Yorkshire Times

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Temp Billings Rise At Strongest Rate In Two Years, But Permanent Placements Fall In June

The latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: North of England survey revealed divergent hiring trends in June, as a fall in permanent staff appointments contrasted with a rise in temp billings. While there was a sharper reduction in permanent job openings, growth in temp vacancies slowed.

P.ublished 13th July 2026

Community Spirit Shines Through At Pontefract Liquorice Festival

Thousands of residents and visitors came together today as the Pontefract Liquorice Festival returned for another successful year, with headline sponsor HARIBO UK once again supporting this sweet celebration. Local schools, community groups and organisations from West Yorkshire all played their part in ensuring this year’s celebrations brought joy to all attending.

P.ublished 13th July 2026

Vice-Chancellor Signals New Chapter For University Of Bradford

Professor Gillian Murray, who will take up her new role as University of Bradford Vice-Chancellor on July 13, the start of summer graduation week Photo: University of Bradford/Kiran Mehta.

The University of Bradford's incoming Vice-Chancellor Professor Gillian Murray has signalled “a new era” for the university focused on innovation and partnerships.

P.ublished 11th July 2026

Opinion

What NATO's Latest Summit Reveals About The Alliance's Future

Professor Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security at the University of Bradford, argues that NATO emerged from its recent summit militarily stronger but politically more fragile. In this expert analysis, he explores growing tensions over defence spending, Ukraine, Iran and US leadership, and assesses what this means for the future of the alliance.

P.ublished 10th July 2026

Ripon Celebrates St Wilfrid’s Procession And Yorkshire Day

Ripon will come alive on Saturday 1 August 2026 as this year’s St Wilfrid’s Procession is extended into a full day of free family celebration, held in joint celebration of St Wilfrid’s Procession and Yorkshire Day.

P.ublished 10th July 2026

M&S Bank, American Express And Homeprotect Named Among June's Biggest Customer Satisfaction Risers

Smart Money People's newly launched "Smart Money Risers" index reveals which financial services brands are winning over customers, and why simplicity, speed and service are driving loyalty

P.ublished 10th July 2026

Partners Welcome Creation Of Three Mayoral Development Zones To Drive Regeneration Across Region

Partners welcome creation of three Mayoral Development Zones to drive regeneration across region Partners across York and North Yorkshire have welcomed a bold new approach to boost jobs, housing and regeneration across the region, following approval at the Combined Authority Cabinet meeting last week (2 July).

P.ublished 9th July 2026

Food Leaders Urge Future Prime Minister To Back Plan To Strengthen Food System

As nominations open for the next Prime Minister, food supply chain leaders have written an open letter to candidates setting out a five-point plan for a more resilient and affordable food system.

P.ublished 9th July 2026

Girls Allowed! St Peter’s Celebrates 50 Years Of Co-Education

St Peter's first girls 1976 (l-r) Louise Stansfield, Zoe Jackson, Nicky Jesper, Louise Adams and Sue Elston

1976: It was a long, and intensely hot summer, inflation was spiralling at 24 per cent, punk music was breaking through - and St Peter’s School in York opened its doors to girls for the first time. It was a truly historic occasion for St Peter’s, founded in AD 627, fully 1,350 years before five brave and ground-breaking girls walked through its doors as sixth-form students.

P.ublished 9th July 2026

Deliveroo, Pho And Sheffield Hallam University Rethink Delivery Packaging

Deliveroo and Pho have joined forces with Sheffield Hallam University for the return of Deliveroo’s Sustainable Packaging Challenge for the third year. This follows the successful collaboration between the delivery platform and University with GAIL’s in last year’s competition, and the launch of the challenge in 2024.

P.ublished 8th July 2026

Theatres Trust Announces 20th Theatres At Risk Register With Good News For Two Theatres Set To Reopen

Abbeydale Picture House exterior Photo: Andy Gallacher

In its 50th anniversary year, Theatres Trust is marking the 20th year of the Theatres at Risk Register by highlighting both encouraging progress and continuing challenges for theatres across the UK.

P.ublished 7th July 2026

Yorkshire Air Ambulance Calls On Businesses, Schools And Communities To Turn Yorkshire Yellow This July

Kelly and family at Nostell to meet crew.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is inviting businesses, schools, community groups and individuals across the region to turn Yorkshire yellow this July by taking part in its annual Yellow Yorkshire campaign.

