JAMES Alexander has tonight dramatically quit as leader of City of York Council as the local Labour Party's turmoil continues. Cllr Alexander is also stepping down as York Labour leader after four years in the post, to take up a new role with Ed
James Alexander tonight dramatically resigned as leader of City of York Council. Read his statement in full here. Comments are not open on this article, but are open on our main story. Departing council leader James Alexander's statement in
CONSTRUCTION of hundreds of new flats in Walmgate is continuing. Developers have cleared the site of The Press's former site on Walmgate, next door to our new offices, and are creating new student accommodation. The newspaper has been based
by Megi Rychlikova A HOAXER'S revenge on innocent takeaway staff put armed police on the streets of Knaresborough and the town centre in lockdown for hours, York Crown Court heard. Shamsul Islam, 23, was angry the staff at Paragon Pizza
JAMES Alexander sprang to prominence in May 2010 when, just days before a general election, he ousted David Scott as leader of the city council's opposition Labour group. >>> MAIN STORY: James Alexander quits The young Holgate
ROB WEBBER is not even contemplating defeat this weekend. The Pocklington RUFC product, now starring with Bath among rugby union’s elite, has been part of the England set-up that has gone five matches without a victory, a sequence which puts huge
TWELVE people have been arrested in a series of raids to disrupt the supply of heroin into North Yorkshire. Officers from North Yorkshire Police's Organised Crime Unit carried out a series of raids at properties around Scarborough on Wednesday
OPPOSITION is mounting against plans to turn an historic York chapel into flats and a Sainsbury's supermarket. York-based developer S Harrison has agreed terms to buy the Grade II listed Groves Chapel in Clarence Street, after it was put up for
A LABOUR York councillor has criticised opposition members for ditching a cross party agreement on the chairs of City of York Council's various committees. Cllr Ruth Potter said the issue was under consideration as part of the authority's Audit
THIEVES stole a large black and yellow Karcher industrial steam cleaner in black and yellow on a trolley with wheels from a field in Little Smeaton between 2.30pm on November 10 and 3pm on November 12. Anyone with information should phone North
AN East Yorkshire councillor is calling for local objections to wind farms to be listened to by planners. Councillor Phyllis Pollard, chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning committee, wants the authority to write to Secretary of
READER John Sanderson is a former HGV driver turned railway maintenance worker with a lifelong love of trains. But he's also a gifted amateur photographer, as the photographs on these pages more than demonstrate. John, 63, a member of the Stamford
PREPARATIONS are underway to celebrate the 30th anniversary of comprehensive secondary education coming to York. The first project for York Education Heritage – a not for profit company organised by two school governors and supported by the majority
NETHER Poppleton ceramicist Jill Moger will be on hand at her exhibition at The Blake Gallery, 45, The Village, Haxby on Saturday from 2.30pm to 4.30pm to sign copies of her new book, Reptile To Reef. Jill's exhibition of ceramic sculptures of
A PILOT has been charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine worth £5million into North Yorkshire. Andrew Wright, 51, from Barlow, near Selby, was arrested after Border Force officers found 34 kilos of cocaine in a light aircraft at Breighton Aerodrome
CLARETS and malts improve with age; beer doesn't. Ironically, Al Murray's Pub Landlord caricature does the opposite of his favourite refreshment. After 20 years, he really is at the lager top of his form, the most savage and brutal commentator
A YORK care home company is looking to expand its team after winning a new contract with North Yorkshire County Council. Based in Escrick, Riccall Care has been awarded a four-year contract with the authority to provide domiciliary care services
A LORRY has shed its load of metal on a roundabout between York and Selby. The HGV was on the A19 Fulford Road roundabout from the A64 close to the Designer Outlet, when the metal scaffolding poles and steel girders it was transporting fell from
YORK ice cream producer Yorvale has increased its listing with supermarket giant Tesco from nine to 57 stores. The Acaster Malbis-based business will now supply three of its flavours to selected Tesco stores throughout Yorkshire in addition to
YORK City Ladies suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at a Middlesbrough team keen to gain revenge for last seasons' County Cup final defeat on penalties. Substitute Ashleigh Brack's 89th-minute consolation proved scant reward for a York performance that
MITCH COOK accused his players of letting him down after he was sacked by Pickering Town. The former Bridlington manager was relieved of his position a week ago after the Recreation Ground-based outfit lost 2-1 at Parkgate in the Northern Counties
ACOMB continued their unbeaten run in the York Conservative Clubs' Faber Shield Billiards League with a 6-0 whitewash of Heworth. Keith Watkinson should have got Heworth off to a good start, but missed an in-off red to leave John Ashwell a pot
DEFENDING UK Snooker Champion Neil Robertson has attacked format changes to the York event which have seen the semi-finals shortened to a best-of-11 frames shootout this year. The world number two, who beat Mark Selby 10-7 12 months ago to claim
NORTH Yorkshire trainer John Quinn, who has a useful team of jumpers under his care this season, can hit the target at Hexham this afternoon with Chieftain's Choice, who is napped to go one better after going down narrowly on his latest start at Wetherby
