Council spending £1/4 million each year clearing fly tipping

Dumping and litter on Tithe Close snicket1400 hours 23rd Aug 2013

The York Council has admitted that it is costing taxpayers £250,000 a year to clear fly tipping in the City.

7 people are employed full time on the task.

They use 3 specialist vehicles.

The Council was heavily criticised last year when it closed the recycling centre in Beckfield Lane.

Residents forecast that fly tipping would increase.

The Council claimed then that the closure would “save” £40,000 a year.

Other contributory factors to the problem with fly tipping can be traced to the decision to stop the provision of mobile skips in some neighbourhoods.

Many litter bins have also been removed, while this winter there will be no green bin collections over a period of nearly 6 months.

The Council has also claimed that it no longer gets any income from the sale of materials returned to Hazel Court for recycling.

Latest Planning applications for Acomb and Westfield Wards

Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Acomb and Westfield wards. Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

Acomb

Ref No: 13/02878/FUL

Location: 15 Lidgett Grove York YO26 5NE

Proposal: Single storey side extension

Applicant: Mr John Atkin Contact: Mr Tim Mann Consultation Expiry Date: 23 September 2013 Case Officer: Carolyn Howarth Expected Decision Level: DEL

Westfield

Ref No: 13/02889/LHE

Location: 112 Wetherby Road Acomb York YO26 5BY

Proposal: Erection of single storey extension extending 4.050 metres beyond the rear wall of the original house, with a height to the eaves of 2.5 metres and a total height of 3.9 metres

Applicant: Mrs Mora Scaife Contact Mr Andy Sykes Consultation Expiry Date 23 September 2013 Case Officer: Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed) Expected Decision DEL

Ref No: 13/02914/FUL

Location: 40 St Stephens Square York YO24 3EJ

Proposal: Single storey rear extension

Applicant: Mr & Mrs Casling Consultation Expiry Date 23 September 2013 Case Officer: Carolyn Howarth Expected Decision Level DEL

Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site. http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.

Local Government Trades Unions – York taxpayers subsidies

Council staff subscriptions to Trades Unions collected by the York Council

Council staff subscriptions to Trades Unions collected by the York Council

Despite the reduction in York Council resources, the number of days off Trades Union representatives are getting is increasing.

The Council is now effectively funding 4 full time officers for UNISON (the union that bankrolled Labour’s last local election campaign).

Council staff have also doubled the subscriptions that they pay into Trades Union accounts.

Ironically, the Labour led Council is outsourcing the provision of public services at a pace much higher than its predecessors.

Look like a winner with Sky Ride – Saturday 14 September

click for more details

click for more details

York cyclists may not have the speed or stamina of winning professional athletes but those signing up to York’s Sky Ride soon will at least have the chance of looking like one.

The first 1000 participants to sign up for the event will be entered into a free prize draw to win a Team Sky jersey signed by 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome and his supporting team. The Sky Ride takes place on Saturday 14 September and numbers are increasing quickly.

The festival takes place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September from 10.30am, finishing at 5pm Saturday and 4pm Sunday. More information can be found at http://www.festivalofcycling.org.uk/

Anyone wanting to sign up for Sky Ride York should go to www.goskyride.com/York

(more…)

Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon 20th Oct 2013

Click for more details

Click for more details

The most exciting new running event to hit the UK in 2013 arrives in Yorkshire! The Yorkshire Marathon takes runners through the City of York and its countryside in the countries biggest marathon
Location: York, Yorkshire

Details http://www.theyorkshiremarathon.com/

The most exciting new running event to hit the UK in 2013 arrives in Yorkshire!

The highly-anticipated Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon takes runners through the City of York and its picture perfect countryside in the county’s biggest marathon to date for this year.

Council House rent arrears up 20% – number of evictions up

The value of Council tenants rent arrears has increased over the last 2 years.

Freedom of information response click to enlarge

Freedom of information response click to enlarge

The amount owed has risen from £622,763 in June 2011 to £741,570 this year.

3159 tenants are now in arrears

The number of evictions for arrears has also doubled (but only to a relatively modest 14)

42 people presented themselves to the Council last year as “homeless”.

23 of them were subsequently accepted by the Council as homeless.

The figures were revealed through a Freedom of Information request.

There is no record of the council having discussed these worrying trends

Showman’s Yard consultations. Council publish response to FOI questions

The Council has published a series of replies to questions asked about how the need for a Showman’s Yard in the City was assessed and what consultations with potential users took place.

Showman's site Wetherby Road Knapton Withdrawn in July

Showman’s site Wetherby Road Knapton Withdrawn in July

The proposal to establish such a site on land between Wetherby Road and Knapton was withdrawn in July.

The documents include internal Emails between Council officials. Significantly they do not include any correspondence from Councillors.

The documents can be found be clicking the following links

Background

Emails about Showman’s Guild meeting

Emails about March meeting

June Emails

The Council has still not indicated how – or even if – it will now seek to accommodate the claimed need for a Showman’s Yard site in the York area.

Nor has it made clear whether it is considering the Wetherby Road Knapton site for allocation as a conventional residential development site in any revised Local Plan.