Date: Wed 24 Sept
Time: 6.30pm – 7.45pm
Venue: Explore Acomb Library
Cost: Free
Meet Tom Harper as he brings 2014’s Big City Read to a close.
More.
Date: Wed 24 Sept
Time: 6.30pm – 7.45pm
Venue: Explore Acomb Library
Cost: Free
Meet Tom Harper as he brings 2014’s Big City Read to a close.
More.
The exchange of Emails can be viewed by clicking here and here
The project cost £600,000 to implement
The correspondence includes a request from Cllr Anna Semlyen for the use of a police radar speed gun (!)
This was the same Labour Councillor who argued that 20 mph speed limits should be introduced without consultation with residents.
Residents responding to our door to door survey told us that they were concerned about the amount of dog fouling in their area.
Overall 35% of respondents said it was an issue in their street.
Now a Freedom of information request has revealed that very little is being done by the Council to enforce dog fouling laws. The number of dog fouling fixed penalty notices issued have been:
2009 – 2010 2 issued
2010 – 2011 0 issued
2011 – 2012 0 issued
2012 – 2013 1 issued
2013 – 2014 2 issued
This seems very low to us.
Oliver House – the former old people’s home in Bishophill – is still standing empty.
It has now been empty for 30 months following the closure of the home in April 2012.
A sale would mean that, not only will the Council no longer be responsible for the £30,000 annual maintenance and rates costs, but a substantial capital receipt of over £500,000 could be expected.
In December 2013, the Council finally decided to put the property on the market. With the recession easing it was expected that the prime site would quickly be snapped up by housing developers.
However we understand that it could be another month before offers are finally invited.
Meanwhile the Councils decision to cease the mid day meal services for residents living in some of its sheltered housing units continues to attract criticism.
The council says that it needs to save £50,000 a year on the service.
It seems that it has a ready solution to its budget problems.
However, prompt action is now needed.
The annual report into satisfaction with York Council services has shown some growing concerns amongst York Council tenants.
The report was considered at yet another behind closed doors meeting last week
While on most activities performance has been consistent over the years there are areas of growing concern.
The biggest concern remains the condition of local estates with tenants increasingly critical of the appearance and state of repair of local neighbourhood and communal areas.
Garage areas are poorly maintained, many verges are damaged and gutters are overgrown with weeds.
The Council is apparently going to appoint a private contractor to clean the communal areas of flats leaving the estate workers to concentrate on litter removal and general maintenance. Tenant satisfaction with garden care (also contracted to the private sector) has attracted many complaints this year.
However, overall, there was some good news for the Council with 87% saying they were satisfied with the service provide down only 1% from the previous year,
Date: Tue 23 Sept
Time: 8.00pm – 10.30pm
Venue: York Barbican
Cost: £22.50
Jason is back with a wealth of comedy anecdotes, comic misunderstandings and audience banter delivered with his trademark likeable charm and teasingly intelligent wit.
A report published after a “behind closed doors” meeting held last week revealed that only 50 affordable homes were built in the City last year.
This is down from the 282 built during the last year of the Liberal Democrat led Council administration in 2010/2011.
It compares to the annual target of 790 new homes adopted by Labour Councillors following a “strategic market assessment”.
On average, 150 affordable homes had been built annually during the pervious 5 years.
Alarmingly the number of new affordable homes being added by the Council is now less than the number of Council houses being sold under “Right to Buy” legislation
Year |
RTB Applications | RTB Sales |
11/12 |
20 | 6 |
12/13 | 88 |
23 |
13/14 | 77 |
53 |
The Council has failed to invest the income from RTB sales effectively
The Council has also failed to use its substantial £12.86 million housing surplus to buy empty homes on the open market, and resolutely refuses to use the “New Homes Bonus” (money provided by the government to recognise house building success) on affordable homes.
The only crumb of comfort was that – in line with the rest of the country – the total number of planning applications for new homes rose from 370 units in 2012 to 1578 last year, although a significant proportion of these were for specialist student flats.
From 1st October 2014, Sergeant Jackie Coultous will take over responsibility from Tim Craven..
#ff @foxwoodra recruiting for #FoxwoodChallenge 20-22 Oct. Deadline 24 Sept. Contact info@yorkcares.co.uk for more info
— York Cares (@YorkCares) September 19, 2014