THE YORK BRIEF ⏰ Friday, January 30, 2025

Good morning, York! ☕ Happy Friday – the weekend is here! We're closing out the week with flooding alerts across the riverside, a tragic loss in Heworth, major NHS payouts, police budget pressures, and some brilliant cultural wins. Plus, there's a Bhutanese shop to explore on Lord Mayor's Walk and a student fashion exhibition waiting at Heslington Hall. Grab your umbrella and let's dive in.

💷 MONEY & BILLS

💷 York NHS Trust Paid £1.5m in Radiology Error Compensation; York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust paid out £1.68 million in compensation for radiology errors over five years, settling 9 of 49 claims brought between 2020-2025. The largest single-year payout occurred in 2024/25. The trust, which handles 400,000+ annual imaging examinations, said the vast majority are interpreted correctly and it reviews errors through quality assurance processes. "We sincerely apologise to all patients affected by these incidents," a spokesperson said.

A York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said it “sincerely apologise to all patients affected by these incidents” and is “committed to providing high-quality, safe and effective care”.

👮 North Yorkshire Police May Lose 21 Officers to Balance Budget; North Yorkshire Police faces cutting 21 officers in a worst-case scenario to balance its 2026/27 budget despite receiving £10m more funding. Costs have risen £12.66m due to inflation and pay rises, while savings of £4.7m have been identified, leaving a £1.25m gap. Mayor David Skaith proposes increasing the police precept by £15/year for Band D properties (4.67% increase). The force reports crime is down with 1,000 fewer victims this past year.

💧 Yorkshire Water Bills to Rise by 5.6%; Yorkshire Water customers across the region, including York residents, will see bills increase by 5.6% this year, affecting both metered and unmetered households.

“The money we collect from customer bills, alongside shareholder investment and borrowing, will be spent on a wide variety of improvements across the region – from improvements to storm overflows to mains replacements and bringing in new water resources – alongside delivering a better service for our customers.” 

🏘️ Health Chiefs Seek £34k Contribution for Barlby Housing Scheme; NHS bosses are requesting £34,380 toward GP services if 29 new homes get approval at Turnhead Farm in Barlby, near Selby. Mulgrave Developments Ltd plans to demolish the existing farmhouse and build two, three and four-bedroom properties. The NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board says the development would add around 70 people locally, increasing demand on existing services. The contribution would go toward a planned extension at Beech Tree Surgery in nearby Riccall.

🏛️ POLITICS & COUNCIL

⛪ Archbishop of York Cleared of Misconduct Over Abuse Case Handling; Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, has been cleared of misconduct over his handling of priest David Tudor, who was barred for life in 2024 after sexual relationships with two teenage girls in the 1980s. A church tribunal found Cottrell's renewal of Tudor's contracts as area dean while Bishop of Chelmsford were "mistaken and regrettable" but made "in good faith" and don't amount to misconduct. Cottrell said: "There are some things I wish I had done differently" and apologized for the hurt caused to the victims. Official Statement: Archbishop of York

🚗 Blake Street Traffic Rules to Change Near York McDonald's; Changes are coming to Blake Street traffic rules in York's city centre. No vehicular entry 10:30 am-5 pm (Blue Badge holders exempt), and no entry for motorised vehicles 8 am-10:30 am and 5 pm-6 pm except for loading. The street is home to McDonald's at 14/16 Blake Street.

🌸 Walls in Bloom Expands with More Wildflowers; York's Walls in Bloom initiative is expanding with more wildflower planting on the city walls. The project enhances biodiversity, supports pollinators, and requires minimal maintenance while adding natural beauty to heritage sites.

🚨 CRIME & SAFETY

🚨 Man Dies Following Fire in York Flat; A man died Thursday following a fire at St John's Walk flats in Heworth. Firefighters found him unconscious around 1pm; he died en route to hospital. A joint police and fire investigation is underway with a cordon in place. Anyone with information should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting NYP-29012026-0200.

