There was little change in UK house price growth over the first nine months of 2012, according to the latest Halifax house Price Index.

• House prices in the three months to September were 0.5% lower than in the preceding three months. This compared with a 0.3% decline in August.

• House prices fell by 0.4% in September. This was the third consecutive monthly fall. These declines have more than offset the two successive rises in May and June.

• Prices have fallen very slightly over the first nine months of 2012. The average UK house price in September 2012 was 0.3% lower than in December 2011, at £159,486.

• Prices in the three months to September were 1.2% lower than in the same period a year earlier. This measure of the annual rate has moved outside the narrow range of 0% to -1% for the first time in seven months.

• Activity remains subdued but stable. Home sales have been very stable in recent months, at between 75,000 and 77,000 per month between May and August. Overall, sales in the three months to August were 3% higher than in the same period last year. (Source: HMRC)

Prices achieved by vendors in the Westfield /Woodthorpe area recently have also suggested a stable housing market.

The prices range from £103,000 in Hinton Avenue to £220,000 in Tedder Road.

Chain free properties in west York currently on the market include a 3 bed semi in Acomb Wood Drive for £175,000, a 2 bed bungalow in Stones Close for £149,950, a 1 bed flat at The Rectory (£119,000) in Dringhouses and a 4 bed detached on Briar Avenue for £329,995.

Buyers might find a bargain in properties that have been reduced in value.
These include a a 3 bed detached on Grange Lane for £250,000 (down 13%), a 3 bed semi in Duchess Mews at £189,995 (-5%), £299,950 for a 4 bed in Nairne Close (-6%) and a 5% reduction on the asking price for a 3 bed terrace in Finsbury Street (£235,000).

Properties available to rent include a 2 bed flat in Wains Road (£550 pcm), a 2 bed flat in Lindley Street (£675 pcm), a 2 bed Tce property in Milner Street will cost £650 pcm while a 1 bed flat in Holgate Road is valued at £550 pcm.

The cost of buying a home in the UK is now almost a fifth lower than renting, according to research by Halifax. http://tinyurl.com/Buying-cheaper

Would you support or oppose the following policies?

Introducing a new tax on homes worth over £2 million

Support 73%
Oppose 20%

Net: +53% (+22% amongst Tory voters, +75% amongst Labour voters, +78% amongst Lib Dem voters, +32% in London)

Source: YouGov

Police investigating the robbery outside the HSBC bank in Acomb, York on Thursday 11 October 2012 have arrested four people in connection with the investigation

They are a 22-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, both from Wallasey in Merseyside who were arrested in Merseyside on Thursday 11 October. Two men from York, aged 23 and 24 were arrested on Saturday 13 October 2012.

All four have been released on police bail while the investigation continues.

Anyone who has any information about the incident and has not yet contacted the police is urged to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for York CID, quoting reference 12120171264.

Alternatively, you can pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Residents of the City of York whose homes have been flooded, who are on a low income, have little capital and who are not adequately insured, may be eligible for help from York’s Disaster Fund, a registered charity which was established after flooding in York in 2000.

Applications to the charity may be made at any time but, to assist with decision-making, residents are encouraged to send in their applications shortly before 2 and shortly before 30 November 2012. Businesses are not eligible for help from this fund.

For more information about how to apply for a grant, please call City of York Council’s Welfare Benefits Advisors on 01904 552233 or 01904 552252. When lines are busy there is a voicemail service where callers can leave a message and their contact details

click to enlarge

What’s the problem?

We believe that everyone should pay their fair share of tax. Unfortunately, it’s too easy for the super-rich to dodge paying what they should.

By employing expensive accountants they can use loopholes not available to ordinary working people.

It’s possible for a billionaire to live in the UK and pay almost no tax at all.

Know more click www.fairertax.org

From next week residents will receive a new winter timetable from City of York Council which outlines the changes to garden waste collections between November and March 2013.

Residents with a garden waste collection will receive a new calendar attached to their grey (rubbish) bin and are advised to refer to their collection calendars to find out what their arrangements are over the winter months as collections will be less frequent during this time.

The new calander also includes information about rubbish and recycling collections over the Christmas and New Year period.

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A new petition has appeared on the Councils web site click http://tinyurl.com/Stop-social-care-cuts

The petition is obviously aimed at removing the threat to the care services provided for 184 elderly residents who are judged to have “moderate” care needs.

While the present Labour run Council has established an unenviable reputation for ignoring residents wishes, however expressed, we think that this petition may be worth supporting.

The Liberal Democrats have pointed to other economies which could be made to ensure that care services are continued.

The 184 residents whose services are under threat have not even been told officially when their support packages will end. This makes it very difficult for them to arrange for an alternative service provider.

A shameless insult to some of our most vulnerable senior residents!

The Keep Your Pet launch date is 13 November 2012

Two local organisations are offering a new service to help older and vulnerable people to look after their pets in times of illness. Following a need identified by both organisations for a Yorkshire-based service, RSPCA York has joined forces with local branches of Age UK to set up Keep your pet (KYP).

Keep your pet offers services including short-term fostering of animals during periods of illness or hospital stay, walking of dogs when the owner is unable, lifts to a vet, etc.

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We understand that the Council are abolishing the post of City centre manager.

At a time when traders are complaining about unfair competition from out of town shopping centres, one of the success stories of the last decade has been the quality of the management of the central area.

This has resulted in a better performing retail economy in York than in any other comparable city.

It also seems strange that at a time when public criticism of street services in the central area is increasing – notably about litter and graffiti – that the Council also risk losing the expertise of the very staff that have helped to make the City centre such a vibrant and unique attraction.

Well fancy that

• 349 litter bins have been removed from residential areas

• There are 7 litter bins and a new “Big Belly” bin in the vicinity of Exhibition Square.

Heworth Golf Club

City of York Council is teaming up with Heworth Golf Club to banish the half-term holiday boredom with junior golf lessons for children aged 16 and under.

New four-day courses are being put on at the club from Monday 29 October to Thursday 1 November, following the success of the junior golf lessons that took place earlier on in the year.

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