BBC Radio Bradford

Social media videos are being produced in different languages to help expectant parents in Bradford during the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, Maternity Voices Partnership Bradford

The Maternity Voices Partnership is made up of parent representatives and professionals in the Bradford and Craven districts.

The organisations involved say using videos in different languages has become more important than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Laila Ahmed, from C-Net Bradford, says: "Some of the concerns we've been picking up from parents-to-be are higher levels of anxiety.

"Bradford Royal Infirmary put together some film scripts around how partners can support mums-to-be and what the hospital looks like during Covid if you have an antenatal appointment or if you are delivering a baby."

The video scripts were then translated by volunteers, and filmed by parents local to Bradford:

The leader of Ryedale District Council has resigned over a planned increase in council tax which he says is "cruel and unnecessary" amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Image source, Ryedale District Council

Conservative councillor Keane Duncan (pictured) announced he was stepping down from his post at the start of a full council meeting on Thursday.

The council's deputy leader, Steve Arnold, who leads another political group, the Ryedale First Independents, also quit.

Mr Duncan's decision comes a week after he proposed a freeze in the district's council tax for 2021-22.

However, his proposal was overturned by a coalition of Liberal, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors, who voted instead to increase council tax by the maximum amount allowed.

Mr Duncan told BBC Radio York he "couldn't stand by and watch while I didn't feel it was the right thing to do".

He said the council was in a "financial position" to be able to freeze council tax, adding: "I thought it was very important because of the Covid situation, with so many people struggling at the moment."

Mr Duncan said he would continue in his role as leader of the Conservative Group and councillor for Norton.

New plans for a maritime experience housing Hull’s last remaining sidewinder trawler have been released.

Image source, Hull City Council

The Arctic Corsair trawler in the North End Shipyard will feature a visitor centre alongside to tell the story of the heyday of Hull’s trawling industry, the plans reveal.

Councillor Daren Hale said the historic shipyard was "one of Hull’s hidden gems, an area at the very heart of the city’s maritime and trade history which spanned the world".

The new two-storey exhibition centre is to be carbon-neutral, able to be heated by the equivalent power needed for a small domestic heater, said Hull City Council.

The building will generate energy through renewable technologies to offset the carbon associated with the energy consumed within the building, it added.

Due to open in 2023, the new attraction featuring the Arctic Corsair, shipyard and visitor centre is expected to attract 135,000 visitors annually, the council said.

An "urgent" warning over dangerous and illegal drugs has been issued by police after several young people needed hospital treatment in North Yorkshire.

Five youngsters from the Colburn area have attended hospital this week after having taken what's believed to be LSD and falling ill, according to North Yorkshire Police.

Officers say they are "extremely concerned" that others may have taken the drug, or are going to take it.

Its source and supply is unknown, but the drug is in the form of small black paper squares with a red flash design, police add.

Insp Mark Gee says: "These drugs are inherently dangerous, particularly when taken with other substances including alcohol. It is illegal and could have serious consequences.

"If you or anyone you are with have taken illicit substances and become unwell, please seek appropriate medical attention as soon as possible.

"Illegal drugs often contain different substances, making it impossible to visually identify what they are, or how strong they are."

BBC Weather

Today, it will be dry and bright with the odd patch of cloud but plenty of sunshine throughout.

Remaining mild for the time of year.

Tonight, it will remain dry with clear spells and the odd cloudy patch.

Feeling chilly, with temperatures dropping under mainly clear skies.

There is the chance of mist or fog patches:

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans for nearly 800 flats to be built on an “eyesore” former industrial site near Leeds city centre have been approved.

Image source, Leeds City Council

The large, concreted site on the corner of Whitehall Road and Globe Road will be home to eight buildings between eight and 23-storeys in height, which will include 783 flats as well as commercial units.

Councillors unanimously supported the plans at a meeting on Thursday, although some had concerns about the lack of affordable housing on the site and nearby health facilities.

According to the proposals, none of the flats would be available to buy, and would all be private rents.

The report from Leeds City Council officers listed the overall value of the development at £177.5m.

The plans follow previous attempts to revive the site in 2005 and 2013, when full permission was granted to build similarly large residential developments, but the time limit has since expired on both.

The firm says it will burn biomass instead of building two new gas turbines at its site near Selby.

Oli Constable
BBC Yorkshire Live

Fakeaways, plastic-free packaging on more products and hopscotch markings on supermarket aisles are some of the ideas that could be coming to Asda stores as part of trials with university students in Yorkshire.

