Love York – local man’s bid to become the City’s M.P.

Nick Love

York Central Liberal Democrats tonight selected Nick Love to be their Prospective Parliamentary candidate for the forthcoming General Election in May 2015.

Nick first came to York to study as a student at the now University of York St John in 1985 and has lived and worked in York ever since.

He has worked for an international software house for the last 15 years helping many UK companies optimise their operations with market leading software, with specific expertise within the Small to Medium Enterprise market and enabling them to grow their businesses.

In the last General Election in York Central, the Liberal Democrats were less than 7,000 votes behind the elected Member for Parliament, with over 25% of the vote. More recently in October, the Liberal Democrats won the Westfield by election in York Central, with the local candidate polling over 60% of the vote.

Nick says “I’m honoured to be have been chosen by the Liberal Democrats to fight to become the new MP for York Central in the most open contest since 1992. Most importantly the new MP should be York’s representative in Parliament.

Nick Love talks to party members following his selection as a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate this evening

That is the whole focus of my campaign: “Putting York First”.

I believe York needs someone without any previous political baggage as a serving councillor and someone with real life business experience, not a career politician; a long term resident of York who will champion this city and look after its best interests rather than their own self-interests; someone with a track record of community campaigning in and around York.

No candidate should become an MP just because of the colour of their party rosette. Safe seats are not good for democracy, but I believe that York residents this election will be looking to vote for the best individual for the job.

With my significant business experience I believe I can help attract more UK companies to choose York as their base and use to the position of an MP to champion local companies to the rest of the UK as a whole and open up government resources to them to help them expand.

I look forward to meeting York residents and businesses over the next 5 months and listening to their views on issues that directly affect them”

At the last General Election held in 2010 the Liberal Democrats came within 7000 votes of taking the seat from well established local MP Hugh Bayley

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To contact Nick to volunteer to help with his campaign please call or email using the details below:

Mobile: 07864 872954

Contact Details: nicklovesyork@outlook.com

Twitter: @nicklovesyork

Website is under construction – will go live in January 2015: www.nicklovesyork.com

York Council plans to spend £250,000 on “Tour de Yorkshire” cycling event as

More cuts to local environment planned

It looks like Labour Councillors want to spend another £1/4 million on a 3 day cycling event next May. One of the stages of the new “Tour de Yorkshire” will finish in York with several local sprint races planned.

Taxpayers will be expected to pick up the bill, from the commercial rights owners, for a whopping £100,000 “hosting fee” for the event,.

A report which is being considered tomorrow, by the Councils Cabinet, shows no sponsorship or admittance fees aimed at offsetting the bills.

A decision will apparently be made before the Inquiry into the disastrous Grand Departy flop is completed.

Organisers were forced to admit a couple of months ago that the Huntington Stadium event – staged separately from the Tour de France start – had lost over £186,000. An inquiry into the event was subsequently ordered by the Council’s scrutiny committee.

More Cuts

The same Council Cabinet agenda talks of major cuts to basic service standards.

Road surfaces in Queenswood Grove breaking up

Road surfaces in Queenswood Grove already breaking up

£1.3 million a year will be cut from social care budgets.

As well as the much publicised proposals to charge for green bin emptying and move to 4 weekly residual waste collections, Labour are now admitting that more cuts are planned to open space maintenance.

Volunteers will apparently be expected to maintain bowling greens, tennis courts, flower beds and undertake rose planting. The report says that the “replacement of bedding plants with ornamental grass at 18 sites could potentially save 1,519 hours of labour”.

Ominously the report talks of York’s roads and footpaths being “better than average” suggesting that further cuts in maintenance standards are planned.

Many residents will view with incredulity any proposals which would allow a further deterioration in the standard of highways surfaces.

Charities to miss out as York Council set to turn down rate relief applications

Foxwood and Chapelfields community centres to get relief

There are some surprising omissions from the list of organisations in the City who will miss out on discretionary rate relief when the Council Cabinet meets tomorrow.

York and District Indoor Bowls club set to get Rates relief

Most have been rejected because they do not have an “equalities” policy, haven’t completed a community impact assessment or have reserves of over £10,000

Amongst those affected are:

Acorn A R L Club
Dringhouses Sports & Social Club
York Cricket & Rugby Union Club
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (New Earswick swimming pool)
Huntington Community Centre
Naburn Village Hall
Hopgrove Playing Fields Association
Dunnington Reading Room (Village Hall)
Stockton On Forest Village Hall
Yorkshire Air Museum
Heworth Without Community Centre
Haxby & Wigginton Youth & Community Centre
York CVS (Clifton)

A full list can be viewed by clicking here

A list of organisations recommended to get rate relief can be viewed by clicking here. It includes the Foxwood Community Centre who will not have to pay £398 in rates, Chapelfields Community Association (£2,430), while the York and District Indoor Bowls club on Thanet Road gets relief of £3,405.