£499 penalty for York woman convicted of Blue Badge misuse

A woman in York has pleaded guilty to misusing a relative’s disabled badge to illegally park in York city centre.

Lisa Parker (aged 32 of Campleshon Road, York) was found to have used the Blue Badge to park on Castlegate on 14 June 2019. The case was referred to Veritau, the council’s fraud investigation team, after a member of the parking team spotted the van parked on double yellow lines and displaying the badge.

Blue Badges make it easier for people to travel and maintain independence, however can be open to abuse. Blue Badges allow people to park in certain locations including double yellow lines and disabled spaces, however these benefits are only intended for the badge holder, or someone who is transporting them.

The badge holder must be either in the vehicle when it is parked, or in the vehicle when it leaves the location it was parked in. If a person drops the badge holder off and then goes to park elsewhere, the badge cannot be used, as the badge holder is no longer with them.

If someone is picking up a badge holder, then they can only use the badge to park in the place where they are picking them up. A Blue Badge cannot be used without the badge holder, even if errands are being run for them.

On 14 June 2019, a City of York Council parking officer saw a Blue Badge displayed in the window of a van parked on Castlegate. After identifying the badge number, investigators found that the same badge was subject to an investigation in 2017, with the same vehicle parked in the same place. The vehicle belonged to Ms Parker, who used the same relative’s Blue Badge to park there without the badge holder, for which she had already received a warning from the council.

Ms Parker was invited to an interview under caution on 13 August 2019 but refused to attend. The previous misuse of the badge in 2017 was a factor in City of York Council deciding to seek prosecution in this case.

Ms Parker pleaded guilty by post and was sentenced in York Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 17 December 2019. She received a fine and was ordered to pay court costs and victim surcharge, totalling £499.

Councillor Denise Craghill, Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods, said: “This case shows that the council takes Blue Badge misuse seriously and is committed to taking action to prevent misuse of the Blue Bade system, which supports drivers and passengers with disabilities.

“In this instance, the resident had parked their car illegally on double yellow lines in the city centre and displayed a badge to avoid paying a fine, despite previously receiving a warning for the same thing. This could have prevented someone with disabilities and a genuine need for the Blue Badge parking from using it.”

Any members of the public with information on fraudulent activity are encouraged to phone the anonymous fraud hotline on 0800 9179 247, or email counter.fraud@veritau.co.uk.

Rough sleepers in York fell from nine to seven people in 2019 confirms Council

Following our story yesterday, the Council has now confirmed that the problems with rough sleeping in the City have eased a little over the last 12 months.

In a media release issued today they say, “After another year of prevention and giving tailored support to people sleeping rough in the city, more people have been helped into safer more stable accommodation.

The official, annual rough sleeper count in York showed seven people were sleeping on the street in 2019: down from nine in 2018.

The annual official count of rough sleepers takes place nationally at the same time. This year, City of York Council decided to do its count earlier than in previous years and before the additional winter beds open, to create a more accurate picture.

For two months before the count, information was gathered from statutory and non-statutory organisations, and it was established who was believed to be rough sleeping and who was confirmed to have accommodation. Information about where people often slept was collated from StreetLink reports, information from members of the public and from findings by the regular street walks.

On 30 October 2019 from 3.30am, officers from the council, the Salvation Army, North Yorkshire Police and local charities walked the streets of York looking for people sleeping out, and visited places known to be used by rough sleepers.

Seven rough sleepers were found and this number was verified independently by Homeless Link based on both the findings of the overnight count on 30 October and information gathered previously.

The number of people sleeping rough in York in 2019 is two fewer than in 2018. In 2017, the official number was 29, in 2016 and 2015 it was 18. Work continues to reduce this number further and help more people off the streets into safer, more stable lives.

Cllr Denise Craghill, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods, said: “While rough sleeping reduces average life expectancy from 83 to 47 years and we would rather no-one slept out at all, it is encouraging to know that fewer people are sleeping on the streets in York this year.

“While numbers of people sleeping out fluctuates throughout the year, this reduction shows the impact of our partnerships and our personalised work to help this people into the right kind of supported accommodation.

“I would like to thank our dedicated homelessness team and all our partners for their hard work and continued commitment to encourage more people off the streets.”

Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of the council, said: “This is welcome news. Sleeping on the streets is an indignity that no-one should face and the council is taking steps to support rough sleepers off the streets.

“Our homelessness prevention work has secured an extra £400,000 to help rough sleepers with more personalised support and to tackle complex mental health issues. The council and its partners have also opened 11 extra emergency beds this year, in order to ensure we can offer rough sleepers a safe place to sleep.”

Anyone who sees a person sleeping rough can ring Streetlink on 0300 500 0194 who will us to visit the location and offer support. Also, there are many ways to help people off the streets at www.york.gov.uk/roughsleeping .

We and our partner charities encourage people not to give cash direct to those appearing to beg, but to give to York Street Aid at www.tworidingscf.org.uk/yorkstreetaid/ . Money raised goes directly towards helping homeless people in York in personalised ways, such as buying clothing for interviews, a bike to get to work or paying rent on an allotment.

Stonegate carriageway repaving work will last for 4 months.

£500,000 scheme takes up significant proportion of this years highways resurfacing budget

For the first time in a generation, City of York Council is completely repaving Stonegate.

