THE LEEDS BRIEF ⏰ Friday, May 1, 2026

Good morning, Leeds! It's Friday 1 May - and what a week it's been. Another major child sexual exploitation investigation breaks this morning with six new arrests in East Leeds, Tom Wright has finally unveiled his full first season at the Playhouse, and a Leeds man with Asperger's made the whole city proud at the London Marathon on Sunday. Plus elections are six days away, and TransPennine's big works begin tomorrow. Plenty to get through - let's go. 👇

🗳️ ELECTIONS - 6 DAYS TO GO

📅 Leeds City Council Elections: Thursday 7 May 2026 - Six days to polling day. Polls open 7am–10pm, photo ID required. 36 seats across 33 wards up for grabs. Reform UK held a rally at Leeds Arena in March and are targeting the council, but Labour holds a sizeable lead. Results declared Friday 8 May. Leeds City Council

💰 WASPI campaigners put every Leeds candidate on the spot - The Leeds Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) group has written to all candidates standing across the city with one question ahead of the 7 May vote: will you stand with local women in their fight for fair compensation? New analysis shows over £112 million could be owed to 38,510 women born in the 1950s across the country if the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations are implemented. The government has so far rejected compensation calls despite the Ombudsman finding the DWP guilty of maladministration in 2024. Campaigners say the worst-affected women were given just 12 months' notice of a six-year pension age increase. (Source: Yorkshire Evening Post)

🚨 CRIME & COURTS

⚠️ Six men arrested in dawn raids across Leeds and Birmingham over historic child exploitation in East Leeds - West Yorkshire Police carried out a pre-planned operation this week, arresting six men following raids at addresses across Leeds and Birmingham as part of an investigation into non-recent sexual offences against girls. The men - aged 34, 35, 36, 37, 37 and 38 - were arrested on suspicion of offences including rape of girls under 13 and girls aged 13 to 15, as well as arranging or facilitating travel with a view to exploitation. All six have been interviewed and released on bail pending further enquiries. The investigation involves five victims, with alleged offences taking place between 2007 and 2012 in the Micklefield, Kippax and Garforth areas of East Leeds. Detective Superintendent Sarah Lambert said: "Child sexual abuse and exploitation are abhorrent crimes that cause lasting harm to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. We urge anyone who has experienced sexual abuse, regardless of when it occurred, to come forward." (Sources: Yorkshire Post · Yorkshire Evening Post)

📋 42 criminals locked up in Leeds in April - the monthly round-up - The Yorkshire Evening Post's monthly round-up of criminals sentenced at Leeds Crown Court in April 2026 has been published, with 42 offenders jailed during the month. April's cases included a range of serious and violent offences. The full gallery is behind the YEP paywall. (Source: Yorkshire Evening Post )

👊 Father and son attacked by drunken group who said "you're in Leeds now" - A father and son were set upon by a group of drunken individuals who launched a verbal and physical attack on them, telling them "you're in Leeds now" during the assault. Further details on sentencing are behind the YEP paywall - search fallback yielded limited additional information. (Source: Yorkshire Evening Post )

🎭 ARTS & CULTURE

🎪 Tom Wright unveils his full first season at Leeds Playhouse - Fences to Little Shop of Horrors - Tom Wright has officially revealed his inaugural season as Artistic Director of Leeds Playhouse, running autumn 2026 to summer 2027. The season opens with August Wilson's Fences (11–26 September 2026), co-produced with Headlong, Lyric Hammersmith and HOME Manchester, directed by Daniel Bailey. It continues with the sold-out hit Peanut Butter & Blueberries by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan (October–November 2026), then Wright himself directs The Grinch Stole Christmas (November 2026–January 2027). 2027 sees Romeo & Juliet, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein reimagined as an AI story, Wright's own new play Sirens, The Secret Garden adapted by Linda Marshall Griffiths, and closing with Little Shop of Horrors directed by Associate AD Jamie Sophia Fletcher (June–July 2027). Tickets on sale for Fences and The Grinch now; general booking for all others opens 7 May 2026. (Sources: The Reviews Hub · Theatre Weekly)

🎸 The Cribs are coming home to Millennium Square this July — and it's been a decade - Wakefield indie stalwarts The Cribs - Ryan, Gary and Ross Jarman - are headlining Millennium Square on Saturday 11 July 2026, as part of the Sounds of the City series. It's their first time back at the venue in 10 years, when Sonic Youth legend Thurston Moore famously joined them on stage. Support comes from Lottery Winners and Ellur. The show follows the band's spring UK tour and new album Selling A Vibe. Get tickets at Ticketmaster. (Sources: Wakefield Express · NME)

