Instances of fly tipping in York have increased in each of the last 3 years.
Over £68,000 was spent last year cleaning up the mess. However only one perpetrator was prosecuted.
Part of the issue can be traced back to the closure of the Beckfield Lane amenity site.
There have also been problems with some waste collection rounds while the charges for the removal of bulky waste have rocketed.
Members of the public ride a carousel adjacent to the ‘St Nicholas Fair’ Christmas market in the city centre of York, on December 3, 2014. OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images
It looks like the new “Make it York” organisation is set to ban a famous childrens ride from the St Sampsons Square/Parliament Street area this Christmas. The festive music from the ride has added to the atmosphere in that part of the City.
A carousel ride has been a popular choice for hundreds of young (and not so young) children for a long time but we understand that their booking for a traditional pitch on St Sampson’s Square has been cancelled by “Make it York”
Instead more market stalls are to provided in the Square with a “new attraction” likely to go outside Marks and Spencer.
Make it York have offered the carousel operators a pitch in the Eye of York, apparently unaware that the Ice Factor event was forced to move from there following complaints, of noise and distracting behaviour, from officials at the adjacent County Court. The site would in any event not have a high enough footfall to justify installation and running costs.
There has been no discussions with Councillors over the move.
While many residents would welcome some consultation on what new attractions might be provided in the future during the Christmas and other seasons, it seems that the new organisation has yet to learn the importance of consultation with potential customers.
It is only a few weeks since that the organisation announced that it was removing the fountain in Parliament Street, ostensibly again to provide more space for specialist stalls. The York Council later intervened and shelved the idea pending proper public consultation.
Make it York took over tourist promotion, economic development, the management of the Shambles (Newgate) market and city centre activities in April. The transfer of responsibilities – and a large budget – was criticised at the time for are lack of transparency, poor communications, lack of consultation and inadequate no performance measures.
The Council is represented on the make it York Board by its Leader Cllr Chris Steward
Data breach report Aug 2015
A report published today reveals that in Yorkshire only Doncaster (106 cases) had more breaches of data protection rules than the York Council.
A report by “Big Brother Watch“ says York had the second highest number of incidents in the region with 73.
72 of these did not result in any disciplinary action.
The Council declined to provide details of the individual incidents.
Nationally many cases resulted from the loss or theft of laptop computers
There were also 33 breaches in Kirklees, 26 in the East Riding and 12 in Wakefield.
The North Yorkshire County Council declined to respond to the FOI request.
Before the horse slipped out of the York Council stable, there was time for more decisions to be taken without any prior notice.
These have included, so far, this week:
6.00pm – 7.00pm and 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Small group confidence sessions for adults who can not ride or who have not ridden for a year.
Bikes can be provided and booking is essential.
If you are using your own bike it will need to be roadworthy. Please wear clothes and footwear suited to cycling and the weather conditions on the day. Bring food and drink as required.
How do I take part?
Participants must be 16 years old or over. Booking is essential. Separate sessions for complete beginners and returners. Please arrive 15 minutes early to introduce yourself to the instructor and register for the session. All participants are asked to complete a health questionnaire.
Gillian Chefrad, Active Living Officer.
Sport and Active Leisure, City of York Council,
West Offices, Station Rise, YORK YO1 6GA
T: 01904 553377
