Blue Programme 240924

The Labour Party conference is happening in Leeds, with Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves speaking about the party's direction. Local business owners and councillors have voiced their concerns and opinions about issues such as energy prices, affordable housing, and bus fares. Leeds United has announced plans to expand their stadium, which will increase revenue and benefit local businesses. Hot water bottle injuries have increased due to expired rubber, and there is a growing trend of buying second-hand clothing. The Leeds Pub Piano Competition and Indie Cinema Crawl were both successful events in the city. Good afternoon. It's three o'clock. I'm Kate Page. And I'm Sophia Kennett and this is Leeds Hacks Radio News. The Labour Party conference is upon us with Keira Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaking about the direction of the party. Labour won all but one seat in Leeds and so the party will be keen to impress the locals, especially since Rachel Reeves is the MP for Pudsey. Ben Hicks is a business owner in Pudsey who feels sympathetic to the new government but it's clear about his concerns regarding energy prices and the cost of living. It's a really sort of, you know, where to start, you know, and it's still very engaged but, you know, as a coffee shopper you pay a lot of electricity and the cost of that, you know, getting it under control, I don't know. Leeds City Conservative Councillor Barry Anderson voiced his opinions about the main issues that Labour need to address in the city. However, he wasn't entirely negative and did stress the importance of a healthy working relationship. And by affordable housing, which is what the government say they want, do they really mean affordable housing or do they mean social housing? Bus fares, you might argue that bus fares, I mean the mayor's fares are £2 a time, but you might argue, if I want to crisscross the city, I want to be able to do that in an economic way. Give the government praise where it's necessary and where you agree and that means when you do say something, people might listen to you more. Leeds United announced ambitious multi-million pound plans to improve their ground today. Ellen Road's capacity could grow by almost 50%. Our reporter Ben Dineen has been following this story and joins us now. This is a big step up for the pub then. Why now? So, there's currently 26,000 people on the season ticket waiting list. That's 26,000 people whose money isn't in the club's pocket. An increase in stadium capacity means more season tickets can be made available and that essentially increases the revenue coming into the club. Now, as a championship club with aspirations of being in the Premier League, Leeds constantly need to invest in their squad in order to push for promotion, so more revenue gives them the funds to do that. Now, as much as it might be music to Daniel Farker's ears, the club must consider the local community and how they might be impacted by the developments. I caught up with Beeston and Holbeck councillor, Andrew Scopes, who was keen to stress this point. So, the local pubs and the local shops all benefit from that stage, you know. There's a lot of people who come and spend their money in Beeston and Holbeck and in Cottingley and that's a really positive thing. I guess as a local councillor, my job is to not just look at the big pictures, but it's also to look at the impact it has on the residents in my ward. How have the local businesses around the ground reacted to this news? Obviously, 16,000 extra people going to the ground means a lot more money going over the counters of local businesses. So, as you can imagine, they're pretty happy. Here's what the local chip shop had to say. I'd say there's more people than there is. This is a very positive move and probably a good idea. Bartenders at the Old Peacock are not only happy for the extra business, but they're already preparing for it. We regularly get 5,000, 6,000 in here in the back. We've expanded out the front with loads of different food trucks for this season. So, I mean, if it's an extra 15,000 or whatever, then it'll be a big deal for all the local businesses in this area. Thank you, Ben. Statistics reveal that in the past year there has been a 19% increase in hot water bottle related injuries. With more people using this method instead of central heating in the colder months, research shows they are at risk due to the rubber being past its expiry date. Claire Lewis, a victim of this injury, describes her experience. They determined that my burns were what they used to call second degree. So, they were partial sickness, which meant that it had eaten through the first layer of skin, I believe. Claire Boardman, a solicitor, also describes the consequences of using a hot water bottle. We tend to find that in the vast majority of cases there isn't actually a claim to be made. And it's simply a case that the expiry date that is stamped into the rubber on the hot water bottle itself hasn't been followed. 