This follows reports that a school in Walkden ordered more than 130 books to be removed from their library’s shelves.

Index on Censorship reported in March that The Lowry Academy had removed the books – with the number rising to almost 200 if each issue of the graphic novels was counted.

The school said that no books had been banned, but re-classified – although a number had been removed.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden, said she has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP.

Ms Qureshi described as ‘unacceptable’ claims that books including We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Pageboy by Elliot Page were removed.

Other books reportedly removed include a graphic novel of George Orwell’s 1984, Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books.

Yasmin Qureshi MP (Image: Office of Yasmin Qureshi MP)

Ms Qureshi said: “A qualified librarian exercised her professional judgement in good faith, only to resign under pressure and face investigation. That is unacceptable.

“School libraries should open young minds, not reflect the personal preferences of senior leadership. Books must be determined by educational need and expertise, not ideology.

“I’ve asked the department what powers it has to investigate and whether they will act on this case and wider library governance issues.

“Our young people and educators deserve better.”

In a statement given to PA the school denied that books had been “banned” and said they had instead been placed into “age-appropriate categories”.

A spokesperson for the academy said: “It is not the case that books have been ‘banned’ by the school.

“Following concerns that a number of books within the library were neither age- nor content-appropriate, an audit was conducted.

“Following this, books have been placed into age-appropriate categories and returned to the shelves. 

“A very small number of books were deemed inappropriate even for older children due to their content and have been removed.”

The Lowry Academy has reportedly removed nearly 200 books from their library (Image: Google Maps)

Teachers at the National Education Union (NEU) conference in Brighton voted for a motion calling on the union executive to oppose censorship in school libraries.

Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary, said: “Any move to censor books in school libraries based on misinformation and fearmongering should ring alarm bells for all of us.

“The USA and Hungary are examples of countries which have implemented book bans in schools, primarily targeting books by women, black and LGBT+ authors, and the NEU is clear that this is not a path we are prepared to follow in the UK.”

The motion also called for the union executive to promote the body as a union for librarians amid reports they are seeing both internal and external censorship of library materials, as well as redundancies, budget cuts and extremely low pay.

Firefighters were called to the small fire in the open near Huntington Road shortly after 5.10pm on Sunday (April 5).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire, measuring 2m x 2m and consisting of branches, was out on the crew’s arrival.

A service spokesperson said it was suspected that youths seen in the area had started the fire.

They said the crew informed police about the incident and “inspected the area to ensure the fire was fully extinguished before leaving the incident”.

The organisation has supported thousands of unemployed South Lanarkshire residents into work, skills and training.

The long-serving chairperson of Routes to Work South (RTWS) has stepped down after 17 years in the role.

It means the search is on to find a replacement for Bill McBride at the organisation that has supported thousands of unemployed South Lanarkshire residents into work, skills and training.

South Lanarkshire council’s head of enterprise and sustainable development, Alison Brown, said: Alison Brown said: “Bill’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping RTWS into a respected, stable, and forward‑looking organisation. Under his guidance, Routes to Work South has expanded its services, deepened its community partnerships, and delivered programmes that have helped many residents overcome unemployment and build brighter futures.

“We are immensely grateful for his contribution.”

A new chairperson and up to five independent directors are now needed for RTWS.

It is an arms-length external organisation of South Lanarkshire Council that celebrated their 20th anniversary last year.

The positions are voluntary (with expenses reimbursed) and successful applicants will attend quarterly board meetings and sub-committees.

The organisation welcomes applications from individuals with experience in:

■ Finance, audit, or risk management

■ Human resources / people and culture

■ Legal and regulatory compliance

■ Strategic leadership and organisational development

■ Digital, data or information governance

■ Employability, skills, health or economic development

■ Community development / third sector leadership

Alison added: “RTWS has grown into an award‑winning Scottish charity and a key contributor to tackling poverty and promoting economic inclusion across South Lanarkshire. The organisation supports residents to develop the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to progress into sustainable employment.

“We would love to hear from people interested in helping us grow the service, guide its strategic direction, strengthen governance and ensure high‑quality delivery of employability programmes.”

Applications should be submitted by Thursday 30 April by sending a CV and short supporting statement by email, or informal enquiries can also be emailed or call 0141 584 2915.

