Coronavirus York updates; 25th September 2020

Deaths and test results

There have been a further TWENTYFOUR positive test results announced today. This brings the cumulative total to 1209.

Tuesday 22nd saw the largest number of new cases (22) identified on a single day since the beginning of May.

There have been no additional hospital deaths

The worst affected neighbourhoods currently are Holgate East & Rawcliffe/Clifton South

Council commentary

The Councils commentary on the pandemic has been updated and is reproduced below.

The data is accurate as at 8.00 a.m. on Friday 25.9.20. Some narrative for the data covering the latest period is provided here below:

Diagnosed cases (Pillar 1&2 combined)

• As at 24.9.20 York has had 1,185 cases, a rate of 562.2 per 100,000 of population. The rate in York is lower than national (637) and regional (829.3) averages.

• The PHE ‘Exceedance’ rating compares the no. of new cases over a 14 day period with the previous 6 weeks and provides a RAG rating to indicate if the previously observed trend in the no. of new cases is worsening. The latest rating for York (21.9.20) is Amber. The rating was triggered by a higher than ‘expected’ number of cases per 100 tests once in the last 14 days.

• The latest validated 7 day rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population for York is 34.3. This is for the 7 day period up to 18.9.20. This excludes cases with a sample date in the last few days due to partial data and lags in reporting. The national and regional averages are 38.1 and 55.1 respectively.

• As at 21.9.20, the latest 7 day positivity rate in York (Pillar 2 only) was 3.19% (77 positives out of 2,412 tests). The national and regional averages are 3% and 4% respectively.

Deaths

The two sources about deaths from Covid-19 at LA level are ONS data and local registrar data. They are derived from the same source (civil registration data). ONS data is more comprehensive as it includes deaths of York residents which have occurred and been registered outside York. Local registrar data is useful as it provides a breakdown by age and gender. The most recently available data is summarised below:

• ONS weekly data: For deaths occurring up to 11th September 2020 and registered up to 19th September 2020, 171 deaths were recorded as having occurred for CYC residents (83 in hospital, 76 in care homes, 9 at home and 3 in a hospice. The number of deaths per 100,000 of population in York is 81.19 which is lower than the national average of 88.60. The most recent death reported for a York resident was in week 31 (25 to 31 July).

• ‘Excess’ deaths (ONS). In week 37 (5 Sept to 11 Sept), 23 deaths occurred in York, which is 9 fewer than the average weekly number for 2014-18. Over the last 16 weeks the total number of deaths in York has been 43 fewer than the average for the equivalent weeks in 2014-18.

• Local Registrar data: In the weekly data received on 21.9.20 (for deaths occurring up to 16.9.20), a cumulative total of 163 deaths of CYC residents where COVID-19 was mentioned (confirmed or suspected) on the death certificate, have been registered. The average age of the people who died was 82.5, with an age range of 53-104. The age profile of those dying in York is slightly older than the national average. 87 of the 163 were male (53.4%), slightly less than the national average (55%). 81 of the deaths occurred in hospital and 82 were community deaths (e.g. at home or in a care home or hospice). 71 people (43.6%) died in nursing /care homes (the national average is 29.62%). In addition 13 people (8%) who normally resided in nursing/care homes in the CYC area, died in hospital.

Data on deaths occurring in hospital are shown below. Deaths are initially reported for York NHS Foundation Trust which includes Scarborough Hospital and the further breakdown by site can be delayed. From local registrar data, 58.5% of COVID-19 deaths occurring at York Hospital have been CYC residents. (NB NHS Trusts record deaths following a positive covid-19 test whereas ONS record deaths where covid-19 in mentioned on the death certificate so the totals are not the same).

• Deaths at York Hospital: As at 24.9.20, 134 deaths of people who had tested positive for COVID-19 and were being cared for at York Hospital have been reported. 214 deaths have been reported by the wider York NHS Trust.

Still fairly busy in York

Despite growing COVID restrictions and the return to school, parts of central York were still fairly busy today.

The Food Festival has started and the first scooter being ridden in the pedestrian area was spotted.

An electric scooter rider slaloms through pedestrians. Restrictions on the use of these machines are confusing. A privately owned model was earlier seen on the Hob Moor cycle track. Neither posed an obvious safety threat

Giving neighbourhood decision making a bad name?

We are very much in favour of giving local communities the opportunity to influence how resources are used in their area.

Delegated ward budgets, therefore, were a step in the right direction.

The Council allocated £1 million to be spent at ward level. Typically the Westfield ward (which is larger than most wards) has nearly £40,000 a year to spend.

The expectation was that there would be an opportunity for residents to put forward schemes for consideration and – as has happened in the past – for a public vote on priorities to take place.

Obviously the health pandemic may have affected the ability of some ward Councillors to fully consult on a door to door basis. We would, however, expect much more use to be made, by the Council and ward councillors in particular, of social media and noticeboards to stay in touch with local communities.

Keeping footpaths safe and accessible should be a top priority for the use of public funds

A whole raft of new schemes using this budget have been authorised today click

A list of schemes approved for 2019/20 can be found by clicking here Several schemes, including action to prevent fly tipping, didn’t happen.

Planned expenditure for 2020/21 can be access here

While many of the schemes are uncontroversial, there will be some that may cause raised eyebrows. Mentoring services for young people seems to be the new catch all phrase used to access public funding.

That may be necessary, but taxpayers will legitimately want to know what are the objectives of each scheme and how success is being measured?

They will expect to be able to find out this information without fruitless searches of dozens of pages on the internet.

There was disappointment in west York earlier in the year when it emerged that they would not be getting a share of the delegated cycling and walking budget.

Promised road repairs have also not materialised.

The York Council needs to re-engage quickly

Spark lease still outstanding

Contrary to the claims made in a Council report published yesterday, it appears that the owners of the SPARK Container village on Piccadilly HAVE NOT signed a new lease.

The revelation comes in a response to a Freedom of Information published today.

SPARK were controversially offered a new lease at a meeting which took place on 14th February. They had been due to vacate the site in June.

Following complaints from neighbours and against a background of non compliance with planning conditions, the Council sought to place new restrictions on how SPARK could operate the business. (see below).

It has now emerged that SPARK has settled outstanding 2020 Council debts to the value of £23,333

The development was granted a 2 year extension to its planning permission earlier in the summer.

Spark has been operating on a “tenancy at will” basis since June.

The Council says, “The Council are in discussions with Spark over the provision of the new lease following the grant of a Tenancy at Will earlier in the year, which is still in force”.

The long term future of the 17/21 Piccadilly remains unclear as the health crisis and economic recession makes early redevelopment unlikely.

It has been suggested that the site could be used as a terminus for a disabled friendly zero emission transport system which would ferry less ambulant visitors around the City centre.

This use – which might also offer residential or workshop opportunities at first floor level – could help to ease pressure on the nearby Castle car park.

Number 4 bus returning to old route from Sunday

First York buses have announced a raft of changes to their services which will be implemented on Sunday.

Click here for new timetables

The changes will see the popular number 4 service revert to its old one way “loop” using Gale Lane, Front Street, Green Lane and Tudor Road.

The lack of a two way service on Green Lane and Tudor Road will disappoint some elderly residents who appreciated being able to travel easily to the village for shopping and other purposes.

Local Councillors promised to consult on the option of retaining the longer 2 way route via Acomb Green & Ridgeway which was introduced to accommodate the use of articulated buses. These former park and ride buses, are now being redeployed elsewhere.

We have heard nothing about the results of any consultation with passengers.