£19,000 was allocated to be spent during the last financial year by the Council in “deprived” wards.

The Council’s web site describes the fund as being;

“ designed to be used to commission new services, either from within the Council or from other partners / sectors, to deliver on priorities identified in wards with the highest levels of deprivation. In line with the Financial Inclusion Strategy the credits pot has been distributed to Acomb, Clifton, Heworth, Hull Road and Westfield to supplement the ward budgets”.

No one has any idea what this money was spent on.

No residents were consulted about its use.

The Council is likely to abandon today one of the key opportunities available for local residents to influence their communities.

Ward Committee meetings are likely to be consigned to history. Instead residents who wish to question the Councils policies at local level will have only an annual forum meeting to attend.

Vandalised cycle stands in Front Street

The agendas for these meetings will not have a “have your say” section. As a result resident participation will be so restricted it is unlikely that anyone will bother to attend.

Although ward committee meeting attendance numbers have varied, the election of Labour Councillors in some wards has led a bizarre range of meeting times and venues – more or less guaranteeing that there would be low participation levels. The next meeting in the Westfield ward for example is scheduled for a 10:00am start. The last meeting took place nearly 6 months ago on a Thursday afternoon.

Litter in local snickets

The lack of meetings is likely to be of less concern than the loss of the Ward Committee budgets which were used to address priorities voted on by local residents. The annual ballot has been scrapped. A very small budget (only 15% of the amount budgeted in 2010) will be available although it will be allocated by local Councillors without a ballot of residents views.

Rather than being spent directly on tangible improvements (such as off street car parking) “local voluntary groups” will be commissioned to do the work. If there are no local bodies with the skills or capacity to complete projects then they simply won’t get done.

There are hidden threats in the new process. The Council talks about local groups “taking on” local assets. This means the Council abandoning its responsibilities and handing community centres and other public facilities over to local volunteers. It is a cost cutting exercise, which is likely to result in the closure of facilities.

The decision to scrap ward committees is due to be taken at a meeting later today

Overgrown hedges ignored by Council

The new process involves a refresh of “community contracts” which have been in place in York for the last 15 years. They are largely anodyne documents which are too inflexible to address the real concerns of local residents. They notably fail to include objective measures by which service quality and performance can be judged.

Ironically, a separate Council committee also meets this week called the “community engagement task group”.

Set up to consider ways of involving residents in the democratic process, its interim report praises the participation of residents in setting local budgets

Ironically it is that resident participation which is now being jettisoned by the Council’s “Cabinet”

The 20 mph propaganda web site run by the Council is still claiming that west York will be covered by the new 20 mph limit “by the end of the 2012/13(financial) year”.

Well it hasn’t happened…….. fortunately.

Most residents still haven’t been consulted on the plan which could see £600,000 wasted on an unnecessary array of 20 mph signs on roads where speeds are already less than that limit.

The latest monthly house price monitor in west York (YO24 postcode area) reveals house prices stable, although there are still some bargains to be found.

Property recently sold

The average property price for homes in the YO24 3 area has been £174,000 over the last 3 months. Notable sales include a 3 bedroomed property on Thoresby Road for £135,500, a 4 Bedroomed property on Foxwood Lane for £127,500 and a 1 bedroomed detached bungalow on Lowfields Drive for £107,000.

A 4 bedroomed property on Oldman Court sold for only £116,000.

An attractive 3 bedroomed bungalow on Otterwood Lane fetched £162,000 in late January. Lowest recorded price was for a flat on Green Lane which sold for a bargain £70,000 in January.

A flat in Vyner House in Front Street fetched £85,000. At the other end of the scale a large 3 bedroomed home in Moor gate sold for £315,000 in February.

2 bedroomed terraced properties in the Gladstone Street area are selling for around £134,000.

In Dringhouses and Woodthorpe a 4 bedroomed property in Alness Drive sold for £240,000 while one in Glaisdale fetched £271,000. A 3 bed modern terrace in Kensington Court sold for £280,000. A 2 bedroomed older terrace in Trentfield Court attracted a £135,000 sale price.

Property for sale

Properties recently coming onto the market include

• a 2 Bed semi detached bungalow in Wordsworth Crescent at £155,000,

Bungalow on Wordsworth Cres listed for £155,000

• a 2 bed semi in Gower Road for £152,950,

• a 3 bed semi in Linnet Way for £77,500 (Shared ownership)

• £103,000 buys a 1 bed apartment in Silverdale Court

• A 3 bed semi in Tithe Close is yours for £149,950

• £129,500 buys a 2 bed terrace on Gale Lane

Property for rent

Property made available for rent over the last couple of weeks includes:

Lingfield Cres available to rent for £1200 pcm

• 1 bed flat in Lindley Street for £625 per calendar month (pcm)

• 4 bed detached in Green Lane for £895 pcm

• A 3 bed terrace on Slessor Road is available for £675 pcm

• Renting a 4 bed detached on Lingfield Crescent could cost as much as £1200 pcm

• Only £650pcm is being asked for a 2 bed flat at Shelley House

• A nice 3 bed bungalow in Huntsman’s Walk is available for £695 pcm

Hopes that the number of affordable homes provided in York during the 2012/13 financial year would show an increase over previous years have been dashed.

