Missed green bin emptying in Westfield today

Collections were missed in the Thoresby Road part of Westfield Ward today. A vehicle fault was blamed

Council officials have now written to concerned Councillors about the chronic unreliability of the bin emptying service. It has gone in 3 short years from being one of the most praised public services in the city to one of the most criticised.

Pressures on the service have contributed to an increase in litter drift in many areas with post round tidy up sometimes being missed out.

Officials say the problems are mainly caused by “an ageing fleet (directly linked to breakdowns), driver shortages and staff sickness”

“When the service is under pressure, we prioritise household waste collections followed by recycling and then garden waste”

“We are in the process of a wholescale fleet replacement. In the 10 years since the last vehicles were purchased the city has expanded so we need to account for this, however York is a historical city which is both beautiful and incredibly difficult to service in some areas when it comes to waste collection. I want to ensure that the next fleet of vehicles are capable of serving all areas of the city in the safest possible way. Health and safety for staff and residents is top of our agenda”.

“Staffing the service will continue to be a challenge, particularly when it comes to HGV drivers. This is a national problem and experienced by our surrounding Council areas. However, this is also exacerbated in York as we simply don’t have the industries to support this. However, we are investing significantly in developing our own staff through apprenticeship programmes and development opportunities. Working on the frontline in all weather is not a job for the faint hearted. One of the reasons that ‘new’ staff turnover is high is that people underestimate how demanding the job is”.

Unfortunately the service does not seem to have published an improvement programme with milestones. No figures are produced indicating the number of bins that aren’t emptied each day, so it is impossible to test whether the claimed “improvement trajectory” is a reality.

Critically officials are staying tight lipping about when new vehicles are expected in the City or indeed if they have even been ordered.

Many will be surprised that adequate spare resources did not form part of the original vehicle leasing deal.

In other parts of the world more automation has been tried with mixed results

Archaeology conference is back in York!

City of York Council and the York Archaeological Forum are set to host its annual conference, with this year’s event focussing on ‘’Discovering Anglian York: Digging in the Dark’.

The popular conference will take place on Saturday 16 November at West Offices on between 10am and 5pm.

The event provides an overview of current knowledge and recent archaeological discoveries.

The speakers reflect the varied membership of the forum with representatives of local archaeological contractors and specialists, the University of York and University of Huddersfield and York Museums Trust, including:

  • Dr Mary Garrison (University of York) Alcuin and York: Evidence for a Central Place
  • Ian Milsted (York Archaeological Trust) When 2 + 2 = 5: Looking for the Anglians under York Minster
  • Dr Andrew Woods (York Museums Trust) Interpreting the Coinage of Anglian York
  • Professor Julian Richards (University of York) & Dave Haldenby (Independent Researcher) The End of Anglian Yorkshire: the Scale and Impact of Viking settlement
  • John Oxley (City of York Council) 30 Years Old and Still Going… Where Next for the York Deposit Model?
  • Professor Richard Morris – open discussion (University of Huddersfield)

Places cost £15 with a number of limited reduced-fee student places available for £5 each via: www.york.gov.uk/info/20214/conservation_and_archaeology/2027/annual_archaeology_conference

Cllr Andrew Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning, said: “York is one of Britain’s great historic cities and it’s fascinating to hear all about the archaeological work that is being carried out in York and to learn more about some important recent research.”

John Oxley, City of York Council Archaeologist, said: “York is one of the leading archaeological cities in Europe. This conference brings together experts who will cast new light on life in the city during the Anglian period. Others will tell us how this information is being shared and how it will be used to shape the future of the city. It is sure to be a very exciting and informative day.”

Westfield Primary gets £1m+ investment

Westfield Primary School has undergone an £1m investment programme over the last two years, with £425,000 being spent this year on refurbishing the east wing.

Westfield school

The most recent phase of the refurbishment has focused on the area of the school which houses foundation stage children through to Year 1 pupils. It has included replacing 104 windows, re-roofing two sections and removing a 40-year-old temporary double classroom.

The work has not only improved the condition of the school, but has also increased the school’s ‘environmental credentials’ by reducing energy wastage.

Re-organising the classrooms has also enabled the school’s nursery pupils to be brought into the main building so, besides being supported by teachers, they’re now co-located with the other pupils.

