The Jubilee beacon was lit at 10:15 yesterday evening. About 150 residents attended the short ceremony.

The organisation of the event was criticised by some residents who said that it had not been publicised properly. This may have been responsible for the modest turn out.

Residents living on the boundary of Bachelor Hill also claimed that they had not been notified of the councils plans, while national beacon web sites continued to advertise the Knavesmire as the location for the event.

PCN statistics. Click to enlarge

The income received by the York Council from parking tickets has fallen by 23% over the last 5 years.

Nevertheless over £466,000 was collected from the last year after 16,505 tickets were issued.

Around 20% of issued tickets are subsequently cancelled or written off.

North Street remains the street on which drivers are most likely to get a ticket.

The numbers for each of the top 5 streets are:
2011/12
• North Street 405
• Piccadilly 291
• Walmgate 274
• Duncombe Place 208
• Toft Green 205

2010/11
• North Street 434
• Piccadilly 415
• Walmgate 291
• Micklegate 276
• Duncombe Place 234

Exhibition Square grotto

Over £2500 is still owed to the York Council by the organisers of the winter grotto which was held in Exhibition Square last Christmas.

This came nearly 6 months after the Council’s Leader criticised the management of the event which was staged as part of the Council’s Christmas leisure programme.

The grotto proved to be controversial. Elves and fairies at the Winter Wonderland in Exhibition Square were abused by parents with vouchers from a discount website incorrectly promising them a train ride at the attraction, staff and managers become embroiled in a wage row and technical glitches meant the grotto could not open on Christmas Eve.

In April the Council said, “The council is now at the stage where it is closing down its 2011/2012 accounts and is therefore collecting all outstanding monies owed to it, including that by Winter Wonderland. We expect to receive full payment within the next month”

Following a question at a full Council meeting, Cllrs Alexander and Crisp also promised that the bill would be settled.

The precise relationship between the Council and the organisers remains unclear.