THE YORK BRIEF ⏰ Thursday, 8th January 2026
📰York faces wintry weather warnings as locals earn honours, businesses struggle, communities rally for good causes, and police, councils and charities confront challenges across the city and region.
Good morning! York,
While we're all wrapping up warm against the Arctic blast, there's plenty happening across York and the region. From honours for local academics to a York business closure, and some important community news, here's what you need to know today.
WEATHER UPDATE
Brace yourselves – Storm Goretti's on its way, bringing snow warnings for parts of North Yorkshire later this week. The Met Office is predicting 5-10cm of snow in some areas, with up to 20cm possible on higher ground. Today we're looking at temperatures around 3-4°C with cloudy skies. The storm's expected to bring what forecasters are calling a "multi-hazard event" Thursday night into Friday.
📰 NEWS
🏅 University Honors Go to Four Outstanding Individuals; The University of York has announced its winter honorary degree recipients, recognizing four remarkable people for their contributions. Best-selling author Amish Tripathi (known for the Shiva Trilogy), mathematician Prof Sir Simon Donaldson FRS, ecologist Prof Sue Hartley OBE, and Dame Amanda Blanc DBE (Aviva Group CEO) will all receive honorary degrees. Dame Amanda will also deliver the winter graduation address – quite fitting given her company’s strong York connections.
✨ York St John Trio Pick Up Honours; It’s been a good week for York St John University. Professor Divine Charura has been appointed MBE in His Majesty The King’s New Year Honours list for his services to inclusion and the advancement of counselling and psychotherapy research and practice. His work focuses on mental health and trauma, supporting multidisciplinary teams including frontline professionals in emergency services, health, and social care.
And there’s more – Senior Lecturer Jaime Day has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Nurse title by The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing. The nationally recognised mark of excellence honours her commitment to delivering and leading outstanding care in the community. Jaime, who’s Placement Engagement Lead for Nursing at the university, received the title at a ceremony in November. She’s currently completing an MSc in Dementia, researching how nursing education prepares students to work confidently with people living with dementia.
“I am delighted that Jaime has received the prestigious Queen’s Nurse title, an honour reserved for those who demonstrate exceptional nursing practice and a strong commitment to excellence. This award highlights Jaime’s outstanding impact on nursing education, from inspiring learners and supporting professional development to helping shape the next generation of nurses.”
💼 Aviva Opens Doors for Young Adults; Speaking of Aviva, they’re hosting an open day on 19 January for their Supported Internships Programme. It’s a partnership between Aviva, York College, United Response, and City of York Council, designed to help young adults with learning disabilities and autism set their career paths.
👮 Meet Your Local Bobby; North Yorkshire Police are running community drop-in sessions where you can have an informal chat with your neighborhood PCSO. First one’s at Orchard Park in Huntington on Tuesday 13 January, 11am-12pm. It’s a chance to raise concerns, ask questions, or just get to know your local officer over a cuppa. Gazette & Herald
🌸 Half a Million Visitors Flock to Harlow Carr; RHS Garden Harlow Carr’s celebrating a massive milestone – they’ve welcomed their 500,000th visitor this year for the first time ever. The lucky milestone visitor, Elizabeth Ragheb from Harrogate, was gifted an RHS Life Membership. Head of site Liz Thwaite says it’s testament to the deep connection people have with the beautiful garden. Gazette & Herald
🚗 Dunnington Garage Hosts Driver Confidence Evening; Dunnington Motor Care Ltd is hosting a hands-on car care and road safety event on Wednesday 11 February, 7-9:30pm. The Driver Confidence Evening features North Yorkshire Police’s Road Safety Team and covers everything from basic car maintenance to safe driving tips. Tickets are £15, with all profits going to Dunnington Primary School PTA. York Press
🎯 Darts for a Good Cause; The Bugthorpe 26 darts team will be playing for 12 solid hours on Saturday 24 January to raise money for York District Hospital’s Cancer Care Centre. They’ll be at it from 8am to 8pm, with tea, coffee, cakes, and hot food available for supporters. The centre closed during the pandemic and now runs a limited service – redevelopment work started in September 2025 and should finish in September 2026. Every bit helps them reach Macmillan’s £2.4m target. Gazette & Herald
🌊 ENVIRONMENT
River Foss Pollution: A Call to Action; The River Foss Society’s reminding York households they can help curb pollution by disposing of medicines and household chemicals properly. Unused medications, garden pesticides, cleaning fluids, and car care products are all ending up in our rivers, causing untold harm to wildlife. The society says simple changes make a difference – take old medicines to pharmacies for proper disposal, and be careful with car wash run-off. Worth remembering that University of York research has shown the Foss is the most polluted river in Europe for pharmaceutical contaminants. That’s heart-breaking, but we can all play a part in turning it around. York Press
⚖️ CRIME & JUSTICE
Eighth Cocaine Gang Member Jailed; Scott Tuohey, the eighth member of a gang who flooded York with cocaine, has been jailed for 28 months. The gang’s total sentences now exceed 56 years. North Yorkshire Police’s operation seized more than £50,000 worth of drugs. It’s been a major result for local police in their ongoing fight against drug trafficking in the city.
