Pupils get in to gear with cycle training

 cycle dog Funny-Cycling-291Pupils at Hempland Primary School have proved they are wheelie good at riding their bikes after becoming the first pupils in York to receive advanced cycle training thanks to a partnership with City of York Council’s Road Safety Team.

The training is part of the Bikeability National Standard Training Course. Pupils at Hempland school were able to take part in a combined Level 1 and 2 course in year 5 and Level 3 training was offered to year 6 pupils.  Level 3 training see’s pupils learn the skills to cycle on busier roads, navigate complex road systems, understand road position and decision making.

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Salt mines introduce overtime working as York Council claims it is among the UK’s top social landlords

Appaling neglect on York Council estates

Appaling neglect on York Council estates

The City of York Council has issued a media release saying that it will “shortly publish and share its annual report for 2014/15 revealing that it is among the UK’s top-performing social landlords”.

All tenants and leaseholders will receive a copy.

The report is noticeably silent on complaints about the poor maintenance on garage and communal areas, lack of parking provision and insensitive housing management practices which even Councillors are unable to break through.
Salt pile for use by York Council Housing management

Salt pile for use by York Council Housing management officials

The report, apparently produced by the “Tenant Scrutiny Panel” of six council tenants, looks at how the council has performed in the previous 12 months and shows that York is one of the best-performing local authority landlords in the country in a number of areas*.

The claims include scores “revealing that just under nine out of 10 tenants responding to the Tenant Satisfaction Survey were satisfied with the overall service we provide, and that 81% were satisfied with their repairs and maintenance service. Just over eight out of ten were satisfied with the overall appearance of their neighbourhood”.

“One highlight of the past year has been the work on Le Tour Way, off Beckfield Lane which completed in 2015, and which is the second development of new homes built as part of the council’s house building programme. It is a mixed development of nine apartments for tenants aged 55 and over, a further nine council houses and nine more houses for market sale”.

“Developing ‘Community Hub’ services to tenants have progressed with a new community facility opening at ‘Space 217’ on Lindsey Avenue. It offers sessions for tenants to meet estate managers and open-door events with money and employment advisors”.

“12 council homes had loft conversions built for growing families, 665 families were given advice that prevented them becoming homeless, 40 flats were sound-proofed and we evicted 33 tenants who did not pay their rent”.

The future holds a number of challenges for the service which will be addressed alongside considering how to improve service delivery in the coming year.

The claims contrast with our experience of Council housing management in the City over the last few months.
The department now seems to take little pride in local neighbourhoods and regularly turns a blind eye to issues.
The result is that many estates are deteriorating
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Suspected dog theft update – new homes found for all 19 dogs

Police investigating the theft of a number of dogs who were found at a property in Kelfield near Selby have thanked members of the public for their response to the appeal.
Dog

PC Sarah Ward of Selby police, said: “We have had an overwhelming response to our appeal to find new homes and to try and find their rightful owners.

“Sadly, we have not been able to find any of the original owners of the dogs. This is mainly because most of them were not chipped. A number of people have come forward, believing some of the dogs were theirs, but after checks were carried out, sadly for them, the dogs have turned out not to be theirs.

“However, the good news is that we have found new homes for all 19 dogs. Although, they will not be handed over to their new owners for a week, just in case any further potential owners come forward.

“People have been brilliant and incredibly generous. Many people who were not in a position to adopt a dog, have called at the kennels and donated food for them.

“I would like to thank everyone for their kindness, I honestly did not expect such a huge response to our appeal, but thank you so much.”

To recap, police originally seized 23 dogs, however four ave been returned to their rightful owners leaving 19 homeless. The remaining dogs are being cared for by Woodhaven Kennels in South Milford.

The owner of a property in Kelfield near Riccall contacted the police after the animals were abandoned there.

The dogs have not necessarily been stolen from the North Yorkshire area, they could have been taken from the surrounding areas or anywhere in the country. There is no suggestion that any of the dogs have been mistreated and our investigation relates only to alleged theft and fraud offences. Due to the ongoing investigation, we are only able to release limited information.

