Rubbish skips this weekend Saturday 7th December

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 Cambridge St 10:30 11:30

3 Fifth Ave 12:30 13:30

4 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Grange Lane

5 Tang Hall Lane 10:30 11:30

6 Vernon Close Bishopthorpe 12:30 13:30

7 St Benedicts Rd 08:30 09:30

York Lib Dems welcome plans to help businesses employ young people

The drive to help young people get jobs in York will be boosted by plans to abolish employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for under 21-years-olds, York’s Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Keith Aspden said today.

The news means businesses will no longer have to pay tax on their employees aged under 21-years-old. For example, companies will save £1,000 each year for every young employee earning £16,000.

In York the plan to abolish NICs for young people from April 2015 means companies will not have to pay the contributions for 5,750 young people.

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Shopper numbers down 10% in York City Centre.

285,000 fewer people have visited the Parliament Street area since new traffic restrictions were introduced in August.

The number of visitors to the City has dropped dramatically since the new restrictions were introduced on Coppergate and on Lendal Bridge.

The latest figures have been released by the York Council following a Freedom of Information request

In total, footfall cameras on Parliament Street recorded 2.695 million people between 1st August and the start of the St Nicholas Fayre on 28th November.

The equivalent figure for 2012 was 2.980 million, a fall of 10%.

Figures recovered over the 4 days of the St Nicholas Fayre although the concentration of footfall may have been influenced by the positioning of the market.

The figures are even more disappointing given the relatively good weather that we have experienced so far this autumn.

They confirm that the new restrictions are having a major adverse effect on the economic viability of many retailers in the City centre.

The Council has previously resisted calls for the restrictions to be suspended at least until the busy pre Christmas period is over.

The detailed figures are:
August 746,340 visitors (780,646 in 2012 – 4%)
September 699,042 (798,182 – 12%)
October 717,634 (775,144 – 7%)
November 532,157 (646,226 -18%) to start of St Nicholas Fayre on 28th November

By contrast, in the first 7 months of the year, visitor numbers had fallen by a total of 5% with the decrease being blamed on a large increase in car parking charges.

A spreadsheet showing individual figures for each day can be found by clicking here.

A Council survey on residents and visitors reactions to the traffic restrictions can be found here

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/lendalsurvey

Services affected due to severe wind in York

Due to severe wind today and safety concerns, 5 December, City of York Council has made the decision to close Newgate Market and Rowntree Park.

Recycling and or refuse collections are taking place in York today as normal. The high winds mean that although the collection crews are doing their best, there will inevitably be lots of wind blown debris.

The council has redeployed street cleansing and grounds maintenance staff to assist in the clear up operation, which will be attending areas across the city as soon as possible.

Updates to closures and affected services will be uploaded on to http://www.york.gov.uk/ throughout the day.
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York Arts Academy Christmas Concert and Open Day

Students, tutors and organisers from the council’s arts academy for young people are issuing an open invitation to come and get in a festive frame of mind listening to their work at the annual Christmas Concert, and to find out more about the academy at its Open Day.

York Arts Academy’s Christmas Concert will take place on Saturday 7 December at the University of York’s Central Hall. Performances will take place at 11am, 2pm and 7pm and feature around 250 instrumentalists and singers from the academy’s ensembles who will be joined by pupils from Huntington Primary School.

The groups taking part in this festival of seasonal music are:

· 11am – First strings, Huntington Primary School, Folkestra, String Orchestra, Junior Guitar Circle,

· 2pm – Umbu Drummers, Brass and Wind Ensemble, Young Voices, Improvisation Group, Intermediate Band

· 7pm – Concert Band, Chamber Choir, Senior Guitar Circle, Minster Minstrels, Big Band, String Quartet, Symphony Orchestra.

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