Surgery patients have left been unprotected against ‘abuse’, and others are so used to delays that they have stopped asking for help at one of the country’s biggest NHS trusts, shocking inspection findings have revealed. Helena Vesty reports.

Patients have been left in pain, while others stopped asking for help after facing delays to their care amid shocking staffing shortages at one of Greater Manchester’s major hospitals.

Surgical services at Salford Royal Hospital have been served with a warning notice by health inspectors after they found patients were at risk of abuse and that bottles and bed pans of urine were left to accumulate in ward bathrooms, with staff short on time to clear them.

Surgical services have now been rated as ‘requires improvement’ by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It follows an inspection from September 23 to 25. The visit was carried out ‘due to concerns regarding how gynaecology, spinal and neurosurgery services are managed, as well as to look at their safety processes’.

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The latest review came after the CQC found regulatory breaches at a previous inspection. ‘Most of these remained a concern at this latest inspection’, inspectors said.

In shocking findings, inspectors discovered that ‘some aspects of the service were not always safe’, and ‘there was an increased risk that people could be harmed’.

Inspectors said staff didn’t always make sure patients weren’t protected ‘from abuse or improper treatment’; patients weren’t told about their rights around consent didn’t have their rights respected during care and treatment; and that ‘staff didn’t always complete risk assessments or appropriately manage people’s deteriorating health to keep people safe’.

There were also concerns that patients were left waiting for pain relief and support with their personal care. During the inspection, four people on one ward told the watchdog that they ‘experienced extended pain symptoms and had experienced delays in receiving pain relief medicines’. Staff told the CQC that multiple patients had experienced delays in receiving post-operative pain relief.

Staff told inspectors patients ‘would leave their individually-labelled bed pans or bottles in the bathroom for staff to collect when they had time’. That leads to a ‘risk this could lead to inaccurate recording of fluids as the bed pans and bottles absorbed some of the liquid’, the watchdog said.

Results published today (Friday, February 13) show the CQC has issued a warning notice to the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA), which runs Salford Royal. The warning notice highlights the areas where ‘rapid and significant improvements’ are needed.

The official warning means the CQC can take further action if improvements aren’t made within a short period of time, including recommending that the services be taken over by another body, called ‘special administration’.

Major improvements being urged in the warning notice include ‘staffing levels, as well as systems and processes used to identify and manage risks, which were affecting quality and safety on the wards’, the watchdog said.

Have you been affected by this story? Email helena.vesty@reachplc.com

Inspectors found wards did not have enough staff with the right qualifications to deal with patients. Patients ‘felt staffing shortages had impacted their emotional well-being and they didn’t always feel comfortable asking for help when they needed it, due to experiencing previous delays, especially during the night’, the CQC has said.

The report reads: “Most people told us the surgical wards did not have enough nursing and support staff… We spoke with people on some surgical wards who experienced delays in receiving pain relief and support with their personal care needs.

“People who used the service were not always safeguarded in the surgical wards. Formal duty of candour was not always undertaken in a timely way in accordance with trust policies.”

In addition to the concerns in the warning notice, inspectors found some 11 regulatory breaches relating to safeguarding people from abuse and improper treatment, as well as duty of candour.

These breaches were also regarding ‘person-centred care, safe care and treatment, good management of the service and staffing’, which had already been identified as problems at the last inspection in December 2022.

Inspectors found that surgical staff are supposed to formally identify a patient’s loved one if and when things go wrong within 27 hours, but no later than 10 days after the incident. Records showed that staff only told the relevant contact within 10 days just over two-thirds (68 per cent) of the time in one division of the surgical services.

The report continues: “The general environment in some surgical wards was aged and worn…

“Staff were not always trained to provide safe care. The surgical services reported that only 18.3 per cent of eligible staff had completed dementia awareness training during the past three years. The proportion of staff that had completed life support training was below trust targets.

“The services did not always manage infection prevention and control risks well. Staff compliance with hand hygiene standards and admission screening processes was consistently below trust standards. The services did not always make sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences.”