P.ublished 6th July 2026

TUC Launches Major Skills Initiative To Tackle Britain's Training Crisis

The TUC has launched a new skills initiative bringing together unions, employers, and education providers to tackle Britain's deepening skills crisis. The union body says the crisis has been caused by years of underinvestment by government, falling investment by employers, a failure to listen to workers, and a skills system struggling to keep pace with rapid technological change.

P.ublished 6th July 2026

YouGov/cebr Consumer Confidence Index Shows Decline In Briton’s Perception Of House Prices

Overall index increased by +0.4. Retrospective (+1.5) and forward-looking (+2.6) household finance figures continue recovery. Perceptions of house prices worsened over the past 30 days (-3.2) and looking ahead to the next 12 months (-0.5). Business activity measures improved over June (+3.6), as did outlook (+1.2)

P.ublished 3rd July 2026

Aldi Reveals Quietest Times To Shop In Yorkshire This Summer – Plus Money-Saving Tips For Families

With the school summer holidays around the corner, Aldi is sharing the quietest times to shop at its stores to help families avoid busier periods and make their money go further. From quieter shopping windows to practical ways to stretch the weekly shop, the UK’s cheapest supermarket is offering simple support for families during one of the busiest times of the year.

P.ublished 2nd July 2026

Yorkshire Water CEO Asks Customers To Share Their Views At ‘Your Say’

Yorkshire Water is inviting customers to take part in one of two ‘Your Yorkshire Water, Your Say’ online events on Thursday 9 July (6pm – 7.30pm) and Tuesday 14 July (6pm – 7.30pm). The sessions are an opportunity for customers to directly engage with CEO, Nicola Shaw and the senior leadership team at Yorkshire Water.

P.ublished 2nd July 2026

Women Bear Brunt Of Cost Pressures As Savings Take Back Seat, Study Finds

Women across Britain are significantly more anxious than men about meeting everyday living costs over the coming year, with new research warning that mounting financial pressure is forcing many to rely on borrowing and eating into long-term savings rather than building financial resilience for the future.

P.ublished 2nd July 2026

A Third Of People With ‘Red Flag’ Cancer Symptoms Don’t Contact GP

Figures show people with red flag symptoms put off going to the GP and face barriers in seeking help. Cancer Research UK and Tesco have partnered to encourage people to seek help for potential cancer symptoms and support early diagnosis Tesco pharmacists trained by Cancer Research UK available in-store to provide information and support to customers experiencing potential symptoms or concerned about cancer

P.ublished 1st July 2026

Northern Grassroots Football Pitches Baked "As Hard As Concrete" By Climate Change, Clubs Warn

Image by Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay

Football clubs across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria say increasingly volatile weather is leaving pitches swinging between waterlogged winters and concrete-hard summers, driving up injuries and landing already stretched grassroots organisations with thousands of pounds in extra costs, a new investigation has found.

P.ublished 1st July 2026

Public Underestimate Daily Water Use By More Than 100 Litres, New Campaign Reveals

Let's Save Water Jeff Brazier Photo: Venetia Dearden

Only one in ten adults in England and Wales understand how much water they use each day, according to research released to mark the launch of a major new campaign aimed at changing the nation's relationship with water.

P.ublished 1st July 2026

Ripon City Photographic Society Sets The Scene For 2026 Annual Exhibition

Ripon City Photographic Society (RCPS) returns this summer with its annual exhibition on Saturday, 29th August, transforming Allhallowgate Methodist Hall into a vibrant hub of local creativity. Open from 9am to 4pm, the free-entry exhibition brings together a striking collection of work from talented society members.

P.ublished 30th June 2026

Yorkshire: New Research Reveals Reading As Secret Weapon For Sport, Sleep And Mental Wellbeing

Whether you're training for a marathon, heading to the gym or playing five-a-side football, a good book could be one of the most powerful tools in your fitness kit.

P.ublished 30th June 2026

Business And Housing Leaders Give Cautious Welcome To Burnham's "Innovation Nation" Vision

Andy Burnham used his first major speech since launching his bid for the Labour leadership to set out an "innovation nation" vision for Britain, built around deeper devolution, a championing of science and entrepreneurship, and a fundamental rethink of how young people are educated and trained.

P.ublished 29th June 2026

Inheritance Remains One Of Britain’s Biggest Taboos In Yorkshire & Humber

A third of people in Yorkshire have never discussed inheritance, with widespread gaps in tax and estate planning knowledge

P.ublished 29th June 2026

Inspired Colleagues Take On 173-Mile Ultra-run For Charity

Two colleagues from INSPIRED Pet Nutrition are set to take on an extraordinary endurance challenge this week, running 173 miles over four days to raise vital funds for charity. The challenge will begin at the company’s Head Office in Thirsk, where colleagues and supporters will gather to see the team off.

