Thursday 14 January 2022

Beverley Town Council has launched an urgent investigation after it was discovered they hadn’t paid a gas bill for a staggering 17 years. The discovery was made in November after a gas engineer was called to the town council’s offices in Well Lane to fix a boiler. A report to the council said: “In attempting to resolve this technical issue, it became clear to the acting town clerk that the council does not have a gas supplier, despite using and receiving gas since 2004.” 

Town councillor Denis Healy, who chairs the personnel committee, confirmed an investigation was underway. He said gas distribution company Northern Gas Networks had revealed there had never been a registered gas supply and they were legally entitled to recover the money. While the size of the bill was a concern, it could be reduced if a cap is applied, he added. 

Ambulance transport to routine hospital appointments in Yorkshire has been temporarily suspended because of a surge in Covid-related staff absence. Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it faced “operational pressures” as a result of the number of staff infected with the Omicron variant.

Transport for life-saving treatment such as renal dialysis or chemotherapy would continue, it added. The trust is now contacting patients to ask them to make other arrangements. A spokesperson for YAS said journeys were being suspended for non-emergency routine outpatient appointments. However, it would continue transport services for those being discharged or admitted to hospital as well as patients being transferred between hospital sites.