As York looks ahead, it's 2000 and counting

The big day, January 1, 2000, is closer than you might think. In a year and 197 days, it will be upon us. And while the majority of the population may only have devoted an idle moment's thought to the changeover, some have been considering its implications for a long time.

The first inquiries about the Millennium started coming in to the Dean Court Hotel in York three years ago. Its last room was booked up for New Year's Eve 1999 five months since.

Even though opening over the big holiday was a unique commercial opportunity, general manager David Brooks took some convincing that it was the right thing to do. "It was a big deliberation," he said. "My main consideration was the staff: how we could allow them not to miss out totally, purely because they're working?"

He surveyed his staff to see firstly whether they would be prepared to work these most anti-social hours, and secondly what they would consider an adequate recompense for doing so. This convinced him that "blatant bribery" would persuade enough employees to make the sacrifice.

But he was still very aware that this is not just any old New Year - it is special. "You do share the atmosphere of celebration: we all go out to see the New Year in outside the Minster, and then we're the first back in again.

"But on this occasion we'll be running a buffet and drinks for the immediate family members of the staff who will be here that night.

So they can have a quick kiss and a cuddle at midnight."

His guests that night will have come from America, Germany and all corners of Britain. The Dean Court's entertainment has yet to be finalised but he would say that "our thoughts have been to represent a thousand years with two or three different themes".

As Mr Brooks puts the final touches to his hotel's celebrations, other businesses are still deciding how to take part in the Millennium.

Pubs look likely to enjoy a 36-hour licence, although Mick Johnson, president of the York Licensed Victuallers' Association thinks only a few will try and stay open throughout.

Some venues might not open at all. "People will jump one of two ways," said Michael Hjort, chairman of the York Hospitality Association. "You can either open up, charge customers a lot of money, which is clearly justifiable, or you don't want to be there at all.

"Clearly people are going to have to pay an awful lot of money to their staff for working, quite rightly. The difficulty is that nobody's ever tested the market. Restaurants will have to put a price on Millennium New Year's Eve without any idea of what people might be prepared to pay."

Revellers will want exclusivity, he said. "If you under charge you might be regarded as not exclusive enough. If you over charge, nobody wants to know."

These tricky calculations mean that many members of the association have yet to make a decision about Millennium opening. Everyone is watching to see what the competition is going to do.

Apart from Mr Hjort, that is. His restaurant, Melton's, on Scarcroft Road, closes every Christmas holiday, and he is not making an exception for New Year's Eve 1999. "After all's said and done, it's only another day of the week," he said philosophically. "There's nothing actually special about it. The sun's not going to come out any longer."

While restaurants aim to be exclusive, City of York Council's millennial approach is precisely the opposite. "We very much want to ensure any celebrations are open to as many people as possible in the city," said Peter Berry, assistant chief executive of the council, and co-ordinator of its Millennium preparations.

"It's not going to be an elitist celebration. People will have an opportunity to either change their community for the better or, if it's more of a one-off celebration, to involve the whole of their community."

The council started considering the next big event as soon as the last big event in York - the Ecofin conference in March - had finished.

A working group is filtering ideas, whether for one-off celebrations or a series of events throughout 2000.

"We have got to try and tease out whether people are thinking of a major celebration in the city centre or whether they want to stay in their own immediate communities."

A possible theme of the events is progress: "It's a year-long opportunity to make a difference. When it's New Year people say they'll change things in the future. This is a new century, a new Millennium, it's an opportunity to look at some of the things that people can change for themselves."

Plans of a more definite nature are afoot among York's tourist attractions. But don't ask what: they are keeping them very hush-hush.

The Jorvik Viking Centre is promising something quite spectacular, and the National Railway Museum is also preparing to mark the anniversary. The details will be released a little nearer the date.

Most of us will be spoiled for ways to celebrate come the Millennium, and those who choose to work will be rewarded handsomely. So spare a thought for the police.

All leave has been cancelled during the Millennium holiday for North Yorkshire officers and it looks like every hand will be needed on deck. "It's a huge headache," said Chief Inspector Gary Barnett, of York police.

"It's the same for all the emergency services. I have no doubt that the fire brigade, ambulance service and York District Hospital are all making emergency plans for the Millennium, to cope with the anticipated rush of business."

The police across the county are already drawing up plans. "In policing terms we are going to get a very big Christmas, a big New Year and a prolonged holiday celebration, which will stretch our manpower right to the limit.

"We are looking at what sort of command structure we are going to use, how to deploy staff and the rest." He urges anyone considering putting on a public event at this time to get in touch with York police as soon as possible (01904 631321).

As well as the potential for human disorder, officers may well come up against rogue micro-processors. Burglar alarms could go off, lifts might stop in mid-descent, all manner of chaos could occur if the so-called "millennium bug" strikes.

"We are planning the unknown," Ch Insp Barnett said. "We are not sure how well the infrastructure of society is going to cope.

"The joke going around is that there aren't many policemen who actually have experience of policing the Millennium. Some of us have been around a long time, but this is a whole new experience. We are simply making plans as carefully and thoroughly as we can."

Are you planning a Millennium event? Contact Chris Titley on (01904) 653051 ext 371. Alternatively by email at yorknewsdesk@york.newsquest.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.