🏆 PEOPLE & COMMUNITY

🥇 Leeds man with Asperger's breaks his seventh Guinness World Record at London Marathon - Matthew Akpan, 37, from Leeds, broke his seventh Guinness World Record at the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 26 April — setting the fastest marathon by a male with an intellectual impairment (II1 category) in a time of 3 hours, 19 minutes and 16 seconds. Matthew, who has Asperger's, has become known for running marathons dressed as WWE wrestler John Cena and takes on record challenges to raise money for charity and awareness of neurodiversity. He runs in memory of his late father and this year raised funds for the National Autistic Society. "I have now broken seven Guinness World Records, currently holding five," he said after the race. (Sources: Leeds Live · Yahoo News · Guinness World Records)

⚖️ Freeths Leeds trainee wins second regional award in 12 months - Maxwell McCartney, a Trainee Legal Executive at Freeths in Leeds, has won the Yorkshire Emerging Male Leader title at the Business Hero Awards 2026 - just 12 months after winning Professional Services Apprentice of the Year at the West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards. The judges highlighted his charity fundraising for Martin House Children's Hospice and his culture-building work within the Leeds office. Freeths is a Top 50 commercial law firm and certified B Corporation, best known publicly for representing 555 sub-postmasters in the Post Office Horizon miscarriage of justice. (Source: Law News)

🧠 New men's mental health peer group launches in Armley - Heavy Minds - A new drop-in men's mental health peer support group, Heavy Minds, has launched in Armley, meeting every Thursday 7–9pm at Boom, the punk and metal music venue on Canal Place, LS12. Founded by Jake Poll, 33 — a care leaver and five-year recovering addict — the group is entirely free and has no set structure, giving men space to connect and have "deeper chats" in a setting free from pressure. Jake said: "If you find your mate struggling, they can come to us. That's what we're here for." No booking required - just turn up. (Source: West Leeds Dispatch)

🏥 HEALTH

⚠️ Pudsey mechanic diagnosed with asbestos cancer 40 years after exposure warns: "it's still dangerous" - James "Jim" Kell, 63, from Pudsey, is speaking out after being diagnosed with mesothelioma — a rare and aggressive asbestos-related cancer — decades after working as a car mechanic at Leeds garages in the 1970s and 1980s. Jim regularly handled brake pads and clutches containing asbestos without knowing the dangers. In November 2022, a CT scan revealed a mass near his oesophagus. With support from Yorkshire Asbestos Support Group (SARAG) and Mesothelioma UK, and with legal help from Irwin Mitchell, he secured a six-figure settlement. "While asbestos has been banned since 1999, it still poses a very real risk," said his lawyer Nicola Handley. (Source: Yorkshire Evening Post)

✈️ LEEDS BRADFORD AIRPORT

✊ Residents rally outside Civic Hall as LBA night flights row intensifies - Campaigners from the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) gathered outside Leeds Civic Hall this week as the council considers Leeds Bradford Airport's latest planning application, a CLEUD (Certificate of Lawful Existing Use or Development), which the airport argues would permanently exempt its most common aircraft from the cap on night flights. GALBA says the application would allow night flights to rise from around 2,800 to over 7,000 in the summer season. Leeds City Council confirmed it will meet GALBA to discuss the issue, and said it is working to determine the CLEUD application "in an efficient, timely and legally compliant way." LBA said it "remains committed to operating within the parameters of existing planning permissions." (Sources: ExaminerLive · Yorkshire Bylines · West Leeds Dispatch)

🚆 TRANSPORT - REMINDER: MAJOR DISRUPTION STARTS TODAY

⚠️ TransPennine Route Upgrade works begin TODAY — Saturday 2 May - From today (Saturday 2 May) to Monday 25 May, intensive Transpennine Route Upgrade engineering works are in full effect on the Huddersfield–Leeds corridor. Huddersfield station will close to trains on affected days, with Brighouse acting as the key rail-bus interchange. Replacement buses operate throughout. A second phase hits Batley and Dewsbury from 30 May to 27 June. Check your journey at National Rail before travelling. (Source: Rail Technology Magazine)

🏃 Leeds Marathon - Otley, Pool and Bramhope: plan ahead for 10 May - Residents in Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale and Bramhope are being urged to plan ahead for the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on Sunday 10 May, when significant road closures will affect the A660 corridor and surrounding areas from as early as 4am. Park & Ride from Elland Road and Stourton. Full road closure map at Run For All. (Source: Wharfedale Observer)

👨‍👧 TOMORROW IN LEEDS - DADS MARCH

👶 Leeds Dads paternity march tomorrow — Briggate to Civic Hall, 11am - A reminder that hundreds of fathers pushing prams are marching through Leeds city centre tomorrow, Saturday 2 May, from Briggate at 11am to Civic Hall in Millennium Square as part of national Equal Parenting Week. The Push for Paternity Leave campaign is calling on the government to overhaul the UK's two-week statutory paternity leave. Simultaneous marches take place in London, Manchester and Nottingham. (Sources: Yorkshire Evening Post · Leeds Dads)