Last year, the school’s dining room, roof and kitchen area underwent a £695,000 refurbishment, enabling children to spend less time queuing for food and more time eating a healthy meal.  The former vast kitchen and dining spaces were reorganised, creating a pleasant, calming place to eat.

Parents and members of the community will be invited into the school during school holidays to experience the new space for themselves.

Lamara Taylor, Headteacher at Westfield Primary School, said: “The support we’ve had from the building team and City of York Council has been great and the scheme has led to considerable improvements to our school. The result has been amazing.

“I’m proud to show prospective parents around Westfield and the investment in the school will have positive benefits to the whole school community in the future. It’s all very exciting.”

Litter a growing problem on some Council estates

Litter is left for weeks without being swept.

Keeping estates clean and tidy until recently was the responsibility of estate workers. There was one in each major neighbourhood. They were sometimes styled as estate “handymen” and part of their duties was to repair minor items of street furniture. They were funded from rents.

They helped to keep neighbourhoods in good condition and would often be seen in the area proactively dealing with issues.

The Council recently decided to get rid of the role with responsibilities transferred to a mobile team.  Since the change, there has been a noticeable drop in standards. This seems mainly to be due to the fact that, rather than routinely patrol areas looking to address issues before they were widely noticed, the new approach is mainly “reactive”.

That is the staff respond to complaints.

Many will remember fondly the last decade when the Council, for a time, employed “lengthsmen” to give local roads that extra bit of care. They achieved more in improving standards than mechanical sweeping alone could provide.

That sadly also is a now thing of the past.

The drop in standards has been an increasing concern for residents associations. The issue has been drawn to the attention of Executive Councillors who have responsibility for service quality. There has been little response so far.

Unless the Council publishes an acceptable service standard contract for activities like these – the core of its work as a public authority – then it is likely that volunteer efforts will tail off.

That would be a great shame as whole communities would suffer.

Litter levels increasing

The Mount – roadworks start next Monday

Ageing and outdated traffic signals on The Mount are set to be replaced and pedestrian and cycle routes improved by City of York Council this month.

Ageing and outdated traffic signals on The Mount are set to be replaced and pedestrian and cycle routes improved by City of York Council this month.

Works will start on the junction of The Mount / Dalton Terrace / Albemarle Road and The Mount / Scarcroft Road on Monday 7 October and are estimated to take up to seven weeks to complete.

New, more reliable, traffic signals will be installed and improvements will be made to the pedestrian crossing to introduce a new Toucan crossing over Albemarle Road. The eastern pedestrian footway / off road cycle route will also be resurfaced.

The new technology being installed will help to improve journey times and reliability on The Mount and ease congestion in the area. 

The new traffic signals will also be cheaper to run and more reliable.  It will also enable the new systems to link direct to the council’s Traffic and Control Centre, so that the Network Monitoring Officers can manage the flow of traffic better in busy periods by adjusting traffic lights to best suit traffic conditions.

Work will be carried out weekdays between 9.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays and Sundays 8am to 4pm. Temporary signals replicating, as closely as possible, the current operation of the junction will be in place throughout the works.

Works will be suspended between Friday 12 and Saturday 13 October for York races.

During the works it is anticipated that there will be significant delays when travelling through the junction.  

A temporary signalised crossing will be provided during construction to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely. Pedestrian route, cycle routes and access to all businesses and properties will be retained throughout the duration of the works. 

For more information visit www.york.gov.uk/TheMount  

Those using the route are urged to plan ahead, allow more time for journeys and to use public transport where possible. Bus services will be operating as normal for the majority of the. Visit www.itravelyork.info/ for traffic and travel information.

What’s on in York: Sad Poets’ Doorstep Club

Acomb Explore Library

October 3rd @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

 Free

We are hosting a special poetry circle focussing on mental health. You are welcome to share your own poetry or short story in a supportive environment or just come and listen.

A poetry circle event with a mental health slant, this is a chance to explore your thoughts and feelings about mental health issues in a safe and supportive environment. Please bring along a poem or short story that you have written to share with the group. Organised in an Open Mic format you will have the opportunity to read or perform aloud, or simply to listen. There is a three minute limit for each piece, but there will be multiple rounds of the circle so plenty of opportunities to showcase your work.

Tickets