Record number of part time jobs in York

With the numbers claiming job seekers allowance in the City at a low level, the York Council has admitted that the numbers in part time employment are at record high levels.

Numbers of York residents in part time employment

The proportion (33%) in part time jobs is higher that either the regional (26.3%) or nation (25.3%) averages.

To a degree the figure may reflect the transient nature of the tourism sector of the York economy while many students in the City do actively seek out part time employment and shared jobs.

Nevertheless there has been a significant shift in working profiles over the last 4 years.

The numbers in employment in the City are still fewer than in 2011 (contrary to the national trend) and it will be 2020 before pre recession employment levels in the City are seen again

Challenged at the last Council meeting about the shortage in the social care sector the former Council Leader commented that,

“there is an ageing workforce, with expertise leaving the sector and increasing demand for services, all of which is putting pressure on the delivery of quality care services.

Looking at the shortage of key workers in social care is a focus for the transformation of adult social care which includes the following proposals:

for recruitment and retention of key workers in York and what the council could contribute/enable; and

for how CYC’s Workforce strategy could be amended to support the recruitment of key workers

This work is at a relatively early stage but will be progressed by the relevant Cabinet Members”

So it looks like things may get worse before they get better in the Social Care sector with job vacancies in other areas – such as construction and retail – also increasingly difficult to fill.

Winston Churchill train almost ready for display in York

A restored locomotive that pulled Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train and its carriages are being restored for the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston’s funeral on 30 January.

The 34051 Winston Churchill, along with the Southern Railway’s parcel van S2464S, which carried the coffin, transported the former Prime Minister from Waterloo in central London to his final resting place in Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire.

The carriage is being restored in Shildon, County Durham, having been loaned to the National Railway Museum by the Swanage Railway Trust in Dorset.

The train will go on display in the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum in York as part of its Churchill’s Final Journey exhibition.

Mid-Hants Railway chairman Colin Chambers said: “All that remains is some additional varnish applied by our team of painters. It is planned to be on its way to York by mid-January.”

Sir Winston was laid to rest in the parish churchyard of Bladon, close to Blenheim Palace where he was born 89 years earlier.

New Police and Crime Plan for North Yorkshire

Julia Mulligan has published the refreshed Police and Crime Plan for North Yorkshire. This has followed an extensive consultation with the public, who have identified four priorities for North Yorkshire.

1. Protect vulnerable people

2. Cut crime and anti-social behaviour

3. Focus on prevention and early intervention

4. Improve victim care

Download a copy of the new Police and Crime Plan from http://www.northyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/news/new-police-and-crime-plan-for-north-yorkshire/
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Word on the street is stay safe this Christmas

Staying safe is the word on the street this Christmas as North Yorkshire Police get under the feet of revellers in York and Scarborough.

As part of the force’s Take Care at Christmas campaign, safety messages have been stencilled onto the pavements to remind people not to “tipple til you topple”, “see your mates home safe” and a reminder not to drink and drive.

The messages have been stencilled using a high pressure water jet into the pavement dirt at key locations.

York and Scarborough are two of the busiest areas during the Christmas party season and have the highest number of calls for service to North Yorkshire Police as a result of people drinking too much.

The messages are intended to remind people not to put their safety or other peoples’ at risk by drinking so much that they are out of control. And to act as a reminder to anyone contemplating drink driving that the police are on the look out for them.

Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham of York Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “The stencils are a great way to get our messages direct to the people we need to target.

“York has a bustling nightlife but it is vital that people know their limits and don’t put themselves or other people at risk by drinking too much.

“I hope the messages strike a chord with party goers and make them think about their own safety, getting home safe and looking after their friends.”

The messages have been stencilled in the following locations:

York

Lendal, George Hudson Street, Tanner Row, Micklegate, Swinegate, Lower Ousegate, Toft Green, Clifford Street, Stonegate, Parliament Square, Cumberland Street

Scarborough

York Place, Falconers Road, Harcourt Place, St Thomas Street, St Nicholas Street