Crime and police update

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Witness appeal following York assault
Detectives in York are appealing for witnesses to come forward following an assault in the city which left a man seriously injured.The man, who is aged 51 and from York, was found at around 1am on Thursday 5 September 2013, outside Talbot House, Melrosegate
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Police search for York man in connection with assault

Public reaction to Lendal Bridge closure. Council Q and A tomorrow (Friday)!!

Rubbish skips this weekend Saturday 7th September

Although the Council has cut back on the number of amenity skips it provides, several residents associations continue to run programmes aimed at making it easier for tenants to get rid of unwanted items.

The skips are only in place for a few minutes and residents must ensure that they put any rubbish into the skips and do not leave it on the path or highway.

1 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Community Centre

2 Fenwick St 10:30 11:30
3 Jute Rd 12:30 13:30

4 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Grange Lane

5 Stuart Rd 10:30 11:30 Outside No65

6 Gardeners Close Copmanthorpe 12:30 13:30
7 Horseman Close Copmanthorpe 08:30 09:30
8 Rawdon Ave 10:30 11:30

9 Kingsway West 12:30 13:30

£1/2 million in fine income generated by cameras on Lendal Bridge and Coppergate. Call for bridge closure trial to be suspended

We have discovered that during the first week of the Lendal Bridge closure around 1000 drivers per day were caught by enforcement cameras.

Lendal bridge after its clsure

This would have generated up to £480,000 in fine revenue, had the Council not agreed to an amnesty.

However, no formal decision was taken by the Council on the amnesty, so questions still need to be answered about who took the (admittedly correct) decision to waive the income.

An independent company is processing the ANPR recognition results for the Council. They are understood to be Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions Ltd of Northampton. No details of the payments due to the contractor have been revealed or whether such payments vary in relation to the number of penalty notices issued.

The situation on Coppergate is equally bad.

Here the times of the access restrictions were extended with minimal publicity.

Many drivers continued to observe the old hours resulting in a large number of offenders.

The Council announced only yesterday that the fines for the first two weeks of the Coppergate restrictions – which were introduced on 1st August – had also been waived.

Why this information was not made available in August remains unclear.

Now the Council has said that around 3000 potential offenders have been caught on camera since the 16th August. Although some of these may win appeals against the penalty notices, potentially the Council could receive £160,000 in fine income for just two weeks of the restrictions.

That is equivalent to £5 million a year!

What must now be clear to even the most ardent advocate of ANPR cameras, is that their use to monitor traffic restrictions of this sort needs to be properly advertised in the period up to their introduction.

Their existence and purpose must also be clearly signed on approach roads.

The Lendal trial was rushed in by the Council and its implementation has been bungled.

Like the citywide 20 mph speed limit, it is being imposed on an unwilling population.

The trial should be suspended and a proper review conducted into the problems that have occurred.

The city’s reputation is at stake and the prosperity of the central area could be irreparably damaged if a halt to the trial is not called.

No “footfall” figures – showing the number of shoppers in the central area over the last few days – are yet available, but we fear the worst.

The blunders may prove to have put the worthy cause of increased pedestrianisation in the City back by a decade.

Vehicle damage claims against York Council increase by over 400%

Potholes

The number of claims for damage to vehicles in York, as a result of poor road surfaces, has increased by over 400%.

In 2011/12, 13 drivers made a claim against the York Council

This spiralled to 70 in 2012/13

The value of compensation paid, however, reduced from £1455 to £333.

The Council had halved the amount that it was investing in highways maintenance in 2012/13.

A Freedom of Information response has identified the road in poorest condition in York.

Moor Lane, near Murton, attracted 10 damage claims between 23-12-2012 and 06-01-2013

The Council says that, generally, a road has a surface design life of 15 years.

At any one time there are around 40 potholes on the York road network requiring attention. This increases in the winter as a result of the impact that ice has on poorly maintained carriageway surfaces.

Potholes can be reported here http://www.mycouncilservices.com/

Sale of Library books from Friday 6th Sep 2013 – 9th Sep 2013

York libraries say, come and browse our newly deleted stock for some hidden gems, or just some cheap holiday reads.

Will include fiction, non fiction, children’s, maps, and local interest books from 50p each. Come and browse our newly deleted stock for some hidden gems, or just some cheap holiday reads for your late summer break.

Every day

Location: York Explore Library

Cost: Free, with books from 50p

The booksale will take place in the Marriott Room in York Explore Library during ordinary opening hours which are:
• Friday 6 September 9am – 6pm
• Saturday 7 September 9am – 5pm
• Sunday 8 September 11am – 4pm
• Monday 9 September 9am – 8pm