North Yorkshire Police mobile safety (speed) camera routes 31 October – 6 November 2012

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 31 October and Tuesday 6 November 2012.

•A64 east-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 west-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe, York
•A1036 Tadcaster Road, Acomb, York
•Strensall Road, Huntington, York
•The Village, Stockton-on-the-Forest, York
•A1036 Malton Road, York
•A1237 Monks Cross, York
•York Road, Haxby, York
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More income from Council Tax is expected as a result of a range of revised charges which are likely to be introduced by the York Council.

The changes come as a result of the Coalition governments “localism” policy which allows local authorities more flexibility in managing their financial arrangements.

The changes include:

1. Levying full Council Tax on second homes – Currently these properties enjoy a 10% discount. Homes tied to jobs would not be affected. The chance could bring in an additional £100,000

2. Replacing Council Tax exemption Classes A (homes needing structural repairs) and C (property empty between lets) with a discount limited to 1 year. In York the discount would be 50% and together these changes could bring in around £600,000 in Council Tax.

3. abolishing Class L (Mortgage defaults) exemptions, and making mortgagees in possession of empty dwellings liable to council tax in respect of them;. Introduction of this is being deferred to allow for more discussion with mortgage companies.

4. allowing billing authorities to levy an ‘empty homes premium’ in respect of dwellings which have been left empty for two years or more. In York it is estimated that this 50% premium could bring in around £64,000 from the 154 long term empty homes in the City.

5. setting a default assumption that payment of Council Tax by instalments will be over 10 months The Council however must inform the council tax payer that they have a legal right to pay by 12 instalments.

6. allowing authorities to publish online the ‘Information to be supplied with demand notices’, (but with a duty to supply it in hardcopy to any council tax payer requesting it) as an efficiency measure, and to encourage the take-up of electronic billing;

7. changes to eliminate potential tax complications from arrangements involving third party suppliers where solar panels are placed on the roofs of dwellings without coming into the paramount control of the residents. The Government is proposing that where these are fitted to domestic properties by a third party for profit they are classed as part of the property. This will not increase the value of the property (For Council Tax purposes) but will avoid a complex case by case review by the valuation office for non-domestic rates. The Government have adopted this proposal with a cap at 10kW.

A detailed report can be found by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/York-tax-changes

Although the Council’s forecast budget overspend this year has halved compared to earlier forecasts, it is still around £2.5 million. This assumes that the whole of the £600,000 contingency reserve will be spent.

The biggest problem is the amount being spent on adult social care and this despite an additional £2 million being put into this year’s budget to help with the care of the elderly.
Of particular concern is that the cost per client which has almost doubled in the last year. Spend on our home care contracts has increased from £54k a week in July 2011 to £80k a week in July 2012. This results in a forecast overspend of £2.531M.

Most of the expenditure is influenced by wage rates although the increasing number of people aged over 85 – who have greater needs – will also add to the Councils costs.

The number of looked after children are also increasing, resulting in higher Council costs.

Predictably, promised savings in waste round rationalisation, Household Waste Recycling Centre policy and garden waste collections have failed to deliver the promised savings of around £380,000

Car parking income is down by £167,000.

The overspends are partly being funded by some “windfall” gains with lower interest rates and a Landfill Tax rebate (payments made over a number of years) clawing back around £850,000.

Meanwhile the Councils capital programme is being increased by £2.2 million which it will spend on buying new refuse collection vehicles (it previously leased them) and £248,000 upgrading premises in Nursery Drive which will become a children’s centre (the building has not been used by the Council for several years and was scheduled to be sold to help pay off debts).

£618,000 is to be spent remodelling offices at Hazel Court.

The Council are also proposing to spend £1.6 million modernising the market.

A raft of new planning applications have been received by the Council. Those that affect the Westfield Ward include:

• Renewal of planning permission for a further 5 years for the portacabin which is located next to Acomb (Explore) Library. The cabin is used by the ambulance service (ref 12/03240/FUL)

• The provision of a replacement telecommunications pole next to The Quaker Wood pub on Acomb Wood Drive (ref: 12/03267/TCMAS. It will be 15 metres high. Applicant is Telephonica and residents have until 19th November 2012.

• Another pole is set to be erected near 11 Front Street (ref 12/03264/TCMAS) also by Telephonica.

• Two applications to covert dwellings into a “House in Multiple Occupation”. Effectively this means several people living in the building share amenities. The properties affected are the flats above 2 Front Street where up to 6 people live (ref 12/03255/CLU) and 32 Marston Crescent (ref 12/03071/FUL) which has 4 bedrooms. It is likely that more applications of this sort will be received by the Council since a change o f policy which now requires planning permission if properties are occupied by 3 or more non related occupants. The Policy change was introduced following claims (mainly on the east of the City) that family housing was being replaced by student lets.

Details of all planning applications can be found here: http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

With thousands of residents and tourists expected to visit York next week for the annual Illuminating York festival, extra Park & Rides services are being provided to allow easier access in and out of the city centre.

The internationally renowned digital arts and lighting festival takes places between Wednesday 31 October and Saturday 3 November.

During the festival, the Rawcliffe Barr number 2 Park & Ride Service (Green Line) will be operating extra late evening journeys between Museum Street and Rawcliffe Bar.

Buses will depart at half-hourly intervals from Museum Street between 8pm and 10.30pm.

For more information about the festival, please visit the illuminatingyork.org.uk/ or www.itravelyork.info/events/illuminating-york

Closing dates looms for eXtra factor

City of York Council is reminding residents that they don’t have long left to nominate their unsung local authority hero.

With the largest and most diverse workforce in the city, the council’s eXtra factor awards help highlight and celebrate the hard work and dedication of its employees – be they architect or archeologist, care worker or cleaner, librarian or leisure centre worker, planner or plumber, warden or waste operative.

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