Quango policing group publishes agenda for Monday meeting

The “Make it York” shareholders committee has finally published the agenda for its meeting on Monday.

That is only two working days before the meeting is due to start.

It gives residents who want to address the meeting only 24 hours to register to speak.

Supporters of retaining the Christmas carousel ride in Parliament Street were hoping to make their case to the panel of 5 Councillors although the short notice may deter them (they will be making representation to the full council meeting later in the week anyway)

There are only two items on the agenda.

Performance out-turn April to September 2015 click to enlarge

Performance out-turn April to September 2015 click to enlarge

Financial figures show income £82,000 below budget in the period up to July.

Expenditure is lower so the company was in balance at that early stage of the year. The out turn disguises a significant shortfall in Shambles market rent payments.

The second item relates to performance against target.

The Council continues to be sharply critcised for failing to set KPIs for the events programme and the Shambles Market activities that MIY now supervises.

In any event, most of the first quarter indicators are blank. Even the traditional tourism monitors are largely missing.

So will the committee see through the prevarication and challenge the  arrogant way that this organisation has gone about its business since April? 

We will wait and see.

 

 

New ‘Poppyfields’ facility for people with Dementia opens

A new, dedicated facility for people living with Dementia has opened at one of City of York Council’s Older People’s Homes as part of the council’s plans to modernise accommodation for older people.

The new Poppyfields unit at Haxby Hall will provide care for eight older people living with Dementia. The specially designed facility provides a ‘household’ model of care for the residents, where they live together in a small group or ‘household’, and provides easy access to a large secure garden. The facility includes two ‘respite rooms’ to provide short term breaks for people living in their own homes, giving their regular carers the opportunity to have a holiday.

It’s hoped that the new unit will help meet the current need to provide additional specialist dementia support, helping people to maintain their living skills by keeping occupied with simple daily tasks, such as baking, arts and crafts, quizzes and games, as well as ‘meaningful occupations’ such as washing their dishes, all of which can reduce anxiety and agitation.
(more…)

E-cigarette sales banned for under-18s

vapingFrom today (1 October) it becomes an offence to sell anyone under the age of 18 an e-cigarette.

E-cigarettes were designed to help smokers quit by mimicking the effects of real cigarettes by producing a vapour which, while free of tar, for example, does contain nicotine which is addictive.

Specific legislation regulating e-cigarettes is due to be introduced next year. However, many people report e-cigarettes have helped them to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke and ultimately quit.

The legislation has been introduced to help prevent young people taking up tobacco after starting smoking e-cigarettes: studies show that they are more likely to consider smoking after trying e-cigarettes, than not. However the number of children thought to be using e-cigarettes is still relatively low.
(more…)

Clumsy attempt to score political points by York Tory Council Leader

The agenda for the next City of York Council meeting has been published.

The issues being considered are largely anodyne but are remarkable for an inappropriate attack by Tory Leader Chris Steward on that well known local politician “Jeremy Corbyn

Tony Benn Labour Member of Parliament A poster being thrust in front of Mr Wedgwood Benn when he and Mr Jeremy Corbyn, the bearded Labour MP for Islington North, visited Belfast to condemn "supergrass" trials in Ulster.

We hold no respect from many for Corbyn’s views, but using York taxpayers resources to criticise the man and his policies is inappropriate.  As is the way with the media, many of Corbyn’s claimed views may, in any event, have been exaggerated or taken out of context.

Either way they are not going to be changed in the York Council chamber.

There is a precedent. Until James Alexander took over as Council Leader in 2011, reports produced for, and published as part of Council agenda papers, were determinedly non (party) political in content. Alexander saw himself as an MP in waiting, so he often strayed into commentary rather than reporting facts. But never, to our recollection, in such a naked and partisan fashion.

Even more surprising, the Council Leader’s report makes no mention of the core public service standards now being provided for residents. A list of performance indicators results  was presented to a recent Executive meeting.

Failure to review progress may suggest that some of  the promised  improvements are slow in coming through?

Lack of progress is marked in the customer contact handling services which are presided over by Cllr Steward himself.

 Fewer than 80% of telephone calls to the Council were answered in less than 20 seconds during the summer, while those emailing issues through to the Council may wait for up to 7 days before they are forwarded for action.

Cllr Steward chose to appoint an assistant to help him with his work a few months ago.  It is time for that arrangement to produce some more obvious value for taxpayers!