Latest news with #DavidSkaith
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Night Safe Officers to be deployed in York city centre every weekend
New Night Safe Officers will soon be visible on York's streets. From this Friday (July 25) through to early January 2026, two "friendly and highly visible" Officers will be on patrol every Friday and Saturday night from 8pm to 2am. The Officers will make efforts to quell anti-social behaviour, keep noise levels down, and de-escalate potential issues before they grow. They are also to act as a link between the public, door staff, and emergency services. It is hoped that the Officers will help to mitigate pressure on emergency services. The initiative is funded by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Policing, Fire, and Crime Directorate. It supports York's Purple Flag accreditation, which recognises the city as, in the words of a Combined Authority spokesperson, "among the safest, most welcoming, and best-managed nighttime destinations in the country." Jo Coles, York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire, and Crime, said: "David Skaith's vision as Mayor is to deliver safer communities for all, and our £14,473 investment in the Night Safety Marshals project will help to establish a visible, reassuring presence for people who are enjoying York's amazing nightlife, and to further enhance the welcoming environment that visitors have come to expect from our city." The Night Safe Officers will join York BID's existing Riverside and Taxi Marshal programmes. More information about the investment in the initiative, part of the region's Community Safety Serious Violence Fund 2025/26, is available at
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
North Yorkshire Mayor commits £3m to physical and mental health
More than £3m is to be invested in two schemes aimed at improving people's mental and physical health in North region's mayor, David Skaith, has committed £715,000 to improving men's mental health and a further £2.75m to helping rural and marginalised groups into said the issues were "personal" after struggling with his own mental health following the death of his father. Announcing the funding he said: "Suicide is a leading cause of death in men under 50 – it's a national tragedy." "After losing my dad, I struggled with my mental health and it took opening up, socialising and getting back into sport to start feeling better," he added."By taking a lead, we can directly tackle rural isolation and health inequalities - issues that York and North Yorkshire particularly struggle with."He said the programmes would work to tackle the financial barriers to sport and activity and to improve mental health support in "male-dominated and isolated jobs", such as farming, the emergency services and construction. The BBC's Action Line pages can provide support for people affected by a range of issues Paul Galdas, Chair of the Men's Mental Health Taskforce said it was important to "meet men where they are" and "adapting our services to fit the unique needs of men in our area".Lynne James, Manager of York-based mental health charity Mainstay, supported the allocation of funding but said she had "reservations" about how it would be distributed."It's saying 'we're not doing anything new- what we're going to try and do with this money is find ways that isolated communities, rural communities can access existing projects and sports activities'."[But] That's where I'm holding my breath to see how this plays out."Within rural communities, I think it's going to be more difficult."It depends how well organised the infrastructure of the rural communities is and what sports facilities already exist." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Yorkshire gets more than £2.5m of government's clean energy funding
Yorkshire's mayors have been awarded more than £2.5m by the government to invest in clean energy for libraries, schools, leisure centres and other public British Energy, the government's clean energy company, announced that mayoral authorities across England would receive a share of a £10m East Riding, North and West Yorkshire will receive £700,000 to invest in putting cleaner energy into its public services, while South Yorkshire will be given £572, Secretary Ed Miliband said the aim of the scheme was to help reduce energy bills. He said: "Your local sports hall, library and community centre could have their energy bills cut by Great British Energy, the government's publicly-owned clean energy company."Our plans will mean more money can be spent on the services that make working people better off and help strengthen the ties that bind us in our communities."Clean energy involves switching to energy sources that do not rely on greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants for their production and use, such as solar panels, wind turbines and North Yorkshire, the facilities that will benefit include Joseph Rowntree School in New Earswick, Jack Laugher Leisure Centre in Ripon and Whitby Leisure Centre. North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said the money would be put towards "spending less on energy and more on supporting people".He said: "We need to take action for our communities who suffer the devastation of flooding and for our farmers who face unpredictable weather."We are backing exciting projects that change how we heat our homes, produce electricity and grow our food." 'Lower bills and cleaner future' Meanwhile in South Yorkshire, public spaces to benefit include Rotherham Outdoor Market and libraries, Bullcroft Memorial Hall in Doncaster and Hatchell Wood School, also in Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said the scheme would make the region "cleaner, greener and fairer".He said: "The Rotherham Outdoor Market scheme is a brilliant example of how innovation can power local adaptation and resilience."By reducing emissions and energy costs, we're supporting the stallholders who are the beating heart of the market - helping them grow in the face of rising energy prices and making the market more attractive for both traders and shoppers."In Doncaster, solar panels on three local schools won't just save money, they'll help to educate the next generation." And over in West Yorkshire, the police stations in Pudsey and Stainbeck, Sedbergh Sports Centre in Bradford and South Parade School in Ossett will get clean Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said moving to clean energy was a "key part of our plan to build a net-zero West Yorkshire by 2038".She said: "This investment will make our public buildings greener, warmer, and cheaper to run – helping us save taxpayers' money and upgrade community spaces across the region."The BBC has contacted Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor Luke Campbell for more information on which services would benefit from the grant. Dan McGrail, the CEO of Great British Energy, added the clean energy scheme would make a "lasting positive impact for the country by creating new jobs, lower bills and a cleaner future". Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
