Saturday 20 November 2021

Government announcements about the future of rail travel in the North of England, including the scrapping of the HS2 extension to Leeds and the exclusion once again of plans to electrify the line between Hull and Selby have been widely condemned by business leaders.

David Hooper, Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce’s external affairs director, told Beverley FM: “This announcement wasn’t a surprise after days of speculation, but is no less disappointing and has been widely condemned by business leaders, our MPs, and other Chambers of Commerce, leaving the Levelling Up promises looking like a bit of a train crash!”

He continued: “We are still running what is effectively a Victorian railway, and the tracks are full of passenger trains with little or no extra space to run new services.” 

East Riding councillors have backed calls to lobby for action on sewage discharges into local waterways. They supported Liberal Democrat leader Cllr David Nolan’s motion calling for Environment Agency funding to be restored to tackle the issue and for more inspections and action against offenders. Cllr Nolan said it was a disgrace that nothing had been done to stop discharges from 154 East Riding sewage storm overflows last year.

And finally, the Neighbourhood Policing Team were at Beverley Leisure Centre for the launch of Twilight Football – free, turn-up-and-play sessions for 11 to 18-year-olds being run every Friday, from 8-9pm, for the foreseeable future.