City of York Council, Askham Bryan College and York College have secured over £400,000 to support young people with learning difficulties and disabilities after successfully bidding for Department for Education (DfE) funding.

The DfE announced an opportunity to bid against £40m in April to offer funding to support Local Authorities and involve funded providers of post 16 education and training, to whom the capital funding will be transferred directly.

City of York Council has secured £36,200 (and £100,000 council capital spend which was approved at budget Full Council), to create a new learning space and additional places within a new Autism Hub. It is hoped the hub will be placed within the former Oliver House elderly people’s home, which is set to be a new Health and Social Care Hub.

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City of York Council has prosecuted the parent of four children, aged 10, 11, 14 and 16, who failed to attend school regularly

York Magistrates Court heard (on 28 June) that the youngest child, aged 10, who is registered at a primary school in the city, had failed to attend on 21 out of a possible 142 occasions between October 2011 and February 2012.

The child had an absence rate of over 15 per cent which compares to the city average in primary schools of less than five per cent.

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For more information on events in York please visit the following web sites
1. Minster http://www.yorkminster.org/calendar/ or tel. 0844 939 0015
2. York Theatre Royal https://www.yorktheatreroyal.purchase-tickets-online.co.uk/public tel (01904) 623568
3. York Barbican http://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk tel. 0844 854 2757
4. Grand Opera House http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york/ tel. 0844 847 2322
5. Visit York http://www.visityork.org tel. 01904 550099
6. Yortime www.yortime.org.uk
7. Early Music Centre http://www.ncem.co.uk/?idno=152 tel. 01904 658338

• GymFusion 1st July Sun 2:30pm Barbican

• Bootham Stray allotments 1st July Sun 12:30pm Bootham Allotments

• Michael McIntyre 2nd/4th July Mon/Wed Grand Opera House

• ‘Learning 4 everyone’ Ongoing Various
Sign up for your Adult Education Course The Autumn 2012 Adult Learning Brochure is now available and you’ll find a huge range of courses to both excite and enthuse you. There are lots of new courses, particularly one day courses, along with many old favourites, so don’t delay, choose your course and book a place via our online booking system. http://www.yorkaded.org.uk/books/autumn_2012_ad_ed_brochure/

• The Glory of York 3 July/2nd Sept Blue Tree Gallery www.giulianalazzerini.com/bluetreegallery

• Shift Happens iV 5th July Thurs 10:00am Theatre Royal

• Hitchhikers Guide 5th July Thurs Grand Opera House

• Early Music Festival 6th/14th July Early Music Centre & various http://www.ncem.co.uk/?idno=228

• The sixteen 6th July 19:30 Minster

• Perform with a Vengence 7th July Sat Grand Opera House

• Making your heart a healthier heart! 7th July Sat 09:30 St Johns University

• Music Festival York800 7th July Sat Parliament Street www.mormusic.co.uk

• Meet the King 7/8 July Sat/Sun 11:00am Cliffords Tower www.english-heritage.org.uk

• Festival of the Rivers 7th/22nd July Ouse

• River Song 7th July Sat 1300 Tower Gardens, Queen’s Staith and Kings Staith To launch Festival of the Rivers 2012 and York 800 Charter Weekend, York’s first Flotilla will grace the River Ouse. Powered and unpowered craft will form a spectacle as never seen before in the heart of the City.

• Dragon Boar race 8th July Sun Ouse

• Ebor Vox 9th July Mon Eye of York 800 years to the day since York was granted its City Charter by King John. Evening: Climax of Ebor Vox at the Eye of York, featuring York choirs singing across the city. Unveiling of York800 schools tapestry

• A medieval mystery revealed 10th July Tuesday Bedern Hall

• Bouncing back to netball 10th July Tuesday York Uni sports centre

• Roy Chubby Brown 12th July Thurs Grand Opera House

• Medals & Murders 12th July Thurs Dringhouses Library Rosemary Cook, author of ‘The Nightingale Shore Murder’ talks about the unsolved murder of Florence Shore in 1920 – and family history research, true crime and self-publishing

• I Fagiolini 12th July Thurs 8:30 & 10:15 pm Minster

• Crafts Market 12/15th July Thurs Parliament Street

• Race meeting 13th July Racecourse

• Lord Mayors procession 14th July Sat City Walls www.yorkwalls.org.uk

• Tour of Minster Close 14th July Sat Minster Close www.yayas.free-online.co.uk

• Big Band Dance night 14th July Sat Theatre Royal (De Grey Rooms)

