From local papers to national television news, the Save Our Homes LS26 campaign struck a chord with journalists across the UK. What began as a local fight to preserve affordable housing and community ties in a former mining estate quickly emerged as a powerful symbol of wider housing struggles faced by tenant communities across Britain.





Initially covered by local outlets like the Yorkshire Evening Post and BBC Radio Leeds, our fight quickly captured the attention of national publications including the Guardian, Observer, Financial Times, The i Paper, and Morning Star. Our struggle spoke to a national concern of housing insecurity.
In April 2018, our campaign featured in a BBC Newsnight episode, marking a significant milestone. It brought our community’s voice directly into people’s living rooms, and undoubtedly caused the landlord to sweat. Then, in March 2022, resident campaigners featured in the BBC series “We Are England: Fighting for Our Homes” and the ITV series “Losing Your Home: The True Cost”. These TV features increased our visibility, helped connect our campaign with housing activists across the country, and amplifying our message beyond our Leeds postcode.
Throughout this journey, media coverage has been vital in applying pressure to decision-makers, documenting key turning points in our campaign, and ensuring that the human cost of housing redevelopment isn’t forgotten amid planning applications and legal appeals.
This non-exhaustive timeline of coverage represents not just press interest, but the power of ordinary people’s stories to capture public attention when communities stand together against displacement.
2017
- BBC News, 2017: Rothwell ex-coal board estate ‘may be demolished’
2018
- BBC Radio Leeds with Liz Green: (8 Jan 2018) Hazell and Mark Field discussed the eviction threat and local campaign.
- The Morning Star (16 January 2018) Ex-miners face eviction to make way for luxury homes
- The Guardian (12 Mar 2018): Our landlord is demolishing 70 homes – but we won’t go quietly
- BBC Newsnight (April 2018) – See full video below
- The Financial Times (3 April 2018): UK tenants fight to prevent demolition of prefab homes
- The Guardian/Observer (7 April 2018): ‘The spirit will be lost: Residents fight eviction from their prefab homes’
- Leeds Live (10 April 2018): ‘They would be tearing down a community’.
- Building Design Online (12 April 2018): Anger grows over plans to redevelop Yorkshire prefabs
- The Guardian (25 April 2018): How do we save our estate from demolition?
- The Canary (21 June 2018): A potential mass eviction in Leeds lays bare the perils of private renting
- Yorkshire Evening Post (16 October 2018) ‘They are destroying a community’ say Oulton homes protesters
BBC Newsnight April 2018, via YouTube:
2019
- Yorkshire Post (30 May 2019) Leeds Councillors fail to come to a decision on demolition plans
- BBC News (3 October 2019) Rothwell former coal board houses saved from demolition
- The Morning Star (3 October 2019) Community beats back gentrifiers
2020
- Yorkshire Evening Post (18 Feb 2020) ‘How dare you think you can just come and move us out?’ Oulton residents stand their ground
- Leeds Live (30 April 2020) Families who fought for two years to save their homes dealt another devastating blow
- The Morning Star (10 May 2020) Former miners’ homes tenants prepare for another battle against take over by unaffordable luxury accommodation
- Yorkshire Evening Post (7 July 2020) Oulton residents launch crowdfunder to fight against developers who want to demolish their homes
- Tribune Magazine (14 October 2020) Fighting Social Cleansing in Leeds
2021
- The Morning Star (18 January 2021) Government-approved housing plans leave tenants of 70 former miners’ homes facing eviction
- Leeds Live (19 January 2021) Leeds residents devastated as demolition of historic miners’ homes is greenlit
- Yorkshire Post (19 January 2021) Devastated residents set to lose their homes as owner wins right to demolish housing estate
- Greater Manchester Housing Action (30 January 2021) Social cleansing deemed acceptable: LS26 ‘Save Our Homes’ lose appeal
- Yorkshire Post (12 February 2021) More misery for Leeds residents fighting to save their Oulton housing estate from demolition
- Verso Blog (23 June 2021) Fighting Gentrification in Leeds
- Yorkshire Evening Post (12 August 2021) Families on Leeds estate built for coal miners told to leave homes ahead of demolition
- Yorkshire Post (15 August 2021) Prestigious film festival to show documentary on Yorkshire families’ fight to save their homes
- Daily Express (30 November 2021) Pensioner set to be evicted from ‘forever home’ just before Christmas
- The i Paper (21 December 2021) How gentrification is forcing a former mining community in Leeds out of their homes
2022
- BBC (7 March 2022) Tenants on Leeds Sugar Hill Estate ordered to leave
- BBC One (5 March 2022) We Are England: Fighting for Our Homes – Leeds (iPlayer)
- ITV (17 March 2022) Losing your home – The true cost (ITV hub)
- Yorkshire Evening Post (25 March 2022) – ‘There is always hope – this isn’t over’ campaigners vow to fight to the end to save a Leeds housing estate
- Red Pepper Magazine (2 July 2022) – Fighting for Cardboard City


2023
- BBC (16 January 2023) Tenants on Leeds Sugar Hill Estate on life after eviction battle
2024
2025
- Housing Digital (23 January) Leeds Federated joins residents to celebrate new homes
