The £123 million net budget for public services provided by the York Council is currently funded by Council Taxpayers (60%), central government grant (9%) and Business Rates (31%).
The York Council collects around £88 million in Rates from local businesses and this goes into a national pool. Around £43.2 million is used by central government to subsidise services in less well off areas like Bradford, Hull and Barnsley.
Starting in 2013 York will retain locally generated Business Rates but to will still have to contribute its “surplus” to a central pool. In net terms it will be no worse off than currently is the case.
However, the new rules will allow the City to retain part of any additional income generated by new businesses. This should be to our advantage as we are currently the second fastest growing City in the country.

The Council faces a difficult choice in deciding how it can best present York’s case for 3 new park and ride sites. The project was set to cost around £25.5 million with the Council finding £2.3million of the cost (9%). The largest part of the cost goes on the A59 Poppleton Bar site which also includes a much improved roundabout at theA1237 junction. This will complement the improvements recently opened at the neighbouring A19 junction.
The government has indicated that 45 schemes costing £870 million are currently bidding for a total transport budget of £600 million.
Hence individual bids are being pared down.
Later this week the York Council will have to decide whether to shelve one of the new sites to reduce both the overall costs and the proportion of the total value of the project that the DfT will have to pick up.
They’re considering using part of the £15 million “New Homes Bonus” that the City is projected to get (from the government) over the next 6 years to make the figures stack up.
Alternatively they could borrow money and repay over several years using the £250,000 a year in fares income (surplus) that the Askham Bar and Poppleton Bar services would produce between them. However the costs of borrowing £5 million are £450,000 pa (principal and interest) so this would breech the Labour leaderships “no additional debt” mantra.
Altogether a difficult set of decisions to be made on the 3 options put forward by the Strategy Cabinet member.
& his recommendation? In the published report he says go for option “X”.
Hardly the smack of decisive management.

Residents in the Westfield, Acomb and Heworth Wards have been responding to our survey on Labour’s proposed Citywide 20 mph speed limit.
So far it has been a resounding “thumbs down” for the plan which could cost taxpayers £1 million to implement.
The table shows a summary of the responses so far.

New school
The replacement for Our Lady’s school – being built on Hamilton Drive – is scheduled for completion by the middle of November. We understand the existing building on Windsor Garth will be demolished before the end of April 2012. The long term future of the site has yet to be determined but some housing is likely to be provided there.

The Council have extended the deadline for comments on its plans to replace elderly persons homes in the City to 26th September. A questionnaire can be completed “on line” at http://www.york.gov.uk/consultation
Comments on the City’s plans for conservation if the historic core have to be in by 5th September (same web site).

Separately the Council claims that it is consulting on the future arrangements for access to Council services in Acomb. This is “Council-speak” aimed at covering up their plan to close the Acomb branch office on York Road/Carr Lane. However you won’t find any survey on the Councils web site. Face to face interviews with residents are apparently taking place and “focus” groups are being set up. The consultation ends on 12th September. Needless say it is unclear how local residents can participate in this highly selective “consultation”.
So that every resident can have an opportunity to express their views, we have added a survey question to this web site (see right) and have included it in editions of our Focus newsletter which are currently being distributed.

The first of the new bungalows built on Cornlands Road is now available to rent at £650 per month.
To view this property or request more details, contact Number 1 Letting Ltd, Pontefract
Tel. 0843 313 6638 BT 4p/min

The Council has agreed to spend £1.5 million buying two parcels of land on Poppleton Road. The Council claims that it is in a better position to develop the land than the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) – a government body which would have automatically taken over the ownership of the land, from the defunct Yorkshire Forward organisation, on 19th September.
The Council’s leadership argues that they are in a better position to ensure that the land is developed than the HCA although the debt charges of around £150,000 a year will now fall on York Council taxpayers.
The 1.8 Ha site (A on the plan) is required as a potential access point for a new link into the York Central development on which hopes rest for the provision of additional office jobs and homes over the next decade.
The land has had a chequered history with several changes in ownership prior to Yorkshire Forward (another central government body) adding them to its land bank about 10 years ago. At one point the adjacent CPP company had wanted to expand its operations onto the site.
On site B, the former railway canteen had been slated to be a community centre about a decade ago but that was a project that never got off the ground and the building now appears likely to be demolished.
Whether a Local Authority will be better able to drive forward the York Central project than a central government agency remains to be seen.
But it is a gamble and it is likely to be 5 years before it is clear whether it is one that has been justified. Some evidence in the report considered by Councillors, that discussion with the HCA had taken place, might have provided some reassurance that all options had been considered.