The Lead

“I have a panic alarm in my bag”: the grim reality of life as a female politician in Britain 84 per cent of female councillors say they feel at risk doing their job – with online and in-person abuse becoming worryingly normalised.

On International Women’s Day, The Lead hears from women facing down an increasingly hostile environment – and asks what needs to change to ensure women can serve their communities safely.

Across Britain, female councillors report intimidation, harassment and threats simply for doing their jobs. The abuse reflects a wider climate of misogyny that too often targets women in public life.

Help our local journalism to keep setting the agenda Subscribe to support our original reporting at The Lead and across our growing regional network of journalists.

See more about the network of original, local reporting, embedded in communities, we are creating and how to support it

Children's home plan proceeds in face of neighbour complaints Those living nearby have objected to a plan providing a home for children in care

And @jamielopez.bsky.social reports on n Ainsdale home looks set to be allowed to be used by children in care despite neighbours rallying to block the attempted use.

Let's do a bit of myth-busting about asylum in the south Wales valleys The Valleys Lead sat down with the Welsh Refugee Council to ask for the facts about asylum

Myths about asylum in the Valleys debunked, by @laurenmedlicott.bsky.social

Mould issues in homes now targeted for demolition made worse by council-led project The row of the Blackpool Central regeneration project continues at pace

Mould issues in homes that are being targeted for demolition and regeneration by Blackpool Council were likely made worse by a council-led project, @lukebeardsworth.bsky.social reveals

Hartlepool Council forced to increase council tax after disastrous government meeting Government showed "arrogance, indifference and moral bankruptcy" according to the council leader. Something the minister Steven Reed disputes.

While in Teesside, @leighsus.bsky.social reports on tensions between the government and the Labour-run Hartlepool Borough Council

Lancashire was given extra funding to sort potholes - so why can't people see progress? Reform UK campaigned hard on sorting out Lancashire's roads - but critics say progress has not been made

Our mid-week editions of The Lead's local titles tell original, local journalism - let's kick off with Lancashire and where all may not be seem in the 'war on potholes' declared by Reform

The Lead Untangles: Is the Greens' drugs policy reckless or responsible? As Zack Polanski pledges to legalise and regulate drugs, Sarah Sinclair dives into the detail of this controversial policy – what does the evidence say?

As Zack Polanski pledges to legalise and regulate drugs, Sarah Sinclair dives into the detail of this controversial policy – what does the evidence say?

Blind loyalty to Washington will not keep Britain safe Without the rule of law, Britain risks being pulled into yet another conflict not of its making

@zoegrunewald.bsky.social latest column examines the Iran conflict, and what should Sir Keir Starmer do next as he faces increasing pressure, and criticism, from Donald Trump.

"The rule of law, our international obligations, and alliances grounded in shared values are the only safeguards left against being dragged into yet another unnecessary and bloody conflict.”

“Starmer’s supposed lawyerly instinct, to respect precedent and abide by the rules we have bound ourselves to, should be his compass.

A debt to Ukraine repaid by Welsh miners In the Welsh miners' strike in the 80s, Ukrainian miners supported miners in our valleys with food deliveries. Now, people from the south Wales valleys are returning the favour.

Why do miners from the south Wales valleys feel indebted to Ukrainian miners? Read all about it, at The Valleys Lead.

@mickantoniw.bsky.social @alundavies.bsky.social @theleaduk.bsky.social

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Help our local journalism to keep setting the agenda Subscribe to support our original reporting at The Lead and across our growing regional network of journalists.

Subscribe - for less than a fiver a month - to support our original reporting at The Lead and across our growing regional network of journalists.

Epstein, eugenics, and the far right Long after race science fell into public disgrace, Epstein was working to revive its core assumptions – and connecting biological hierarchy to far-right politics. As Dr Annabel Sowemimo uncovers...

The latest tranche of Epstein files reveals a troubling preoccupation with eugenics – heredity, racial difference, ‘intelligence’, and reproductive selection – and a concerted effort from the paedophile financier to embed that fascination within elite institutions.

Government approval for Sefton Council's exceptional budget plan Plus Patrick Hurley MP writes about why he is optimistic for the town's 2026

The government has approved Sefton Council’s request for special allowances to enable it to set balanced 2026/27 budget.

Sefton is one of 37 local authorities to be granted exceptional financial support which does not include extra funding from central government.

Calder Valley MP ready to take on pub giants to secure better deal for landlords Josh Fenton-Glynn wants to tackle problems faced by those running tied houses

Josh Fenton-Glynn wants to tackle problems faced by those running tied houses

Liberty Steel plant in Hartlepool bought by unknown foreign investor Plus: the Darlington nurses back in the headlines, you read it here first though

A mystery buyer has bought Liberty Steel’s Hartlepool plant, just weeks after it was put up for sale.

Nearly 6,000 voices oppose plans to close a specialist palliative care unit in the valleys Thousands of people have signed a petition requesting that the Specialist Palliative Care Unit in Mountain Ash remains open - we tell some of their stories in this edition

Thousands of people have signed a petition requesting that the Specialist Palliative Care Unit in Mountain Ash remains open - we tell some of their stories in this edition

Taxpayer-owned assets in Blackpool could be sold to balance council's books Fears that the tower could be up for grabs appear over the top - but other assets could be on table

Taxpayer-owned “assets” in Blackpool will be sold off to balance the council’s books and address a £5m budget shortfall - and even more could be flogged if the local authority’s arm’s-length tourism company fails to make enough money, it has been suggested.

New group whip for Reform UK at Lancashire County Council Reform UK appoints new councillor to role responsible for party discipline on the same day the local group made national headlines

Good morning - earlier this week our local editions landed in thousands of inboxes bringing original local journalism to towns and communities outside the big cities.

Readers of The Lancashire Lead are no strangers to county councillor Luke Parker. He's been removed as Reform group whip.

What the Hell is actually going on with the Chagos Islands? Framing the Chagos Islands Deal as Labour’s problem is not just hypocritical – it’s plain wrong.

Framing the Chagos Islands Deal as Labour’s problem is not just hypocritical – it’s plain wrong. The latest edition of The Lead Untangles.

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

@zoegrunewald.bsky.social on point, as per, in our special edition in the wake of the Gorton and Denton by-election result

But the change they appear to want is not Reform’s angry nostalgia, but progressive politics with credibility, focusing on living standards, public services, climate and fairness.

The lesson, though, is not that Britain is hurtling rightwards. It is that voters want change, and they are increasingly organised and motivated to rupture the two-party system to get it.

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

"That is not the behaviour of a society locked into tribal warfare, but a constituency rejecting the right’s attempts to contort multicultural Britain into a series of warring demographics."

@zoegrunewald.bsky.social on the money.

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

The “silent majority” has now been tested more than once. And when it is summoned to the ballot box, it turns out the majority isn’t silent. And it isn’t Reform.

@theleaduk.bsky.social

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Can the Greens really go mainstream? Zack Polanski's party is on the up. But the disruptor left-wing party has a mountain to climb to break through the two-party system.

As the Green Party secures a historic win, @zoegrunewald.bsky.social dug into whether they can really go from a challenger party into the mainstream

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics.

A special edition of The Lead this morning as @zoegrunewald.bsky.social picks through the Gorton and Denton by-election result

A great reminder of the power of local journalism.

Credit to @lukebeardsworth.bsky.social and our sister publication @theleaduk.bsky.social Lancashire who drew attention to this story first!

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