Latest figures, provided by the Labour Council’s spokesperson on Thursday, confirm an outturn of 120 additional affordable homes for the year.

This is the lowest number for 6 years.

Next year things are set to get even worse. The outturn could be as few as 90 units.

Under the last Labour Government Council house building reached a, post second world war, low.

Of these, only 33 are contributions from section 106 agreements (where a builder is required by the terms of a planning permission to provide a proportion of a development for low cost purchase or rent).

Meanwhile both Housing Associations and the private sector seem to be cutting the number of homes that they intend to build on sites which already have planning permission

The Rowntree development at Derwenthorpe (Osbaldwick) will now have 51 units less than was originally intended.

At Germany Beck (Fulford) the latest “reserved matters” planning application is for 655 dwellings. The original planning consent was for 720 dwellings.

Both decisions are likely impact on the number of affordable units which will be provided at each site.

Click the following links to read more

See also Housing completions still falling

Waiting list continues to grow

New homes fail to materialise

Pedestrian safety railings, installed more than 20 years ago at the Acomb Road/Poppleton Road junction, have been stolen.

The railings discouraged children, leaving nearby shops and amenities, from running onto the road. A pedestrian crossing phase at the lights was also provided.

Prior to their introduction, the narrow pavement had posed an accident risk given the large volume of vehicles using the junction. The railings offerred some protection for pedestrians when there were “rear end shunts” at the traffic lights.

No doubt local Councillors will have alerted the Police about the activities of metal thieves in the area. Local residents have already started to write to the local newspaper highlighting the crime.

Residents are urged to watch out for similar activities in other parts of the City.

We understand that the incident is not connected with the removal of “street clutter” programme which is focused on the City centre.

NB. Scrap metal prices for cast iron and steel are currently 16p per kilo

The Ugly Duckling By Le Petit Artiste Theatre

Follow the Ugly Duckling’s unforgettable trip down the river, with masks, puppets and live music.
DATE: Thu 4, Fri 5 and Tue 9 Apr
TIME: 2.30pm to 3.15pm (Thu and Fri) and 11am to 11.45am (Tue)
VENUE: Explore York (Thu and Fri) and Explore Acomb (Tue)
Cost: Free
Come and enjoy Le Petit Artiste’s unique retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale The Ugly Duckling and follow the duckling’s unforgettable trip down the river, with masks, puppets and live music. For age 4 and over.

Free tickets are available from Explore York Library (01904) 552828 or email exploreyork@york.gov.uk

Greener buses for York? – “Don’t know” answer by responsible York Councillor adds to confusion

Cllr Dave Merrett was unable to say whether a bid to the Green Bus Fund had been lodged by York before last Tuesday’s deadline.

Answering a question at last nights Council meeting the Cabinet member for Transport was reminded that he had promised at a meeting held on 10th December that the City would seek a share of the governments £12 million green bus fund.

Para 7 of the minutes of a bus partnership meeting said,

“CYC have commissioned ARUP to undertake a Green Bus Study with two objectives:
• To outline timescales for and a route to deliver zero emission buses in York
• To deliver a successful Green Bus Fund bid for York, with a submission date of 26th March 2013”.

Cllr Merrett appeared unsure whether the bid had actually been sent in and tried to imply that the responsibility rested with First buses.

He was also unable to say how much the ARUP consultancy work had cost taxpayers.

The original Council question had asked what consultation with residents had taken place on the content of the bid.

It now appears that the responsible Cabinet member himself had been kept in the dark about the progress being made. Either that or he wasn’t letting on about his complicity in the shambles.

Obviously a highly unsatisfactory state of affairs.

In a separate debate, Cllr Merrett continued to claim that sales of ”All York” bus tickets could not be publicised “for reasons of commercial sensitivity” ….. and this despite the public minutes of the 10th December meeting claimed that there had been 10000 sales in the first quarter!

Later Council Leader Alexander “tweeted” York Central Liberal Democrats to claim that the sales figures weren’t “secret”.

So we’ll wait and see whether the Council now publishes any information.

York is affirming its position as one of the safest cycling cities in the UK with plans to introduce a major new cycle route in the north of the city.

Proposed cycle path. Click to enlarge

Supported by North Yorkshire Police and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the scheme proposes to introduce a safe off-road shared cycle and pedestrian route along the A1237 outer ring road, between the Haxby Road roundabout and the B1363 Wigginton Road roundabout, connecting over 15,000 people living in this area of York.

The proposed measures also include new crossing links with Haxby Road on both sides of the roundabout, a new bridge over the York to Scarborough railway line with approach ramps on the existing embankments and an additional crossing point on Wigginton Road to safely connect with Clifton Moor.

The provision of an off-road route/safe link opens up access (sustainably, via cycling and/or walking) between Haxby, Strensall, Huntington, Earswick, New Earswick and to the retail, leisure and employment destination of Clifton Moor as well as students attending Joseph Rowntree School.

The new cycle route has been made possible by £4.6 million of government funding.

Residents can find out more about the proposed new cycle route by visiting www.york.gov.uk/haxbytocliftonmoor to view the proposals and to complete a short survey regarding the scheme. The council is particularly keen to obtain the views of any potential users of the route. All responses should be returned by Friday 17 May.

Background information can be found by clicking here

Alternatively, residents can attend the following Ward Committee meetings at:
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