couple of days. I was awed by the beauty of Kirkgate Market when I first came to Leeds, but troubled by how many unoccupied pitches there are. So I took a temperature check from traders on how business actually is: It's tough going. theexchange.news/what-it-take...

What it takes to survive in Kirkgate Market

Ever wondered if you could make a go of it as a trader in Europe’s largest indoor market? We talked to the people who know best.

theexchange.news

.@bengartside.bsky.social's investigation for The Exchange needs national attention. Leeds-based tech company TPP provides SystmOne, a patient care record system, to UK prisons & to a LOT of GPs. Why does it keep cropping up in coroners' reports? theexchange.news/tpp-systmone...

TPP is Leeds’ biggest tech company. But coroners are concerned about its flagship product

A prison GP has described SystmOne as an ‘absolute nightmare’ and coroners' reports reveal recurring issues

theexchange.news

Absolutely bonkers good deal from The Exchange's parent company @millmedia.bsky.social — they're offering hundreds of free subscriptions to people aged between 16-25 across most of our titles (though, not The Exchange just yet).

“We’re just normal men. We’re just innocent men”

Cracking piece, this (and free to read)

The Exchange@theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · last mo.

Richard Wheater is fighting a one man battle for true neon against the dominance of big LED. Can he win it? theexchange.news/kings-of-neon/

This stuff is a familiar sight on the high street — the trashy, nostalgic aesthetic of neon is as popular as ever. These LED signs are generally drop-shipped from China, can't be easily recycled, and are edging real, old-school neon signage into extinction.

If you're not already definitely give @theexchangeleeds.bsky.social a follow and subscribe for West Yorkshire news. Also @braddeasjourno.bsky.social and @miajankowicz.bsky.social who are the core of the team. Been a really refreshing change to get some regular local news!

Joshi Herrmann@joshih.bsky.social · last mo.

Well well well: Leaked emails show Mothin Ali got his extra local allowance “to help make ends meet” - no mention of his local role. And the Green Party is threatening to sue us for reporting this story. Well done @braddeasjourno.bsky.social theexchange.news/leaked-docum...

If you’re not following @theexchangeleeds.bsky.social already, get on the list. @miajankowicz.bsky.social, @djstimms.bsky.social and @braddeasjourno.bsky.social are doing such good work. theexchange.news/leaked-docum...

Leaked documents cast doubt on explanation for Mothin Ali’s councillor cash

'Mothin feels the national party isn’t adequately supporting the leadership team including him, so he’d appreciate this to help make ends meet'

theexchange.news

Well well well: Leaked emails show Mothin Ali got his extra local allowance “to help make ends meet” - no mention of his local role. And the Green Party is threatening to sue us for reporting this story. Well done @braddeasjourno.bsky.social theexchange.news/leaked-docum...

Leaked documents cast doubt on explanation for Mothin Ali’s councillor cash

'Mothin feels the national party isn’t adequately supporting the leadership team including him, so he’d appreciate this to help make ends meet'

theexchange.news

New from me! How a viral Tiktok moment led me to the former goalkeeper for the Albanian under-21s team, a huge amount of cash being moved about, and some really quite nice pizza. How Leeds’ best pizzeria was ransacked by its former owners:

The Exchange@theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Last week, an irate mother went viral on TikTok. Claire Atkinson’s daughter, a waitress at Leeds’ beloved pizza joint Culto, had been short-changed one time too many — and she said she wasn’t receiving her tips. Culto’s had serious foodie status for years, so we went to get its side of the story.1/3

Serious ethical quandary for journos: just scored an original 1950s G-plan ‘Astro’ table at the car boot for a tenner. Have been tasked with furnishing @theexchangeleeds.bsky.social’s risibly empty offices. Also have a perfect spot for it in my flat. Help

Covid, recessions, predictions of doom: the Acapulco in Halifax has seen them all off. And somehow, the UK's oldest nightclub is still serving 75p drinks. How has it taken on, and beaten, all comers? theexchange.news/75p-drinks-a...

Who is the real Andy Burnham - the Manchester Model one or the dismantling neoliberalism one? Find out at our SPECIAL EVENT featuring leading Burnhamologists like Patrick Maguire, Beth Rigby, @helenpidd.bsky.social, @jackdulhanty.bsky.social and me. www.tickettailor.com/events/millm...

Buy tickets – Populist or Pragmatist: Who Is the Real Andy Burnham? – The London Scottish Drill Hall, 95 Horseferry Rd, London

Populist or Pragmatist: Who Is the Real Andy Burnham? – The London Scottish Drill Hall, 95 Horseferry Rd, London, Wed 9 Sep 2026 - Hosted by The Londoner and The Mill For the best part of 20 years, An...

tickettailor.com

I headed out to Walshaw Moor — to all intents and purposes, the original Wuthering Heights — and talked to campaigners about a massive wind farm being proposed there. theexchange.news/wuthering-bl...

