Cllr Ann Reid who is leading the anti charging campaign is interviewed by a regional TV team

Residents anger grows as Labour prepare to charge for emptying green waste bins

National media attention has been focused on York, as the Liberal Democrat campaign to oppose any attempt to charge for green waste bin emptying gains momentum.

According to our surveys, over 98% of residents are opposed to the charges which Labour are proposing to consult about “during August“

We will be campaigning against their proposal.

Residents already pay, through their Council Tax, for bin emptying and setting up a separate charging system for green bins would be both costly and ineffective.

Many residents have already said that they would use their grey bins for garden waste – a move which would see landfill tax charges increase with Council taxpayers picking up an even bigger bill.

Where Labour have tried their charging policy in other parts of the country most residents have refused to pay.

The Council have revealed that they intend to take the most expensive tender for writing and designing the Council tenants “Streets Ahead” magazine. The magazine is normally produced 4 times a year.

One tender, to produce a 12 page edition, was from a company called “RED” for £3,000. This compared to the lowest tender, to do the same work, for £1,300.
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To these figures can be added the costs of printing and delivery (a separate contract)

Details can be found here on the Councils web site: http://tinyurl.com/York-Streets-Ahead

The decision comes a few days after RED added the following comment to its web site.

19 July 2012 9:38am PublicationsRED: Attended and enjoyed the Leader’s @jmalexander1982 inaugural speech last night. He’s proud of York’s heritage and ambitious for the future.

Quite so!!!!

Fuel cell bus under test in London. Zero tail pipe emissions

The Council is contribution £20,000 towards the cost of promoting the new “All York” use any operator bus ticket.

The Council revealed at its last meeting that a staff member would be responsible for apportioning any fare income between participating bus companies (50% would be retained by the operator who took the fare).

It remains unclear how much time officers will have to spend administering this ticket scheme or indeed how many passengers are actually using the option.

A couple of years ago it was estimated that only 4% of passenger journeys involved the use of services provided by different bus companies (pass holders excepted).

Several weeks after the council was advised of a potential security breach in its new graffiti reporting mobile phone “App”, it has still not taken action to have the loop hole closed.

At a recent Council meeting the Leader was asked:

“Is the Leader aware that the names of residents reporting issues via the Smarter York system is accessible for anyone to view via the public web site.
As many of the reports concern illegal activities such as incidents of graffiti, would the Leader agree that residents registering to use the system should in the future have the option of keeping their personal details confidential?”

The response was:
“the email address is present, yes. As far as I am aware we have received no complaints from anyone on this issue.

I am afraid I do not believe the national system allows this distinction. It hasn’t been a problem in London where the scheme has been taken up by Boris Johnson (!).”

The concern is now likely to be referred to the Information Commissioners office.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ohThnJpmI

Former ambulance station site next to Haymarket car park

The Council have blamed archaeologists for a delay in re-opening the Haymarket car park. It has been closed since January.

“The Council are planning to sell the site but before any disposal could take place an archaeological dig was required on the former Peasholme Hostel site and the entrance way to Haymarket Car Park, plus the northern fringe of the former ambulance station site”.

At a recent Council meeting the responsible Cabinet member claimed,

“The dig was initially due to be completed by Easter but burials were discovered very close to the surface. In places remains were found only just under the tarmac and substrate. This means that the remains have to be removed before any development can take place on this part of the site. The current plan is that the archaeological dig will be completed by the end of July, following which the reinstatement works will be carried out, with a view to the car park being reopened sometime in mid to late August”.

The Cabinet member claimed that there had been no loss of income as “parkers would have used on street spaces at Dundas Street orin the Castle/Picadilly car park”. We think that it is much more likely that motorists will have used the privately operated car park at Garden Place.

In most of the last 10 years the Haymarket car park produced an income of around £150,000 for the Council.

The ambulance station site has been unoccupied for 2 years and could, in the view of most motorists, have been used for parking in the interim.

The Council has also been criticised for not displaying progress reports at the entrance to the Haymarket car park.