SWEET-TOOTHED historians have unveiled the creation which will form the final piece of an impressive Christmas cake display. Renowned food historian Ivan Day has created a centrepiece Twelfth Cake for Fairfax House's Keeping of Christmas. By
LABOUR has named its candidates for Heworth and Westfield ahead of next May’s City of York Council elections. In Heworth, serving ward councillors Barbara Boyce and Tina Funnell will be joined by Dafydd Williams, who is seeking to move from his
THE death of a man found in York was last night being treated as “unexplained”, after his body was pulled from the River Foss. Police were called to Foss Bank at 11.30am yesterday, after someone walking next to the river near Layerthorpe spotted
A CRUCIAL vote to secure competitive rates for pub landlords has been narrowly passed in Parliament. Supporters of the Market Rent Only amendment to the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Bill recorded victory by a margin of 15 votes in the
YORK'S city-centre Christmas tree has been installed, ahead of the official lights-switch on tomorrow. Workmen lifted the tree into position in St Helen's Square yesterday morning. The lights were due to be put on last night and they will be
CALLS for an inquiry into York's loss-making ‘Grand Departy’ music concert will be heard at a crunch scrutiny meeting today. The Press revealed last week that the City of York Council-run Tour de France celebration concert at Huntington Stadium
A SENIOR councillor has welcomed the prosecution of a 37-yearold man for burning cable so that he could get the metal inside. The case against Michael Smith was the first such ever prosecuted by City of York Council and comes after an environmental
A BARRISTER was warned to be on time in future after his double-booking delayed a case at York Crown Court for half a day. Glenn Parsons, of a Leeds chambers, was engaged to represent a woman due to be sentenced for a glassing incident at 10am.
York Central MP Hugh Bayley visited two city centre Tesco stores to highlight the need for customers to treat shopworkers with respect. The MP was at the Piccadilly and Low Ousegate branches of the supermarket giant to support the shopworkers’
NEW figures show that people in East Riding of Yorkshire have recycled a record amount in their blue kerbside bins. In September, more than 3,000 tonnes of recycling were collected, the highest figure ever in one month. The figure represents
A MAN who told police that chainsticks in his car were a gift for a 12-year-old boy has been ordered to do 60 hours’ unpaid work. Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, told York Crown Court police found the illegal weapon when they were called out to
THE latest locations for North Yorkshire Police's road safety cameras have been announced. The camera vans will be in the following locations fromtoday for one week: A162 Sherburn by-pass
COULD York Minster have its first peregrine falcon? This bird was snapped by wildlife artist Robert Fuller perched high up one of the cathedral's gargoyles. Many towns and cities in Britain have increasingly had nesting peregrines on city centre
RESIDENTS at a flagship York housing development are angry after again losing their heating supplies - while also facing a hike in their heating bills. Householders at Derwenthorpe have complained that the eco-friendly centralised system, which
YORK’S growing reputation as a successful city of business was underlined this week by the sheer quality of the delegates who took part in the York Business Conference. The keynote speaker was former M&S boss Lord Stuart Rose. And he was interviewed
A WOMAN has lost her appeal against a 10-year ban on keeping animals imposed after the RSPCA found more than 20 sick and dying livestock on her smallholding. Helen Todd, 47, of Moorend Lane, Shipton-by-Beningbrough, claimed under oath she was the
YORK has a Minster, Thixendale now has three famous trees, since David Hockney presented his painting of them to a global audience, and tourists flock to the Wolds village just as they do to the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe. Indeed
YORK Liberal Democrats are delighted to back the ‘Be Vocal For Your Local’ pub campaign. Last year, City of York Council unanimously supported a Lib Dem motion which called on the authority to help protect pubs under planning legislation. Our
MY three-week diary of how to claim JSA (Job Seekers Allowance), having been employed for more than 33 years and never having previously had to claim any benefit. October 21: Through no fault of my own I was laid off but paid up to October 24.
YORK is indebted to Joseph Rowntree and his commitment to tackling poverty. The York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s latest report on the future housing market demonstrates how essential housing and planning policy is to tackling poverty:
THE recent Advice York report ‘Pushed into Poverty: the real cost of council tax reform’ has reignited the debate on council priorities. While reductions in central government funding are undoubtedly the primary factor in reduction of support,
THE song released by Band Aid to raise money for Ebola victims is truly execrable and naff. Worse still are the subsequent sanctimonious appeals to the hearts, minds and wallets of the general public, by multi-millionaires, well capable of funding
I WAS on Lendal Bridge not so long ago, facing the river. It was a warm autumn morning and a weak sun was glinting off the water. Isn’t York a wonderful place to live, I thought? I turned back to be engulfed in a cloud of exhaust from a shabby
YET again we hear more anti-car views from Paul Hepworth and Sara Robin (Letters, November 18). Paul seems to forget that buses are also caught up in jams on this road and it can take more than 20 minutes just to get across this road, which is
AFTER reading letters to The Press over the past 40 years about the traffic in York, the situation is caused by too many traffic lights. The council still insist on wasting thousands of pounds on these so-called traffic management companies.
