Schools in Sheffield are set to reopen to some children on Monday, two weeks after the city council delayed students attending due to coronavirus safety fears.

Image source, PA Media

Sheffield's director of public health, Greg Fell, has advised the council he now feels it's the right time to start to reopen the schools.

It comes after he said two weeks ago that he wasn't "assured the systems and plans put in place were sufficient" to reopen schools at the start of the month.

However, Mr Fell now believes schools have had time to test plans ensuring it is safe for children to return to their classrooms.

He also said he believes the NHS's Test and Trace system is now working in Sheffield, helping to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Councillor Abtisam Mohamed, cabinet member for education and skills, said: "Wider opening is an important step to ensuring more children get back to school and, in turn, their parents can return to work.

"However, we must remember the measures needed to make sure this is safe also limit the number of children who can attend at any one time. Each school and childcare setting has calculated the number of children that can be safely accommodated.

"Some of our schools are already at full capacity. This has been recognised by the government today in their announcement that all schools are not going to be fully open before the autumn term," he added.

Five towns and cities in Yorkshire have been selected as host training centres for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which will be held in England next year.

Image source, Anna Gowthorpe/PA Media

Matches were already due to be played in Doncaster, Hull, Huddersfield, Leeds, Sheffield and York but now it has been announced that five of those location will also host training bases.

The following teams will be based in Yorkshire:

• Doncaster - Samoa (Men’s)
• Hull - Fiji (Men’s)
• Leeds - Jamaica, Ireland (men's); England, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Canada (women's)
• Sheffield - Greece (Men’s); France, Wales, Scotland, USA (Wheelchair)
• York - New Zealand (Men’s); Australia, New Zealand, France, Cook Islands (Women’s)

The men's, women's and wheelchair competitions will run alongside each other for the first time when it begins on 23 October, 2021.

A woman is arrested after a dog walker and his pet were attacked in York.

A review of statues in Leeds will be led by the woman who was the city's first ever black female councillor, it has been announced.

Image source, Leeds City Council

Former councillor Alison Lowe will head the review, instigated after a statue of Queen Victoria in Leeds' Hyde Park was vandalised and a statue of 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol.

Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake said the terms of the review had not yet been drawn up, but would be "as broad as possible" with the aim of "understanding what we have and whether it's appropriate or not".

Earlier today, Andrea Jenkyns, the Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood, questioned the decision to spend taxpayers' money on the review, external, before adding: "You cannot erase history, only learn the lessons from it."

Responding to her comments, Mrs Blake said: "I want to reassure everybody there's absolutely no attempt to erase history. History has to be the most important measure for us to understand who we are today and what we are doing."

A minute's silence is to be held by colleagues for Richzeal Albufera who died on Tuesday.

A "loved and cherished" man who died after a crash involving a car and bicycle in Leeds has been named as 57-year-old Adrian Hornby.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Mr Hornby, from Leeds, who was on his bike, was left with serious head injuries in the crash on Harewood Avenue at about 08:20 on Wednesday 27 May.

In a statement, his family said Mr Hornby "had a formidable mind and was kind and compassionate.

"He was a keen Bridge player, underwater hockey enthusiast and was chairman of the Harrogate Model Flying Club.

"He was loved and cherished by his wife and twin sons, and was in his element when with his family.

"He has been stolen from us far too early and we are heartbroken and cannot imagine life without him. The gap will be unfathomable", they added.

Police continue to appeal for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

South Yorkshire’s economy could be devastated by the effects of coronavirus through the potential loss of 14,000 businesses and £4bn wiped from the regional economy, experts have warned.

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Felix Kumi-Ampofo, from Sheffield City Region (SCR), said the "worst possible scenario" could result in almost a third of small and medium-sized enterprises in South Yorkshire going under.

One councillor sitting on the SCR scrutiny board said it was "one of the grimmest reports" he’d ever seen.

Reports examining the experience of the 2008-09 recession and analysis of the impact of Brexit show South Yorkshire’s economy "lacks resilience" and is "vulnerable to economic shocks".

If the likely recession matches that of the 2008 financial crash, 40,000 jobs could be lost in South Yorkshire alone, but the furlough scheme was a "big mitigating factor".

Doncaster and Barnsley could be hit harder than Sheffield and Rotherham as they have some of the lowest rates of home working in the country.

Mr Kumi-Ampofo did add that South Yorkshire’s health care sector was strong and that this was an area which would likely grow further.

A wildlife park in Yorkshire says it welcomes the "fantastic news" it could reopen soon, with the government expected to announce zoos and safari parks can welcome visitors back from Monday.

Image source, Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to outline the latest step in the easing of the coronavirus lockdown at the daily briefing later.

He will say the outdoor attractions can reopen as long as they follow social distancing rules.

Earlier this week, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, reported £5m in lost revenue and appealed to the government to let it open its doors once again.

Chief executive John Minion said wildlife parks and zoos were "shocked and confused" not to have been included in the government's list of venues which could re-open from 15 June.

But this morning the attraction said it was awaiting official confirmation from the government, but still "very much welcomes the fantastic news" it might reopen soon.

Dan Fell, from Doncaster Chamber, wrote on Twitter: "Great news for the local economy & communities.

"Am delighted that one of Yorkshire’s major attractions will be opening its doors again in the very near future."

Public toilets in Ryedale are to begin reopening to cope with the predicted influx of people following the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

Image source, PA Media

Ryedale District Council said the easing of lockdown rules would mean more people would be visiting towns in the area.