P.ublished 26th June 2026

“We’ve Given Out 2,700 Bottles Of Water In Two Days” Homeless Charity Founder On Heat Risks

Louise Reed, CEO and founder Photo: Danny Thompson Photography

Focus4Hope was originally created as a community organisation but became a registered charity so it could respond to increased demand. It offers a range of services to help people avoid crisis points, including food distribution, advice and guidance, and a low-cost food market. But in extreme weather, crisis can become inevitable.

P.ublished 26th June 2026

Women In Yorkshire Lead On Household Money, But Men Are Still More Likely To Make Long-Term Wealth Decisions In Relationships

Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay

Women in Yorkshire are highly involved in household finances, with nine in ten (92%) actively involved in managing daily finances but are less likely to take the lead on the longer-term decisions that shape future wealth, according to new research from St. James’s Place (SJP).

P.ublished 26th June 2026

Letter To Editor: Heatwaves & Hearing Aids

Franki Oliver

Dear Editor, Around 3 million people in the UK are hearing aid users. With the temperature this week reported to reach in excess of 38C in some places, RNID, are encouraging hearing aid users to give their devices some extra TLC during the hot weather so they can soak up the sunshine without missing out on conversations.

P.ublished 23rd June 2026

Opinion

As Labour Weighs a Burnham Succession, Families Are Already Living the Social Care Crisis

Sir Keir Starmer's decision to step down has triggered a pivotal moment for Labour and for the future direction of public services, with Andy Burnham the leading contender to succeed him. Burnham has previously spoken about the need for stronger community-based services and reforms to health and social care, making the sector one to watch closely as the leadership contest unfolds.

P.ublished 23rd June 2026

LNER Advises Against Travel On Wednesday And Thursday Following Red Heat Warning

Following the issue of a rare red weather warning, LNER is advising customers travelling throughout this week to check before they travel and strongly recommends customers booked to travel on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June 2026 do not travel.

P.ublished 22nd June 2026

£100,000 Of CrossCountry Community Funds Now Open For Applications

Long-distance train operator CrossCountry has announced that its annual Customer and Communities Improvement Fund, and its Biodiversity Improvement Projects fund, are now open for applications. The two funds are being launched to support local projects that encourage sustainable growth and create a positive impact for local communities across the CrossCountry network.

P.ublished 22nd June 2026

Transport Secretary Makes A Statement On Train Collision At Elstow Near Bedford

With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the tragic collision between two passenger trains on Friday 19th June. I realise honourable members will be aware of some of the details, but today I’d like to set out the facts as we know them so far. At approximately 17.15 on Friday evening, two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided at Elstow near Bedford.

P.ublished 22nd June 2026

AA Signs Marks 120 Years Since First Road Sign Was Erected In Hatfield

First AA SIgn

AA Signs, one of the oldest parts of The AA, is celebrating 120 years since its first road sign was erected in Hatfield.

P.ublished 22nd June 2026

Northern Preparing For Lake District Tourism Boom Introduces New Ticket Allowing Passengers To Travel On Trains, Buses And Boats

Furness Line Photos: Northern

Passengers are being offered a new ticket that allows them to switch between trains, buses and boats in Cumbria. It comes as a growing number of tourists are booking trips to the Lake District and other popular UK holiday destinations this summer, amid uncertainty over international travel.

P.ublished 22nd June 2026

A Moving Legacy: LNER Unveils ‘Gresley 150’ Azuma Livery To Celebrate Life Of Railway Pioneer

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Nigel Gresley, former Chief Mechanical Engineer of the original LNER, a special Azuma train livery has been unveiled at Doncaster railway station.

P.ublished 20th June 2026

Chester To Host The World Cup Of Town Criers As International Hopefuls Prepare To Do Battle

Chester Town Crier David Mitchell

While the world watches the FIFA World Cup, Chester is gearing up to host its own global tournament, and this one comes with bells on. Twenty-five town criers from across the globe will descend on the city this September for the World Town Crier Tournament, organisers Marketing Cheshire have confirmed. The details were announced, fittingly, by Chester Town Crier David Mitchell.

P.ublished 20th June 2026

Home-Buying Reforms Could Ease Path Onto Property Ladder, Says Skipton Chief

Sweeping reforms to England's home-buying system, unveiled today, have been welcomed by one of the country's leading mortgage lenders as a step towards tackling Britain's affordability challenges.