💼 BUSINESS & POLITICS
💷 MPs Battle Business Rates Hikes; York’s MPs are urging the Prime Minister to act on business rates increases that are threatening the high street. Rachael Maskell MP highlighted eye-watering hikes: 41% for hospitality venues, 44% for music venues, and 27% for independent shops. She’s arranged a business rates summit to discuss the crisis. Meanwhile, Luke Charters MP for York Outer is continuing his campaign for better bus services across the constituency. (Yorkshire Post)
💡 Power Cut Promises for Selby; Selby’s MP Keir Mather has secured promises from Northern Powergrid about tackling the numerous power cuts affecting his constituency. The CEO has acknowledged the scale of the problem, with helicopter patrols finding vegetation growing across power lines. They’ve committed to cutting it all back and accelerating infrastructure improvements. Mather’s organised a meeting next month with Northern Powergrid and parish council representatives – he says he doesn’t just want promises on a page, but concrete action with a proper timeline.
🏭 York Tool Firm Elcocks Owes £1m+ in Liquidation; Elcocks, the tool hire, sale and repair business on Hospital Fields Road, has gone into liquidation owing creditors more than £1 million. The family-run company closed last month after nearly 50 years of trading, hit hard by the collapse of a major national buying group. Joint liquidators’ final statement shows the firm owed £1,019,333 to 59 companies – including more than £210K to HMRC, £339.8K to Santander, and £209K to Funding Circle. Various employee claims totalled £113K. Mike Jenkins of Begbies Traynor says their focus is on ensuring the liquidation proceeds smoothly and keeping creditors fully informed.
📊 Council Pays Price for Lost Planning Appeals; North Yorkshire Council has paid out“significant sums of money” after losing planning appeals to housing developers. Executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, acknowledged the challenges, explaining that if they refuse planning permission without solid grounds, they not only lose the appeal but face substantial cost awards. Communities in the Selby area have been particularly vocal about their frustrations with the planning process. Yorkshire Post
🏉 Bond International Backs Pocklington Rugby; Bond International has secured a three-year sponsorship deal with Pocklington Rugby Club. The deal includes Churchill Tyres branding and represents a significant boost for the local club.
📋 This Week’s Public Notices; York Press has published its latest roundup of public notices for the York area, including planning applications, road closures, and other official announcements.
🏥 HEALTH
‘Good’ Rating for Harrogate Maternity Services; Harrogate District Hospital’s maternity services have been upgraded to ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission. It’s welcome news for expectant parents across the region.
⚠️ NORTH YORKSHIRE
Safeguarding Report Highlights Gaps in Support
A North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board review has found that a 30-year-old mother-of-three from the traveller community who took her own life in March 2023 wasn’t given coordinated or sustained support. The report, conducted after an inquest concluded Marie (a pseudonym) had taken her own life, found she’d faced serious challenges including childhood trauma, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, substance use, and mental ill-health. The review concluded that while she was known to multiple services, support was often fragmented, short-term, or focused on single issues. It’s made recommendations including ensuring staff are competent at dealing with members of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community, and that trauma-informed practice is embedded across safeguarding agencies.
“Marie’s story reminds services of a need to evaluate how they work with those individuals whose trauma may manifest as disengagement, whose cries for help may appear chaotic, and whose lives do not fit neatly into traditional service models.
That’s today’s snapshot of York. Got a community story, event, or issue we should be covering? Send it our way - this newsletter’s strongest when it reflects the people who live here.