As a result, it plans to reopen facilities at Borogate in Helmsley, the Market Place in Malton and at The Ropery in Pickering.

The three sites will be open seven days a week while toilets in Thornton-le-Dale and Kirbymoorside will open on weekends and market days only.

Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in Hull as part of a protest against racism in the UK.

Black Lives Matter rallies have taken place in towns and cities across the country, with the latest happening in Hull this afternoon.

It comes after African American man George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis last month after a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

This was the scene in Hull's Queen's Gardens a little earlier:

A scientist at a hospital in East Yorkshire has died after testing positive for coronavirus, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Richzeal Albufera, 45, a biomedical scientist at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, died on Tuesday.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said Mr Albufera died at Hull Royal Infirmary "despite the best efforts of our Critical Care Team".

He died of severe complications associated with coronavirus, the trust added.

In a statement, Chris Long, the trust's chief executive, said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to Richzeal’s family, friends and all who loved him.

"We share their grief at the loss of such a wonderful life. Richzeal had already given so much to the NHS and had so much more to give."

A minute's silence will be held by trust staff on Monday in tribute to Mr Albufera, who had worked there for 15 years.

A book of condolence is also being opened for people to share their thoughts and memories, the trust said.

Steve Russell opened up about racism, and vowed to confront inequality that staff in Harrogate face.

These are the latest scenes from the centre of Hull where hundreds of people have gathered for a Black Lives Matter protest.

Demonstrations have been sparked worldwide after the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in Minneapolis in May after a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes:

Work has begun to remove graffiti from a statue of Queen Victoria in Leeds.

The bronze sculpture on Woodhouse Moor in the Hyde Park area of the city had been sprayed with words including "murderer" and "slave owner".

The city council said it had an obligation to remove graffiti from the statue but said all statues of historic figures will be subject to a city-wide review.

It comes after a statue of 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston was torn off its plinth in Bristol by protesters, prompting calls for statues of other figures with links to slavery and imperialism to be removed.

A Leeds City Council spokesman said: "We think it is important to understand the history and context of each of our statues and we will, therefore, undertake a city-wide review of our statues and related cultural history."

Hull's second Black Lives Matter protest is under way in the city:

Hundreds of people have gathered in Queen Victoria Square to hear speeches and show solidarity with the global anti-racism movement.

The protests were sparked after the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in Minneapolis in May after a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Chloe, one of the organisers of the event, says: "We just wanted to create a safe space for the Black community to express any pain, anger and frustration they're feeling. Just giving a platform to people is what we're trying to do."

Horse racing is back at a West Yorkshire racecourse today for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak led to a ban on sporting events.

Image source, Mike Egerton/PA Media

The meeting at Pontefract, the first since March, is being held behind closed doors - meaning members of the public aren't be able to attend as the sport adapts to allow racing to restart.

Racing at Beverley, in East Yorkshire, is due to resume on Thursday, and will also be behind closed doors.

Before sedation the man in his 30s had signed an "advanced decision", which was upheld by a court.

Police investigating he death of a man in Barnsley say the victim was assaulted twice in the days before he died.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Stephen Georgeson, 32, known locally as Squeek, died on Sunday after being found critically injured following an attack in the Houghton Road area of Thurnscoe at about 19:00 on Friday.

He'd previously been found injured and unconscious in Derry Grove Park on Thursday, but after being checked by paramedics he later returned home, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Officers are appealing for witnesses to a possible disturbance in the park just before 20:30 last Thursday to come forward, including drivers who were in the area around the park.

Police officers are also asking anyone who saw or spoke to Mr Georgeson between the incident in Derry Grove Park on Thursday and the fatal attack on Friday to come forward.

Officers add that even people with small details or "something that seems insignificant" should speak to them as it could be vital to their investigation.

Five people remain in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder, police say.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Bradford Festival has been cancelled due to social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic making the event "impractical", it's been confirmed.

Image source, EPA/Neil Hall

Held each year in Bradford city centre, the free, weekend-long event attracts huge crowds, with an estimated 175,000 people visiting the city centre for last year's festival.

Organisers Bradford Council said the decision to cancel this year's event, due to take place in City Park over the August bank holiday, had been "very difficult".

In a statement, the authority said: "Social distancing measures have made staging, performing and crowd managing festival audiences impractical."

New, socially distant, cultural events will hopefully be organised for the coming months, the council added.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby said: “We are very disappointed about this cancellation, but clearly protecting people’s lives must come first.

"Our cultural recovery group will be looking at creative ideas for introducing new events and projects over the next 12 to 18 months while adhering to the Covid-19 rules," she added.

The festival is the latest in a series of summer events in Bradford cancelled due to coronavirus, including Bradford Dragonboat Festival, Bradford Pride and Bradford Literature Festival.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The Yorkshire and Humber Nightingale hospital, which was opened in Harrogate in April to deal with coronavirus cases, will remain open until at least the end of July, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Danny Lawson/Pool via Reuters

The temporary hospital, which was built within weeks at Harrogate Convention Centre, hasn't treated a single coronavirus patient since the peak of the virus outbreak.

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the venue, said it has now extended a contract with NHS England for its use until 31 July.

The 500-bed facility was used for the first time last week when it opened for outpatient radiology appointments for non-coronavirus patients.

Steve Russell, the Nightingale Hospital's Chief Executive, says the facility has been "an absolutely fantastic insurance policy - an important insurance policy".