£1.3 million flood relief fund – payment details emerging

Four months after the devastating flooding which hit the City on 26th and 27th December 2015, details are only now emerging of how the £1.3 million York Disaster (Flood) Fund is being spent.

Two ridings reprt 18th April 2016

Click to access

Although most affected residents and businesses have now moved back into their flood hit properties, it appears that only £160,000 has been paid out to victims.

Most of the money – which includes matching funding from the government – has come from charitable trusts with the rest coming from corporate donations, individual gifts and fund raising.

The Fund’s administrators – the Two Ridings  Community Foundation – have now published a FAQ summary on their web site.

The posting (right) explains who can apply, for what, and also reveals that making vulnerable buildings watertight (more resilient) could qualify for grant aid (on top of the £5000 already announced by the Council) while damage to vehicles and outbuildings won’t be funded.

Application forms can be downloaded via this link http://www.trcf.org.uk/

Meanwhile the Council has still not revealed details of when its Inquiry into the flooding will start (or even who the members of the Inquiry team will be).

Clearly a report – and most importantly action arising from its conclusions – is still several months away.

The one piece of good news is that the Environment Agency have announced details of additional flood prevention work that they intend to do in the City over the next few years.

A meeting earlier in the week heard that extra investment would include:

  • £45m additional funding for work in York which will see around 15 schemes at different locations throughout York to upgrade raised defences and provide a consistent standard of protection for the City. This will better protect over 2,000 properties.
  • This is in addition to the £10m that has already been committed for repairs and upgrades to the Foss Barrier where work is planned to start in early April and be complete by December 2017.

Majority of York’s Residential, Nursing and Homecare Services rated ‘Good’

Two thirds of York’s Residential, Nursing and Homecare Services are rated as ‘Good’ according to national inspectors, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Social careMembers of City of York Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will receive a report about the performance of care services in the city at their meeting next week (26 April).

Almost half of registered services in York have been inspected by the Care Quality Commission – the national regulatory body for health and social care – under their new inspection model.

Of those inspected*, 65.9 per cent were rated as Good, compared to 47.6 per cent in 2015, and a national average of 59 per cent.

A total of 2.4 per cent were rated as Outstanding (the highest possible rating) compared to a national average of one per cent. 31.7 per cent were rated as Requiring Improvement, compared to a national average of 33 per cent. No homes were rated as Inadequate, compared to a national average of seven per cent.

York’s services scored particularly highly on how caring they were, how effective and how responsive to customers’ needs under City of York Council’s own monitoring process.

The report also includes details about the annual Home Care Survey. Of the 181 customers who responded, 93 per cent stated that they were satisfied with the quality of the services they received.

What’s on in York – Homicide in Haxby- a weekend of murder and mystery

Haxby Explore Library & Oaken Grove Community Centre :
Sat 23 & Sun 24 Apr
Haxby Explore Library : Sat 23 Apr : 2.00pm – 3.00pm : £3
Meet the author Zoë Sharp

We’re very excited to have bestselling author Zoë Sharp with us for our World Book Night event. She’ll be at Haxby Library to talk about her experience as a writer. Zoë’s series of thrillers, starring heroine Charlie Fox, have featured in the bestsellers list 11 times.

Murder MysterySat 23 Apr

Oaken Grove Community Centre : 10.00am – 11.00am : Free
Children’s story writing workshop

A bit of creative writing with crime theme. Ever fancied becoming a writer? Join Jo to learn about how to put a crime story together, dream up characters and write a plot. Free workshop for children interested in a bit of creative writing.

This event is aimed at ages 7-12.

Haxby Explore Library : 6.00pm – 7.30pm : £5
“Murder in the library”-Mystery event

Turn your hand to sleuthing with our murder mystery evening in the library. The evening is based on a murder kit specially written by Ann Cleeves, see if you can solve the murder of Tony Ferdinand, the star maker. With the aid of suspect statements and a forensic report, you’ll have everything you need to turn detective and solve this puzzling who-dunnit.
Refreshments are included.

Oaken Grove Community Centre : 7.00pm – 9.00pm : Free
World Book Night Book Giving 

World book night volunteers will be sharing their love of reading by giving out books to people in their communities. Join us to chat about the books you love. If you have a book you love and would like to share it bring it along.

North Yorkshire Police will be in attendance with various activities at Oaken Grove during the afternoon.  We’ve got a Police dog and handler and there will be fingerprinting activities and property marking.

Sun 24 Apr

Oaken Grove Community Centre : 12.30pm – 3.30pm : Free
Enid Blyton Famous Five Picnic

There will be games and lashings of ginger beer.  Bring lunch along on Sunday afternoon to a giant picnic. There will be lost of fun things to do with traditional games and stalls.  Refreshments will be available on Oaken Grove Community field (indoors in the event of bad weather)

All event must be booked through Explore Haxby Library on 01904 552660 or haxby@exploreyork.org.uk

What’s on in York – World Book Night at York Explore

York Explore Library : Sat 23 Apr : 3.00pm – 6.30pm : Free

Apr 23_WBN_logoPlease join us throughout the day for a riotous celebration of the joy of reading.  Full details to be confirmed, but here are some tasters:

  • Meet Mr D’Arcy – chat to your favourite characters from fiction.
  • e-Reading with Explore
  • Book surgery – get out of your reading rut!
  • Book Art – always wondered what to do with all those books you’ve read?
  • Chris Killen author of In Real Life talks about writing, the internet and the real world.
  • Tequila Mockingbird – Literary Cocktails, Mocktails and Nibbles.
  • Plus live music, poetry and readings from local writers, and book gifting!

Tickets can be booked in person at any library, or phone 01904 552828 or visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-book-night-2016-tickets-20124507945?aff=es2

World Book Night: e-Reading with Explore

York Explore Library : Sat 23 Apr : 10.00am – 2.00pm : Free

Apr 23_e -readerIn this session, we’ll show you how to get started with the Explore e-Library, downloading e-books and audio-books for free and the best ways to enjoy books on your mobile device.

No booking is necessary – just drop in. All ages welcome.

For more information phone 01904 552828 or york@exploreyork.org.uk

Read Regional.: Meet the writer Chris Killen

York Explore Library : Sat 23 Apr :

5.00pm 6.00pm : Free

Apr 23_WBN_Chris KillenChris Killen’s second novel is a triangular love story set at a time when the internet is always with you – at once offering to play Cupid, and wreak havoc… ultimately, it’s the un-glamour of the internet, and the un-romance of real real life, that Killen is interested in showing.

Chris Killen was born in 1981 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and currently lives in Manchester. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, and returned as the University’s Writing Fellow at the Centre for New Writing in 2009. He has lived in Manchester for just over 10 years, and worked as a bookseller at both Waterstone’s and Blackwell University Bookshop.

His first novel, The Bird Room, was published in 2009 by Canongate Books. In 2012, alongside the novelists Joe Stretch and Socrates Adams, he co-wrote, co-directed and acted in the comedy feature film Wizard’s Way, which won best comedy feature at the London Independent Film Festival and the Discovery Award at LoCo (The London Comedy Film Festival). Remake rights have been purchased by Jack Black’s production company. His second novel, In Real Life, was published (again by Canongate) in January, 2015.

Tickets can be booked in person at any library, or phone 01904 552828 or visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/read-regional-writer-chris-killen-tickets-20124103736?aff=es2