HOW I agree with David Rhodes (Letters, November 17). I have never wanted to smoke in my life, but defend those who wish to. We are now surrounded by far too many rules; people should be free to follow their own inclination without being castigated
ALISON Sinclair (Letters, November 15) advises Cllr Keith Aspden that getting a Local Plan in place is essential if valued buildings such as The Saddle, in Fulford, are to be protected. I’m afraid this will fall on deaf ears where the Lib Dems
HUGE congratulations to New Earswick Musical Society on their performance of Jerry Herman’s Mack & Mabel at Rowntree’s Theatre last week. The whole company worked hard to sustain this fast-moving show and special praise must go to the two leads
100 years ago News from Russia told of Mlle Tomilovsky, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a colonel at the front, who was, it was stated, now in hospital in Petrograd suffering from severe contusions. She had accompanied her father to the
SELBY Rock Choir has been invited to switch on the Christmas lights in the village of Burn, near Selby. This year's ceremony takes place on the green opposite the village pub, The Wheatsheaf, on Saturday November 29. Members of the choir will
ALMOST a quarter of sexual offences are not properly reported by North Yorkshire Police, a new report has claimed. The report, by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), examined 72 randomly selected crime records and found that of the
YORK council leader James Alexander is facing a vote of no confidence at the next full meeting of City of York Council. The Conservative opposition announced today that they would table a motion calling for a vote of no-confidence at the meeting
A YORK pub is offering families the chance to spend an early Christmas together for free. Fayre and Square pub, the Flying Legends pub in Stirling Road, is launching a competition to give away a family festive feast for 10 families who are struggling
YOUNG heart patients in York are to be consulted for a pilot project designed to show them how active they can be with their condition. New research shows that young heart patients could be missing out on vital exercise because they are not always
A CAMPUS nightclub could be built at the University of York if ambitious plans are given the green light. Proposals are yet to be submitted to City of York Council, however, it is hoped the existing squash courts at Derwent College, in Heslington
TOURISM in East Yorkshire is booming and the choice of Hull as UK City of Culture in 2017 is set to give the region a further boost. A report to East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s cabinet says tourism was worth £497 million to its area in 2013,
A SKILLED cobbler has stayed in his trade after a shop bought his old equipment and gave him a job. When bosses at Cox's Leather took the decision to retire and close their shop, Jonathan Clark was unsure what the future held for him. However
YOUNG people who helped improve their communities have been celebrated at a North Yorkshire Police awards ceremony. The Lifestyle Challenge Awards Ceremony was held at York Racecourse on Thursday, to congratulate teams of children aged between
A CHRISTMAS Bazaar will take place at the final coffee morning of 2014 at Selby Salvation Army on Saturday, December 6, from 10am to noon at their centre in Back Park Street. The event will include refreshments, bric a brac, craft and Christmas
A DICKENSIAN Fayre will take place in Riccall for the Christmas lights switch on. The event on December 6 is from 4pm till 7pm will feature festive stalls on the village green with hot roasted chestnuts, Mulled wine and warmed cider served by the
THANK-you for keeping the topic of fracking in the arena of public debate via your article by Karen Darley and Hannah Bryan (November 12), and via Mike Potter’s fair-minded and excellent letter in the same issue. You are clearly aware that the
OSGODBY Village Institute is holding a Christmas craft fair on Sunday, November 30. Thirty-two stalls have been booked at the event which is open from 10am to 3pm. Entry to the event is free and refreshments will be available.
A SPECTATOR at York Crown Court had his phone confiscated and had to explain himself to the city’s most senior judge when he was spotted apparently using it to take a snapshot during a hearing. Taking photos during a court hearing is a crime and
VILLAGERS have demonstrated against plans for a recycling plant near a landfill site at Rufforth, near York. About a score of residents staged a protest yesterday at the entrance to Harewood Whin as members of City of York Council's planning committee
A PAIR of health trainers have worked out to raise money for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. The students were asked to train the trainers at Rawcliffe Country Park, along with other members of British Military Fitness around the country
MUSICIANS of all abilities will band together for a fundraising show for an eco-friendly charity. More than 60 performers will take to the stage at Temple Hall, York St John University, for the Autumn Concert on November 27, with all proceeds going
A COMMUNITY hub to offer a place to meet up and to combat loneliness and social isolation has been opened in Acomb. The Community Café in Lidgett Grove Methodist Church runs every Wednesday from 9.30 to 11.30am and offers a variety of activities
A FOCUS group is being held for stoma patients by York medical commissioners. NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group has said it wants to ensure that all patients who use stoma products receive the best quality from the prescribing process
A PROFESSOR has spoken out about the need for everyone to be able to eat fairly and well, despite the economic crisis and austerity measures. Professor Liz Dowler, of the University of Warwick, gave the latest in a series of talks about wellbeing
In your opinion, what's the coolest car? I’m sure your answer would not be a blue Skoda with yellow and green stripes, but actually it is the ‘coolest’ car! It's the new London Air Ambulance car which is fitted with an innovative lifesaving
Boris Johnson and Transport for London have been asking the opinions of taxi and private hire drivers about implementing the world’s first ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) in London. The reason behind this is that this zone would reduce the amount
