The Council is being asked to agree that the private sector design and manage the new Lowfields Care Village.

A lot of interest was expressed in the plan which was first announced when the Council was under Liberal Democrat control in 2010. The aspiration then was to produce something like the Hartrigg Oaks development on the other side of the City which is run by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. (see http://tinyurl.com/Hartrigg-Oaks)

The accommodation and facilities will be designed in such a way as to encourage a two way interaction between the care village and the wider community. Care Village residents will access the wide range of services and facilities nearby (e.g. local shops, Acomb Explore Library, Energise Leisure Centre) and, likewise, while the wider community will be encouraged to access the care village site (e.g. for a community cafe, community garden/allotments).

The Council would nominate tenants for the 90 registered care beds. 25% of the homes planned for the site would be “affordable”.

A report to a Council “Cabinet” meeting on 15th May suggests that the development could pay for itself over a 25 year period. However the opportunity to run other homes like the new ones at Fordlands and Haxby Hall using independent providers seems likely to be lost.

So effectively the Council has still not identified a comprehensive, long term financial strategy for dealing with the increasing numbers of elderly people whom we will see in the City. The main reductions in costs comparing the private sector with the Council are in wage rates. Some care workers a couple of years ago got big pay rises as a result of a job evaluation exercise which in turn has led to reduced job security. However existing employees would be entitled to transfer to work for a new management contractor while retaining their existing conditions of service.

The Council sees the accommodation on the Lowfield site being for people aged 65 years+. The accommodation on site will range from completely independent living, to extra care accommodation, through to residential care, including dementia and nursing care.

Whilst many residents may not have any immediate care needs on arrival, the village accommodation would be configured for people to be able to access care as required. This would mean, for instance, that all of the accommodation would be built “care ready” with minimal work required to install care technology or aids and adaptations. All accommodation will have good access, wide doorways, en-suite facilities, and be designed in such a way that it can easily be adapted if the resident’s care needs change. All of the accommodation on site will have the option of being ‘linked up’ 24/7 to the Care Home/Centre should assistance be required.

Threat to green space at Lowfields (more…)

The folly of failing to maintain basic items of street furniture is increasingly obvious to those using the Hob Moor cycle path.

While most of the cycle barriers – installed to prevent access by motorcyclists – are galvanised and require little maintenance, some require regular painting.

They include this one near the former Our Lady’s school which is now heavily corroded. A few pounds spent now on paint would mean £100’s saved in a few years time.

Until recently problems like this were picked up by regular Ward Councillor inspections and funding for minor improvements was readily available through local street environment budgets. But arbitrary cuts have now left a void that isn’t even being filled by community payback type schemes.

All very short sighted.

The Councils decision to leave salt bins out on the street over the summer looks increasingly unwise.

We warned a few months ago that the bins would be misused and vandalised.

Already the remaining salt which was in the bins has leached out damaging verge areas in some streets. In others (see right) the bins are being used for litter and rubbish. Cleaning out the bins will take longer and cost more than if they had been returned to the depot, cleaned and stored until next winter.

We understand that changes to Ward Committee funding could even mean that it may not be possible to fill the bins next winter anyway.

A local Councillor tells us, “Ward Committees are no longer able to fund salt bin provision but no one seems to know what will happen to them in the future.”

The 180 bins funded by the Highways Department will continue to be filled and Residents Associations can also decide to fund bins. …….but the 30 funded by the Ward Committee in Westfield might well remain empty because no one thought about the consequences of cutting Ward Budgets.