P.ublished 19th June 2026

Northern Improves In Latest Rail Industry Customer Satisfaction Results

Northern's 'Creating Customer Confidence' programme is helping to deliver one of the biggest customer satisfaction turnarounds in the operator's history. Train operator Northern has moved up from the bottom of the national rankings in Transport Focus's latest rail passenger scorecard, in one of the clearest signs yet that the operator's drive to rebuild passenger trust is working.

P.ublished 19th June 2026

Rail Passengers Rate Their Journeys In Biggest Ever Rail Satisfaction Survey

Over 100,000 passengers surveyed in the biggest rail satisfaction survey in British history. 87 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. CrossCountry worst-performing train operator in survey with 79 per cent of passengers satisfied. Hull Trains passengers most satisfied with their journey. Results will be used to drive day-to-day improvements for passengers and inform Great British Railways priorities.

P.ublished 19th June 2026

Improving Youth Wellbeing In The North-East

Plans to improve the wellbeing of young people in the north-east have been explored as part of a roundtable discussion at the University of Sunderland.

P.ublished 18th June 2026

Bank Base Rate Held At 3.75%

The Bank of England was widely expected to keep interest rates on hold this month. But the Monetary Policy Committee’s focus has now shifted towards digesting the implications of the US-Iran deal to extend the ceasefire and restore energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

P.ublished 18th June 2026

Yorkshire Air Ambulance Doctor Shares Lifesaving Open Water Safety Advice During Drowning Prevention Week

Yorkshire Air Ambulance's Airbus H145 helicopter attends an incident near open water

As Drowning Prevention Week (13-20 June) continues, Yorkshire Air Ambulance is urging the public to take care around open water following a number of tragic incidents across the UK. The annual awareness campaign, led by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), follows reports of more than 17 people losing their lives in open water incidents across the UK since the start of May.

P.ublished 18th June 2026

Employers Turn 'Cautious' On Hiring As Vacancies Fall To Lowest Level Since 2021

Joanne Frew

Overall, the headline figures point to a broadly stable labour market, with little movement in employment and mixed signals on unemployment trends. The UK employment rate was estimated at 75% in the period February to April 2026. This is largely unchanged on both the year and in the latest quarter. The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 4.9% in the same period.

P.ublished 18th June 2026

'Evidence-based' policymaking an illusion

Image: Pixabay

Britain's flagship public health policies of the last fifteen years have not been driven by evidence at all, but rather by political pressure from small, often taxpayer-funded interest groups, according to a new book published by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

P.ublished 18th June 2026

Inflation Stays On Hold, But Relief Will Be Short-Lived

ONS data that shows inflation to have held at 2.8 per cent in May

P.ublished 17th June 2026

New Technology Supporting Witnesses In York And North Yorkshire

Witnesses across York and North Yorkshire are benefitting from technology that allows them to give evidence without travelling to a distant courthouse, following the closure of Northallerton Magistrates Court in 2019.

P.ublished 17th June 2026

LNER Becomes First UK Train Operator To Launch Ask For Angela Scheme

LNER has become the first UK train operator to introduce the ‘Ask for Angela’ safeguarding scheme across its trains and managed stations. The launch comes in Rail Safety Week, an industry wide initiative which focuses on rail safety for all. Now in its tenth year, ‘Ask for Angela’ is widely recognised in the night-time economy and helps people leave situations where they feel unsafe.

P.ublished 17th June 2026

Scottish Friendly Reports 84% Year-On-year Increase In Q1 ISA Opening Values

The amount of money people invest when they first open an Individual Savings Account (ISA) has jumped by 84% in a year, according to proprietary data from Scottish Friendly. The modern mutual’s data shows that opening values have been steadily increasing over the last four quarters, data for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 shows a 21% increase.

P.ublished 17th June 2026

New Report Reveals Adoption Support System Is Failing Hundreds Of Families Across The UK

Image by Fuzzy Rescue from Pixabay

Four in 10 adoptive families say they are facing severe challenges or are at crisis point as the Adoption Barometer 2026 calls for a legal right to lifelong, needs-led support. A major new report from Adoption UK has revealed that too many families are still being left without the support they need once adoptions are made, and adult adoptees continue to be overlooked by policymakers.

P.ublished 16th June 2026

Bereaved Dads Say They Feel Forgotten After Baby Loss

Father’s Day (21 June) can be a particularly difficult and lonely day for those whose baby has died, however long ago. Dads with other children may also have mixed feelings and worry about how to approach the day. Every day in the UK, 13 babies die shortly before, during or soon after birth.

P.ublished 16th June 2026

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