West Yorkshire town, industrial powerhouse and university hub
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a 20% business rates reduction for nearly 32,000 pubs, clubs and live music venues in England from April 2027, a package the government says will save a typical pub about £1,100 a year and cost roughly £100m. Ministers are proposing to fund it by reviewing reliefs for vape shops and cracking down on online tax non-compliance.
A jury at London’s Old Bailey has found 19‑year‑old Johannes Kongsnes Natland guilty of conspiracy to murder after he travelled from Stavanger to the UK in March 2025 and was arrested in a Huddersfield hotel with two guns, ammunition and cash. Prosecutors say he was recruited by Sweden’s Foxtrot Network, which governments have linked to Iran.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made social care reform a priority, urging cross‑party collaboration and an independent review to shape a national care service, with faster timelines for reform and funding discussions.
The royal couple has joined Kevin Sinfield’s seven ultramarathons in seven days, visiting Wakefield, Hull, York and Leeds as part of a campaign to raise funds for motor neurone disease (MND). Sinfield has already visited multiple Super League grounds, with more stops planned before the Grand Final in Manchester.
A 19-year-old Norwegian, Johannes Kongsnes Natland, has been sentenced after a jury convicted him in July of conspiracy to murder. Police arrested him in March 2025 at a Huddersfield hotel with two firearms, ammunition and cash after he travelled from Norway to the UK to carry out a killing for €25,000. He had been recruited online by Sweden-based Foxtrot Network.