Queensbury

The new post of West Yorkshire mayor should come with an annual allowance of £105,000, a panel says.

Reuters/Toby MelvilleCopyright: Reuters/Toby Melville

People will vote for the first West Yorkshire mayor - which includes the role of Police and Crime Commissioner - in local elections on 6 May.

The allowances package covers expenses like travel and overnight stays, and the £105,000 for the West Yorkshire Mayor has been suggested by an independent panel.

The figure is more than Sheffield's and Liverpool's regional mayors get because it includes the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) role.

Voters in Leeds, Wakefield, Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford can all make a selection.

A decision will be made next week in a West Yorkshire Combined Authority meeting about how much the person in post will receive.

The West Yorkshire mayor role will see decisions on spending on infrastructure, housing, transport, regeneration and adult skills made locally rather than in Westminster.

The candidates who so far have said they intend to stand for the role in 2021 are listed here.

A dry and overcast morning followed by showery rain for a time during the early afternoon, then remaining mostly cloudy for the rest of the day.

Tonight, it will be dry and cold with largely cloudy skies:

BBCCopyright: BBC

Students in Yorkshire have been complaining about the value of their university courses after the majority went online, a student officer has said.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

Jian Feng, International Student Officer at the University of Leeds, said officers at other universities had come together to petition the government to compensate students.

He said the impact had left many students very unhappy.

"The government has not taken enough responsibility and kept pointing out that the universities should decide by themselves whether or not they want to offer any refunds," he said.

"It is disappointing to see the government is not doing enough to support our generation of young people in higher education."

The government said the Office for Students was monitoring online teaching to ensure the quality of tuition remained high and it was working to protect the education and wellbeing of all students.

In a joint statement, the universities of York, Leeds and Sheffield, said: "It's been a challenging year for all our students and we know the pandemic has impacted their experience in many different ways, but we've all adapted and invested in the online experience and seen some truly impressive innovations"

Two new police stations are to be built in West Yorkshire, it's been announced.

Nineteen47Copyright: Nineteen47

West Yorkshire Police wants to convert the former Kirklees College site in Halifax Road, Dewsbury, and also plans to build on the Fiat/Nissan site in Broadway, Huddersfield.

The force, which has launched a public consultation on the proposals, said they hoped to submit planning applications for both sites in April.

If approved the new facilities will replace the existing police stations in Castlegate, Huddersfield, and at Aldams Road, Dewsbury, with both sites sold once work is complete.

District Commander of Kirklees Police Ch Supt Julie Sykes said: "The announcement of this significant investment for policing in Kirklees is fantastic news."

She said it would give the force "state-of-the-art" stations based in local communities.

"Both sites were very carefully chosen after years of planning work, and we feel they offer the best locations available to us in terms of size, accessibility for residents, and also providing good access to the road network," she added.

It is estimated the new stations will become operational in 2024.

Today will be dry, overcast and chilly with light winds. During the morning, any areas of mist and fog will gradually clear.

Tonight will be cloudy and cold with some light rain or drizzle in places:

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Police have released pictures of men wanted in connection with an attempted robbery which left a village shopkeeper with facial injuries.

West Yorkshire PoliceCopyright: West Yorkshire Police

A group of men entered Old Lane Newsagents in Birkenshaw just before 19:00 on Monday 22 February and attempted to steal items from the shop, according to West Yorkshire Police.

West Yorkshire PoliceCopyright: West Yorkshire Police

The shopkeeper confronted the males and was assaulted.

Officers say they want to hear of any sightings of the men pictured in the area.

West Yorkshire PoliceCopyright: West Yorkshire Police

The force is also appealing for anyone who can identify the individuals to come forward.

Today will be dry, cool and overcast throughout, with light winds.

Mist and fog patches will develop overnight under calm conditions. A cold night with light winds:

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This year's Great Yorkshire Show could go ahead in July following last week's announcement about the gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions, organisers say.

Great Yorkshire ShowCopyright: Great Yorkshire Show

If restrictions are eased sufficiently, the 162nd show could be held between 13-15 July, according to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS).

However, the event, which is held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, "remains subject to restrictions being lifted as set out by the government", YAS has said.

More than 130,000 visitors usually attend the three-day event, which has been held annually since 1838.

However, last year’s show was cancelled in full due to the coronavirus pandemic, the first time that's happened since the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001.

Charles Mills, honorary show director, says: "We will only go ahead with the show if we can do so safely for all concerned."

Organisers add they are "exploring what the show programme can safely include" and further details about the event will be announced "in due course".

A fireball seen over Yorkshire was "beautiful" and "incredible", according to one of the many people who saw it.

Jon MaherCopyright: Jon Maher

Hundreds of people took to social media to say they'd seen the meteor in the sky at about 22:00 last night.

Jon Maher said the image (above) he captured while driving near Stanley, West Yorkshire "doesn't do it justice".

"It totally lit up the sky. Absolutely fantastic. Initially I thought 'Is it a firework?'

"It's quite a beautiful thing really. You don't want to get too romantic about it but on the backdrop of everyone being cooped up, it was one of those nice moments that we all shared."

Brad CaslinCopyright: Brad Caslin

Astronomical writer Brian Jones, from Bradford, says the fireball was likely to be a rock the size of a cricket ball.

He said: "The fireballs you can't predict. This fireball could have emanated from a chunk of rock, say, as big as a cricket ball.

"You can't see these in space, they're too small, but once they come down through the atmosphere, the visual impact can be quite stunning."

Some meteors do make it to the ground and become meteorites, although the size of the final rock can be so small it's never identified.