A recent Shelter report on house rental levels, which suggested that prices in York were the highest in the region, has been seized upon by some Labour spokespeople as a rod with which to beat the government.
In reality they are trying to draw attention away from their threadbare local polices on housing.
They inherited from the last LibDem administration a level of homelessness in the City which was much improved from 2003. The provision of additional social housing units, including the first new Councils homes to be built in the city for 20 years, had played a part in dealing with this serious issue

The current controversy centres around the rent levels charged by private landlords. These have been restrained for several years by the maximum level of Housing Benefit (Local Housing Allowance) that can be paid. The maximum subsidy payable by the government is limited with the precise level dependant on local market conditions.
In 2010 the new Coalition government indicated that there would be a ceiling put on the maximum allowance payable for a property. The weekly maxima were:
• £250 a week for a one bedroom property (including shared accommodation)
• £290 a week for a two bedroom property
• £340 a week for a three bedroom property
• £400 a week for a four bedroom property
Average rent levels in York fall far below these limits. The government (correctly) argued that taxpayers should not have to, in effect, subsidise private landowners who could be raking in huge profits by exploiting local housing shortages.
For many years, there has been a maximum that the government would pay depending on family circumstances. Taking as an example a couple with 2 children who would be entitled to claim for a 3 bedroomed house. The maximum entitlement in York would be 137.31 per week. This is the same as in the Leeds area while the neighbouring Harrogate area is higher at £155.77 a week. Few families qualify for the full allowance.
The allowance is set by sampling the rent levels in the area. 655 rents levels were sampled in York. Prices ranged from around £100 to £200 per week. The rent levels were slightly higher in Harrogate.
There may be a case for updating these figures although professionals say there has been little change in rent levels for most types of properties in most areas of the City over the last couple of years. One exception is for properties near the Universities where rent levels of £90 per week for a single room in a shared house have been reported (a rip off which does require some action by local MPs)
A claim is being made is that York rental levels are now comparable with those found in London. This is nonsense with average rents in much of the capital being over £300 a week for 3 bedroomed properties. However rent levels in York now seem to be on a par with Harrogate.
In York at the moment the cheapest 3 bedroomed house available to rent is advertised at £156 per week (a house in Nursery Drive). So a family with a (very) low income would have to find £20 a week to rent this property.
In Harrogate a 3 bedroomed terraced house is advertised with a similar £156 price tag.
The real solution to the housing problems faced by those on low incomes is to increase the supply of social housing. Over 200 additional homes for rent were provided by the Council and Housing Associations in the City last year.
Typically the weekly rent on a 3 bedroomed Council House these days in York is around £80.
All Council homes had been modernised by the time that the Liberal Democrats left office locally in May.
NB. Brand new 2 bedroomed bungalows on Cornlands Road are available for private rent for £650 a month.

I see that Joe Riches is still claiming on the local Labour web site that he lives in his Holgate Ward in Stamford Street. A few weeks ago he rang me to say that he had moved into the Westfield Ward. Seems that he doesn’t intend to tell his colleagues about the change?
& thanks to the anonymous resident who tipped us off about the Labour Councillor who apparently appeared on the electoral register at two different addresses (in different wards) in April. This is being investigated.

A new access to the Grange Lane Park has been created… only 5 metres from the existing gap in the hedge.
The existing access has been in use for over 20 years and has gradually been improved over the years with a bitmaced access path laid, poop scoop bin provided and gate installed to deter motorcyclists.
The new access is marked by two wooden posts and an expensive “public footpath” sign both constructed out of the kind of timber that usually becomes popular around 5th November.
The area immediately inside the hedge has been declared a site of scientific interest following rare flora being found there. Breaks in hedge lines are also discouraged by conservationists as they interrupt the migration routes of small mammals.
However, none of thus seems to have been taken into account by the Council who failed to consult local residents about their plans.
It is possible that the Public Right of Way needed to be diverted to conform with the arcane 19th century footpath maps that some officials find compelling. But the cost of doing that – no one would be likely to object – would be a couple of hundred pounds rather than the £3000+ which the current scheme will add the taxpayers bills.
The Council should publish their intentions to undertake work like this in their “Your Ward” publication. That way some common sense might be injected into the process.

Labour have confirmed their threat to close the Councils Acomb branch office. Currently located at the Front Street/Carr Lane junction the original plan had been to move the reception functions into a small extension to the Acomb Explore Library (erroneously derided as a “second Council HQ” in Labour’s election literature). Local estate managers and neighbourhood workers would also have been housed there while annual running costs would have been reduced by £60,000 compared to continuing the present arrangements.
Now the Labour leadership have agreed to give up the lease on the existing building next year, despite even their own surveys revealing that over 80% of Acomb customers wanted to have local face to face contact with Council officials.
Users now face a trek to the new Council offices in Station Rise adding to the congestion problems in the City. Disabled residents would face a particularly difficult journey.
In response Labour Councillors claim that people will use the internet to access Council services in the future. We will see.
Some interview session may be provided within the limited accommodation at Explore and at the Hob Moor children’s centre but they are unlikely to provide a satisfactory response particularly for urgent or complex issues.
We suspect that this is only the first part of an attack on the public service standards enjoyed by residents of Acomb. Labour have threatened to close the public toilets on Front Street
…and as recently as the beginning of September one Labour Councillor criticised the Front Street shopping area as being “quiet” with lots of empty property. She went on to tell The Press, “It’s disappointing when people lose vital services they rely on. ……….. because not everybody has the internet or a car”
Indeed!

October – December 2011