Many may feel that the PCC elections, due to take place on 15th November, will prove to be an unhelpful diversion for a Police force which has a good record in reducing crime in York and North Yorkshire at a levy of £200 per for the average household.

The Force has a achieved this under the general guidance of a broadly based “Police Authority” which included Councillors from all over the area, and with differing political views, together with several magistrates.

The structure of Police Authorities is far from perfect. They include no directly elected representatives and therefore accountability with the electorate is at best indirect. So a refinement of its membership, roles and responsibilities may have been overdue.

Nor have all Chief Constables always shown sensitivity and respect for the concerns of local residents. Several examples of apparently unnecessary expenditure have emerged over the last few decades, while recently there have been reports of inappropriate nepotism in recruitment processes.

However, electing a single politician to take responsibility for addressing crime issues is an over-reaction to the perceived weaknesses of the present system. At worst it could bring into question the political impartiality of the Police.

At a salary of £70,000, plus significant on costs, it may also be a role that the taxpayer simply can’t afford.

Over the last few days other concerns have emerged.

2 Labour candidates for the posts (elsewhere in the country) have been forced to stand down. They had committed offences in their younger days and, although not jailed, it was judged that their “experience” was inappropriate for someone towards the top of the justice system. They have been forced to stand down although the Labour party has yet to explain how they came to be selected in the first place.

Last week a judge ruled that existing JPs (magistrates) must resign before they can take up a PCC job. Initially the Judge had said that the ban on JPs would apply to anyone standing as a CANDIDATE, although this view was apparently quickly reversed. The revised guidance says that, for this first round of elections, as long as they undertake not to sit on the bench while the campaign is in progress, candidates will not have to resign as JPs unless they are elected.

Stranger still – according to The Guardian – is the presumption now that members of the – largely advisory – Police and Crime Panels may also have to resign if they also serve as a JP. The Police and Crime Panel (PCP) will have the ability to veto the Commissioner’s plans for the police’s share of council-tax bills and their proposed candidates to be Chief Constable, as long as it has a two-thirds majority on any vote.

The membership of the York and North Yorkshire Police and Crime Panels was announced a couple of weeks ago. It includes at least 1 J.P.

Only 2 candidates have so far been announced for the PCC post in York and North Yorkshire. They are Julia Mulligan a Conservative (http://juliamulligan.org.uk/) and Ruth Potter Labour: (http://www.yorklabour.org.uk/police/)

Other potential candidates may be discouraged by the £5000 deposit that each will have to find.

There will be no postage paid election address delivered so many residents will have to trawl the internet to get details of the candidates and their policies.

The York Council spent £1.2 million on employing consultants during the last financial year. The expenditure is broadly in line with previous years (09/10 – £1.3M, 10/11 – £1.2M).

The Council uses consultants to undertake work when either it doesn’t have the internal capacity &/or the skills to deliver specialist projects.

The figures would, therefore, be unsurprising were it not for the fact that in December last year the “Cabinet” member with responsibility for corporate decisions of this sort (Coun Julie Gunnell) was quoted in the local newspaper as saying, “Since taking control of the council from the Lib Dems we have sought to rebalance the use of consultants and now only use them where absolutely necessary!”

So everyone seems to be agreed then that expenditure of around 0.5% of the total budget on the use of external companies is about what might be expected?

In reality there is a conflict between Labour’s grand expenditure plans and the reduced capacity of the Council workforce now that many managers have been sacked.

The top 5 consultancy contractors employed by the York Council during the last year were:
1. Sweet Group, £201,115, quantity surveying services
2. Amtel Consulting, £125,133, management consultancy and specialist interim services
3. Halcrow, £77,539, Highway design consultants
4. Crosby Interim Consultancy Services, £77,474, specialist interim services
5. V4 Services, £26,075, management consultancy and specialist interim services

First are expected to move quickly to register revisions to local bus services, following the announcement by Labour Councillors made earlier in the week about cuts.

Details will shortly be available here. http://tinyurl.com/bus-service-registrations

There are a number of changes to frequencies and several major re-routings.

The most significant is probably for the Number 12 which will now run from Foxwood/Woodthorpe to Monks Cross (not Haxby). This is a shorter journey and will, claim First, improve reliability. The Foxwood loop is retained and there are no plans to change the route through Woodthorpe.

Haxby will be serviced by the number 13 running from Copmanthorpe via Tadcaster Road. This frequency on this service will be cut to hourly.

Other service changes affect the Hollybank link to Acomb and the station, the Dodsworth service to the City Centre and Monks Cross, Bishopthorpe to York and Skelton to York.