30% of all second-hand sales in the UK are clothes, more than any other type of item, according to Statista. This month is second-hand September. Tim Goodall, Green Party councillor for High Park in Heddenley, says he's fully behind it. There's so much clothing bought every year, with the whole fast fashion thing, the amount of carbon emissions that come from clothing, and then also from the making of the clothing, and then also the waste that comes from people throwing the clothes away. Second-hand clothing has seen a 27.2% increase in sales since 2021, according to Statista. John Sung is an avid vintage shopper. Honestly, I believe it's social media, unlike TikTok. Because even like, when you scroll through reels, when you scroll through TikTok, there's always just a suggestion of someone saying, I found this at the charity shop today, I found this at the thrift store. And you always get people that are just, you know, everyone wants to try and do that. They want to find their piece, their own finally. Tim Goodall says the change can only be made with support from big companies and the government. People's awareness has improved, but in some ways the whole system has to change. You know, you've got to get governments and large retail to change their system, to really, really make a change. Are you any good at playing the piano whilst having a nice pint? The Leeds Pub Piano Competition took place on Friday, and audience members are already looking to the future of the Leeds piano scene. The competition was part of many going on in Leeds, currently with pianists from all over the world coming to take part in the Leeds International Piano Competition, which took place the following day. Arts Promotion Officer Amy Wood works for Leeds' international concert season. Yeah, it's really good. It's just a high standard, and everyone has brought something different as well, which is really interesting. The competition didn't come without issues though, as there was an evident lack of diversity. Audience member Lucy noted this and had her say on it. One of the judges mentioned this at the start of the show, but they talked about how they didn't have any female contestants, other than the last minute addition who played first, and she was great. But, yeah, I definitely think the competition could be better if there was a bit more diversity in the people. By 10.30pm, the winner had been announced, and we managed to get a word with the second place player, Michael Kempster, who took home £260. I saw an advert for this competition here. I've never done anything like this before, and I just thought that it sounded like a bit of fun. I go to gigs occasionally, but I've never really heard many piano players out and about, so I thought it was a good idea just to come and listen to some more piano music and have a bit of fun playing. Although the piano competitions have come to an end, the Leeds International Piano Series continues with many concerts happening in the city. Leeds' first ever Indie Cinema Crawl was deemed a success after its launch on Sunday. Locals and visitors set out on a four-step tour across the independent cinemas of Leeds. Saffron Carroll has more. With 250 people attending the event launch on Sunday, the organisers of the Leeds Indie Cinema Crawl have deemed the day a success. Thanks, guys. Enjoy the film. Holly Clark is the events manager at Archive, one of the venues included in the Crawl. She believes events such as this help the city's independent businesses. As an indie business, it's really good to be included with stuff that is also in conjunction with indie businesses because there's quite a big community of us in Leeds, especially DIY venues. We have to do a cinema crawl to link of all. We need to find ways to support each other. With fancy dress, games and challenges along the way, the Crawl offered exclusive screenings at four different venues across Leeds. Those participating in the Crawl praised the event for its uniqueness. Yeah, I've never done anything like this in the Crawl. It's great because you get that time to kind of reflect on what you've just watched and discussed and also see different parts of the city and time, you know, get coffee or food on the way or whatever. These independent cinemas were keen to show the unique work their venues have to offer and cinema goers enjoyed a mix of both old classics and contemporary masterpieces throughout the day. Event organiser and duty manager at Cottage Road Cinema, Nathan Shipley, is keen to see the Crawl become an annual tradition in Leeds. We're really fortunate here in Leeds that our organisations are ready and willing to work together and that's definitely contributed to the success of the Crawl. People are ready to collaborate, to do that together. Following the event's success, organisers already have plans underway to run the Crawl for a second time next year, drawing attention to the independent cinemas and bringing traction to the film culture of Leeds. It's 16 Minute Toss 3, I'm Sophia Kenny. And I'm Kate Page. This is Leeds Tax Radio News.