West York housing market picking up

Local house sales are picking up.

Selling prices remain competitive in west York with a 1 bed property in Invicta Court recently fetching £99,000, a 2 bedroomed terraced property in Walker Drive going for £112,000, a 3 bedroomed property in St Josephs Court going for £140,750 while a 4 bedroomed property in Huntsman’s Walk reached £190,000.

There are still some bargains around.
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2 bedroom flat is for sale at £105,000 in Covent House George Street
A 2 bedroomed flat in Brook Street is advertised for £130,000
A 3 bed. semi in Otterwood Lane is advertised at £185,000
A 3 bed. detached on Pheasant Drive is advertised for £215,000
A “chain free” 4 bedroomed property in Ashbourne Way, Acomb Park , York for £265,000

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Properties for rent include

2 bed semi in Tedder Road at £650 a month

A 3 bed in Glenridding is advertised at £895

Waste collection reminder

The York Council is distributing a leaflet to each household explaining how they plan to schedule waste collections over the Christmas period.

Bins in Foxwood 2012

Last year the service deteriorated in to chaos during the same period.

This year some recycling collections are being cancelled. There will be no collections on New Years Day but there will be a “catch up” on the following Saturday.

The Council have issued the following advice.

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MEP delighted by record increase in apprentices

Yorkshire MEP Edward McMillan-Scott is ‘delighted’ with the increase in people in apprenticeships in York and North Yorkshire, he said during a recent visit to York College.

Megan Geyerhosz, Hannah Smith, Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Denise Morrison, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid at York College

Edward visited York College following the announcement that almost 860,000 people were on apprenticeships in the UK in 2012/13. This means that more people than ever before are in apprenticeships and that the government has created over 1.5 million new apprentice places since 2010.

Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid visited York College, one of Yorkshire’s major apprentice providers, on Friday to learn more about their efforts to increase the number of people in York and North Yorkshire who are in apprenticeships.

During the visit they met with Denise Morrison, assistant principal for employer engagement at York College and Finance Assistants, Megan Geyerhosz (aged 20) and Hannah Smith (aged 18). Both Megan and Hannah studied an apprenticeship in Level 3 Business Administration and are about to embark on a course in Book Keeping and Accounts to help them in their roles in the Finance office.

Edward McMillan-Scott, Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and Humber and Vince-President of the European Parliament, commented: “I am delighted that over 25,000 apprenticeships have been created in York and North Yorkshire since 2010. Apprenticeships are a crucial part of the Liberal Democrat strategy to build a stronger economy. I congratulate York College for their efforts towards increasing the number of apprentices in our region. I hope that many more businesses in York and across North Yorkshire will be encouraged to employ apprentices as a result of the success that both employers and trainees locally are achieving.”

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Flooding risk in York

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A flood warning has been issued by the Environment Agency.

River levels are not expected to increase to those seen in 2012.

Detailed river levels can be found on the EA web site http://tinyurl.com/Ouse-catchment

The best indicator remains the real time CCTV camera which records river levels on Kings Staith (left).

There is a significant risk if the top of the no entry sign disappears under water!

Privatisation of public conveniences in York

A proposal to put out the maintenance of public conveniences in York to the private sector was nodded through at the last Council meeting without any opportunity for debate.

Auto toilet

It was yet another victim of the mismanagement of the Council agenda by the current administration.

A report on the issue, made to the Council Cabinet on 3rd December, was incredibly short on detail.

It emerges that the new loos will use a coin entry system on the door. There will be no free urinals*. The cost of a visit will be 40p with no change given. Apparently Euros and other foreign coins will not be accepted (not too bright a policy for a City which attracts a large number of tourists each year).

The contractors will be responsible for cash collection and security arrangements. In additional they will be paid £62,000 a year by the Council.

New York trial

The Council says that, “All needles and other debris on the self cleaning units are washed into a sump and removed as required”.

The Council says that existing staff will be transferred to the new contractors under TUPE regulations. Quite how that stacks up with the self cleaning strategy remains to be seen.

While auto toilets are commonplace in other parts of the world, in the UK they have generally been regarded with some suspicion following some examples of people being locked in them for extended periods of time.

Continental solution

The biggest problem would be deciding where such modern structures could be fitted into the historic streetscape of an historic city.

“Modernising” the existing toilets will cost taxpayers over £600,000.

*Under s87 Public Health Act 1936, the Council has the power to provide public conveniences and may charge such fees for the use of such conveniences, other than urinals, as it thinks fit.

Council’s Christmas opening hours – last chance to get a library book!

The council’s main offices at West Offices and Hazel Court will be closed as usual on the Christmas period bank holidays – Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The offices will close an hour early, at 4pm, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

There will be plenty of opportunity to keep fit and healthy over the festive period at Energise and Yearsley Pool. Energise is open over Christmas except for the usual bank holidays, closing at 1:30pm Christmas Eve. It will be closed on 1 and 2 January, closing at 1:30pm on New Year’s Eve. Yearsley Pool closes at 4pm on Christmas Eve and opens on Sunday 29 December. It will close on New Year’s Eve at 4:30pm until Thursday 2 January.

All libraries will close over Christmas and New Year. York Explore will close for Christmas at 4pm on Sunday 22 December with all other libraries at their usual closing time on Saturday 21 December. All libraries will be open as usual from Thursday 2 January, except York Explore which will re-opens at 9am on Friday 3 January.

Out-of-hours and emergency contact numbers can be found at http://www.york.gov.uk/ or by calling 01904 551550. Alternatively, please follow @cityofyork on Twitter or @yorkgritter for up-to-date information.
City of York Council tenants who require emergency repairs out of office hours should call 01904 630405.

The Emergency Duty Team for Social Care can be contacted outside office hours only by telephone: 0845 034 9417, or by email: edt@northyorks.gov.uk.

For all other emergencies call 01904 625751.