A woman aged in her 50s from Howden has been arrested in connection with the investigation and has been released on police bail. A second woman is assisting the police with their enquiries.

Police call to ‘stay safe’ this Bonfire Night – Football fans can get kit security marked

Police are urging people to behave responsibly and stay safe this Bonfire Night period.
Flashback to 2013 - Special Constables on patrol in York on 'Mischief Night'

While a great many people enjoy the festivities at this time of year, there are others for whom it brings distress and raises the fear of crime.

Police officers, PCSOs and Special Constables will be undertaking proactive patrols to ensure that residents and visitors feel safe.

Posters have been delivered to shops to prevent young people buying eggs and flour and fireworks, and schools have been visited to educate young people about anti-social behaviour and the dangers of fireworks. Social media is also being used to provide information and advice to residents.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Officers will be out in the towns and cities across North Yorkshire to act as reassurance and deter anti-social behaviour.

“I would like parents to speak to their children to ensure that they understand how their actions can put themselves at risk, and leave others in fear of crime. If you know that a neighbour is vulnerable, please keep an eye out for them to help prevent them from becoming concerned about being a victim of crime.”

“We work closely with the Fire and Rescue Service and I would also remind people not take risks with fireworks. Anyone caught supplying fireworks to under 18-year-olds or lighting them in the street can expect to be dealt with robustly, and people working in shops should also be mindful of selling anything to young people which could be used to cause anti-social behaviour.”

For safety advice, interactive games and poster downloads, visit North Yorkshire Police’s Bonfire Night website atwww.northyorkshire.police.uk/bonfire.

York Police invite football fans to show burglars the red card

York Police are urging football fans to get their valuable items security marked to help tackle property theft.

Football

Officers are working with York City Football Club, using their new ‘dot peen’ property marking equipment at the stadium.

Dot peen marking involves using a tungsten carbide-tipped pin to indent an object with dots to create a visible, permanent unique number. The unique number will be entered onto the national Immobilise property register database, vastly increasing the chances that it will be reunited with its owner if it is lost or stolen.

The machines can mark at a speed of two characters per second, to an accuracy of 0.006mm, and can be used on everything from steel and aluminium to plastic. They have been funded by North Yorkshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, and Safer York Partnership.

PCSO Andy Smith, of York North Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Dot peen machines can engrave your cycles, phones and music players – essentially, everything except your football! In the unfortunate event of items being stolen or lost, dot peen marking gives us a much better chance to return your property to you.

“The process is very easy and will only take a few of minutes of your time, so you shouldn’t miss any of the game.

“We will also be available to offer security advice or answer any questions you might have. We hope you will come and see us and enjoy the game!”

The Safer Neighbourhood Team will be in the car park under the main stand from 12pm to 3pm for the following games:

  • Saturday 14 November 2015 v Plymouth
  • Saturday 19 December 2015 v Morecambe

Since the machines were introduced in July 2015, York Police have had an excellent response from the public, resulting in more than 2,500 items of property being marked across the city.

To find out when your next property marking event is taking place, follow your local York police team on Twitter at @snayorkcityeast, @snayorknorth or @snayorkwest. The service is promoted on Twitter with the hashtag #whatisdotpeen. You can also ‘like’ the York City & East Police and NYP Universities pages on Facebook, and visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/whatisdotpeen

What’s on: Personalise your laptop

Fri 6 Nov for 5 weeks

Time: 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Acomb Explore Library
Cost: Full fee £55 but concessions available

Personalise Your Laptop Windows 7 8 And 10Learn how to get to grips with your laptop and adjust settings that will help you to use it to the full!

How to make sure it is secure using the Internet, understand how to use folders and where to put files and change the way your mouse works.

The course covers Windows 7, 8 and 10

Great for those who are wanting to know more about their laptop.

You must bring your own laptop, fully charged and a notepad and pen for taking notes.

Click here to book.