The trust responded to the report saying improvements are now underway, including increasing staffing across surgical wards, with nine additional working-time equivalent registered nurses in post between September and January, and strengthened senior nursing presence during late, weekend and twilight shifts.

NCA chief nursing officer, Juliette Cosgrove said: “We know we haven’t always got things right and still have work to do to improve. We have been working closely with the CQC since their inspection in September 2025, alongside NHS England and our partner organisations to make improvements as quickly and openly as possible.

“Our colleagues are crucial to this process, and we’ve spent time listening and making sure they have the chance to share their views on what we can do to make things better.”

Inspectors identified that there were plans to improve equipment servicing and maintenance, and that staff understood how to identify and manage sepsis.

The watchdog also found that leaders engaged with partners and the wider community to plan and improve services, and that the service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduced their future needs for care and support.

Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust covers a population of one million across its four hospitals – Salford Royal, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, and Rochdale Infirmary.

The hospital is also the regional centre for major trauma, neurosurgery, and upper gastrointestinal and bariatric care. It is also a centre for complex spinal care and intestinal failure. The surgical services had 15,400 attendances between October 2024 and September 2025.

After the latest inspection, the CQC has again rated how safe, effective, responsive and well-led the surgery services are as requiring improvement. How caring the service is has declined from good to requires improvement. The overall rating for Salford Royal Hospital and the NCA has not changed, and stands at requires improvement.

Kathy Ruemmler, a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and a former White House counsel to Barack Obama, announced her resignation on Thursday. The move follows the emergence of emails with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which reportedly showed a close relationship where she described him as an “older brother” and appeared to downplay his sex crimes.

Ruemmler confirmed she would “step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.”

She had previously attempted to distance herself from the correspondence, having been defiant about not resigning from the senior legal post she held since 2020.

While Ruemmler has recently called Epstein a “monster,” her relationship with him was markedly different before his 2019 arrest for sex crimes and subsequent death by suicide. Emails reveal she referred to Epstein as “Uncle Jeffrey” and stated she adored him.

In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler “regrets ever knowing him.”

During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender.

“So lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!!” Ruemmler wrote to Epstein in 2018.

Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest. Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.

As late as December, Goldman CEO David Solomon described Ruemmler as an “excellent lawyer” and said she had his full faith and backing.

This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.

Before he sent his war machine into Ukraine nearly four years ago, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, talked of the need to rid the country of the “neo-Nazi cabal” which was holding it hostage and perpetrating a “genocide” of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

Putin has doubled down on this regularly during the conflict, refusing to recognise Ukraine’s sitting president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as a legitimate negotiating partner and repeatedly calling for elections. He seems to have found a receptive ear in Donald Trump, who has repeated this call several times, usually after a phone chat with the Russian leader.

Now it’s being reported that Zelensky is planning for elections and a referendum on the Trump peace proposal, after the US insisted he do both by May 15 or lose US security guarantees. Zelensky has repeatedly pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution bars elections while martial law is in effect.

It’s easy to see why. As it stands, 20% of Ukraine’s territory is occupied by Russia. Do the people living on that land get a vote? How about the millions of displaced people – either in Ukraine or in the enforced diaspora? How to organise ballots for the hundreds of thousands of troops on active duty? The logistics are mind-boggling.

But it’s not just logistics. Stefan Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham, and Tetyana Malyarenko of the University of Odesa present five reasons why holding a poll and referendum are a problem, given the present circumstances.

On the face of it, they argue, it feels as if the US president is once again coming up with a plan that favours Russia over Ukraine. But given the impossibility of organising these votes under the present circumstances, let alone providing for what would happen if, as seems likely, the people vote for Zelensky and against the Trump peace deal, this might actually play into the hands of Kyiv and its allies. Apart from anything else, the process will buy them some time to come up with a new strategy that will take into account Washington’s role as the most unreliable of partners.

À lire aussi :
Five reasons Trump’s plan for Ukrainian elections and a peace referendum will only prolong the war

Having said that, the phrase “if the people vote for Zelensky” is doing some heavy lifting here. The fact is that, four years into an existential struggle, Ukrainians are exhausted and morale is taking a beating in the face of relentless Russian bombardment. Zelensky, who was voted into power with 74% of the vote in 2019 on a platform of fighting corruption has seen some of his closest political allies embroiled in massive corruption scandals.

