The Week Ahead with The Yorkshire Post

The Week Ahead with The Yorkshire Post features writer John Blow.

Transcript

00:00Hi there, it's John Blow here from the Yorkshire Post Features Team. I'm going to take you

00:03through some of the things coming up in the week ahead. First of all there will be a debate

00:08on assisted dying in Parliament today after a petition backed by Dame Esther Ransom and

00:12campaign group Dignity in Dying secured more than 200,000 signatures. Last week Dame Esther,

00:18who's 83 and has said she's considering travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death after

00:23being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, said that MPs taking part in the debate will

00:28be looking into a topic that is crucial to most constituents up and down the country.

00:33It comes after legislation to introduce assisted dying for terminally ill people in Scotland

00:37was published last month at Holyrood. Meanwhile ballots will open on Thursday as local mayoral

00:42and police and crime commissioner elections get underway across the country. There are

00:47107 councils holding elections in England with the results being declared over several

00:52days starting on the night of May 2nd and ending on May 5th. Local election results

00:57are generally regarded as an indication of voter intentions in parliamentary polls so

01:02political parties will keenly await the results as a general election is likely to take place

01:06later this year. Elsewhere, May Day and Wednesday signals that spring is in full swing and events

01:11next weekend are fitting for the season. Saltire Arts Trail, Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival

01:17and Tomlin and Folk Festival are just a few of the events.