Wuthering blight?

In the heart of Brontë country, a mega windfarm plan is causing outrage

theexchange.news

Well this has made my day ☺️

James@northamptonian.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I signed up for the Exchange for one article, and expected to cancel. I think I’ll keep it on, for content like this- the Leeds Cheese World Cup. theexchange.news/searching-fo...

Immensely satisfied to have drafted Colin Grist, @fewandfar.co.uk's creative director, into this deep typographical dive on an issue that has plagued the people of Leeds (Leeps?) for weeks on end.

The Exchange@theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We think we’ve cracked the case of the infamous “Welcome to Leeds” sign outside the city’s train station, thanks to the help of a typography expert. Idle chit chat over the sign has been rife, with one commenter suggesting an inverted “p” had been used instead of a “d” - Welcome to Leeps. 1/3

Absolutely gripping reporting from @braddeasjourno.bsky.social about Leeds's tallest residential tower — if it ever gets built.

The Exchange@theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This is Gareth Morgan, the managing director of CityLife. CityLife are building Leeds' most luxurious new residence, Sky Gardens. It's a lodestar of the South Bank's regeneration and is attracting the elite and loaded of the city. It was also meant to be finished in June.

A ghost sign for a ghost newspaper, spotted in Headingley in 2026. The Yorkshire Evening News was closed down in 1963. #LeedsHistory

‘15:05 — Jamie messages me to say Magic Rock is finished’ That was the message a brewer at Magic Rock sent to his partner when administrators were called in, in 2025, before it was taken over. 1/3

This is part of an ongoing and shameful wider trend across various sporting bodies, and it’s never ‘just sport’. I wrote about this for @theipaper.com back in April: inews.co.uk/news/world/r...

Russian athletes are being allowed back into sports — a crucial boost for Putin

'I cannot compete with someone who wants to kill us,' one Ukrainian Paralympian said

inews.co.uk

Randahl Fink@randahl.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The International Olympic Committee is lifting the suspension of Russian boxers while Russia is bombing the old boxing center in Kherson. The IOC is on the wrong side of history.

The degree to which my colleagues at @manchestermill.bsky.social are relishing the present moment is off the charts

Your @theexchangeleeds.bsky.social briefing today: 🏗️ Sky Gardens construction partner on brink of 'collapse' 🚋 Angela Rayner raises West Yorkshire tram hopes, nonspecifically 🐑 PETA want sheep plaque in Legrams Mill 📉 Council tax cuts not possible: Bradford Reform theexchange.news/sky-gardens-...

Sky Gardens: Luxury apartment tower in jeopardy as construction firm on brink of ‘collapse’

Dear Exchangers — we welcome you to today’s newsletter on the back of a busy old week. Mia was solely steering the ship last week, while Brad was on a well-deserved holiday. But now we’re back to ful...

theexchange.news

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.

After an eight-week standoff, Kirklees Council finally has a leader — Reform's Sarah Wood, who got over the line with the help of a handful of Tory votes. We got behind the scenes of the decision that broke the stalemate: theexchange.news/kirklees-tor...

Kirklees Tories handed Reform power. They’re already regretting it

'I’ll be doing my damnedest to remove them next year'

theexchange.news

My friend’s in Spain watching the match on an outdoor screen with locals, who revolted during the half time show and two kiddos got up and did a dance show for whole crowd instead. Cutest thing I’ve ever seen

Unless Burnham follows through on new North Sea oil and gas. This post well worth a read: www.linkedin.com/posts/michel...

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 3mo ago

Virtually every country in the world *except* for the US is responding to the Iran War in a rational way -- ie, trying to reduce their reliance in imported fossil fuels.

Absolutely riveting stuff from my colleagues @braddeasjourno.bsky.social and Moya Lothian-Mclean for @theexchangeleeds.bsky.social: What really drives Get Baked’s Rich Myers? And who is really baiting him? theexchange.news/getfaked-how...

GetFaked: how a star baker confected his enemies

Rich Myers went viral for airing his haters online. Turns out they weren’t real

theexchange.news

It’s hard to overstate the journey Cllr Wood has had from (infamously) declaring that she does not understand the Kirklees Council constitution, to winning its leadership today Reminder of the chaos in May: theexchange.news/panic-at-the...

Panic! At the council

The Exchange is live! Plus: is Leeds neglecting its independent beer scene?

theexchange.news