New “pop up” shop opened by Lord Mayor in Coney Street

A new pop-up shop was opened today  in York, occupying one of the empty premises in Coney Street.

The pop-up, which was officially opened by The Rt Hon Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Keith Orrell, is the latest expansion from Fabrication Crafts Ltd, a social enterprise originally based in Leeds that aims to provide skilled craft people with a place to sell their work.

The store will sell locally made products created by talented crafts people from both York and Leeds. Items will include clothing, home ware, furniture and food, as well as the option to order bespoke items.

Established in 2008, Fabrication works with a number of community organisations including Yorkshire Federated Housing’s Passion4Fashion project. The pop-up shop on Coney Street will remain open throughout the festive season until February.

The shop is being run in partnership with the National Trust, in an attempt to tackle empty properties across the country owned by the body, which may struggle to find tenants due to their listed statuses.

This particular Grade II listed Coney Street building was originally built in the 1600s before being remodelled in the 20th century.
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York apprentice of the year winner works for Minster FM

Apprentices from across York graduated on Tuesday 27 November at the eighth annual apprenticeship awards ceremony at the Grand Opera House.

York Apprentice of the Year 2018 – Under 25 (Smaller Employer) is Natasha Palmer – Digital Content Apprentice at Minster FM and has completed an Advanced Level 3 Digital Marketing qualification with 3aaas

After receiving the award, Natasha said:  “I was thrilled to be nominated for this award and I am astounded that I won, as the standard of all the nominees was amazing. I have an incredible time working at Minster FM, they give me so many opportunities and are so supportive. I am already working towards my Level 4 Qualification and I cannot thank Minster FM and my tutor Rebecca enough. Choosing an apprenticeship has been one of the best decisions of my life and I cannot recommend it enough.”

York Apprentice of the Year 2018 – Under 25 (Larger Employer)  was Calum Finn – Process Engineering Apprentice at Nestlé and has completed an Advanced Electrical & Mechanical Engineering qualification with York College

Apprentices received scrolls from The Guilds of York for completing their apprenticeship training and qualifications and proudly walked across the stage to loud applause from the 300 strong audience of family, friends and employers.

The ceremony included inspirational key note speeches from FERA Science Ltd, winner of the York Large Employer of the Year 2017. Laura Faulkner, Assistant Scientist and Apprentice Graduate 2017 talked about her on-going career journey towards a degree apprenticeship with York St John University and Andrew Swift, CEX, talked about the importance of attracting, developing and retaining talent to support the growth of FERA.

Following the presentation of the scrolls, the ceremony moved on to the prestigious York Apprenticeship Awards which recognise the outstanding qualities, achievements, commitment and progression of both individual apprentices and their employers.

Winners for the five categories were selected by the independent panel following a high number of quality nominations.

A full list of award winners can be viewed by clicking here

Move to address declining refuse collection reliability in York

Council invests additional £125,000 in waste & recycling services

click to access CYC waste Facebook site

 

Following recent challenges to the Council’s Waste & Recycling Service, Councillors have agreed to spend £125K on improving the resilience of the service.

At a meeting of the Council Executive on Thursday (29th November 2018), it was agreed to use £125k from the waste reserve to recruit and train more staff ahead of the winter season.

Earlier this year a national shortage of HGV drivers, sickness and poor weather caused a number of issues for the Waste & Recycling Service.

In response, improving the service was made a priority; including rectifying missed collections and holding a successful recruitment day for staff in September.

A further report will be taken to an Executive Member decision session next month, recommending a new driver apprentice programme, in order to support the service in the long-term.  If approved, the Council will develop a driver apprentice programme within the waste team to train drivers as early as next year.

Councillor Andrew Waller, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Environment, said:

“This year has been a challenging one for our Waste & Recycling Service, because, like many other areas in the country, we have felt the effects of a national shortage in HGV drivers.”

“Residents have, quite rightly, felt frustrated by missed collections and that is why we have been working hard to identify the best approach to supporting the service amidst these challenges.”

“Therefore, I am pleased that the Council Executive has agreed to invest a further £125K in the service, as this will allow us to immediately take steps in improving the resilience of the service, particularly before the busy Winter period.  This is a short-term measure and one of many we are looking at to support the service.” (more…)

Post Office clarifies Lendal Post Office transfer plans.

Lendal Post Office

We reported earlier in the week that some of the documents issued by the Post Office were unclear about what services would be transferred from Lendal to their new branch in Coney Street.

They have written back to provide some clarification.

“I hope it will be helpful to explain that the vast majority of products and services available in a Directly Managed Branch will transfer to a franchise with the exception of The UK Visa and Immigration Biometric Enrolment Service for the Home Office.  This service is currently available nationwide by agreement with the Home Office and is provided through a mix of directly managed and WHSmith’s branch locations. 

The Home Office recently awarded a new contract for this service to another supplier and it has been announced that our role in this is coming to an end in November, although we are discussing supporting the Home Office until March 2019”.

The Home Office is understood to have issued a contract to an on line supplier.

WHSmith

The Post Office has not provided any quality of service stats for the Lendal branch.

Nor will they reveal the target “queue waiting times “for the new branch which they hope to open in the WHSmith’s premises.

We think that the quality of  customer services should be a key factor in making any decision about moving public service access points.

A little more transparency wouldn’t be amiss although the move to 7 days a week opening will be a step forward.

Residents wishing to comment on the plans should click here to fill out the Post Office survey

New restrictions for vehicles on Micklegate to be introduced from 10 December

Micklegate Bar

City of York Council is introducing new restrictions on Micklegate from Monday 10 December, to prevent vehicles travelling outbound from the city and reduce the impact of traffic on the historic bar walls.

A statement from the York Council says,

“A call for the outbound closure of Micklegate Bar was debated by councillors at a Full Council meeting on 19 July. Following this, a report was taken to a transport and planning decision session meeting on 13 September, to take these proposals forward.

This has paved way for an experimental Traffic Regulation order (TRO) to be introduced for a maximum of 18 months, during which time the changes could become permanent.

The TRO will help determine the benefits of restricting vehicles in Micklegate and will allow the local community and businesses the opportunity to experience the changes before making representations.

During this 18 month period, there will be an outbound road closure only (cycle access will be available in both directions). This means the road will be open to inbound traffic through Micklegate Bar from Blossom Street/Nunnery Lane/Queen Street.

Signage will be installed at Micklegate Bar, with temporary information signs placed on all approaches”.

During the debate on the plan concerns were expressed about increased traffic congestion on alternative routes. Some traders feared a reduction in “drop in” trade.

The Council has also announced major road works on the alternative inner ring road route which passes the railway station. It is expected that the Queen Street bridge will be demolished as part of that programme of works.

For more information about the scheme, a report from the decision session on Thursday 13 September can be read at: http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=738&MId=10859 “