Local Democracy Reporting Service

Businesses are calling for York city centre to trial traffic-free days in a bid to reduce pollution and encourage residents to visit.

Image source, LDRS

Edinburgh became the first city in the UK to join the Open Streets movement, closing some streets to all traffic on a regular basis.

York already has a pedestrian zone, with a number of streets shut to vehicles between 10:30 and 17:00 every day.

Owner of Winstons of York, David Skaith, says residents can be put off by traffic and believes lorries are doing damage to the pavements.

"We do need lorries for deliveries but it's about finding that balance," saysMr Skaith.

"Large lorries come through the streets and it’s just an absolute nightmare. It’s carnage – people can’t even see or get into our shop because drivers park so close.”

He suggested deliveries could be made to a central location and then taken to individual businesses in smaller vehicles.

York Green Party leader Councillor Andy D’Agorne said: “This is the kind of initiative that could work well in York, extending the monthly Fossgate festivals to include a wider area of the city centre being car-free once a month."

Wakefield Council is to sign a "friendship agreement" with a Chinese city today in a move it's hoped will boost business opportunities in the area.

Image source, Getty Images

The mayor of Nanning, in southern China, is due to meet Peter Box, the leader of Wakefield Council, later to seal the deal.

It's hoped the new accord between the two cities will help improve trade between West Yorkshire and Nanning, which has a population of about seven million people and is known as one of China's greenest cities due to its abundance of sub-tropical foliage.

Mr Box says: "It's not some kind of typical town hall exchange, it's meant to be about business, about creating opportunities for both our Chinese colleagues and people in Wakefield."

Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in connection with the death of woman in Rotherham.

Mother-of-four Alena Grlakova was found dead in a dried-out stream just off Taylors Lane last month and it is thought she was murdered.

The 38-year-old was last seen on Boxing Day 2018 and police have now released a video of a man who "could be able to assist with their ongoing inquiries".

The man in the CCTV footage was seen just before 22:25 on Wednesday 26 December, walking through the Asda car park on Taylors Lane then heading towards Broad Street.

Det Ch Insp Mark Oughton said: "It is vital we identify this man and speak to him as he could hold important information."

A 45-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death and has been bailed pending further inquiries.

At the age of 95, retired tailor Elwyn Hughes is a long way off putting down his needle and thread.

In fact, since moving in to a care home in York he says he's as busy as ever making curtains, clothes and bags for his fellow residents:

An East Yorkshire patients group says it's worried recent cuts to Bridlington Hospital have left the town without the level of NHS services it needs.

Image source, Geograph/Michael Ely

The Bridlington Health Forum say they are asking people what services they want, in a bid to secure the future of the hospital which has lost a number of its services over the last few years.

They plan to present the results to the York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, at a meeting later this month.

Group chair Jean Wormwell said: "People are getting sent to York or to Malton for treatment and the transport situation in this area leaves a lot to be desired.

"We think that, more than ever, it's necessary to use Bridlington Hospital."

York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust say they are happy to discuss the results once they have been shared with them.

Three men entered the Marsh Hotel in Cleckheaton and demanded money from customers, say police.

It's been revealed a West Yorkshire university spent millions of pounds more on day-to-day outgoings than it received in just one year.

Image source, Google

Analysis by BBC News found the University of Bradford has a deficit of more than £12m.

The research also found the number of universities and colleges in England with a financial deficit has jumped by almost 70% in just one year.

Maria Battul (pictured), a second year student at the University of Bradford, said the shortfall is damaging students' education.

"I'm really worried about the finances of my university, because in the last couple of years we've seen over 200 staff jobs cut," she said.

Stuart McKinnon-Evans, the university's finance director, said its deficit related to staff redundancies and improvements made to student accommodation.

Mr McKinnon-Evans said the university's plan was to be running a budget surplus by the year 2021.

BBC analysis found in the year 2017-18, 32 higher education providers spent more money than they received in income, an increase from 19 providers in 2016-17.

The Department for Education did not respond to a request for comment.

A BBC drama based on the life of the woman dubbed "the first modern lesbian" will have its world premiere later.

Image source, Calderdale Museums

It's called Gentleman Jack, and will be premiered in Halifax, close to Shibden Hall (pictured), where diarist Anne Lister and her family lived from the 17th Century.

Much of the drama was shot in York close to the Minster and at Holy Trinity Church on Goodramgate.

Last year a memorial plaque in York to Anne, who attended Manor House School in the city, made national headlines after describing her as "gender non-conformist."

