York Council to impose new responsibilities on letting agents – and fines for those who don’t meet them

The recommendation is to introduce, for the first time in the sector, fixed penalty notices for letting agents and landlords who are found to be deliberately flouting the law.

The new legislation requires that:

all letting and management agents must belong to a redress scheme to ensure any complaints by landlords or tenants are dealt with fairly. Nationally there are three approved and government-backed schemes available for managing or letting agencies to join with joining costs ranging from £170 to £350 per annum.
all letting agents must display details of all their fees and charges on their websites and in their offices for clarity and to enable landlords and tenants to shop around and promote transparency within the sector. In line with the Consumer Rights Act, all agents must display all charges as well, as well as the redress scheme they belong to.
all landlords must install smoke detectors on every storey of every rented property and fit carbon monoxide alarms in every room where there is a solid fuel-burning appliance. From 1 October 2015, all private sector landlords must ensure that there are working detectors at the start of every new tenancy. (Legislation around this for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) is already in existence.)

Being the enforcing authority, the council’s Executive Member will also be asked to agree how the new legislation will be implemented and set levels of fines that the council can charge for non-compliance. The recommendation is for a maximum £5,000 penalty for each instance of non-compliance and to delegate the power to the Housing Services Manager who will be given discretion to lower the fine in extenuating circumstances.

The council will be working with landlords to ensure that they understand the implications of the new laws and are invited to contact the Housing Standards and Adaptations Service for further advice by emailing housing.standards@york.gov.uk or by telephoning 01904 552300 or by regularly looking for updates on the council’s website www.york.gov.uk

The Decision Session will take place on Friday 25 August at West Offices from 6.30pm and is open to members of the public or is available to watch live online from: www.york.gov.uk/webcasts

To find out more about the report, or to attend, visit: http://modgov.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=875&MId=9040

City of York Ltd’s services to expand – another Quango set to spread its wings?

The report provides limited information on the results of services traded under the “Work With York” brand, which include the supply of casual/interim staff, and supply teachers.

The report claims that a profit of “almost £300,000” was made in 2014/15, although how much of this was made through “internal trading” (“selling” services back to the York Council), is not revealed.

Much of the work is understood to be undertaken by a pool of former Council employees who otherwise would be redundant (e.g. saving on the costs of using Agency staff to fill temporary vacancies) .

The company is wholly owned by the York Council. It is currently governed by four Executive Directors. All are senior Council officials. A non Executive Director was also appointed (a Labour Councillor).

There is now a move to appoint “external” Directors. Such appointments are likely to be made “behind closed doors” by a four person “Shareholders committee” which is comprised of Councillors.

This committee will also review the companies business plan – a role currently undertaken by the Council itself. It is not obliged to meet in public or publish the agenda for its meetings. The proposed “Shareholder Agreement” is entirely silent on the issue of transparency and accountability.

The company is able to borrow money to fund its expansion plans but it is unclear where liability would rest in the event of a financial failure.

The Executive is being asked to remove “the requirement for formal consent from the Council for a number of specific matters including: incurring material expenditure or capital liabilities exceeding £10,000, sponsoring events or supporting charitable activities, paying certain remuneration, settling claims and approving the charging policy”.

In a media release the Council says,

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Bigger Sky Ride for York on 13th September

The York Council has announced that on Sunday 13 September 2015 Sky Ride York will take to the city’s historic streets in partnership with British Cycling.

Due to the size and scale of the event there will be a number of temporary traffic and transport changes to ensure the safety of everyone taking part.

To view the 2015 Sky Ride York route go to www.goskyride.com/Yorkskyride

The Route

The traffic free route has been extended for 2015 to allow residents and visitors to see more of York whilst taking in some of the city’s most historic landmarks such as Clifford’s Tower and The Minster.

The 7km route starts at Clifford’s Tower and will see cyclists head up Castlegate and Coppergate before joining onto Pavement and passing York’s most famous street, The Shambles.

Riders will then turn left onto Colliergate and briefly see King’s Square before turning right onto St Andrewgate. They will then head onto Aldwark, Goodramgate, and Deansgate when York Minster will come into view. Riders will then head across the Minster Piazza and onto Duncombe Place before passing over Lendal Bridge onto Leeman Road.

The route will then see cyclists turn right past Memorial Gardens and along Wellington Row, Skeldergate and Terry Avenue where they will follow the Ouse until Rowntree Park.

Cyclists will then head along Butcher Terrace and turn left onto Bishopthorpe Road before turning left on the cycle path to bring them back down to the river and over Millennium Bridge. They will then follow the riverside cycle path back to Clifford’s Tower.

Traffic and Travel

The Sky Ride York route will be closed to all traffic from 10.30am until approximately 5pm, or as soon as possible after the event has finished to ensure the safety of everyone taking part. The inner ring road will be closed at Lendal Bridge for general traffic for the duration of the ride.

Residents and visitors are urged to make use of the city’s extensive Park&Ride network on the day, particularly by using the Park&Pedal facilities at any of York’s six Park&Ride sites.
Bus travel

Bus routes will be altered to ensure that access into and out of the city centre is maintained, whilst avoiding those roads closed as part of the route. Revised timetables will be put into place to ensure the smooth running of bus services. Residents and visitors are being encouraged to check their travel plans in advance and allow extra time for their journeys on the day. A complete list of bus route diversions will be available to download from: http://www.itravelyork.info/events/sky-ride-york-2015

Car Parks

Castle car park will continue to be open on the day, however there will be reduced capacity to allow for one of the Sky Ride ‘activation zones’ featuring activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. A traffic management stop/go process will be in place here to assist the smooth flow of traffic. Esplanande car park will also be open and will have a traffic management stop/go system in place. St George’s Field car park will be open but will have a reduced amount of spaces during the day.

Rowntree Park car park will be closed on both Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September due to the Festival of Cycling taking place, as in previous years. For safety reasons there will be no access to parking inside the route.

For more information on Sky Ride York, or to register for the ride visit www.goskyride.com/York

Uncover the truth about Richard III

Date: Sat 22 Aug
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: York Explore
Cost: £8.00

Dr John Ashdown-Hill from the University of Leicester’s Richard III project will be discussing ‘The Mythology of Richard III’, including some of the more modern myths which have arisen since his remains were uncovered in 2012.

Date: Sun 23 Aug
Time: 2.00pm
Venue: York Explore
Cost: £6.00

We bring the story closer to home with Dr Sarah Rees Jones’ lecture ‘Richard III, the York House Books and the York Mystery Plays.’ Drawing on research in the archives held by Explore, she will examine the connections between Richard III and Yorkshire.

Both events are open to all.
For further information and to buy tickets please speak to a member of staff in any Explore Library or see the Events section of the Inspire website (www.feelinginspired.co.uk).

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