The fact that the most recent scandal, which saw his chief of staff resign, related to allegations of graft involving Ukraine’s biggest energy supplier was particularly damaging, given that many Ukrainians are living without power in the coldest winter in a decade, thanks to Russian bombing.

So Zelensky’s reelection is not a foregone conclusion. In fact, two of his close associates – Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and now ambassador to the US, and Kyrylo Budanov, who the Ukrainian president recently appointed as his chief of staff – would both be popular candidates. Neither has said they would run for office, but what politician ever does say that – until they do?

Jennifer Mathers, an expert in Russian and eastern European politics at Aberystwyth University, takes us through the possible challengers.

À lire aussi :
Ukraine: if elections are held this spring, who might be the next president?

The Epstein files

To Washington, where members of Congress have started to sift through some of the 3 million documents from the “Epstein files” released by the Department of Justice at the end of January. Observers have commented that, unlike in Europe, where the fallout has included considerable political splashback for some important people, reaction in the US – so far at least – has been comparatively muted.

Of course, the unredacted files have only just been made available to US lawmakers. So it’s hard to gauge how people are going to react when big names begin to be linked with sleazy acts – whether that might be sexual, political or business-related.

Releasing the files is a gamble for the US Department of Justice and the attorney-general, Pam Bondi, writes Katie Pruszynski, an analyst of US politics at the University of Sheffield. While the potential for scandal is huge, the US public is having to digest so many other stories. This year alone, the US has conducted a raid on Venezuela and abducted its president. There have been threats against Greenland and Canada. The activities of ICE and other immigration agencies in US cities, particularly in Minneapolis where two people have been shot dead, have also rightly dominated headlines.

On top of that, millions of people have seen their health insurance premiums skyrocket after the subsidies established under Obamacare lapsed on January 1. People may simply not have the mental bandwidth to take it all in.

But all this might change once the unredacted files are made public. The key thing Republicans will be hoping for is that any furore surrounding the Epstein scandal will die down before the midterm elections in November.

Meanwhile, as Pruszynski notes, Epstein’s victims – many of whose names were not redacted, despite the US Congress passing a law to that effect – are still waiting for justice.

À lire aussi :
Epstein files: why the Trump administration is taking a big gamble by releasing millions of documents

The release of victims’ names raises an interesting side issue: who decides what information is released and what is redacted? Matthew Mokhefi-Ashton explains the competing legal principles which balance the public’s right to know with people’s right to privacy.

À lire aussi :
Epstein files: who decides what information is released to the public?

Hard times in Havana

When the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, was taking questions after the raid on Caracas on January 3, he appeared to relish the idea of the US turning its attention to Cuba, commenting that: “If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I’d be concerned – at least a little bit.” His boss appeared to rule out direct intervention, at least for now, saying: “Cuba is ready to fall … I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”

He may not be far off the mark, given that Cuba is fast running out of oil. The situation there is so parlous that at least one air carrier, Air Canada, has cancelled all flights to Cuba because it can’t be sure that its aircraft would be able to refuel. This is a disaster. Cuba is heavily dependent on tourism for the foreign currency is so desperately needs.

Since Trump returned to power a year ago, the US has made it nigh on impossible for Cuba to source enough fuel to meet its energy needs. Now he is essentially saying the communist government of Miguel Díaz-Canel must negotiate a deal (on American terms) or else.

But whatever Rubio, who has nursed a career-long obsession with his parents’ home country of Cuba, may want to see, achieving regime change on the Caribbean island will not be easy, writes Nicolas Forsans of University of Essex. Forsans sketches out what a US deal with Cuba that falls short of replacing the government might look like.

À lire aussi :
The US is starving Cuba of fuel – here’s what a deal between them could look like

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The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has urged motorists to do this online

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Motorists are being reminded to complete an essential online procedure “now”. Neglecting to do so could land you with a penalty of up to £1,000.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has used the social media platform X to remind motorists to tax their vehicles. Vehicle tax, commonly known as car tax or road tax, is a mandatory levy for operating a motor vehicle on Britain’s public highways.

