York Register Office 56 Bootham, York YO30 7DA

Residents registering a death in York from 4 March, can now rest assured that the registration will be shared with appropriate agencies, thanks to a new ‘Tell Us Once’ scheme.

Following a national pilot scheme, City of York Council’s registrars at the Bereavement Suite at York Hospital or at the Register Office at 56 Bootham can now advise relevant departments and services of all deaths in the York area, so residents only need ‘tell us once’.

This new, joined-up service aims to limit what can be a long process of notifying the necessary organisations of a death, and aims to minimise unwanted or distressing post arriving at the deceased person’s address.

The Registrar will pass the necessary information to the Department for Work and Pensions which will forward it on to other government departments and local council services.

The council teams to be notified include the council tax, electoral services, Blue Badges, adult and children’s social services and council housing. Government departments and agencies to be notified will include the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Pension, Disability and Carers Service, Jobcentre Plus, HM Revenue & Customs, child benefit, the Identity and Passport Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Although only 24 Labour Councillors voted for the cuts budget proposed by their leadership it was enough to see the proposals passed at last nights Council meeting.

Gale Farm Court – To be privatised in 2014 under Labour plans

Now residents face a lethal cocktail of higher Council Tax levels, higher charges and rapidly deteriorating street level public services.

One local Westfield Councillor deliberately snubbed the many local residents who have been campaigning against the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit across the area. The cost of introducing the new limit is put at £600,000. He claimed in the media that it would “reduce accidents”. In reality in places like Portsmouth the introduction of such a limit has coincided with an increase in accident levels.

Cllr Williams, and his Westfield side kick Cllr Burton, then voted to reduce expenditure on road safety improvements by £75,000!

Liberal Democrat Councillor Ann Reid said, “Labour’s cuts to the roads budget have hit home in recent months with officers admitting that due to the sheer volume of problems they are being forced into ‘quick fix’ and temporary solutions. It is only through prudent long-term investment that we can reverse this decline. Our £500,000 package would not only help residents, but also local businesses and economic development. While Labour throws £100,000 at an Arts Barge and gives a £1million unmonitored ‘slush fund’ to the Council Leader, the Liberal Democrats would invest in the roads and frontline services that matter most to local residents.”

NB. Perhaps not surpisingly Labour came a distant FOURTH in the Eastleigh parliamentary by election last night. Tories were third. The seat was held by the Liberal Democrats. Shame we don’t have annual Council elections in York anymore!

Residents living in Hammerton Close in Chapelfields have asked the Council to widen the road to provide more parking spaces.

At present vehicles are mounting the verge and causing damage.

The verge is wide enough to accommodate a lay-by which would be similar to those funded through estate improvement budgets in other parts of the area.

These budgets have been not been affected by cuts as the income comes from Council house rents (which are now available to spend locally following reforms by the Coalition government).

However, Labour have allowed the parking programme to fade away since they took control of the Council with the latest scheme to be abandoned being the plan to provide off street parking in St Stephens Square.