Volunteers in York gave over 3450 hours of their time last year to help support young people and their families in the city.
The evaluation from City of York Council looked at volunteers across key areas in children’s services including Mentors; Appropriate Adults (supporting young people in police custody); Community Panel Members (working with the Youth Offending Team); Independent Visitors (supporting young people in foster care; and Early Years support volunteers.
The 200 volunteers range in age from 18 to 77, with some – particularly students -volunteering for relatively short periods of time, and others volunteering with the same service for years.
York has been awarded £300k to make further improvements to cycle and walkways between Scarborough Bridge, York railway station and the city centre.
Today’s announcement follows a successful bid by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York Council through the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
These improvements will include:
An enhanced crossing of Bootham linking into the cycle route through to the district hospital.
Improving the riverside cycle route on the Esplanade side of the river.
Replacing the steps from St Mary’s to Marygate Lane with a ramp.
The funding will support the £4m upgrade of Scarborough Bridge, which is nearing completion. Works are being carried out by Network Rail to replace the footbridge attached to Scarborough (rail) Bridge on behalf of the council.
The new bridge will greatly improve this crossing and connect cycle/walkways directly to York Railway Station as well as providing access for wheelchair users. This additional funding will be used to improve further links between the bridge and the city centre, the hospital and York Central.
Corlett Court paths have now been edgedas have those in Morrell Court. Some of the landscaping stones are due to be removed this month& Spurr CourtWe’ve reported the leaning tree on Herman Walk. We are concerned that the high winds could bring it down.The winds have also caused litter to accumulated under some hedges. Reported by us todayas have potholes on the carriageway at the Foxwood shops on Beagle Ridge Drive
According to papers released today, York Council planners
are prepared to enlist the support of the Secretary of State in their bid to demolish
the all-weather games area (MUGA) near Lincoln Court. Council officials claim
that the children’s play facility must go as part of their plans to build an
additional 15 “extra care” flats on the adjacent site.
Lincoln Court
Sport England, the resident’s association, local Councillors and residents have all objected to the plan. They feel an alternative games area should be provided before the existing facility is lost. They have pointed to the Thanet Road Sports area as a possible alternative location.
Council officials have had over a year to sort out an alternative
but are understood to have only recently contacted the Acorn Rugby Club who
lease most of the alternative site.
Sport England effectively has a veto on the removal of
facilities. If the Council wanted to demolish the existing MUGA without their
agreement the they would need the approval of the Secretary of State to do so.
It seems that they are prepared to risk such a confrontation.
Hopes that an Executive meeting to be held on 18th March would broker an agreement on the dispute over play provision are now fading
The move is the latest in a series of decisions which have gradually seen sports facilities and open spaces eroded in the Westfield area. Last year planning permission was given to build on the Lowfields playing field. A local bowling green faced the same fate while the Hob Moor school playing field is being reduced in size. 5 years ago the Council agreed to build on the Our Lady’s playing fields.
Figures produced by the Council, in support of its Local Plan proposals, reveal that there is a deficiency in all forms of open space and sports provision in the Westfield ward. The ward now also has the highest levels of child obesity in the City
The planning meeting is taking place on Wednesday 20th March at 5:00pm. The background papers for the meeting can be viewed by clicking here Residents may make representations by registering to speak at the meeting or by Email to Christopher.elliott@york.gov.uk
The issues are before the committee again because an earlier planng permission incorrectly identified the new “apartments” as being for residents requiring “extra care”. The latest application adds to the confusion as the report also refers to the new units as being for “extra care”. In reality 15 extra care units would not be economically viable because of staffing requirements.
The scheme has also been criticised for reducing the amount of garden space available for residents and for providing inadequate off street parking space for visitors.
