More than 100 police officers joined forces with specialist staff from partner agencies to conduct one of the biggest metal theft operations ever undertaken in the county.

The operation, which ran for 24 hours from 7am on Thursday 11 October 2012, was part of a national day of action under Operation Tornado, a country-wide initiative aimed at disrupting metal theft across the UK.

Since April 2012, when Operation Tornado was introduced across North Yorkshire and the City of York, North Yorkshire Police has recorded a 53% reduction in metal theft compared to the same period last year.

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Credit to Cllr Gunnell who, at last weeks Council meeting, actually answered a question that three of her colleagues had avoided responding to for over 9 months.

No surprise that the much publicised Christmas Wonderland Grotto provided last year still owes the Council rent.

Cllr Ann Reid asked the Cabinet member for Corporate services :

“In the light of other colleagues not having answered this question, I am now asking the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services – In April the Council said it expected to “receive full payment within the next month” for the outstanding rent still owed by UK Entertainment Online Ltd in regards to the Winter Wonderland in Exhibition Square last December. Could the Cabinet Member indicate whether this was achieved and if not what money is still owed to the Council?”

The answer was: “The council sent an invoice to the company on 26th April 2012. Unfortunately this invoice has not been paid and is currently going through our recovery process”.

This event is not as far as we know connected with the Magical Wonderland event taking place in the Museum Gardens at the end of the month. This forms part of the £300,000 Illuminating York project.

The Theatre Royal are advertising details of Illuminating York: Vic Reeves – Wonderland in the following terms

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There was little change in UK house price growth over the first nine months of 2012, according to the latest Halifax house Price Index.

• House prices in the three months to September were 0.5% lower than in the preceding three months. This compared with a 0.3% decline in August.

• House prices fell by 0.4% in September. This was the third consecutive monthly fall. These declines have more than offset the two successive rises in May and June.

• Prices have fallen very slightly over the first nine months of 2012. The average UK house price in September 2012 was 0.3% lower than in December 2011, at £159,486.

• Prices in the three months to September were 1.2% lower than in the same period a year earlier. This measure of the annual rate has moved outside the narrow range of 0% to -1% for the first time in seven months.

• Activity remains subdued but stable. Home sales have been very stable in recent months, at between 75,000 and 77,000 per month between May and August. Overall, sales in the three months to August were 3% higher than in the same period last year. (Source: HMRC)

Prices achieved by vendors in the Westfield /Woodthorpe area recently have also suggested a stable housing market.

The prices range from £103,000 in Hinton Avenue to £220,000 in Tedder Road.

Chain free properties in west York currently on the market include a 3 bed semi in Acomb Wood Drive for £175,000, a 2 bed bungalow in Stones Close for £149,950, a 1 bed flat at The Rectory (£119,000) in Dringhouses and a 4 bed detached on Briar Avenue for £329,995.

Buyers might find a bargain in properties that have been reduced in value.
These include a a 3 bed detached on Grange Lane for £250,000 (down 13%), a 3 bed semi in Duchess Mews at £189,995 (-5%), £299,950 for a 4 bed in Nairne Close (-6%) and a 5% reduction on the asking price for a 3 bed terrace in Finsbury Street (£235,000).

Properties available to rent include a 2 bed flat in Wains Road (£550 pcm), a 2 bed flat in Lindley Street (£675 pcm), a 2 bed Tce property in Milner Street will cost £650 pcm while a 1 bed flat in Holgate Road is valued at £550 pcm.

The cost of buying a home in the UK is now almost a fifth lower than renting, according to research by Halifax. http://tinyurl.com/Buying-cheaper