“A boards” to be banned from City centre pavements

A board funny drinkingCity of York Council is set to introduce a new A-Board policy for York’s city centre which, following approval from Executive at a public meeting on Thursday 25 August will start on 1 January 2017 for a year-long trial.

The council’s new policy proposes a four month transition period, from the date approval is granted, to allow plenty of time to notify and put into practice the new regulations from next year.

If approved, the year-long trial will implement a new ‘Prohibition Zone’ banning all A-Boards (and other advertising materials) on the public highway in this zone located within the inner ring road / Business Improvement District boundary.

The only exception will be Micklegate, which will require businesses to apply for a license to the council to place an A-Board on the highway.

All businesses and retailers affected will be sent information on the new policy before this is introduced.

A number of alternatives to using regular A-Boards will be suggested to businesses and retailers located within the zone, including a new city approved board or shared boards (wall/building mounted).

The development of these will be progressed during the transition period and the council hopes to work with partners including the Business Improvement District, the York Retail Forum, Make It York and the York Civic Trust.
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Small unemployment fall in York over last month

US-unemployment-jobs-fair-007Preliminary statistics have shown a fall of 10 residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) and Universal Credit (out of work) in July compared to last month’s figures meaning there are now 890 claimants in the city.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics have shown a 29 per cent fall in the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in York in the past twelve months.

The Jobseekers Allowance claimant count for York represents 0.4 per cent of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 1.7 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 1.3 per cent.

The statistics also demonstrate the number of young people (aged 18-24) claiming Jobseekers Allowance has fallen by 54.6 per cent in the past year. The news comes as York will host its sixth Apprenticeship Recruitment Event at West Offices on Wednesday 24 August, from 4-7pm, which offers people the chance to meet with recruiting employers, training providers and receive specialist careers advice.
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