Over 18 months after first being elected to represent the interests of residents and traders in the Front Street area of Acomb, Cllr Stephen Burton has broken his silence and tabled a Council resolution.

He wants next Thursday’s York Council meeting to establish a “Team Acomb”.

With a team of traders and residents already established some 6 months ago, this hardly seems like a revolutionary proposal. Just ill timed and a seemingly embarrassing attempt to clamber on board a bandwagon which was almost over the hill and out of sight.

The motion singularly fails to admit that:

• the Councils closure of local facilities like the Acomb Council branch office and Beckfield recycling centre,

• the abandonment of litter and salt bins,

• tinkering with bus services,

• leaving footpath and roads in disrepair and

• the installation of sub standard lighting

have all played a major role in the decline of the Front Street area.

Likely to be of more practical interest, will be the answer to a question tabled by Liberal Democrat Councillor Ann Reid, In an attempt to get a commitment to invest in the regeneration of the Acomb side of the City, she asks the Councils Leader,

“What proportion of retail and office space is currently empty in each of the City’s sub-urban wards and how does this compare to the City Centre? How much of the “Innovation & Delivery Fund” and the “Economic Infrastructure Fund” does the Cabinet Leader intend to allocate to regeneration initiatives in sub-urban employment centres such as Acomb Front Street?”

The answer to that will tell us a lot about how serious Labour are about helping Acomb.

Cllr Burton comes across as a simple, straight forward sort of person. He would be wise not to fall into the trap of acting as a shield for those who attempt to “spin” their way out of responsibility.

NB. We understand that the traders group hope to organise Acomb’s first street market at Easter.

York has been awarded £96,438 to help homeowners and private tenants remain independent in their own homes for longer.

The funding augments the council’s Disabled Facilities Grant Fund which is used to help residents who have been assessed by an occupational therapist as requiring modifications to their home.

Residents can apply for help by contacting City of York Council’s Customer Access and Assessment Team on 01904 555111, or by doing their own, online self assessment at:
http://www.york.gov.uk/health/Services_for_older_people/ or via:
https://www.equip-yourself york.org.uk/smartassist/york

Once an occupational therapist has assessed the need, a referral is made to the council’s Housing Standards and Adaptations team who help over 175 residents each year to adapt their homes such as replacing a bath with a level access shower or providing a stairlift.

The Disabled Facilities Grant Fund is means tested, but members of the team offer support while the adaptation is being carried out.

In a brief letter to the local media, Gen James “Macarthur” Alexander has confirmed that he won’t be returning to the Philippines.

The announcement ends days of speculation following reports that “Mac” had ambushed a group of Japanese tourists outside the Minster. His subsequent media release referred to a frank exchange of views apparently centring on where the tour guide wanted to insert an umbrella.

Mac’s visit to the Philippines embassy in London last week raised hopes that he might be about to seek a safe parliamentary seat in Manila. Now those hopes have been dashed as it became clear that “Mac” has failed the obligatory daft pipe smoking test.

In a separate development, Mac has agreed to become the new face of a campaign to inspire “body confidence”. He is challenging popular retailers in York to replace images of airbrushed models with untouched pictures of customers.

“This provides me with an opportunity to utilise the photos (see left) prepared for my landing in the Philippines” he said

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has compiled a list of twelve frauds that we suspect criminals may use during this festive period.

The Police have created the “Twelve frauds of Christmas ” with the aim of highlighting these fraudulent activities, increasing business and community awareness, together with advice to help prevent you becoming a victim of crime.

If you have been a victim of fraud, now, or in the past, it is important that you report the matter.

see http://tinyurl.com/12-frauds

With support from retailers, North Yorkshire Police and bus operators in York, City of York Council announces new plans this week to tighten enforcement measures on one of York’s busiest bus, cycle and taxi routes.

Traffic enforcement restrictions have been in place on Coppergate since the 1960’s, but only enforced infrequently. Results from an enforcement action day in August 2011, undertaken in partnership with North Yorkshire Police, saw over 600 motorists ignore ‘no access’ signage and illegitimately access Coppergate during restricted hours.

In a bid to reduce congestion and improve journey reliability for buses and taxis through the heart of York’s city centre, the council is introducing strict new controls which include extending the hours of access for authorised vehicles, slightly reducing the hours of access for loading and unloading and introducing automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR).

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