THE YORK BRIEF ⏰ Thursday, February 26, 2026

Good morning, York! It's Thursday, and there's a lot to chew on today - the NHS trust running York Hospital is facing a £28.5m deficit heading into next year, a beloved local chippy just won the UK's top award (the right kind of headline), and a York-based charity is shelving a £12.5m children's centre it spent years planning. Eden Camp has also officially changed hands, and a giant inflatable octopus is coming to King's Staith next month. Right, let's get into it.

📰 NEWS

👶 York Bids to Become a Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood; City of York Council is proposing to position York as a national Centre of Excellence for early childhood development - focusing on the first five years of life. Councillors will consider the plans at the Executive meeting on 3 March. The case is stark: York is described as "a very unequal city," with one of the widest gaps in child development outcomes in the country. The strategy would bring together multiple existing programmes - including Neighbourhood Health, Family First social care reforms, and SEND improvement- into a joined-up approach from conception to age two. Partners include the University of York, York St John University, and Ebor Multi-Academy Trust.

🏗️ 93 More Affordable Homes Proposed for Castle Mills Site; The Castle Mills scheme between Piccadilly and the River Foss is back on the agenda, 93 new affordable homes are proposed, with build costs offset by Homes England funding, Right to Buy receipts, and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority grants. A separate report heading to the same 3 March Executive meeting also outlines a £5.25m plan to expand and improve York's Gypsy and Traveller sites, adding new pitches and upgrading utility blocks across the city.

💔 £12.5m York Children's Centre Plans Shelved; A hugely ambitious vision for a state-of-the-art children's hub in Huntington has been dropped. York charity The Island - which provides mentoring to young people aged 8 to 18 - had secured planning permission for a facility on New Lane featuring a play area, sports hall, recording studio, therapy rooms, and a café. But with build costs now exceeding £12.5m and annual running costs of £2.5m, the charity says the project would be "a major distraction from our core purpose." The land will now be sold unless an alternative operator comes forward. The Island will instead focus on reaching more young people through its existing programmes.

♻️ York Won't Have Weekly Food Waste Collections by March, Here's Why; Under the Government's Simpler Recycling reforms, every English household should be receiving weekly food waste collections from 31 March 2026. But the BBC reports nearly a quarter of English councils won't meet the deadline, and the City of York Council is among them. York already has an exemption tied to its existing weekly food waste service, but the new rules require a separate, dedicated collection caddy system that needs specialist vehicles and funding. The council is working towards compliance, but it won't be fully in place by March. North Yorkshire Council is also affected, it's not expected to reach full coverage until 2027 at the earliest.

🚌 TRANSPORT

🚆 First Refurbished CrossCountry Voyager Now in Service - York Routes Next; Good news for anyone who's battled creaky tables and dead USB ports on long journeys through York. CrossCountry's first fully refurbished Voyager train (unit 220033 - 5.8 million miles under its belt) entered passenger service on Tuesday, running Birmingham to Newcastle. The £75m programme will see all 70 long-distance Voyagers upgraded over two years, with new seating, more legroom, three-pin sockets plus USB-A and USB-C at every seat, refurbished toilets, LED lighting, and upgraded CCTV. Refreshed trains will progressively appear on routes serving York, Leeds, and the wider Yorkshire and North East network.

🛤️ Network Rail Thanks Passengers Amid ECML Improvement Works; Network Rail has issued thanks to passengers for their patience during the ongoing East Coast Main Line improvement programme, work that is directly benefiting York's rail infrastructure and long-term capacity. This is the broader context behind those four-weekend ECML disruptions between 7 and 29 March flagged in yesterday's Brief. Plan your travel at nationalrail.co.uk.

🚲 Mayor Launches £1 Million Active Travel Fund for Schools; York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith has launched a £1 million Active Travel Fund at Oatlands Junior School in Harrogate, where over 90% of pupils now walk, wheel, or cycle to school. The fund is part of a wider £7m Moving Forward campaign and will back local projects improving walking routes, cycle training, School Streets schemes, secure cycle storage, and safer school runs. Community organisations, charities, businesses, and schools can apply before 10 April at yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk.

🏥 HEALTH

🏥 York Hospitals Trust Facing £28.5m Deficit, With Cuts Ahead; Speaking at a board meeting at Scarborough Hospital on Wednesday, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Clare Smith confirmed the trust's most likely year-end position is a £28.5 million deficit. At the start of the year, the expectation had been to break even. The trust is undertaking a £55.3m efficiency programme, but is only on track to deliver £35.3m of that. Ms Smith warned that any shortfall rolls into next year, creating additional pressure for 2026/27, for which a £32.6m deficit plan has already been submitted. The trust also missed its cancer treatment target, having declared to NHS England it will not achieve the relevant benchmark this year. Getting back to balance by 2028/29 depends, she said, on "quite simply delivering the waste reduction and productivity programme."

💊 Operations Cancelled at York and Scarborough Hospitals Due to Bone Cement Shortage; A national shortage of bone cement - used during hip and knee replacement surgery - has led to the cancellation of orthopaedic procedures at both York and Scarborough hospitals. The trust says it is contacting affected patients and working to rebook them as soon as possible. No specific timeline for resolution has been confirmed. (via York Press)

🦷 York Dentist Now Offering NHS Children's Appointments; Blossom Family Dental Care is now accepting NHS patients for children's dental care in York; a positive development given the persistent shortage of NHS dental provision across the city. Worth sharing with any York parents who've struggled to find an NHS dentist for their kids.