A new service to the Sports Village on Hull Road will be started. The new swimming pool there opens on Tuesday.

Many areas will lose out under the new arrangements but the main concern is the continued reluctance of the York Council to publish route by route reliability figures on a regular basis.

Reliability on services such as the number 4, has suffered since the Council started to draw up plans for a statutory bus contract system in the City.

A classic case of “taking your eye off the ball”?

The Council has issued a media release saying, “To celebrate the end of the London 2012 Games and the success of Team Yorkshire’s athletes – such as Jack Laugher and Joanne Jackson – children in York will be able to swim for free this summer”.

The announcement comes a few days after it was revealed that Olympic legacy preparations in York had stalled. The Active York organisation had failed to finish designing its web site despite the Games approaching a climax while the Councils own web site was littered with out of date information. See our previous news item http://stevegalloway.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/08/06/new-swimming-pool-opens-next-tuesday-but-york-olympic-legacy-at-risk/

Children under 16 will go free from Monday 13 August to Sunday 2 September on production of a YorkCard or Yozone Card at Yearsley and Energise pools.

Free entry is for open swim sessions only. Swim timetables for both pools are available at www.york.gov.uk/fit or by calling 01904 552424.

The cost to taxpayers of the concession has not yet been revealed

The Sheriff, Guild of Scriveners and many Serjeants will all take part in the annual medieval-themed York charity event, Assize of Ale, this weekend.

In the middle ages Sheriffs were concerned that the ale of York should be of a suitable quality and brought it upon themselves to appoint Serjeants to test the quality of ale in the city.

This Saturday (11 August) at 1.50pm, members of the Guild of Scriveners, friends and supporters will be summoned and then sworn in as Serjeants by the Sheriff of York, Councillor Paul Firth, in the historical Mansion House, where they will then take part in the medieval custom by visiting the cities alehouses to ensure it is palatable.

Throughout the years, this has become a key charity event in York and involves two separate routes around city centre alehouses. In the weeks leading up to the event money is raised by publicans selling squares on a map of the city. A lucky square is then drawn in each pub on the day of the Assize, with half the money going to the winner and half to the charities.

People can get involved by buying the squares in the participating pubs, joining in on the day (medieval dress is traditional) or simply making donations.

There is also a medieval feast at Bedern Hall in the evening, with ale provided by York Brewery.

Money raised from the event will be donated towards the Lord Mayor, Sheriff and Guild Master’s charities, this year SSAFA Forces Help, Special Olympics City of York and York and District Citizens Advice Bureau.

The Guild has been traced back to 1487 and regulated lawyers, scribes and others in the City.

The eyesore former school buildings on Windsor Garth may be with us for a few more months.

We understand that bats have been found roosting in part of the building. They will have to be relocated before demolition can begin.

The expectation is that a planning application will be submitted shortly by the owners who anticipate that housing will be built on the site.

Given the availability of increasing numbers of housing sites in the City, and the fact that mortgages are still difficult to come by, we doubt whether building work will start during the next 12 months.

In the meantime residents will expect the site to be kept tidy and secure

Families can enjoy a full day of medieval fun this Saturday (11 August) as part of the Medieval Summer and York 800.

York’s Merchant Adventurers’ Hall will play host to a range of activities from 10:30 – 4:30, including juggling, comic performances, games, crafts and have-a-go battle drills for children with the Wars of the Roses Federation.

Visitors can also meet experts from the York Archaeological Trust, come face to face with characters from the middle ages, witness amazing birds of prey and enjoy music played by the wandering minstrel.

Tickets cost £6 per adult, £4 per child or £12 for a family of three, £18 family of four £22 family of five and a ticket includes access to the entire site for the whole day.

To pre-book call 01904 615505.

City of York Council will be carrying out essential resurfacing works on Heslington Road from Monday 13th August.

The programme of works is due to take two-weeks to complete, working Monday to Friday between 9.15 am and 4pm. (more…)

Residents will be able to see the Paralympic torch arriving in Westfield Ward on 24th August as part of a national relay in the run up to the start of the Games on 29th August.

At around 3pm it will arrive at Acomb Explore Library by bus with the Lord Mayor and Civic Party and will then be cycled to Energise.

Paralympic Organisers were so impressed with the work done at Energise, to make it inclusive for all, that they wanted the centre to be part of the torch relay (and therefore York is one of the few places in the country to see both the Olympic and Paralympic torches).

More details available here http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/torch-relay/ & http://www.york.gov.uk/content/leisure/sport/yorkgold/celebratingabilityday2012.pdf