Public meeting to hold police to account on road safety in North Yorkshire
A public meeting will give people the chance to directly question police about road safety. The online meeting, hosted by Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, will take place on Tuesday, July 15, at 2pm and will focus on prevention and enforcement. It is part of North Yorkshire's first Road Safety Month and will include a presentation from the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership. Ms Coles said: "Online public meetings are invaluable in ensuring the police and fire services are held to account in an open and transparent way. "Road Safety Month is an opportunity for the Mayor David Skaith and I to hear from stakeholders and the public about how we can increase safety on our roads for all road users because one death on our roads is one death too many. "Anyone with questions or concerns can submit them via the link or tune in to watch the meeting online. "I will continue to do everything I can to keep everyone in our region safe." The meeting will conclude with a live question-and-answer session, where Ms Coles will put residents' questions to North Yorkshire Police. While the focus is on road safety, questions on any aspect of policing or crime are welcomed and can be submitted through the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner's website. The online public meetings are designed to hold police and fire services accountable for delivering the Mayor's Police and Crime Plan and Fire and Rescue Plan. These plans are shaped by public consultation and aim to achieve positive outcomes for communities across the region. To date, Ms Coles has met with dozens of parish councils across the region as part of dedicated Road Safety Advice Surgeries. She is also meeting with the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership at the Great Yorkshire Show. The meeting will be broadcast live on YouTube and via the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner's website. It can be viewed here: · Website:
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Half of North Yorkshire farms not making a sustainable profit
More than half of all farms in North Yorkshire are not making a sustainable profit, a new report has study also suggested that in a "worst case scenario" ongoing challenges such as policy changes and the climate could see that drop to just a and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, who commissioned the report, said rural areas as a whole had struggled with a lack of investment that "farmers faced the brunt of"."When our farmers stop making money, they aren't the only ones who suffer. Our rural economy, from feed merchants and vets to local shops, schools and pubs, all struggle," he said. "We haven't been building the affordable homes they need, they don't have the transport connectivity they need and we haven't been aligning our skills agenda and strategy to the next generation of people to stay in our region."Having that whole view strategy is how we'll drive investment into the farming sector."Currently less than half of the 7,000 commercial farms in the county make sustainable profits, with many relying on income generated report also highlighted the increasing impact of climate change on farmers. While the effects vary widely between farm types, in recent years, wet winters and dry summers impacted the overall output of the trend continued, the report calculated that farms may see a 20% reduction in output, which could heavily affect annual profits of £387m. Richard Pears, West Riding chair of the National Farming Union's (NFU) said he welcomed the mayor's said: "It's about supporting rural business and that's clearly what the aim of this report is."We produce great food in Yorkshire and we want to see that put into school meals and that's maybe something [the mayor] could have a hand in shaping."William Maughan, NFU regional board chairman took a pragmatic approach to the future of farming."It makes very sobering reading, those figures, and they don't take full account of the challenges coming towards us. But you have to take a positive from it," he said."I think you can't get away from the fact there's a growing population in the UK and around the world that all need feeding."Change is inevitable and there's always been challenges in food production but we've got to focus on the positives for the younger people." The report called on York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to support farmers through a variety of included exploring further devolution around food and farming programmes, and helping farmers transition to farming systems that are profitable, low carbon and support president Tom Bradshaw said that there had been a "political cloud hanging over the industry" since the Autumn Budget was announced last year."I think for farming, the confidence of the industry is we need to rebuild it so we can invest, and deliver the food production that everyone is so proud of," he said. Speaking at the Great Yorkshire Show, farming minister Daniel Zeichner said the government remained "steadfast" in its commitment to farming and food security."We've allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament," he said."We're supporting farmers facing extreme weather by investing a record £8bn into flood defences to protect homes and farms, as well as working with farmers through the Flood Resilience Taskforce and National Drought Group."Skaith added that he felt the financial outlook of farms could improve with the right support."Despite the challenges, there are also opportunities," he said."There's brilliant work already happening in our region – from local food projects to sustainability programmes, and tailored support for farm businesses, but we must do more." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
