Apprenticeship and training event in York on Thursday

City of York Council will be hosting the York Apprenticeship & Training event at West Offices on Thursday 31 August, 4-7pm.

This event will show young people what their options are for their next steps following the recent publication of A-Level and GCSE exam results.

Hundreds of apprenticeship vacancies throughout York will be on offer along with training and employment opportunities in business, finance, marketing, hospitality, engineering, construction, childcare and many other areas.

Employers confirmed include Nestlé, NFU Mutual, City of York Council, Network Rail, Gear 4 Music, Persimmon Homes and the Royal Air Force. There will also be a special spotlight on careers in the hospitality sector, with The Principal Hotel doing mocktail demonstrations, Marriott York making and serving canapés and Betty’s, Park Inn and Hilton Hotel available to talk to.

Councillor Keith Aspden, deputy leader of the council and responsible for economic development and York Skills Plan said, “This ever-popular event offers the chance for young people and their parents to meet recruiting employers, and gain support and advice on apprenticeship vacancies as they look to start their career.

“Young people are increasingly recognising that an apprenticeship has a great deal to offer in helping to build a successful career and can be of great benefit to businesses as well.

“We are happy to support young people and businesses with such events and as a council we are committed to helping businesses to create apprenticeship jobs and take on young talent to support their business grow.

I hope many young people take the opportunity to visit.”

More than 500 young people attended the York Apprenticeship Recruitment event in March.

As well as employers, young people will also be able to talk with apprenticeship training providers, current apprentices, local universities and support services offering 1 to 1 careers information, advice and guidance. Anyone attending is encouraged to bring a copy of their CV to distribute to potential employers.

The event takes place between 4pm and 7pm and is open to people aged between 16 and 24, along with their parents.

For more information on the event, contact the City of York Council-led York Apprenticeship Hub by emailing york.apprenticeships@york.gov.uk, phoning 01904 553732 or searching for the York Apprenticeships page on Facebook.

£600 fines for illegal waste disposal in west York

Two people from York have been fined a total of £600 after pleading guilty to running an unregulated waste business without the relevant licences, and illegally dumping the waste they collected.

Broad Lane

At York Magistrates Court on 23 August 2017, Leigh Garside, aged 26 of Roache Avenue, York was fined £450 and was ordered to pay £250 in costs and a court surcharge of £45.

Paige Greenwood, aged 24 of Heathside, York was fined £150 and told to pay £200 in costs and a £30 court surcharge.

Both failed to turn up to an earlier hearing which resulted in a warrant being issued for their arrest.

On 29 December 2016, two residents responded to a Facebook post by Paige Greenwood offering to remove waste from their properties. She arranged for her partner Leigh Garside to remove the waste in a white unmarked van and was paid £10 on both occasions.

Investigating a complaint about fly tipping on Broad Lane, Upper Poppleton, officers found labels on waste boxes giving the address of one of the residents who had paid for the collection.

On 27January 2017, notices were served on Mr Garside to produce copies of his waste carrier’s licence and evidence of lawful disposal of waste that he had collected in the last two years. He couldn’t do either.

Ms Greenwood admitted posting messages on Facebook but hadn’t ensured that Mr Garside was a registered waste carrier, while Mr Garside admitted to dumping waste in Broad Lane, Upper Poppleton, to carrying waste without a licence and failing to produce information about waste and other environmental offences.

Mr Garside told investigators that he was unaware of the requirements and that he dumped the waste on a pile already there thinking that it wouldn’t make any difference.

Andrew Waller, executive councillor with responsibility for the environment, said:
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Asbourne Way/Acomb Wood Drive footpaths to be resurfaced in September

The City of York Council will start work week commencing 18^th September 2017 to reconstruct some of the footways shown on the plan below. This scheme is programmed to take 2 weeks, weather permitting.

The work consists of excavating the current tarmac surfacing, laying two new layers of tarmac and replacing road kerbs within vehicle crossings.

Residents are being offered a discount on any new driveway requirements that they may wish to commission while plant is in the area.

York drivers getting wise to spy camera wheeze?

Coppergate fine trend

The York Council is reporting that expected income from ANPR camera fines may be as much as £266,000 below budget this year.

The cameras were reintroduced in Coppergate in January but have failed to detect large numbers of drivers ignoring access restrictions on the street.

As a result, a report to the Councils Executive says, “operational costs are not realising any economies of scale”

Coppergate before ANPR cameras were re-introduced

Although this may be good news for drivers, it leaves the taxpayer to pick up the bill for the expensive camera system.

We warned before the cameras were activated that, during most of the day, Coppergate was very quiet – part of the economic malaise affecting much of the city centre – and that the cameras were an over-reaction.

Penalty Charge Income from fines at City centre car parks is also £29,000 below expectations.

Now Shambles Market joins scramble for “tipsy pound”

The York Quango “Make it York” has applied for a licence to serve alcohol in The Shambles market 7 days a week.

The operating hours would be between 9:00am and 10:00pm (except on Sundays when alcohol would be available from 12:00 noon)

The application seems to be a reaction to plans from the new shipping container village just down the road in Piccadilly. There several bar and restaurants will serve alcohol.

Both sites will, in effect, be competing for the same businesses and customers.

Normally the introduction of more alcohol onto the streets of central York would be rejected as it conflicts with the special licensing conditions which apply in the neighbourhood.

In essence, these say that any additional license application will be refused if there are objections.

Licensing objection

In the case of the Shambles there have been several including one, from a former Labour City Councillor (David Scott), who points out the potential conflict of interest for the Council which both owns the market while having a dominant shareholding in “Make it York”

We think the objectors have a point.

York is not short of places where people can enjoy a drink at virtually any hour of the day.

The market does not need the rowdiness which so often accompanies outdoor drinking.

Granting the license would be just another lurch down the slippery path to establishing York as the “Party City” destination of choice for the dissolute.