Over the years the council has replaced damaged or worn paving stones but is now investing around £500,000 to fully repave the entire length of Stonegate, with natural Yorkstone paving and concrete foundations.

Over time there has been significant defects in the surface of the road, where paving slabs are broken and uneven, which make it unsafe for pedestrians.

The scheme will enhance the street’s appearance and character, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment, attracting more people into the area and improving access for pedestrians.

The works will be split into four phases with each phase taking around four weeks to complete and will start from Monday 6 January until Friday 3 April.

It’s estimated that a scheme of this size would normally take around four months to complete. The council will aim to do as much work as possible (weather permitting) before the Easter break, when work will stop.

Over 20 retailers and businesses fed back at a session in November to say they would prefer the council to carry out this scheme in the quieter months of January to March.

This feedback has all been taken on board and works will stop before the Easter holidays start and the council will come back in early 2021 to fully complete the scheme (around an additional four weeks) – if the council is unable to complete the works beforehand.

Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Executive Member for Transport, said: “Stonegate is steeped in history and was one of the first paved-roads in York, which was a direct route to transport the Minster stone whist it was being built. It’s one of the most loved streets in our city centre so this investment will ensure the street keeps its special character.”

Although loved for its paving, Stonegate wasn’t always a paved-road. Photographs sourced from the Explore York Archives show Stonegate’s surface was made up of sets/cobbles in the 1890s and in the 1940s was a tarmac surface.

The high cost of resurfacing this, relatively modest, length of road highlights just how inadequate the Councils highway maintenance budgets are.

Stonegate resurfacing – Frequently asked questions

What’s on in York: “MAKE WE JOY”

CHRISTMAS CONCERT WITH “AD HOC” AT FAIRFAX HOUSE

Saturday 21ST Dec 2019

7.30pm

Fairfax House

£14.00 (Friends & Members £12.00)

Ad Hoc return to anticipate the Christmas season with their customary blend of festive music, old and new. From sheep and alarm clocks through to lost kings and sleigh bells, we invite you to join Frances Brock, Sue Lindley, John Gill, Phillip Mindenhall and their special guest, Graham Brownridge for an evening guaranteed to sooth those pre-Christmas cares away!

Includes Mulled Wine & Mince Pies at the interval.

Police campaign against Cyber Fraud stepped up

A new resource is available to assist North Yorkshire residents in protecting themselves against cyber enabled fraud.

The Cyber Helpline provides free, expert support for victims of cyber-crime in the region. If successful it will be rolled out across the country.

The Cyber Helpline is a not-for-profit that has had support from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and has reached the semi-finals of the National Cyber Security Centre Accelerator programme.

Using volunteer cyber security experts and a smart chatbot they provide free, expert help to any member of the public 13 years old and older. Its focus is helping individuals understand, contain, recover and learn from online security issues.

To see how this resource can help you visit www.thecyberhelpline.com

Chapelfields Community Centre difficulties

Social media reports are saying that the Chapelfields community centre (Sanderson House) on Bramham Road has run into management problems. There are claims that the York Council has taken over the running of the building.

No photo description available. — Sanderson House

The Community centre has had problems since the Council cut its grant 5 years ago

We said in 2017 that the burden being placed on volunteers to run activities at centres like Chapelfields and Foxwood was unreasonable

Part of the Chapelfields centre is now leased to “Accessible Arts” and a successful “Hub” operates at the building on Thursdays

On the other hand the number of regular events staged at the centre is limited and they are not widely publicised.

There is a Facebook page but the centres web site is rarely updated these days.

Sanderson House is potentially a fantastic asset for one of the most deprived parts of York.

Hopefully the resources will now be found to give that, and other similar, communities the support they deserve.

Local groups invited to apply to hold events at York Barbican

York-based groups, clubs and community organisations are invited to apply for a concessionary day’s hire of York Barbican in 2021.

The council is offering the concessionary days as part of its lease agreement with the Barbican’s operators, SMG. We’re interested in hearing from organisations which would like to take up one of the two opportunities available in 2021.

To be eligible to apply for a concessionary day, proposed events should:

Provide activities or entertainment that appeals to the widest cross-section of the local community
Be open and accessible to all with no restricted access
Promote the objectives of the City of York Council and where possible enhance campaigns or programmes being delivered by the council and its partners

Priority will be given to events that:

Have a high-quality programme
Engage communities e.g. through participation opportunities for local residents.

The concessionary day covers rental fees as well as charges for backstage and front of house facilities, technical equipment, front of house management, and stewarding.

It will not, however, cover items such as box office and credit card commission, marketing and additional staff for duties such as loading and unloading production equipment.

Councillor Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities, said: “The Barbican Concessionary days are a great opportunity for groups to put on events for the benefit of local residents in York’s largest music and arts venue. I’d urge anyone who’s interested to get in touch to find out more.”

Events that are primarily designed to be fundraisers are not supported.

For further information about the Barbican concessionary days email charlie.croft@york.gov.uk.

Applications should be submitted by Friday 17 January by email.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome promptly after that date.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT WITH “AD HOC” AT FAIRFAX HOUSE

Includes Mulled Wine & Mince Pies at the interval.

Customers at a City of York Council day service for people with learning disabilities have released a new Christmas song called ‘This Christmas morning’ to help lift everyone’s spirits!

York-based groups, clubs and community organisations are invited to apply for a concessionary day’s hire of York Barbican in 2021.