Make a real difference in your community – become a PCSO

North Yorkshire Police have launched a recruitment campaign for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

The force is looking for community-minded people who want to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods.

Posts are available in locations across the force area and we are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with a desire to work in the Scarborough, Filey and Whitby areas.

North Yorkshire Police has 179 PCSOs currently; this new recruitment campaign is designed to increase this to the full complement of 183 as well as maintain numbers as PCSOs progress their careers or leave the force; in Scarborough there will be a small increase in the number of PCSOs.

For more information about the role of a PCSO and the recruitment and training process, please go to the North Yorkshire Police website www.northyorkshire.police.uk/pcso or call (01609) 789642.

The closing date for applications is Monday 31 December 2012 at 4pm.

(more…)

Christmas and New Year waste and recycling – No collections this week!

City of York Council have issued a statement saying “there will be no household waste, recycling or green bin collections during the week commencing 24 December”.

Bin

“There will also be no waste collections on Tuesday 1 January 2013. Residents expecting a collection on this day will have their waste collected on another day that week.

The council will make every effort to collect waste on the scheduled day but, due to the amount of waste generated at this time of the year, some delays to the schedule may occur. Residents are asked to make full use of the Kerbside recycling service, local recycling banks or the recycling facilities at the household waste sites to prevent unnecessary waste going to landfill.

To prevent a build up of waste, all households will receive an extra collection either the week commencing 17 December or the week commencing 31 December.

Wrapping paper and greetings cards can be recycled in recycling boxes or shared recycling bins and real Christmas trees can be recycled in the green bins as long as it fits inside the bin with the lid closed

Residents are advised to refer to their collection calendars, which were delivered to all households recently, to find out what their collection arrangements are this Christmas”.

Household Waste Recycling Centres will be closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. The sites will be open as usual on all other days for residents to bring their excess festive waste for recycling.

For more information on waste and recycling visit: www.york.gov.uk/environment/waste/ or follow @CityofYork on Twitter

The restricted collections are due to the Council cutting back on overtime payments. We think that the Council is wrong to cancel the New Years Day collections. Anyone with a grumble should ring Cllr David Levene (01904 270068) who is responsible for the decision.

Flooding in York

It seems likely that there will be minor flooding in parts of York over the next 48 hours. However the threat is not as great as seen earlier in the year.

Roads like Skeldergate will be closed.

The shopping centres will be unaffected although the will be pressure on parking spaces in the run up to Christmas. There is a flood warning in place for St Georges field. Use of the Park and Ride service is recommended.

As always the best guide is the web cam on Kings Staith www.farsondigitalwatercams.com/live-webcams/north/Ouse/York/#. If the no entry sign is still above the waterline then there should not be any serious flooding.

Kings Staith web cam 0800 22nd Dec 2012

We’ll provide updates if things deteriorate

The Environment Agencies web site also now has an improved graphical representation of flood threats (above) It can be accessed here: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/142151.aspx

You can check the position at monitoring sites across the County here for the Ouse catchment area tinyurl.com/Ouse-catchment

You can register to receive flood warnings from the Environment Agency here fwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/home

These are the direct links to the Environment Agencies water level monitoring stations for York. They give the current river levels and compare them to historical records. today.

tinyurl.com/Holgate-beck-level

tinyurl.com/York-City-centre-river-level

tinyurl.com/Foss-Barrier-river-level

tinyurl.com/New-Earswick-river-level

tinyurl.com/Skelton-river-levels

Leave lights on for Santa residents urged

Residents in west York are being urged to leave external Christmas lights on as concerns grow that Santa will be unable to find certain streets on Monday night.

Otterwood Lane snicket

Otterwood Lane snicket


A Council official has written to claim that the lighting on the Otterwood Lane – Huntsman’s Walk alley is working correctly “and is an improvement over the old lighting system”.

In reality, the snicket is in total darkness as the lighting unit points towards Huntsmans Walk leaving the pedestrian link unlit.