Image source, Asda

Sheffield Hallam University has been working with the Leeds-based supermarket to develop new ways of tackling obesity and food waste.

People studying at the university have been working alongside the supermarket's Middleton store - which is already trialing refill stations for dried foods and some drinks.

Food and nutrition student Ruby Herman, 21, said it's "really exciting" to see their ideas come to life, including picking healthier food more fun for children by introducing games, like hopscotch, in stores.

"We put our ideas past Asda, and they see if our ideas would be popular with customers," she said. "Our ultimate goal is that Asda like one of our initial ideas and then implement it."

Fellow student Amy Bates, 22, has been focusing on expanding the chain's refill section, which already includes drinks like Vimto, as well as body wash and dried food.

"They're trying to do more refillable zones at more stores," Ms Bates said. "I think it'd help tackle some of the world's issues with single-use plastic and food waste. Part of the project is looking at sustainability and ensuring the project we're doing is sustainable."

If Asda approves the ideas, they can be trialled at the Leeds store before then being rolled out across their network of supermarkets.

Female runners say lewd comments and harassment have increased as they have to exercise alone.

Clive Settle
BBC Radio Leeds

The bells will ring out in Bradford for Captain Sir Tom Moore when his funeral takes place on Saturday, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Reuters

Bradford Cathedral will toll 100 times at 18:00 - once for each year of his life - while at noon, the City Hall clock tower will play Abide with Me and You'll Never Walk Alone, which Capt Sir Tom and Michael Ball took to number one in the singles chart last summer.

Flags will fly at half-mast on council buildings, which will also be lit up red, white and blue overnight for the Keighley-born World War Two veteran who cheered the nation by raising over £30m for the NHS at the start of the pandemic by walking laps around his garden.

He died in Bedford Hospital on 2 February after testing positive for coronavirus.

Bradford's online Book of Condolence, which has so far attracted over 200 entries, will close after the weekend tributes.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Doreen Lee, said: "We're immensely proud of Capt Sir Tom Moore. We will remember his determination and optimism to get the job done and his true Yorkshire grit."

Capt Sir Tom's family say they want his ashes to be interred in Yorkshire with his parents and grandparents in the Moore family plot.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Jobs have been lost at one of Wakefield’s biggest tourist attractions due to the coronavirus pandemic, the council has confirmed.

The Hepworth Gallery opened in 2011, but has struggled for income as a result of being closed due to the pandemic.

Some staff have been made redundant, it was revealed at Wakefield Council’s annual budget meeting on Wednesday.

Councillor Jacquie Speight, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said the gallery had had "very little income from visitors” since Covid struck.

“It has been closed in line with government guidelines. It’s had to make redundancies”, she added.

Ms Speight made her comments after the council’s Conservative opposition called again for the authority to cut its grant funding to the gallery.

They have previously said the gallery has not improved business in the city centre and cutting the funding could save taxpayers £125,000 a year.

Ms Speight said any such move "could affect its stability very seriously" and the gallery "brings significant investment into our district".

The Hepworth and Wakefield Council have been asked for more details about the job losses.

Vivergo Fuels hopes to recruit 85 workers at its Hull site, which has been closed since 2018.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A re-development of the derelict former Kirklees College in Huddersfield has been given the go-ahead.

Image source, LDRS

The plans (pictured) for the new site alongside the A62 are for 229 new flats, a supermarket and offices to replace the current building.

Councillor Mohan Sokhal said the college had deteriorated into an “eyesore” as it had been vandalised.

Under the new proposals, the 19th Century Grade II*-listed Huddersfield Infirmary, which is on the site, will be retained along with its wings.

A Kirklees Council meeting was told by planning officers that urgent repairs to the old infirmary would form part of the first phase of the build and that £100,000 would be spent on restoration.

PA Media

Energy company Drax has abandoned plans to build Europe's biggest gas power plant in North Yorkshire, following strong opposition from environmental campaigners.

Image source, PA Media

The company is to no longer install two gas turbines for electricity generation at the site near Selby.

It marks a move away from fossil fuels and towards biomass for the power generator.

Will Gardiner, the company's chief executive, says: "This builds on our decision to end commercial coal generation and the recent sale of our existing gas power stations."

The plant's transformation away from coal started in 2003, when Drax began to burn biomass at the site, mixing it in with coal, which still made up 95% of the fuel.