💼 BUSINESS

🏛️ Eden Camp Sold to York's Own Continuum Attractions; After 40 years of family ownership, Eden Camp Modern History Museum near Malton has officially been sold to Continuum Attractions, the York-based group behind York's Chocolate Story, The Real Mary King's Close in Edinburgh, and Oxford Castle & Prison. The deal, which covers one of Yorkshire's best-known WWII museums drawing 125,000 visitors a year, was confirmed yesterday. Continuum CEO Andrew Pawson said the company is "thrilled" to be adding Eden Camp to its portfolio and intends to invest for the long term while preserving its heritage character. The museum opens for the 2026 season on 23 March.

🌱 Pocklington's SealStop Named in UK Green Growth 100; SealStop - the water-saving device invented by Belle and Jason Richardson on their Pocklington farm - has been named in Small Business Britain's Green Growth 100, a national list celebrating small businesses turning environmental responsibility into commercial success. The recognition puts the company in the running for the Green Growth Awards in March 2026, with two businesses set to receive £5,000 grants for sustainable expansion. SealStop acts as a portable automatic shut-off for hosepipes and taps, preventing container overflow. Manufactured and assembled in the UK, it's already stocked by garden centres internationally.

🧥 EmAble - York's Adaptive Clothing Brand for Cancer Patients - Appoints PR; York-based adaptive clothing brand EmAble, created by Joanne Leatham and her son Matthew in memory of daughter/sister Emily, who died from cancer in 2019, has appointed PR representation as it prepares to launch. The range is designed for people undergoing treatment (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, dialysis, blood tests), engineered for easy medical access without needing to undress. It's a genuinely moving story and a brand to watch.

🤖 York AI Firm i-finity Says Businesses Are Coming to Fix Their AI Problems; York-based technology company i-finity says it is seeing a growing wave of businesses approaching them to resolve AI implementation issues — a sign that many early AI projects haven't delivered what was promised. Worth noting for any York businesses navigating their own AI adoption journey.

How to Comply with Data Security Standards | I-Finity

🛜 Today marks Safer Internet Day, and to recognise the occasion we’ve created a short guide that looks at what data security compliance really involves in practice. Rather than being a one-off exercise, staying compliant depends on regular reviews, clear policies, and a shared understanding of how data should be handled across the organisation. Swipe through below and read our complete guide to find out more: https://lnkd.in/eK7iNsfW

LinkedInI-Finity

🎨 ARTS & CULTURE

🐙 A Giant Inflatable Octopus Is Coming to King's Staith; Mark your diary: on Saturday 28 March; York BID is bringing a towering inflatable octopus — complete with eight fully articulated tentacles - to King's Staith for three free performances at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm. It's the seventh Family Friendly Saturday event, following six popular outings in 2025. If river levels are high on the day, the event moves to the Eye of York (in front of York Castle Museum and Clifford's Tower). Free to attend, no tickets needed.

🎭 The Full Monty Is Coming Back to York - 30 Year Anniversary Tour; The boys are back. A major national tour of The Full Monty has been announced for 2027 to mark the film's 30th anniversary, with York's Grand Opera House confirmed as a stop: 12–17 July 2027. Star casting is still to be revealed. Tickets go on sale to ATG+ members on Wednesday, 11 March (10am), with general sale opening Thursday 12 March (10am).

🌍 York International Shakespeare Festival Wins Sanctuary in the Arts Award; The York International Shakespeare Festival, running 21 April to 3 May this year across York St John University, Theatre@41 Monkgate, The Yorkshire Museum, and Friargate Theatre, has been recognised with a Sanctuary in the Arts award from City of Sanctuary, for its years of work welcoming displaced people, primarily those from Ukraine and those connected with Refugee Action York. This year's programme includes performers from Georgia, Romania, Ukraine, and the USA.

📖 York Minster Hosts Book Launch Honouring St William; York Minster will be hosting the launch of a new publication celebrating the life and legacy of St William of York - one of the city's most significant but lesser-known medieval figures.

👥 COMMUNITY

🎓 University of York Students Showcase Social Innovation Projects; Students from the University of York have been showcasing innovative community projects aimed at improving life in York, the latest in a series of initiatives connecting the university with the wider city.

⛵ Loose Boat on the River Ouse - No Injuries; Emergency services were called to the River Ouse near Skeldergate Bridge at 10:21 pm on Tuesday night after a loose, unoccupied boat was spotted heading downstream. Fire crews from York worked with the York Rescue Boat team, who brought the boat under control. No persons were involved and the incident was resolved without fire service action.

🔪 CRIME

🛒 Gillygate Vape Shop Targeted in Early Morning Burglary; Two men broke into Vapes & Phones on Gillygate at 4:30am on Wednesday, one on a bicycle, one on foot, triggering both the alarm and a smoke cloak device that filled the shop with vapour. The man who entered on foot is believed to have left empty-handed. North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses, anyone who drove past Gillygate at around 4:30am, or who has CCTV footage, is asked to get in touch at yorknpt@northyorkshire.police.uk.

🐟 ONLY IN YORK

🏆 The Scrap Box Is Now Officially the Best Chippie in Britain; York Outer just claimed the highest honour in British frying. The Scrap Box, run by brothers Gavin and Aman Dhesi on the A1079 near Dunnington, was named Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year at last night's National Fish and Chip Awards in London. Previously shortlisted in the top ten and recognised as a National Quality Award Champion, this is the big one. York Outer MP Luke Charters was first to congratulate the team: "We officially have the BEST fish and chip takeaway in the entire country right here in York Outer!" Meanwhile, David Miller of Millers Fish and Chips in Haxby (York) received the Outstanding Contribution award, and Abigail Barker from Millers was runner-up in the Young Fish Frier of the Year category. A very good night for York.