• Immortal Attitude 14th July Sat Grand Opera House

• Summer Fair 14th July Sat 2:00pm Rowntree Park

• York Maze 14 July/8th Sept York Maze

• Drake’s Eboracum 15th July Sun Mansion House www.mansionhouseyork.com

• Showtime 2012 15th July Sun Grand Opera House

• Summer Holiday Fun 21st July/2nd Sept Railway Museum

• Go Royal at Cliffords Tower 21st Jul – 2nd Sept Cliffords Tower

• Beautiful butterflies 21st & 28th July Sat West Bank Park/ Clifton Backies

• The York “Bayers” Tapestry 23/24 July Mon/Tues Explore York Library

• Big Read with Susanna Gregory 25th July Wed 7:00pm Explore York Library visit http://t.co/lLc1TMtQ for full brochure

• Race meeting & musical showcase 27th/28th July Racecourse. Four of the most famous names in music from the 1980’s are set to perform on Friday evening July 27th. Tony Hadley who first achieved international success with Spandau Ballet, Marc Almond, the Sheffield band ABC and Altered Images will each perform following racing. It promises to be a fun filled 48 hours for racing and music fans as the following day popstars turned reality TV stars, McFly will perform

• Josef Miltshitzsky, Royal Recital 28th July Sat 7:00pm Minster

• York Mystery Plays 2nd – 27th August York Museum Gardens In summer 2012 this bold and dynamic new production sees the plays return to York Museum Gardens, for the first time on this scale since 1988. A 1400 seat bespoke theatre is being built around the ancient walls of St Mary’s Abbey to house this international event, which celebrates the York 800 City charter birthday and the Cultural Olympiad. http://www.yorkmysteryplays-2012.com/

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Award-winning author Rosemary Cook will be talking about her book, The Nightingale Shore Murder, which tells the true story of the unsolved murder of Florence Nightingale Shore.

Miss Shore was a Queen’s (district) Nurse, as well as an army nurse like her godmother Florence Nightingale. She went to school in York at Middlethorpe Hall in the 1880s. But in January 1920, someone attacked Florence Shore on the London to Hastings train, and she died of her injuries 4 days later. No-one was ever charged with her murder.

But now there are new suspects and a new and shocking theory. A talk about true crime, family history research and self-publishing.

Thurs 12 July, 7pm to 8.30pm at Dringhouses Library

Tickets available from Dringhouses Library, or ring 01904 552 674, or email dringhouses.library@york.gov.uk

Tickets £2, includes free glass of wine.

Article by LibDem Euro MEP Edward Macmillan-Scott about the Euro zone problems

DAVID Cameron’s warning of “stagnation” at the G20 summit is aimed squarely at eurozone leaders. Europe is in a state of suspended animation as its most significant joint project – the euro – apparently for now continues to create more problems than it solves.
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We understand that Labour Councillors are refusing to support the Capable Guardian neighbourhood policing project which has made a huge contribution to reducing anti social behaviour and other types of crime in the Westfield and Dringhouses areas over the last few years.

The work is now being subsumed into Ward Committee processes which themselves have fallen into disrepute recently following cuts to funding and reductions in the number of meetings held and the number of newsletters issued.

The Capable Guardian Scheme started in 2008 and initially involved voluntary groups, businesses and public bodies like the Police, Council, and the Safer York Partnership. Resources were pooled to address the incidence of nuisance neighbours,

Later the scheme was developed to encompass a wider range of activities and was credited with the sharp fall in crime seen in the area between 2008 and 2011.

The York Council executive has taken the decision to introduce a window of opportunity in which expressions of interest to challenge service provision can be submitted. This will be between 1 March and 30 April each year, starting in 2013.

Challenges received could trigger a decision to procure some services on the open market, paving the way for communities to help shape and run local services for the local community.

Unfortunately, by then, services like Beckfield Lane recycling centre and the Acomb Council office will have been long gone.

It looks like it will be a low key launch tomorrow (Sunday 1st July) for the new “All York” bus ticket. At an introductory price of £4.50 Adult (usually £5.00) and £10.00 Family*, an All York Day ticket allows a day’s unlimited travel on most operators’ services for journeys wholly within the City of York area.

Most operators are now showing the new ticket option on their web sites. For example, information from First confirms the discount introductory offer of £4-50 will apply until the end of August and the ticket will be valid on Park and Ride Services. A weekly ticket will be available from the autumn. http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/york/tickets/all_york

There are still questions to be answered about the costs of the scheme which may affect the fare for about 4% of bus journeys made in the City.

The Councils web site also contains the following details.
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North Yorkshire Police will open the recruitment process for the Special Constabulary on Monday 2 July 2012.

See http://tinyurl.com/York-Special-Constable

The campaign launches as those who were recruited last year draw near to the completion of their training. The latest attestation ceremony took place at York Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 27 June 2012, when 15 new special constables were sworn in. (more…)

A new piece of equipment which will reduce the amount of time police spend at the scene of collisions is now operational.

Officers have taken delivery of a 3D laser scanner which has the capability to picture the entire collision site, allowing officers to examine the scene back at the station on a computer.

This advance in the technology available to investigating officers means that following collisions police will be able to leave the scene much sooner, resulting in less disruption to the public and fewer diversions. (more…)