Bid to stop sell off of Grove House

Wheldrake Guide centre move
Grove House, Penleys Grove Street

Grove House, Penleys Grove Street

We reported in April that the former elderly person’s home at Grove House was being sold by the Council. The building has been empty for some time.

No sale has gone through and now a bid is being made to list the buildings under the Community Right to Bid legislation. The move follows a similar initiative last month involving a number of pubs and other properties (which were subsequently added to the list).

The request will be considered at a meeting taking place on 15th August. Any listing would mean that residents would have 6 months in which to raise the asking price for the site.

White Rose House, Wheldrake

White Rose House, Wheldrake

In this case – as it is in a prime residential area – the price may match the £3 million recently paid for another Council home at Oliver House

A community group has also expressed an interest in bidding for White Rose House in Wheldrake which is currently used as a Girl Guiding centre.

Hello York…. Hello… Hello… anyone there?

Occasionally projects kick off in York which seem like quite a good idea until enthusiasm gradually wanes.
Campaign against secrecy started 5 years ago

Campaign against secrecy started 5 years ago

One example is/was York TV. Announced in 2014 the service was supposed to be on air in the spring of 2015.  A competition was run in June 2014 to find a name for the station which rather alarmingly seemed to result in a parody of the film title  “Good Morning Vietnam”.

Then, despite concerns about the funding sources for the initiative, everything went quiet. The TV station didn’t launch and all that is available is a web site which is very thin on content and an accommodation address and telephone number at the University’s Ron Cook centre.

The York Council – which claimed to be a “partner” in the project – has made no statement on the progress being made. Another partner was “One&Other TV” The founder of independent York publisher One&Other Stuart Goulden had left that company in early 2014 “in order to focus on launching York’s local TV station”.

The Council’s Chief Executive had appeared in a promotional video for “One and Another”Gauden

In a separate development, a Freedom of Information request has now revealed that several contracts were allocated to a public relations company in 2014 which were not subject to proper procurement procedures. Council regulations require competitive quotes to be obtained before contracts are allocated..

In total almost £200,000 appears to have been mis-spent.

It took the Council a very long time to produce the answers to what were perfectly legitimate questions posed by a concerned local resident.

It was as recently as 6th June 2016 that the Council finally provide a comprehensive response detailing the work that they had paid the PR company to undertake

On 6th July the Council admitted that procurement rules had not been followed when letting the contracts. While they rightly said that action had been taken to tighten up procedures, they remained tight lipped on how the maladministration had occurred in the first place.

The Council has now been asked to publish details of all invoices submitted in connection with the PR work in question.

It is unclear whether the Councils auditors will take formal action or whether a reference will be made to the Local Government Ombudsman on a maladministration charge.

The new information does confirm what most people already knew. By 2014 governance processes at the York Council had broken down.

All decisions on the contracts were taken at behind closed doors meetings. The Council claims that Councillors were not informed about what was being done.

800 local residents back Front Street petition

 Westfield Councillors 2015 ()Over 800 residents have signed a Liberal Democrat petition calling for action to fix pavements in Front Street to help those who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters get to the shops.

Westfield Lib Dem Councillor Sue Hunter launched the petition in March after concerns about uneven and damaged paths on Front Street in Acomb. Cllr Hunter says there is a patchwork of different surfaces and levels with a number of broken flagstones and kerbstones. This is causing particular issues for elderly residents and those who use wheelchairs, pushchairs and mobility scoters.

Much of the pavement is privately owned, so the campaign has been calling on local business landlords to work alongside City of York Council. The petition is part of a wider campaign by Westfield Lib Dem councillors to support Front Street and help regenerate the area. 822 residents have signed and the petition will be presented to Full Council on Thursday by Cllr Hunter.

Cllr Sue Hunter, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Westfield, commented:

“I have been overwhelmed by the reaction to this petition and would like to thank all those who have signed. The response shows how big a problem the paths are and how vital it is to get something done. The response also reveals how much residents and local businesses care about Acomb and want Front Street to thrive.

“I have spoken to a number of local people who have suffered falls because of the poor condition of the paths and struggle with wheelchairs, mobility scooters or walking frames. I hope all groups can now work together to take action.

“Improving the paths is part of a wider campaign to support Front Street and encourage residents to shop locally. The work of the traders group Acomb Alive is continuing, including organising the successful Acomb Market last month. We are aiming to create a real buzz in the area to rebuild the community life that Acomb village once had and the area could have again.”