The revenue collected is allocated towards infrastructure enhancements, including the upkeep and restoration of roads. Motorists can choose to settle this obligation annually or through monthly instalments.

Failure to pay your vehicle tax will result in a penalty, which can rise to as much as £1,000 should the case proceed to court. Additionally, your vehicle risks being clamped or impounded if it remains untaxed whilst parked on public highways.

On X, the DVLA stated: “You can tax your vehicle online 24 hours a day, seven days a week on http://gov.uk/dvla/tax. Do it now. #TaxItDontRiskIt #DVLADigital”.

How to tax your vehicle

To tax your vehicle, you will need a reference number from either:

• A recent reminder or a “last chance” notification letter issued by DVLA regarding vehicle tax
• Your vehicle log book (V5C) which should be registered in your name
• The green “new keeper” portion of the log book if the vehicle has been newly acquired If you cannot find these documents, you’ll need to request a replacement log book
• Tax payments can be made using debit or credit card, or by setting up a direct debit

Exempt vehicles

Certain vehicles don’t have to pay tax. Nevertheless, you’re still required to register your vehicle for tax even though no payment is needed.

The DVLA’s website states: “You must tax your vehicle even if you do not have to pay anything, for example if you’re exempt because you’re disabled.”

If you don’t tax your vehicle, you’ll receive an out-of-court settlement (OCS) letter. The fee is set at £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding vehicle tax sum.

Not paying the OCS could see the case taken to a magistrates’ court as a criminal matter, with fines reaching either £1,000 or five times the taxable sum, whichever is greater. Your vehicle might also be clamped, possibly resulting in additional fees. But some vehicles don’t have to make this payment.

If your car is used by a disabled person, you can claim the disability exemption when taxing your vehicle. Evidence of eligibility for the disability exemption will be needed.

The DVLA explains: “You can remove an exemption from a vehicle if it’s no longer being used by a disabled person. You can only use your exemption on one vehicle at a time. If you have more than one vehicle, you’ll need to choose which one will be exempt from vehicle tax.”

Vehicles used by organisations offering transport services for disabled people are also tax-exempt, although this doesn’t include ambulances.

Classic vehicles, specifically those built before 1 January 1985, are not liable for vehicle tax. Owners can verify their vehicle’s eligibility on the Government website.

Other vehicles that don’t have to pay tax include:

• Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs with a maximum speed of 8mph on roads and 4mph on pavements
• Lawn mowers
• Steam-powered vehicles
• Tractors
• Agricultural engines
• Light agricultural vehicles used off-road
• “Limited use” vehicles making short journeys (no more than 1.5km) on public roads between land owned by the same person
• Electric heavy goods vehicles

For further details, visit the Government website here.

With the noise around Arsenal and their history under Arteta when trying to win the title, the Gunners boss was asked if he needs to ensure that his side do not panic and remain focused on their task.

“That’s what we have to do,” he said. “I mean we are going to be willing and preparing to win every single match and the only thing that we can do is focus on that and raise the levels collectively and individually to be better than the opponent every week.

“It’s just the things that we have to do, that’s the most important thing.”

Before Manchester City‘s dramatic win against Liverpool on Sunday, it looked as though Arsenal would be nine points clear.

But after Erling Haaland’s late penalty to secure the three points and their win against Fulham on Wednesday, the gap was reduced to three points and the pressure was put back on to the Gunners.

When asked if playing after City is bringing a new pressure to his team, Arteta said: “I don’t think so, I think we played well after them a few times this season and we have won games.”

Of the 17 games in which Arsenal have scored first in the Premier League this season, the draw at Brentford was just the second time they have failed to win, along with their loss to Manchester United in January.

Midfielder Declan Rice could not have put it better: “This is a rollercoaster of a season.

“You can’t be naive to think this is going to be easy. We are playing against the best teams week in, week out. We have to keep pushing and believing in ourselves, controlling the controllables.