The Civic Trust later took the plaque down and changed the wording to lesbian.

Filled with a sense of pride the publicans of Barnsley will be offering thanks for one of their famous sons today.

It's exactly 234 years to the day since prolific inventor and locksmith, Joseph Bramah, invented the beer pump handle.

Mr Bramah was very good at coming up with methods for moving liquids - seven years earlier he patented a valve flush system for toilet cisterns:

Two people have been sprayed with an unknown substance during an armed robbery at a West Yorkshire pub, police say.

Image source, Google

They were attacked when three suspects went into the Marsh Hotel, in Cleckheaton, at about 23:10 on Monday night.

The robbers then ordered customers to lie down and hand over their wallets before taking money from the till.

During the raid one man had an unknown substance thrown over him, causing him to suffer breathing difficulties and skin irritation.

He was then attacked with what police believe was an axe before being sprayed again.

A second man was also sprayed in the face.

Det Insp Alex Bacon, said: “This was a serious incident which has traumatized the victims.

“Two people have been sprayed with a substance which has caused them great distress and one person attacked with what is believed to be an axe."

West Yorkshire Police is appealing to anyone who saw anything suspicious immediately before or after the incident to get in touch.

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

It's going to be generally cloudy with spells of rain and drizzle throughout the day.

Tonight will stay cloudy and wet in places.

Police in Scarborough say they're concerned about a man missing from the area.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Peter Brown has gone missing overnight.

He was last seen wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a navy coloured jacket and a blue hoody.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is being asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

The mother of a boy who died from a ruptured bowel told a headteacher she was "struggling to cope".

Image source, Google

Riley Siswick, three, was found dead by paramedics two days after Kyle Campbell injured him at their home in Marsh, Huddersfield, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Riley's mother, Kayleigh Siswick, did not seek immediate medical help and sought to protect Mr Campbell.

The child's behaviour had been so erratic that Ms Siswick "was overwhelmed", the court heard.

Mr Campbell, 26, denies murder, while Ms Siswick, 26, denies causing or allowing the death of a child.

A mammoth collection of 6,000 model elephants is to go under the hammer.

The elephants, some of which are up to 3ft (0.9m) tall, are being sold at an auction in Hull:

Red was the colour on the streets of Barnsley last night.

Image source, PA

Thousands of Barnsley FC fans descended on the town centre to celebrate the team's promotion to the Championship with an open-top bus parade and a civic reception.

Image source, BBC/Andy Kershaw

The Tykes return to the second-tier after finishing as runners-up in League One.

Image source, PA

BBC Weather

Today will be cloudy and cool with spells of rain and drizzle, but the wind will be lighter than yesterday.

Tonight will stay cloudy with just a few spells of rain:

A serious case review will be held into historic child sex abuse (CSE) in Bradford.

Image source, PA

The chair of the city's Safeguarding Children Board has said she will commission an independent person to conduct the review.

In a document seen by the BBC, Jane Booth said the inquiry would examine how agencies in Bradford had responded to CSE in the past.

Bradford Council said it would be "keen" to receive the findings.

Ms Booth said she had made the decision to convene a "serious case review to look at how Bradford agencies have responded to CSE in the past".

This would be "informed by the experience of victims", she said.

Ms Booth added: "We will hold agencies to account for the quality of the service they delivered and challenge them where their actions or inaction did not protect children."

In a case earlier this year, nine men were jailed for raping and abusing two teenage girls living in a children's home in Bradford from 2008.

BBC News Travel

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this morning, most services appear to be running to time.

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station, external
• Leeds Station, external
• Sheffield Station, external
• Hull Station, external
• Doncaster Station, external
• Wakefield Westgate, external
• Bradford Interchange, external
• Bradford Forster Square, external

A 19th Century tree thought to have inspired a well-known nursery rhyme has been removed from the grounds of one of Britain's most notorious jails.

Image source, HMP Wakefield

HMP Wakefield's mulberry died in 2017 - a year after it was shortlisted as a Tree of the Year contender.

The tree, considered by some to be the origin of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, was cut down on Tuesday.

But it is set to be replaced after a staff appeal tracked down a cutting taken from the original 30 years ago.

Its replacement was grown in the 1980s in the garden of a retired member of staff, who has since died.

His widow was made aware of the appeal for tree cuttings and was "delighted to assist with this project", the prison said.

The original mulberry died through beetle infestation and canker, a Prison Service horticulturalist found.

Jacek Ronczko was "angry" officers took no further action over a robbery he reported, a court hears.