Tory MP Sir Julian Smith said this week North Yorkshire will need 4,232 homes a year to meet Labour’s plans to build 1.5 million UK homes in five years.

The average UK household consists of 2.36 people, which means the county would house an extra 9,987 people each year.

That’s the equivalent of building a town bigger than Richmond each year. Sir Julian, who represents Skipton and Ripon, questioned whether this was ‘deliverable’.

North Yorkshire Council has paused work on a new local plan, outlining where development can take place, since Labour announced the new target. I suspect few issues will dominate our news pages more in this government term.

I’m not sure whether Sir Julian catches the 36 bus from Ripon, but I doubt he — or anyone — treasures it more than Caroline Matusiak who entered a poem called The 36 From Ripon in this year’s Ripon Poetry Festival, which ended last weekend. I am unable to confirm if it contains any expletives.

While the poetry festival concluded, Ripon Cathedral hosted the Royal Northern Sinfonia. At half time I joined a throng of people trudging over the road in darkness to the Minster Gardens toilets. One person nearly tripped and another almost walked into an obstacle.

The toilets could be bulldozed if the new annexe building is built. Either way, can’t the area be better lit at night?

The following morning, I joined 250 runners taking part in the annual five-mile Crag Rat Run around Knaresborough. Harrogate charter mayor Chris Aldred swapped his chains of office for running kit to join in. This was no surprise — he’s one of the area’s most enthusiastic runners.

We cover numerous fundraising events but one we reported on this week at Grantley Hall raised £1 million for Yorkshire Children’s Charity. Guests paid £1,000-a-ticket to listen to a live performance by Olly Murs and bid for prizes such as a private dinner with Piers Morgan. That predictably drew some amusing comments but the bottom line is — what a remarkable feat of fundraising.