“We have to block out the outside noise. We have done that really well. People are going to talk up the title race and Arsenal but we have a really calm group.”

Coastguard teams and helicopters were scrambled to St Govans Head after three climbers faced an emergency at the popular Pembrokeshire beauty spot

A rescue operation has been launched after three climbers encountered an emergency in Pembrokeshire.

The Coastguard was deployed in to locate the trio, who were climbing at St Govans Head in Pembrokeshire today. The alert was raised at approximately 4pm with coastguard teams from Fishguard, St Govans and Tenby all responding alongside HM Coastguard and Irish Coastguard helicopters, a Wales Air Ambulance and an RNLI lifeboat.

A spokesperson for the Coastguard said: “HM Coastguard responded to an incident involving three climbers at St Govans Head in Pembrokeshire today, 12 February.

“First alerted at around 4pm, Coastguard rescue teams from Fishguard, St. Govans and Tenby were sent alongside an HM Coastguard helicopter, an Irish Coastguard helicopter, Wales Air Ambulance and an RNLI lifeboat from Angle. Dyfed-Powys Police were also in attendance.”

A lifeboat was recorded as being deployed at 4.08pm this afternoon from the RNLI’s Angle Lifeboat Station, though there are no details regarding whether it was involved in this operation, reports the Mirror.

St Govan’s Head is renowned for its limestone sea cliffs and striking vistas across the Irish Sea. It ranks among the most sought-after climbing locations in Pembrokeshire and is also celebrated for St Govan’s Chapel, a diminutive 13th-century stone structure nestled into a crevice in the cliff face.

A 4.4-mile circular route leads to the isolated chapel concealed near the shoreline. The descent involves a challenging climb down worn stone steps before reaching the coast.

At present, it remains unclear whether the climbers were positioned near the cliff face or in another part of the locality, or how the emergency call was initiated this afternoon.

The outcome of the rescue operation also stays unknown.

Last August, a rock climber was transported by air to hospital following a fall from a nearby cliff in Pembrokeshire. The male climber fell at Saddle Head at approximately 5.20pm on Thursday, August 7, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed.

The man was lifted by helicopter to the cliff top before being moved to an air ambulance and transported to hospital in Cardiff.

MILAN (AP) — An all-time great comeback and a controversial exclusion were the dominant stories at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Day 6.

And then there’s Chloe Kim, the American snowboarder who fell just short in her bid to become the first to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in her sport.

NHL players on the U.S. and Canada teams also joined the action in their opening men’s hockey games.

Brignone back in style

For much of last year, it wasn’t clear if Federica Brignone of Italy could compete at her home Olympics at all, let alone contend for a medal.

She came away with gold in the women’s super-G on Thursday, following a year spent largely in rehab after breaking multiple bones in her leg. She only returned to racing last month.

Brignone shrugged off difficult, foggy conditions to win her fourth career Olympic medal and become, at 35, the oldest female gold medalist in women’s Alpine skiing. Romane Miradoli of France took silver and Cornelia Huetter of Austria got bronze.

Brignone’s gold was one of four medals Thursday for Italy as the host nation pulled away in the medal count with 17. Norway and the U.S. have 14 apiece, and Norway leads the way in gold medals with seven.

Silver, not gold, for Chloe Kim

For Chloe Kim, it was a third medal but not a three-peat. The American snowboarding star won the halfpipe in 2018 and 2022, but 17-year-old Gaon Choi ended her reign.

Kim was in first ahead of the last run but Choi snatched the lead with a score of 90.25. Kim fell on her final attempt to beat it.

Choi, a South Korean who was mentored by Kim, recovered after taking a hard fall on her first run. She is the first non-American to win the gold medal on the women’s side of snowboarding’s premier event since Torah Bright of Australia at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Ukrainian slider excluded

As the men’s skeleton competition got underway, all the attention was on a Ukrainian athlete who wasn’t on the track.

Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from racing after refusing to give up his plan to race in a helmet commemorating athletes who have been killed since Russia invaded his country. The International Olympic Committee said the helmet broke rules against making statements on the field of play.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry turned up at the sliding track in a last-minute bid to change Heraskevych’s mind ahead of the opening run of the competition Thursday morning.

Heraskevych, who had been a contender for the medals, refused and was excluded from the Olympics.

Heraskevych said it “looks like discrimination” to bar him from competing. Coventry, who said she’d hoped to find a compromise, was tearful on what she called an “emotional morning.”

U.S. beats Latvia in its men’s hockey opener

Two goals from Brock Nelson put the U.S. on course for a 5-1 win over Latvia in the men’s hockey tournament, which is packed with NHL stars for the first time in over a decade.

Connor McDavid had three assists and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves to help Canada beat Czechia 5-0 in the opening game of its Olympic campaign.

The Canadian women responded after their worst-ever Olympic loss by beating Finland 5-0 to end the preliminary round. That sets up a quarterfinal meeting with Germany on Saturday.

13 medals but no three-peat

The most decorated short-track speedskating Olympian in history has yet another medal.

Arianna Fontana of Italy earned her 13th career medal from six Olympics with silver in the women’s 500 meters but missed out on a three-peat in the event she won in 2018 and 2022. Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won and also broke her own world record in the semifinals. There was another Dutch gold minutes later for Jens van ‘t Wout in the men’s 1,000.

In a major upset, Cooper Woods of Australia won freestyle gold in men’s moguls by edging Canadian great Mikael Kingsbury — the sport’s most decorated skier — in a tiebreaker.

American Jessie Diggins overcame bruised ribs to take bronze in women’s 10-kilometer cross-country skiing. Frida Karlsson won her second gold medal of these Games, leading a 1-2 finish for Sweden.

Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida, whose great aunt was movie star Gina Lollobrigida, won her second gold of the Olympics by a tenth of a second in the women’s 5,000.

Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria and Eliot Grondin of Canada repeated as gold and silver medalists, respectively, in men’s snowboardcross.

Germany won the team luge, as it has done at every Olympics since the event was added in 2014.

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Last month, it was confirmed that the town’s former Binns store, on High Row, would be closing for good – just 16 months after it was previously earmarked to shut before being saved. 

It marks the end of an era for the retail chain, which has been in Darlington since August 1922 but will close its doors for the final time in April. 

This week, John Taylor, director of Parker Barras and agent of the owner, branded the news as “disappointing” but insisted it was House of Fraser’s loss. 

Now, award-winning retail consultant Graham Soult has given his verdict on the closure, saying it is not a reflection on the town and instead Frasers’ wider offering across the country.

Graham Soult said it was a ‘moment of sadness’ (Image: Graham Soult)

He also said that the “will-it-close-or-not hokey cokey” has allowed for future planning – with bosses of the High Row building already having approval to split the ground floor into six shops. 

“Having traded as Binns for over a century, and before that as draper Arthur Sanders since 1770, the closure of Darlington’s House of Fraser is of course a moment of sadness”, he said. 

“But we’ve been here before, and we’ve had seven more years of Binns than if it had closed, as originally intended by the previous owners of House of Fraser, in 2019.

House of Fraser is set to close its shop in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

 “After the store’s stay of execution just over a year ago, it’s unfortunate that the investment I argued for then – or even a transformation into a modern Frasers store – has not been forthcoming. 

“However, the will-it-close-or-not hokey cokey has at least given the building’s owners time to plan for the future, with proposals to split the building into smaller units already approved.

 “Whether or not Frasers Group might intend to maintain a more modest presence in the building, this reconfiguration will provide a prime opportunity for the national retail and leisure brands that I know from my networks are queuing up to trade in the town, complementing the brilliant independent offer that I am always praising.”

House of Fraser is set to close its shop in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Mr Soult said it was “disappointing” to see the town being portrayed negatively, saying Darlington “remains vibrant and attractive relative to similar-sized towns elsewhere, especially given all the prevailing challenges”. 

He continued: “House of Fraser closing is not really a reflection on Darlington at all – it’s a reflection on Frasers Group pretty much closing all the remaining House of Fraser stores, with numbers now down to single digits compared to almost 60 branches less than a decade ago.

