| Going into new year, Mr Sunak has said he was confident "better times lie ahead" as new polling analysis suggested Labour's lead over the Tories may be more precarious than had previously been thought. But with the Conservatives still miles behind in the polls, there remains a real risk that Tories in the North - much like Thor the walrus who delighted people in Scarborough and Northumberland this week - could become an endangered species after the next election. Check out Graeme Bandeira's take in this week's cartoon. 
'Leeds has hidden its light under a bushel but now it's time to shine' There was crushing disappointment for Leeds leaders in 2017 when their dreams of the city being named European Capital of Culture in 2023 went up in smoke. Due to the UK's vote to leave the European Union the previous year - a decision opposed by a narrow majority in Leeds itself - organisers ruled that British cities could no longer bid for the annual honour.  Barnsley council leader Sir Stephen Houghton and Abigail Scott Paul of Leeds 2023 are guests on the Northern Agenda podcast this week
But with the backing of local businesses and a public poll, city officials decided that regardless of the official contest they were going to organise a year celebrating the culture of Yorkshire's biggest city anyway. So less than five years later Leeds prepares to host its own year of culture, where organisers say the city of 800,000 people "will burst into life, fuelled by creativity and the aim of opening more opportunities for more people". Leeds 2023 kicks off tomorrow at Headingley Stadium with The Awakening, featuring live music, poetry, dance, comedy and more and artists including Corinne Bailey Rae, Leeds' youngest rock band Solar Jets and LYR, a band featuring British poet laureate Simon Armitage on vocals. Abigail Scott Paul, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Leeds 2023, told this week's episode of The Northern Agenda podcast: "Over the last three years, I've talked to lots of people and they do say that Leeds has hidden its light under a bushel. And Leeds 2023 is all about having the opportunity across a whole year to really shout about the amazing cultural activity and infrastructure that we've got in the city."
The journalist forced to leave her home for reporting on child grooming lies  Amy and her daughter are now much happier in Lancashire (Image: LancsLive)
There's a compelling long read in the Guardian about the impact of the 1,362-word Facebook post in 2020 by Eleanor Williams, who claimed to be the victim of an Asian grooming gang in her Cumbrian hometown and posted images of the injuries she said she'd suffered. As Helen Pidd writes, "she set off a domino run which...ultimately, led to a far-right group gaining a foothold in Barrow, striking fear into Asian doctors at the local hospital, creating a culture of fear among the town's small minority ethnic communities." Williams was this week convicted of perverting the course of justice after a court heard her claims of grooming and abuse were lies. And one of the people whose lives were turned upside down by her claims was Amy Fenton, a journalist in Barrow at the time who reported on some of Williams' victims, "law-abiding and unsuspecting takeaway and local business owners who were being targeted by vigilantes". She tells her story here. Amy was subjected to countless death and rape threats after reporting, legitimately, on the case. "I was told that I didn't deserve to be a mother," she writes. "One vile troll even accused me of hiring out my then five-year-old daughter to Asian grooming gangs." In May 2020 Cumbria Police told her she needed to pack her bags and leave the county. "After fleeing our home and moving into an empty hotel in Lancaster, my next week was spent trying to juggle looking after my daughter, and keeping her entertained, while also working," she writes. Amy, who now works for Lancs Live, concludes: "Although the last three years have been, at times, traumatic, they have also shown me that society is, in the main, made up of decent, kind people without whose support I might not be where I am today. And I am thankful, as I know Ellie's victims are, that the truth has finally come out."
Why are our council tax bills higher than London's? It's that time of year again as hard-pressed local town halls ponder how much they should put up their share of council tax. Just this week Blackburn with Darwen and York set out plans to raise theirs by 4.99% - the maximum allowed - to keep local services going. But here's one to ponder when your next bill drops through the letterbox. According to analysis in The Times, council tax bills are more than 20% higher in the North than in London even though homes in the capital are nearly three times more expensive.  One explanation for the differences is that many cities in the Midlands and North have greater proportions of smaller Band A and B homes. Graphic by Marianna Longo
Consumer affairs correspondent Andrew Ellson reports that the "huge regional variations...will fuel concerns about whether the North of England is getting a fair deal from central government." According to the newspaper, the average band D bill in London this year is £1,696, compared with £2,060 in the North, while the average house price in the capital is £553,000, against £192,000 in the North. The report adds: "One explanation for the differences is that many cities in the Midlands and Northern England have greater proportions of smaller A and B homes, making it harder for their councils to keep the lower-rated bands affordable. "Often these areas also have higher levels of deprivation, which puts a greater demand on local authority resources. In London, councils have other ways to raise revenue. In Westminster, for example, the council generates tens of millions of pounds a year from parking charges, and huge sums in business rates."
Charged debate over town hall's unused electric vehicles  Electric vehicles waiting for racks at a Hessay depot due to supply chain difficulties
City of York Council is keen to be at the forefront of net zero efforts and in 2020 agreed to replace its entire fleet of vehicles under 3.5 tonnes with electric vehicles (EV) by 2030 – at a cost of £8m. But this week an independent councillor accused the authority - run by a Lib Dem/Green coalition - of "hiding" unused electric vehicles as there are not yet enough charging points to power them, writes Local Democracy Reporter Joe Cooper. Mark Warters labelled the situation an "embarrassing and expensive fiasco" after he shared pictures of several vehicles awaiting deployment at a former landfill site. The council said work on installing the chargers was behind schedule and that some of the vehicles are yet to be fitted due to difficulties with supply chains. Cllr Warters said: "Anyone wishing to run an electric vehicle would use their common sense and ensure they had appropriate charging facilities in place before buying the vehicle." The Osbaldwick and Murton councillor said he understood that contractors working at Hazel Court Eco Depot had cut through an electricity cable in June, which meant diesel generator backups were required "to keep the site operational". A council spokesperson said in response: "The cost and demand for electric vehicles is rising so quickly that should we have waited for the infrastructure, the inflation would have driven the cost significantly higher, indeed the vehicles in storage are already more valuable now than when we purchased them."