The company started to convert the coal burners to run on biomass alone in 2013 and it will phase out coal completely by March, ahead of the government's 2025 deadline.

Planning approval for the two gas burners was given in 2019.

Drax is now focusing on burning wood pellets to generate power at the site.

However the technology has critics who question its benefits over other renewable technologies such as wind and solar.

A woman walking her dogs in York has been attacked by a man who also threatened to throw one of her animals in the river, police have said.

Image source, Google

The assault happened at about 09:30 on Tuesday on the riverside path between Clifton Bridge on Water End (pictured) and St Peters Boat House, according to North Yorkshire Police.

The 64-year-old woman, from York, was walking her dogs along the path when an unknown man grabbed one of her animals by its collar. He then pushed the victim to the ground.

The suspect, who had a chocolate labrador with him, is described as white, in his mid-40s, with a rounded face, wearing glasses, a red bomber jacket, black jeans and a baseball cap.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has information about the attack, is being asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

Radio Bradford

Parking charges are going to be reintroduced for some patients and visitors from next week at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Chris Radburn/PA Wire

The move is in line with national guidance and follows similar changes at other sites across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, according to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Parking remains free for staff members, after being suspended on 1 April 2020 to support them coming to work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some patients remain exempt from parking charges,, external including those receiving a coronavirus test or vaccination.

Mark Holloway, director of estates and facilities at the trust, says: "We have tried to be as fair as possible in not charging anyone for parking since last April.

"The car parks do not generate a profit and our aim will always be to keep charges as low as possible."

A steam locomotive is to help tell the story of the "golden age of steam" in Doncaster, the town where it was built 85 years ago.

Image source, Doncaster Council

Green Arrow was manufactured at the Doncaster Plant Works in 1936. It was withdrawn from service in 1962.

It will be on display in the new Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.

The town's mayor, Ros Jones, said the exhibition would highlight the contribution Doncaster had made to the rail industry.

Green Arrow will join No. 251 locomotive in the museum's rail heritage centre.

No official opening date for the new museum has been confirmed due to Covid-19, however it will be available to view online in March.

Green Arrow, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, is the last surviving British 2-6-2 tender locomotive, according to the council.

The locomotives are both on loan as static exhibits from the National Railway Museum.

Image source, Doncaster Council

PA Media

Thousands of behind-the-scenes store roles at West Yorkshire-based supermarket chain Asda are at risk as the firm launches a consultation over a major restructuring, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Rui Vieira/PA Wire

The company, which has its HQ in Leeds, has launched consultations with about 5,000 staff in total, saying the restructuring is necessary due to a "structural shift" towards online grocery shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.

The grocery firm said it also plans to create around 4,500 separate jobs in its online operations this year and will look to hire staff affected by the potential cuts.

Nevertheless, Asda said the consultations will impact about 3,000 back office store workers, particularly affecting staff with cash and administrative roles amid the continued slump in cash transactions.

It added that around 1,100 of its store management roles will be changed to support online grocery operations as more picking takes place in stores.

Roger Burnley, Asda chief executive and president, said: "The pandemic has accelerated change across the retail sector, especially the shift towards grocery home shopping, and our priority is to serve customers in the way they want to shop with us.

"We know these proposed changes will be unsettling for colleagues and our priority is to support them during this consultation process."

Mr Burnley added it was Asda's aim to ensure as many workers as possible stayed with the company.

More than 100 jobs have been secured at a fuel refinery in East Yorkshire after the government announced the site is going to help make an environmentally-friendly type of petrol.

Vivergo Fuels at Saltend, near Hull, makes bioethanol from wheat that is added to petrol.

The new fuel, known as E10, is expected to reduce CO2 emissions and is due to be available at filling stations from September.

The Saltend plant was mothballed in September 2018, with the firm blaming a difficult trading environment and delays in legislation to make oil companies use more bioethanol in petrol.

The site was the UK’s largest producer of bioethanol, said Vivergo.

A teenage boy was left seriously hurt and unconscious after being attacked in a North Yorkshire town, police have said.

The boy was found in Helmsley by two members of the public on the afternoon of Sunday 21 February and they helped him back home.

The victim had suffered serious injuries to his face and needed medical treatment at hospital, according to North Yorkshire Police.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has information about the attack, is being asked to contact police who say they might have "vital" information which could help the inquiry.

CCTV and mobile phone footage from Helmsley at around the time of the incident is also being sought by police.