Feature: New twist in four-year battle for Smithy Wood

Campaigners fear a plan to build a service station in ancient woods may open the door to similar developments. But their four-year battle has just taken a new twist. Chris Burn reports. “If we fail, we fail the country. It … Continue reading →

Final go-ahead for £37 million Gulliver’s Valley theme park

WORK will begin on Gulliver’s Valley after the theme park plans were given the final go-ahead by the secretary of state. The approval from communities secretary Sajid Javid MP follows last month’s unanimous vote from Rotherham’s planning board. It is … Continue reading →

South Yorkshire’s police force set to lose ‘swathes’ of its expertise

A YORKSHIRE police force is set to ‘lose vast swathes of experience and expertise’, according to staff representatives, as dozens of ‘exhausted and burnt out’ officers apply for redundancy. The warning from the South Yorkshire branch of the Police Federation … Continue reading →

David Crompton decision expected in ‘two to eight weeks’

A decision on whether it was unlawful for a police commissioner to suspend a chief constable from his job will not be known for weeks. Dr Alan Billings suspended David Crompton after he appeared to justify police questioning of fans’ … Continue reading →

Future plans for Rotherham to be discussed

Rotherham Plan 2025 launched with aims that “will change lives” SPEAKERS spelled out a positive future for the borough at the launch of the Rotherham Plan 2025. Figures from the public, private and voluntary sectors detailed achievements and aims at … Continue reading →

Rail firm pulls out of Leeds HS2 project

The engineering firm handed a £170 million deal last month to develop Phase 2b of HS2 has announced it is pulling out of that section of the project, amid alleged conflicts of interest. CH2M was chosen by HS2 Ltd last … Continue reading →

Over 150 South Yorkshire police officers apply for redundancy

Over 150 police officers have applied to leave South Yorkshire Police as part of a voluntary redundancy scheme. Bosses recently offered officers the chance to leave the force and 154 applied for voluntary redundancy before the window closed. The idea … Continue reading →