City of York Council; When things go wrong

There have been some strange goings on at the Council over the last few days.

First up we reported yesterday that there was something seriously amiss with the “planning on line” web site..

Some residents routinely use the site to check what planning applications have been made for the area in which they live. We do so routinely for the west of York  and report applications on this site.

There was something unusual about the list of applications which the Council claimed to have validated for the Westfield ward during the week commencing 7th May. Closer examination revealed that the list include applications that had not only been validated months – and in one case 3 years – ago, but all had actually already been approved.

In most cases the planning permission had been implemented.

So a computer glitch?

Yet 24 hours later the incorrect information is still on line.

York Council planning web site 13th May 2018

Equally worrying is the way in which decisions, delegated to officials, are reported in an opaque manner on the Council web site.

Today we are told of a “Decision for provision of the Ways to Wellbeing service is already approved through the Better Care Fund decision making process which is on an Executive Member level”

What? We have no idea what the Council is trying to tell us?

On some occasions the Council seems to be trying to be more open.

It reports today that it has decided what grants to make from an “improving lives” financial advice campaign. Over £166,000  is being handed out to local organisations with Citizens Advice getting the lions share.

But in listing the awards, the Council inevitably prompts  more questions; not least “What are taxpayers actually buying for this money?”

At the very least  the expected outcomes for the expenditure should be listed, together with a summary of the monitoring process that the Council will use to determine whether it has received value for its investment.

 

What’s on in York: Tales of Love and Passion

York _Opera _logo _JPEG

National Centre for Early Music :

Wed 16 May  & Thu 17 May :

7.30pm – 9.50pm :

£15/£12

An evening of staged extracts from

Cavalleria Rusticana – by Mascagni

Hugh the Drover – by Vaughan Williams

Eugene Onegin – by Tchaikovsky

La Bohème – by Puccini

Performed in the round with piano accompaniment.

Tickets Full Price £15 All those in full time education £12

Available from NCEM Box Office 01904 658338

To book tickets please click here.

What’s on in York: Dyslexia should not stop an author

May _16 Simone Young Joint

York Explore Library :

Wed 16 May :

6.30pm – 7.30pm :

Free

“Do not allow people to tell you that you cannot do something, no one. They did that to me and I proved them all wrong , you’ll never be an author, well I did and so much more. Disability shouldn’t stop you, whether it be physical, a learning difficulty or mental health, there are people who have done it and you can too.”

Join local author Simone Young as she discusses the path she took to become the author she always wanted to be!

I am a graduate from the University Of Central Lancashire, UK, with a Bachelors degree in Forensic Science and Criminology who has always enjoyed the more gory side of life.  I started writing as soon as I was able to string a sentence together, starting with changing fairy tales, to fan fiction and after writing academic papers at university I started with my own novels. My first major release was Shattered Souls on March 1st 2014 and I now have six books on sale, one of which was released last month, follow me everywhere and get to know me a little more

Find out more about Simone and her books on

Facebook

Twitter

Good Reads

Amazon

Instagram

To book tickets please click here.