🦅 North Yorkshire Gamekeeper Fined for Targeting Hen Harrier; Racster Dingwall, 35, from Ellingstring, was fined £1,520 at York Magistrates' Court after being caught on covert RSPB cameras trying to kill a protected hen harrier at Grassington Moor. Police analysis showed he possessed a semi-automatic shotgun for this purpose. It's believed to be the first prosecution of its kind in English law. The RSPB says over 100 hen harriers have been confirmed or suspected illegally killed on or near UK grouse moors in the last five years.

“The RSPB will not rest until the future for this bird is secured and that can only happen with legislative change. Government licensing of grouse shooting is now essential to change practices in this sector.”

🌊 ENVIRONMENT

🌊 York City Riverside Properties Face Flooding Risk; Flood warnings remain in place for York's riverside as River Ouse levels rise following heavy rain. Properties from Lendal Bridge to Millennium Bridge are expected to flood today, with warnings extending to St George's Field car park and Rowntree Park. Flood alerts for the Lower and Upper River Derwent and Upper River Ouse remain active.

🌾 North Yorkshire Fracking Decision Postponed After Government Steps In; A decision on Europa Oil & Gas' 38m gas rig in Burniston near Scarborough has been postponed after the Secretary of State requested time to consider calling in the application. More than 1,600 local objections cite environmental concerns over the "proppant squeeze" method. Friends of the Earth welcomed the delay, calling fracking "deeply unpopular with local communities."

🎭 CULTURE & COMMUNITY

💝 Phoenix Software Raises £25k for St Leonard's Hospice; York-based Phoenix Software raised over £25,000 for St Leonard's Hospice through year-long fundraising. The campaign culminated in "Race for a Reason" where 30 employees navigated Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg using only public transport in July 2025. Staff also organized marathons, raffles and local initiatives throughout the year. (York Press)

🇧🇹 Shop Bringing Taste of Bhutan Opens in York; The Bhutan Store has opened on Lord Mayor's Walk, selling Bhutanese food and memorabilia. Popular items include red rice, puff rice and hand-woven bags. The owner says they opened to serve York's small Bhutanese community and showcase their country's culture. (YorkMix)

‘We have a small Bhutanese community here. Based on that we just opened. We want to show our country in the UK, we just opened recently, so if it goes well, we plan to expand across York,” the owner said.

👗 Students Pioneer Historic Fashion Exhibition at University of York; A student-curated exhibition exploring how women's fashion reflected social change from 1900-1950 is now open at Heslington Hall's Art Gallery. "New Fashions for the New Woman" features 80+ exhibits showing how changing expectations, financial independence and leisure opportunities influenced women's dress. The exhibition highlights early synthetic fibres like nylon, new plastics, and traditional crafts that revolutionised clothing. Visitors can touch textile samples to experience unusual fabrics firsthand. Free tickets via Eventbrite, runs until March 31st. (YorkMix)

🎨 York Launches New Culture Strategy at REIGNITE XII; REIGNITE XII launched York's Culture Strategy on January 22nd at Yorkshire Museum and York Art Gallery. Priorities include community engagement, supporting the cultural workforce, and cross-sector partnerships. The evening featured panel discussions with directors from National Museums Liverpool and Manchester Museum, plus networking with exclusive exhibition access. Delivered by Aesthetica, York BID, and York Museums Trust with Mayor David Skaith funding.

🎭 York Graduate Lands Role in Major US Theatre Production; Alice Bravery, who studied Writing, Directing and Performance at the University of York, will appear in Dinosaur World Live when it premieres in Minneapolis in March 2026. After training at the Curious School of Puppetry, Alice has built a career in large-scale puppetry and family theatre featuring life-sized dinosaurs.

🏡 PROPERTY

🏡 Student House Near Campus Hits Market for £180k; A one-bedroom house next door to Halifax College on Moor Lane, Heslington, has gone on sale for £180,000. The property features open-plan kitchen/living space, bedroom, shower room, and dressing room/office, plus it's on a bus route to York city centre. The £180k price tag plus £82 quarterly service charge means this is more daydream than reality for most students.