North Yorkshire Police announce first Public Choice Awards.

North Yorkshire Police are calling on the public to nominate members of the policing family who have made a difference within their local community.

Police

For the first time, the public will be able to nominate an individual who has gone above and beyond their day to day duties and have demonstrated one of three core behaviours – courage, compassion or inspiration – whilst keeping their local community safe.

The three behaviours – which are central to North Yorkshire Police’s Code of Ethics – are: 

Courage – Not just where a member of the police family has acted bravely, although of course they will  be considered, but also where a staff member has had the courage and conviction to appropriately challenge a decision or used their influence wisely. Also where a member of the police family has displayed courage and tried a new way of doing things, accepted accountability or stepped outside their comfort zone.

Compassion – They have demonstrated care for victims and recognising the needs of others. It may be an instance where they may of helped an individual or community to build supportive networks which have to brought about a sense of well-being.

Inspiration – They have inspired our communities and have helped to build North Yorkshire Police’s reputation as a responsive service that goes that extra mile. By behaving as a role model, demonstrating integrity and helping to create an environment of learning, success and innovation.

Members of the public can nominate :

•             Police Officers

•             Office of Police and Crime Commissioner Staff

•             Police Staff

•             Police Community Support Officers

•             Volunteers

•             Special Constables

Nominations can be made via the online form.

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Police urge public to report sightings of wanted Acomb man

York police are appealing for the public’s help to locate a man who is wanted on recall to prison.

Brereton

Matthew Brereton, aged 39, is wanted for breaching the terms of his prison release licence after serving four years of a nine-year sentence for robbery.

Officers have been making enquiries throughout York in an effort to trace Brereton and are urging anyone who knows where he is to get in touch.

Police have released an image of Brereton and the public are being asked to report sightings of anyone matching his description.

Brereton, who could be in the Acomb area, is described as white, around 5ft 10in tall with a medium build, dark brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who can help to trace Brereton is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select option 1 – and pass information to the Force Control Room.

If you prefer not to give your name, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference number 12150122610 when passing information about this incident.

Business Improvement District poll set for November

It looks like a poll of businesses located in the City centre will be held in November to decide whether to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) in York City centre. The plans were approved by the Council’s Executive last week. The ballot will be run on behalf of the Council by the Electoral Reform Society.

BID

For the bid to be approved it will need to secure the support of over 50% of the businesses in the area both in simple and in rateable value terms. If there is a yes vote, then the first levy on Business Rates will be available for investment during the next financial year starting in April.

Over £800,000 a year is expected to be raised from the levy each year.

The four priorities for funding have been identified as:

  1. Appearance and environment
  2. Events and Festivals
  3. Safe and secure
  4. Business Support and Development

Further details here (and see footnote)

This is the second attempt to establish a BID in York

The BID team still have to clarify several issues before the poll.

  • The impact on marginal businesses – which add to the character of several of the City’s streets – may be adversely affected by the 1% increase in Business Rates that they will have to pay. Businesses with a rateable value of less than £12,500 are exempt from the new charge
  • Similarly any additional investment in the City centre may draw trade away from sub-urban shopping areas like Front Street. The Make it York economic development organisation has yet to address the issue of sub-urban prosperity.
  • The boundaries of the proposed BID area exclude many of the City centre car parks (Bootham Row, Union Terrace, Marygate, St Georges  are not included). These car parks are often the first areas that visitors see close up when they arrive in the City. If part of the plan is to invest in cleanliness, street maintenance and floral enhancements, then car parks should be on the list.
  • The BID board is currently self appointed. Elections to a new board are promised if a BID is agreed. However no guarantees have so far been given that different sectors (visitor attractions, retail, commercial, hospitality, residents associations etc.) will have a seat at the table. Similarly the requirements and aspirations of different geographical parts of the City do vary, so some sort of spatial spread of representation would be desirable.
  • And finally the documents published so far by the BID organisation fail to tell us what “success” will look like. There are no performance indicators or targets. The relationship with “Make it York” is unclear although the terms of an SLA with the Council were agreed last week. Canny businesses will want to see the performance base data before they commit large sums of money to the project.

If these, and other, issues can be addressed before the ballot takes place, then the establishment of a BID in York will be a welcome initiative.

When suggested in the last decade it was the multiple stores that sunk the plan. Now the new BID promoters must convince the likes of Morrisons and Waitrose that they should vote for a scheme which may only be of marginal benefit to them.

We hope that they are able to do so.

The BID plans are described as

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Crafty family fun this summer at York Minster

kidsact MinsterFrom making your own Minster to decorating a precious treasure box, there’s a different craft activity each Wednesday during the summer holidays to help children get creative and discover what makes York Minster a record breaker.

The sessions, which are suitable for children aged five and above, run from 5 August to 2 September and take inspiration from the cathedral’s treasures, history and architecture.

In addition to the Wednesday workshops, families can enjoy a range of activities while exploring the Minster every day of the holidays.
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