Date:Fri 20 June – Sun 29 June
Time:Various
Venue:Across York but focused in Parliament Street
Cost:Free entry to the market, some special events will be charged for.
The annual Festival of Food and Drink returns to refresh parts you never knew needed it. Beer, and burgers, cheese and chardonnay what ever tickles you taste buds you will find it here.
Date:Fri 20, Sat 21 June and Fri 4 July
Time:Various
Venue:Rowntree Park
Cost:Free
An outdoor show for everyone celebrating our love affair with life on two wheels. Scripted by award winning playwright Mike Kenny from your bike stories
City of York Council’s staff choir will be touring council residential homes in York to celebrate the Grand Départ with a good sing with residents.
Cansing! is make up of council staff who enjoy making music, and some 20 choir members will give their time to visit City of York Council’s residential homes at Willow House, Woolnough House and Grove House on Saturday 28 June. They’ll sing a variety of songs to give residents a taste of the build-up to the Tour de France coming to York on 6 July.
Ted Schofield, chair of the choir, said: “We sang at Willow House before Christmas which went down really well with the residents. It gave us the idea of taking part in York: Be Part of It and bringing old favourites like ‘Daisy, Daisy’ and other cycle-themed songs to bring a flavour of the tour to these communities.”
Cansing! was founded in 2010 and has sung in York Minster, on BBC Radio York, at York Carnival as well as in their own concerts.The choir can be heard rehearsing every Thursday lunchtime in St Helen’s Church, St Helen’s Square, York.
Following yesterdays revelations, that senior officials have left York Social Services Department, an Auditors report has provided further information on the background to the developing crisis.
Auditors Mazars, in a report to the Councils Audit and Governance committee next week, include the following paragraph
| Risks in relation to Adult Social Care services |
| Description of the risksAdult social care is identified as one of the highest priorities within the Council’s service transformation programme. During the audit, we have become concerned at the lack of progress in making improvements to budget management and other aspects of adult social care services.
The development of the Better Care Fund provides a major challenge but also a significant opportunity for the Council and CCG to work together to increase investment in much needed intermediate and preventative care. We are concerned that the lack of progress in delivering service improvement, together with the challenges of the Better Care Fund and the new Care Act, mean that the Council is at risk of failing to deliver good value for money in adult social care services and the best outcomes for local people. |
They go on to say “We are working closely with officers to understand the barriers to progress and how they can best be addressed. The Chief Executive has recognised that insufficient progress has been made and has instituted an accelerated recovery and improvement process, working closely with the Director of Health and Wellbeing. We continue to review the Council’s arrangements to secure VFM in its use of resources. This has included reviewing the Council’s key plans and the delivery of those plans, and its financial arrangements, as well as considering the data in VFM profiles”.
Social care costs account for the major part of Council budget expenditure.
If good value for money is not being achieved – and it appears that it isn’t with an overspend last year and a similar situation developing this year – then the whole Council budget is in jeopardy.
That could have a knock on effect on the quality of a wide range of public services provided in the City and on the level of Council Tax which will be levied in future years.
No doubt the Audit Committee will be requiring the attendance of the Cabinet members (Simpson Laing & Cunningham Cross), who have presided over this crisis, to attend their meeting and account for their actions.
In its Tax demand – sent ot all households in the City in March – the Council said
“The city’s demand for adult social care services is increasing at such a rate that by 2019/20 adult care costs are expected to account for 50 per cent of the council’s net budget. The council is investing a further £2.5m for adult care services in 2014/15, to ensure York’s most vulnerable residents are taken care of.
In 2014/15 the council will pay for approximately half the adult care cost increases through an increase in Council Tax, of 1.9 per cent, an average of 37 pence per household, per week”.
An internal review has identified several failings in the way that the York Council takes decisions and makes information available to members of the public.
The report is being presented to a meeting next week. Curiously – given the nature of the subject – the full report has not been published
The audit revealed that “that there is not a consistent understanding across the organisation as to who can take key decisions”.
The audit noted that “the forward plan did not make it clear whether a Cabinet Member intended to hold a public decision making session”.
“A number of Ward meeting minutes were not available on modgov (a Council web site system) when the audit was undertaken”.
The report concludes by saying
“The remaining recommendations related to the wider Council’s use of technology and social media and the use of the website to ensure openness and transparency. Those issues are being explored within the rewiring programme and recently the city’s residents have been invited to participate in the development of a new website and the creation of an open data web portal”.
Over 800 residents living in Upper Poppleton are set to benefit from a new trial enabling them to recycle other types of plastic packaging for the first time.
From 20 June until 29 August residents in Upper Poppleton will be able to recycle plastics including yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and fruit trays along with the usual plastic bottles and tin cans.
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Following the sacking of the responsible Cabinet member (Cllr Simpson Laing) a few weeks ago we understand other changes are afoot in the York Councils Health and Social Care Department.
The Department has been struggling to manage its budget during the last 3 years and now we understand that two senior managers are leaving the Authority.
No doubt the Councils auditors will be taking an interest in the behind the scenes activities but it is a shame that the Councils “scrutiny” process has proved to be so ineffective.
It is there that problems of this sort should be nipped in the bud.
Hopefully the more vulnerable of York’s residents will not be the real victims of this emerging scandal.
Not amused!
The York Council has been criticised for failing to secure West Bank Park at night.
Along with some other parks across the City, the Council discontinued its routine of locking the park a few months ago.
Bowling greens
Some residents say that there has been a decline in standards in the park as a result with one volunteer claiming to have cleaned up “used condoms” and beer cans from the park area.
Generally West Bank Park has been well respected by residents and visitors alike.
It has an active group of “friends” and last week a meeting heard plans which could lead to local residents taking responsibility for managing the park.
Signs vandalised
Ironically ,locking and unlocking the park’s four access gates may be something that could be done by volunteers.
As with the Councils plans to offload community centres and libraries – the reality may come home in a few years time when volunteers may tire of the added responsibilities.
Some of the furniture in the park is looking a little “tired” now and in need of cleaning and repainting.
The bowling greens – which are protected only by one metre high railings – are immaculate.
One resident commented,
“Within the park, I’ve also noticed an increase in litter and vandalism.
Summer Fayre planned
The children’s play area has been daubed with graffiti, the railings around the bowling green have been kicked in, there is graffiti on trees and one of the notice boards has been damaged with paint.
I’ve also seen rough-sleepers emerging from the park, drink in hand, on some mornings”.
We understand that Holgate Ward Labour Councillors have not responded to the complaints
Long queues have developed on several routes in the north west of York.
click map for real time update
Roads affected include the A1237, Water End, Poppleton Road and Holgate Road.
In the main the problems have been caused by road works at the A59 junction together with highway repairs on Leeman Road (which is closed)
A shuttle bus service is in operation
Free shuttle bus
A free shuttle bus will run hourly between Station Road, Salisbury Road and back to Station Road.
Buses will run on a limited-stop basis, serving stops at:
Connections to/from Services 5/5A
Customers using the shuttle bus can change to and from buses on services 5/5A at the Poppleton Road Primary School stops.
No left turn into Carr Lane from Boroughbridge Road from 09:15hrs 18th June due to emergency gas works.
— York Travel (@york_travel) June 17, 2014