Aisha Iqbal

Pressure is mounting on Bradford Council to provide answers about years of foul odours reportedly linked to the P Waddington and Co animal-rendering plant. Committee chair Matt Edwards has ordered an update on enforcement action ahead of a 17 September meeting, after a previously agreed seven-month investigation period. Campaigners, backed by a petition with more than 3,700 signatures, want the plant suspended pending an independent investigation and say the evidence should be considered for possible revocation of its environmental permit. The council says it is working to resolve the issue, while P Waddington and Co says it complies with its permit and emissions plan and has agreed to independent testing and monitoring.

More than 100 children, parents, teachers, residents and business owners protested outside P Waddington and Co’s animal rendering plant in Bradford, blaming it for foul odours that they say have affected local communities for decades. Campaigners want Bradford Council to revoke or reconsider the factory’s licence at an upcoming regulatory meeting. The company says it has always complied with its environmental permit, is working to minimise odours and has agreed to independent emissions testing and monitoring with the council. Residents argue that the smell harms their quality of life and Bradford’s reputation, while council representatives say they are listening and working to resolve the dispute.

New prime minister Andy Burnham’s pledge to end homelessness receives a mixed response from former rough sleepers and charity workers in Yorkshire. Some express hope in the additional funding and support promised, while others question the feasibility of achieving lasting change. Local charities highlight addiction, mental health issues and fragmented services as major barriers, calling for coordinated support. Rough sleeping numbers have fluctuated across the region, with some decline but persistent concerns in urban centres such as Bradford.

Bradford Council’s Reform UK-led executive cancelled long-standing plans for a £32.9m swimming pool and leisure centre despite officers recommending the fully developed scheme proceed to protect £20m in government funding. Officials argued the project would address ageing facilities and serve over 87,000 residents, but the administration cited fiscal risks, potential cost increases and the council’s financial difficulties. Opposition councillors backed the project for its community benefits, while some Conservatives called it poorly located. The cancellation risks losing millions already spent and may create further budget pressures if government negotiations fail.

Bradford Council is reviewing its recycling services following public backlash over the closure of three household waste sites in 2024. Officials confirmed they are exploring reopening at least one closed tip, including Sugden End, while investing nearly £6m to improve recycling performance and develop business cases for service enhancements. Councillors raised concerns about long queues, reduced hours and fly-tipping fears, while the council maintained there is no evidence linking site usage to fly-tipping levels. Confusion over bank holiday opening times also prompted calls for policy clarity. Neighbouring Calderdale Council recently reversed similar closures.

Residents in Bradford report long queues and rising fly‑tipping concerns following the closure of three recycling centres and reduced hours at others. Visitors to the Keighley site describe wait times of up to two hours and call for closed facilities to be reopened and site layouts improved. Local councillors from Reform UK and the Conservative Party urge the current administration to review waste‑centre operations, improve access and address fly‑tipping. Bradford Council has declined comment ahead of an upcoming meeting where these issues will be raised.

A former Bradford social worker describes witnessing signs of child sexual exploitation in the 1980s and 1990s and raising concerns that went unanswered. Her account aligns with issues being examined by Baroness Anne Longfield’s inquiry into grooming gangs, which seeks to understand why warnings were missed and why some victims were overlooked, including many of South Asian heritage. Despite progress in prosecutions, she argues that accountability must extend beyond criminal convictions to systemic failures. She emphasises that victims from different backgrounds were affected and that many still lack support decades later, calling for the inquiry to finally give a voice to those whose experiences were never acknowledged.

A former Bradford social worker describes witnessing patterns of grooming in the 1980s and 1990s, recalling girls leaving school and disappearing into taxis while early warnings went unheeded. Her account highlights longstanding institutional failures and overlooked victims, including South Asian girls who often stayed silent due to shame and family pressures. As Baroness Anne Longfield’s inquiry examines grooming gangs in Bradford and Keighley, the worker argues that true accountability requires acknowledging ignored warning signs and supporting survivors who still live with lasting physical and psychological impacts. She stresses that many victims have never been heard and hopes the inquiry will finally give voice to those whose experiences were overlooked.