Street artist Burley Banksy has won a long battle with BT over the placement of his artwork on their telephone box cabinets, with a little (or a lot of) help from the Leeds community.
Burley's Banksy, real name Andy McVeigh, has been embroiled in a row with BT for months after the company insisted he did not have the correct permissions to paint his street art on their telephone box cabinets.
But now, the company has changed its tune after receiving thousands of emails and social media messages of support for the artist - and has even agreed to cover the cost of restoring the pieces of art they had painted over.
He was inundated with messages of support from the local community after the company painted over a number of his street art pieces after BBC covered up several of his colourful murals in Rothwell.
It's become quite a public falling out, with a large number of people in Leeds siding with the street artist and sharing their support online for the work - which many say has brightened up their days.
But now, after a meeting with BT Openreach's regional manager for the North, the company has u-turned and given support to the artist to keep painting its boxes in Leeds.
It seems that BT Openreach has receieved thousands of emails and social media posts in recent weeks concern the artwork, with both fans of Leeds United and the wider community getting in touch to share their opinion on the matter.
Now, thanks to public pressure, Andy is finally permitted to paint the BT boxes around Leeds.
Leeds United themed-boxes, however, will be kept to the Elland Road area going forward.
What's more, BT has agreed to fund the restoration of the Burley Banksy boxes it had covered over in Rothwell. It will also be making a donation to Martin House Children's Hospice, at Andy's request.
"Everyone has really struggled in the pandemic and people have said the boxes get them through the day," Andy told the YEP.
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sheffield amongst nine areas to be long listed for UK City of Culture 2029
Clementine Hall
It's big news for Sheffield as the city has officially been long listed to become the UK City of Culture in 2029.
It’s one of just nine places across the country to make the cut, alongside the likes of Blackpool, Portsmouth and Wrexham.
Winning the title could bring huge investment to Sheffield, thousands of visitors, and a massive spotlight on everything that makes our city special - and let’s be honest, Sheffield’s got plenty to shout about.
From music and film to art and grassroots creativity, culture runs right through this city, and it would be a huge achievement to receive this title.
So, what happens now? Each arena will now receive £60,000 to develop a full application with the aim to build a vibrant cultural programme by 2028.
The nine confirmed long listed locations are: Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.
"I look forward to seeing what the nine long listed places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people."
Go on Sheffield, we're rooting for you big time. We can't think of a city more worthy.
Georgina Pellant -
31st August 2021 