 “So, let’s be proud of Binns’ heritage, but look forward to the future by doing more of everything that is already great about Darlington, and laying out the welcome mat to those firms, national or indie, who want to join its business community.”

House of Fraser is set to close its shop in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

As reported, the flagship store announced it was shutting on January 30 when closing down signs were erected on the windows of the shop.

Darlington Borough Council said the announcement is “disappointing” for town centre shoppers. 

It marks the second time the national retailer has announced the closure of the store after previously publicising its intention to close in 2024.

At the time, Graham said it was sad news but once again reiterated that the future remained bright, even without the department store.

Soon after the building was purchased by a new owner and House of Fraser was saved. Another deal was then struck for the retailer to stay an extra year last March.

A council spokesperson said: “The news that House of Fraser is closing is disappointing.

“The store has been at the heart of our town centre for many years and will undoubtedly be a miss for Darlington shoppers. As we learn more about the details of the closure, any relevant and appropriate support we are able to provide will be offered.”

Mr Taylor added: “The town is fantastic and it has got lots of promise. 

“I think Darlington is doing a fantastic job as it is. People are saying this is a loss for the town but actually it is a loss for House of Fraser. 

“The building is in a fantastic location and I think with a bit of thought they could have quite easily stayed on and made something great. 

“For some reason, they don’t want to invest in the town and that is their loss. My thoughts go out to all of those staff who have been loyal to the company.

“It is disappointing to lose a tenant in such a key location.”

Frasers Group declined to comment.

The Hollywood legend and his wife Kate Capshaw have donated a huge sum towards the family.

James Van Der Beek’s family have been given a huge sum of money by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. Following a battle with colorectal cancer, the Dawson’s Creek star died aged 48 on Wednesday.

In the wake of his sad death, his family launched a GoFundMe page after their finances had been wiped out by his cancer treatment. He had been diagnosed with the condition in August 2023 but, until he went public in November 2024, had decided to battle it privately.

As reported by the Mirror, his widow Kimberly said that she and their six children were facing an “uncertain future” due to the extremely high costs he had to cover during his treatment. But now, Hollywood legend and Jaws filmmaker Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw have donated a huge sum towards the family.

There was no note attached to the donation, but the 79-year-old forked out $25,000 towards helping the Van Der Beeks. At the time of publishing, a staggering $1,732,319 has been raised, with Steven and Kate being the top donors. American filmmaker Jon M. Chu has also donated $10,000.

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Talent agent Kevin Huvane has also parted ways with $5,000. Actress Zoe Saldana, meanwhile, has pledged to donate $2,500 every month. On Wednesday, James’ wife said: “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.

“There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now, we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”

She added: “James Van Der Beek was a beloved husband, father, and friend who touched the lives of everyone around him. After a long and courageous battle with cancer, James passed away on February 11, 2026, leaving behind his devoted wife, Kimberly, and their six wonderful children. Throughout his illness, the family faced not only emotional challenges but also significant financial strain as they did everything possible to support James and provide for his care.

“In the wake of this loss, Kimberly and the children are facing an uncertain future. The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds.

“They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time. The support of friends, family, and the wider community will make a world of difference as they navigate the road ahead.”

Prior to James’ death, he also sold his Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues memorabilia to fund his treatment. Fans were able to get their hands on the outfit he wore in the first episode of Dawson’s Creek, which was expected to sell for up to £3,000. They were also able to purchase the necklace Dawson gave to on-screen girlfriend Joey, for prom, which was estimated to go for around £40,000.

Speaking of selling off his memorabilia in order to raise funds for treatment, James said: “I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them, and with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now.

“While I have some nostalgia tugging at me as I part with these items, it feels good to be able to offer them through Propstore’s auction to share with those who have supported my work over the years.”

For more information or support about bowel cancer, you can contact Macmillan Cancer Support or you can call 020 7940 1760 for advice.

If you have been affected by this story, Cruse Bereavement Support offers free help to make sense of how you are feeling. Click here for their website or call 0808 808 1677.

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