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The programme aimed at resurfacing the back lanes in the Gladstone Street area is the latest victim of the cuts being made by Labour to the Ward Committee improvement budget. The project was intended to see the condition of all local back lanes improved.

The 2012 improvement list for Westfield North also reveals a cut in the grant to the Friends of Acomb Green although the Chapelfields school club gets a big increase and, for the first time, the Acomb Bowling club gets a grant to help with maintenance of their greens. The latter represents a change in policy as previously the Council has not subsidised private members clubs. It is unclear whether public access to the bowling green has been secured as part of the deal.

Elsewhere it is a familiar story with community ranger security patrols, play area improvements and facilities for the elderly all being chopped.

Recycling Week 2012 kicks off on Monday 18 June – 22 June and City of York Council is using the opportunity to push the Zero Waste challenge.

The focus of this year’s Recycling Week is on the plastic bottle. With less than 50 per cent of plastic bottles making it to the recycling bin, and over 15 million used daily, the push is for people to ensure they recycle all bottles during Euro 2012 in their kerbside recycling box or bin.

If everyone in the UK recycled one more plastic bottle during recycle week 2012 we would have saved enough energy to power 71,000 plasma screen TVs for a year.

Throughout the year the Zero Waste York team will be working with different communities across York to increase recycling and reduce waste by one percent, which works out at about 900 tonnes of rubbish across the city.