York Council to spend £5.8 million on transport improvements over next 12 months

No ring road improvements scheduled. Little being spent on reducing congestion

The Councils transport investment programme has been published. As usual the devil will be in the detail and the programme could be scrapped if there are major changes in the make-up of the Council at the May 7^th polls.

Bus Services

Around £775,000 is to be spent on improvements to bus services. £250,000 of this will go on the delays Rougier Street bus shelter while £200,000 will address “pinch point improvements”. Once again sub-urban areas fare badly in the allocations (separately on the agenda for the same meeting a £20,000 plan to improve facilities in Rawcliffe is recommended for rejection)

Traffic congestion

Proposed extra lane for A19 pinch point

£2 million is being spent easing the “pinch point” on the A19 near the Designer Outlet. Much less is being spent elsewhere in the £2.4 million budget although the modernisation of variable message boards – which have been increasingly unreliable – is welcome.

Cycling/Pedestrian schemes

£468,000 is being spent on a range of small schemes. The biggest is the provision of a cycle link at Scarborough Bridge. This is mostly being covered by central government grant.

Road Safety

Wetherby Road VAS

This is only being allocated £450,000 in the programme which is still driven by Labour priorities. School safety schemes, school crossing warning signs, “speed management” and the renewal of the vehicle activated signs (VAS), like those on Wetherby Road and Green Lane, will all get a boost.

Money is also asset aside to develop future improvements and to continue maintenance of the City Walls. The alleygating programme will also continue.

No expenditure on improvements to the northern by pass is expected over the next 12 months despite promises from the Labour Council leadership that this was now one of their priorities.

Creative Apprenticeships and Internships “gets a boost”

In National Apprenticeship Week, City of York Council is calling on businesses to apply for funding to create Apprenticeship and Internships across the city.

Businesses in the creative and cultural sector still have the opportunity to benefit from the funding and recruitment service offered by City of York Council and could receive up to £3500 to fund an apprentice and £2500 to fund an intern.

Following a £185,000 loss on the Grand Departy last year, the Council is now offering apprenticeships in “event management”

In October 2014 City of York Council announced that it received funding of £90,750 to help businesses create opportunities for young people in the creative and cultural sector and there is still time for businesses to apply.

The funding, from Arts Council England and administered by Creative & Cultural Skills, will be used to help create 40 new job opportunities for young people aged 16-24, who are keen to get their first step on the career ladder and support the growth of creative and cultural organisations in the city. Funding will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis and all jobs must start by 31 March 2016.

Roles that could be created could include opportunities in; Event Management, Arts Administration, Technical Theatre, Archives and Library, Marketing and Stage Management, as well as functions such as administration, finance and catering.

Current organisations who have signed up to the scheme include: York Theatre Royal, Jorvik Viking Centre, Explore York Libraries and Archives and other small independent theatre groups, galleries and arts organisations. For more information on the programme contact Becky Solomon, Business Engagement Assistant on becky.solomon@york.gov.uk or call 01904 554341.

Garden waste collection restarts at end of month

The new garden waste(green bin) collection season starts from Monday March 30.

The Council says “residents are asked to ensure their bins are presented by 7am on the day of their collection, but no earlier than 7pm the evening before”.

Look up collections or download a 2015 rubbish and recycling calendar at www.york.gov.uk/refuselookup or call 01904 551551.

Ahead of the new collection season, households with more than one green wheeled bin can sign up to the additional green bin scheme which operates during the usual garden waste season.

From 1 April the charge will increase to £37 per additional green bin that residents would like emptied. To find out more about the additional bin subscription scheme visit www.york.gov.uk/recycling

To join the additional bin scheme and have more than one bin emptied call 01904 551551 or ‘apply for it’ via the secure website at https://www.york.gov.uk/DoItOnline

Labour are delaying the introduction of their planned £35 a year charge for emptying ALL green bins until after the Council elections on 7th May.

Residents can sign a petition opposing the additional charge (and reductions to bin emptying frequencies) on the Council web site (click here)

The Council says, “home composting is also a great way to manage garden waste at home and provide nutrient rich compost for gardens. Visit www.getcomposting.com for further information or to purchase a reduced price home compost bin to get started.

Residents can also recycle their additional garden waste at Hazel Court and Towthorpe Household Waste Recycling Centres free of charge in a car. Residents using larger vehicles or trailers will need to apply for permits to use the sites”.

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Residents say “No” to Tour de Yorkshire subsidy

Highway surfaces also criticised in latest resident’s survey results

A survey of 10,000 homes in west York has produced a interesting insight into residents views.

Asked whether the York Council should use £150,000 of taxpayer’s money to subsidise the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race scheduled for 3^rd May, 63% opposed the idea.

This will be a blow to the Councils “Cabinet” who approved expenditure of £250,000 on the event, before deciding to take half of the subsidy from business rate income.

Most criticised public service was highway maintenance. 78% said that road and footpath surfaces were unsatisfactory. This is a major rebuff for the Labour/Green Council budget for next year which will see £300,000 cut from maintenance expenditure.

70% of respondents thought that the Knights Rugby team should be able to play at the new Community Stadium. Talks on accommodating the Knights needs are rumbling on with little sign of differences being resolved quickly. Relationships deteriorated a couple of months ago when Council officials launched a public attack on the rugby clubs owner. The future of the Community Stadium is due to be debated at a meeting scheduled for 27^th March.

Opinion was more divided on other issues with 53% undecided about whether the standard of healthcare in the city was satisfactory.