York will be celebrating a national milestone this month, by marking 60-years of the School Crossing Patrol service.

Twenty-two crossing patrol officers will be presented with a commemorative Diamond Jubilee badge and certificate at the event on June 24 at the council’s West Offices.

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York is launching its local dementia action alliance called York Dementia Without Walls on Monday 24 June 2013, at an event held in the council’s new West Offices.

Partners from across the city, including local businesses, community groups, individuals and public services will be gathering at the morning event (9.00 – 12.00) to discuss ongoing work to make York a more dementia friendly community, and plans to inspire continued action and awareness raising.

York is an early adopter of a national pilot recognition scheme for dementia friendly communities, led by the Alzheimer’s Society. Organisations and businesses that sign-up to the values in the recognition scheme and publish the action they are intending to take, will be able to display the recognised dementia friendly logo in their shop or service.

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Today’s Fayre at the Foxwood Community Centre has been a success despite changeable weather.

http://tinyurl.com/Foxwood-Fayre-2013

STOP PRESS UPDATE – North Yorkshire police are warning about bogus bankers who are ringing up elderly people and trying to get their bank account details. Click here http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/11470

The York Council is warning residents to be on their guard after receiving complaints about traders ‘cold calling’ residents, claiming there are problems with these individuals’ Council Tax.

Council officers have been made aware of these new cases just as the York-based Yorkshire and the Humber Trading Standards Group Scambuster team have begun proceedings against five individuals in respect of another alleged Council Tax rebate scam. The first hearing is scheduled for Thursday 27 June 2013 at York Magistrates Court.

This latest scam involves residents being approached and being told that they are entitled to a refund because they are paying too much council tax, while in other cases residents are told that they haven’t paid enough.

Complainants who have received the phone calls say that they were given an appointment and were told that the person who would call at their home would show council identification.

Residents in the YO24 postcode appear to be targeted in particular.

The Council says, “Do not be tempted to call us using a number given to you by the person before you. It’s a well-known trick for scammers to provide a number that goes back to them. Call us on 01904 551550. Do not give any personal information to these callers, especially your banking information.

Anyone who has been contacted in relation to a problem with their council tax is urged to contact the City of York Council’s Trading Standards team via the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) consumer helpline on 08454 040506.

There will be fun for all the family at the Bootham Stray Allotments Open Day on Sunday 23June from 12-2pm

Besides a chance to look round the allotments, there will be a range of stalls including crafts, tombola, raffle, cakes and refreshments, all based at the new community area, a fantastic green space at the heart of the area of new plots created by recent funding.

The open day will showcase the work of the BIG Lottery-funded Fresh Start Project which has transformed Bootham Stray over the last two years. In July 2011 Bootham Stray Allotments Association was awarded a £50,260 grant from the BIG Lottery fund plus an additional £4,530 from the BIG Supporting Change initiative, to rejuvenate the allotments and create a new community area.

The grant has enabled the Allotments Association to make some major improvements to the condition of the allotments. These include making the site more secure with a perimeter fence and hedge as well as improving the drainage by installing new land drains. The grant has also allowed for the creation of 22 extra plots in the area.

Parking on the site (just off Wigginton Road) is very limited so visitors are encouraged to use public transport, walk or cycle. The site can also be accessed from the end of Burton Stone Lane and Burton Green.

The York Council has decided to charge a licence fee of £2700 to Churches who wish to perform Civil Partnership ceremonies. This compares to the actual costs incurred by the Council in issuing the license of around £500.

North Yorkshire charge a £1375 fee.

The licence for secular premises lasts for 3 years; it is the same charge for renewal and review. The couples pay the fee for attendance by the superintendent registrar or registrar.

There are currently 26 secular licensed premises. These are predominantly businesses like hotels who ‘sell’ the ceremony to their customers as part of a ‘wedding package’ thereby making the licensing of these premises a “business” decision rather than an ethical one.

So far there has been one expression of interest from the Quaker Group who wish to offer this service.

The scale of the Council fee makes it unlikely other churches will apply to conduct such ceremonies.

The York Council has confirmed that it received the section 106 contribution towards the costs of building the new Community Stadium and other facilities 4 WEEKS ago.

It is now in the Council’s bank account.

Newts first to buy Knights replica shirts

In total, that is around £15 million.

The Council Leader has claimed that the Councils contribution to the stadium project is capped at £2 million (plus the value of the stadium land).

There has still been no satisfactory explanation from the Council about the delays to the stadium project. It will not be brought into use before the start of the 2016/17 football season.

Meanwhile the Council has handed over £25,000 to the Arts Barge project.

Apparently the barge that they are thinking of buying is now larger than anticipated.

The organisers still have upwards of £200,000 to raise to get the project launched!