Councillor blasts 'Nimbys' as he warns local schools could close "We have some difficult choices to make and we're probably not going to be popular in a number of places." That was the warning from a councillor in Northumberland this week as he called for more houses to be built to breathe new life into small rural communities. Richard Dodd called for planning reform in the county after new figures revealed many of the county's rural schools have low numbers of pupils, causing them to struggle financially and putting them at risk of closure.  Homes are being built in Amble but one local councillor says development should be spread more evenly
Tory Cllr Dodd, who represents the Ponteland North ward, hit out at so-called "nimbys" – which stands for 'not in my backyard' and refers to members of the public who object to planning applications for new homes, writes Local Democracy Reporter James Robinson. At a Northumberland County Council scrutiny committee meeting, Cllr Dodd said: "There is a problem coming down the line. Longframlington has had 350 new houses, Amble has got 1,300 in the pipeline. If we could just spread that stuff a little bit around the county, because a lot of these villages are dying. This really is a problem." He adds: "When somebody says they're going to build the houses, out comes the committee to oppose them, the nimbys and their armies with their petitions and their letters and everything. "We need to build all kinds of houses that people can afford, not with all the palaver that goes with it, but just cheaper houses. It can be done. Otherwise, we, or someone, is going to be sitting here in 10 years time and we will have a list of schools that will have to close."
 Protestors against one of Leverhulme's application for new homes in Wirral
Meanwhile on Merseyside, developer Leverhulme Estate has asked for a public inquiry as they appeal eight applications rejected by Wirral Council for nearly 800 homes. The plans, which would be built on Wirral's greenbelt, have been highly controversial with large protests, councillors and MPs coming out in opposition, writes Local Democracy Reporter Ed Barnes. Nigel McGurk, Leverhulme's head of land and planning, said: "Leverhulme is appealing the applications because of the urgent need for new homes in Wirral, in particular affordable homes." But councillors argue Wirral will have more than enough homes available through its 'brownfield first' policy within the draft Local Plan. Current proposals put forward 23,000 homes, with many part of large regeneration projects in Birkenhead and Bromborough. 
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Northern Stories  Maned Wolves are native to South America and are included in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which includes breeding and research on the species to help them in the wild
- A litter of endangered Maned Wolves have brought excitement to visitors and staff at a wildlife park near Doncaster. The five pups – which are yet to be named and of which four are male and one female – were first seen by visitors cautiously exploring Yorkshire Wildlife Park's Atlantic Forest reserve this week. Their mother Ibera, three, first came to the wildlife park in 2020, with father Axenus, five, arriving in 2021. The birth of the litter was part of an international breeding programme designed to prevent the species from becoming extinct. Currently, Maned Wolves – which are native to South America and resemble both a wolf and fox, but are a completely distinct species – are classed as near threatened due to habitat loss.
- Schoolgirls have reported misogyny beginning "on the playground" as a new three-year plan to tackle violence against women and girls throughout Liverpool has been unveiled. Data recorded by the city council has found that among the quarter of a million women in Liverpool, it is estimated a third will or have experienced violence during their lifetime. In a bid to curb incidents of violence against females, Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson has unveiled a new three-year plan following consultation with social groups across the city, including young girls and students who shared their experiences in and out of school, as well as organisations involved in supporting those affected.
- Working from home culture has been blamed for missed bin collections in Leeds. Senior city councillor Mohammed Rafique said cars being parked on streets all day made it harder for bin crews to access some areas. But he praised the service provided by staff as "exemplary", with less than 0.2% of all collections missed across the last calendar year. The issue was raised at a council scrutiny meeting yesterday morning, where Conservative councillor Paul Wadsworth suggested the council's "performance on paper" was "not what we see on daily basis".
- People gathered in East Yorkshire for a packed meeting about plans to house asylum seekers in former university accommodation. The Darby and Joan Memorial Club was filled to its capacity of around 100 for the meeting called by local resident David Abram to talk about plans for The Lawns in Cottingham. The meeting heard the number could be as high as 1,100 single adult males but others said that was speculation. Cottingham councillor Helen Green said the plans were not a done deal but she and others at East Riding Council felt they had been ignored by the Home Office when plans were being drawn up for other accommodation, including at nearby Thwaite Hall.
- Ticket prices on the Tyne and Wear Metro could jump as much as 13.9% in a whopping fare hike this year. New proposals have emerged that could see Metro passengers hit with significantly higher travel costs in April, with the cost of a day ticket due to rise by 50p. Bosses at Nexus say the major price increases are needed to cover the network's dramatically escalating running costs, with the Metro's yearly high voltage power bill having spiralled to more than £20m due to the global energy crisis. But passengers have been thrown a lifeline and are being urged to sign up for a Pop Pay As You Go card, which will have its fares frozen for the second year running.
- Plans have been drawn up to carry out repairs to the roof at Blackpool's historic Central Library and Grundy Art Gallery after it was revealed water was leaking into the building. A planning application has been submitted seeking permission for work including replacement of the part pitched roof, leaded dome and glass; plus for pointing, following permanent removal of an existing skylight. Problems with the building on Queen Street first came to light nearly 18 months ago and since then items of historic interest have been moved to other locations to prevent the risk of water damage.
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