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READ MORE: Funding launches for Lanarkshire’s biggest climate festival

The Grand National 2026 is just around the corner, with the world-famous Aintree racecourse set to host three days of racing across April 9-11.

Standard and hospitality tickets start at £33.50 at The Jockey Club, with VIP and hospitality packages also available from £249 at Seat Unique.

It’s no secret that there are some fantastic spots to get some great grub across the region, a place home to so many talented and dedicated restaurants. 

And this year we’ve once again been looking to shine a spotlight on the best of the best, along with the help of our readers.

We can now reveal the top ten finalists in our competition – and we want you to now vote for your favourite.

This year’s top ten are: 

1. Burtree Inn – Burtree Gate, Darlington, DL2 2XZ
2. Stable Hearth – 33-35 Duke Street, Darlington, DL3 7RX
3. Taipan Asia – 10 Crown Street, Darlington, DL1 1LU
4. Tawny Owl – Neasham Road, Hurworth Moor, Darlington, DL3 1QE
5. The Bay Horse – 45 The Green, Hurworth-on-Tees, Darlington, DL2 2AA
6. The Bridge Inn – The Green, Stapleton, DL2 2QQ
7. The Crown at Mickleton – Mickleton, Barnard Castle, DL12 0JZ
8. The Ivy Tree – Yarm Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 3RY
9. The Loft Steakhouse & Grill – 10 Crown Street, Darlington, DL1 1LU
10. The Talbot – 47–49 The Green, Bishopton, Stockton-on-Tees, TS21 1HE

To vote, you simply need to cut out a coupon printed in The Northern Echo this week and next. You have until Wednesday, April 22 to vote for your favourite. 

In the meantime, we’ll be highlighting each of the restaurants and gastropubs in our top ten to help you decide which one to vote for.

The Northern Echo editor Gavin Foster said: “We have some fantastic restaurants across Darlington and County Durham and our best restaurant or gastropub competition is the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on that. 

“We are delighted to once again be launching our search for the best of the best. Get your votes in now!”

To vote, you simply need to cut out a coupon printed in The Northern Echo this week and next. You have until

Ashley Smith, 23, spent 13 years in care from age eight, alongside his twin brother Nathan, for nine of those years.

Mr Smith is one of four siblings and lived with three different foster families during his time in care.

He said: “I would ask more local families to think about fostering and offering a safe and loving home to a child who needs one, and I would especially ask for brothers and sisters to be kept together whenever possible.”

He credits his progress to his final foster carers, Diane and Stuart Kelly from Harrogate.

Ashley with his final foster parents Diane and Stuart Kelly from Harrogate (Image: North Yorkshire Council)

He added: “They offered a warm and loving home where I felt I belonged.

“Diane and Stuart have done a lot for me emotionally and financially too.

“Truly caring and treating a young person as part of the family makes all the difference.”

Ashley now lives in York and is studying children, young people, and society at university, where he then hopes to become a social worker.

Cllr Janet Sanderson, executive member for children and families at North Yorkshire Council, said: “We are incredibly proud of Ashley and everything he has achieved.”

Hotel rooms, cabins and apartments are all available for rent and included in the price are the endless lakes, woodlands and meadows to romp in. It would be impossible to get bored here, with paddleboarding, fresh-water wild swimming, cycling, kayaking, zip wire, archery, bushcraft and tennis all on the menu.

Mike Kearney, a National Education Union (NEU) representative, received the award at the NEU’s national conference in Brighton for his solidarity work supporting teachers in Ukraine.

Daniel Kebede, president of the union, said: “Congratulations to Michael for his exemplary international solidarity work.

“Michael’s commitments to Ukraine’s teachers and pupils have been unwavering.”

Mr Kearney is travelling with support from the NEU Ukraine Solidarity Network (Image: York Green Party)

Mr Kearney was honoured for his ongoing efforts to support Ukrainian teachers and students, and is travelling with support from the NEU Ukraine Solidarity Network.

On April 2, he set off from Brighton in a van delivering aid to Ukraine.

The van included educational materials donated by York schools, along with Easter eggs for children and families.

He will leave the van in Ukraine to assist with ongoing aid delivery.