Front Street still has patches of gloom but it is Burgess Walk that gets the highest rating on the “dim-ometer”. The Council are now saying that they are waiting for the electricity company to connect up a lamppost. It has been unlit for months.

Burgess Walk

Burgess Walk


The Council deny having felled the street lamp on Spurr Court. Who did remains a mystery (but it has gone). The Council say they are “looking into it”. They had better “look” during daylight hours!

Meanwhile at the last Council meeting Cllr “Leftie” Levene, who is responsible for the shambles, assured residents that the new lights that have been installed provide better illumination than those that were replaced(!) He told Councillors that “the original lights may have appeared brighter because the light distribution was not controlled (i.e. shining upwards, sideways, backwards), while the new lights are dark skies compliant and only shine the light where required”.

Spurr Court

Spurr Court


It is actually over a decade since the Council started to introduce “hooded” lights which specifically avoided light pollution (the bain of astronomers). However, the new lights fail to illuminate a wide enough area around the lamppost (which is why the old lamps were designed to shine sideways!)

NB. A temporary floodlight has been fitted to illuminate the steps to Lendal Bridge. The Council says it is still waiting for a new ornate lantern to be delivered to provide a permanent replacement. The steps have been a source of danger for nearly 9 months. The Council only took action when a serious complaint about safety was registered together with a threat that failure to act would result in a referral to the Ombudsman

No money for Front Street – more empty shops in suburbs than City Centre

The Council has now published responses to questions tabled at the last Council meeting. One disappointment came when the Council Leader revealed that he currently knows of no regeneration projects that the Council could help to fund and which would assist the Acomb Front Street area.

Front Street litter

Front Street litter

Question: “What proportion of retail and office space is currently empty in each of the City’s sub-urban wards and how does this compare to the City Centre? How much of the “Innovation & Delivery Fund” and the “Economic Infrastructure Fund” does the Cabinet Leader intend to allocate to regeneration initiatives in sub-urban employment centres such as Acomb Front Street?”

Leaders answer: “Whilst this data is not held at ward level, we know that 5.56% of retail units, and 25.26% of office units, by number, are vacant in areas outside the city centre, in comparison to 5.20% and 28.00% respectively for the city centre. I would welcome any financially justifiable ideas which contribute to economic growth from all areas of the city”.

The same meeting also turned down a request for formal Council support for the “Acomb Alive” project

Get a head start on Christmas thieves – free cycle marking at York racecourse

York police are offering a free cycle marking service to help stop thieves getting away with expensive gifts this Christmas.

Officers from York West Safer Neighbourhood Team will be at York Racecourse for two days helping people to mark their bikes and register on the immobilise database.

Members of the public can meet the police on County Stand Road between 9am and 7pm on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 December 2012 to have their cycles marked as part of the ongoing anti-bike theft campaign – Operation Spoke.

(more…)

“I am Spartacus”

Just hours after its Leader said “In light of these ongoing government funding reductions, all of our services are now under consideration” the City of York Council is calling on any George/Georgia/Georgina Hudson’s to contact the council “to receive a special invitation to the official re-opening of the George Hudson boardroom on Saturday 26 January 2013 at 12 noon”.

Leader

Leader

George Hudson (S)

George Hudson (S)

Spartacus

Spartacus

Numbers for the event will be limited to 120, and guests will need to make their own way to York, but will be offered refreshments and a chance to see displays which trace the history of the station’s development into a modern open plan council HQ and customer centre.

The event is taking place during the annual Residents Festival weekend of 26/27 January 2013 when West Offices will be opened for public previews.

A quick check though the electoral register reveals that there are no George Hudson’s currently resident in York.

However these fancying a quick bite could follow the example of Kirk Douglas’ friends! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h_v_our_Q

These days though you will have to follow an electronic protocol by emailing IamGeorgeHudson@york.gov.uk

More consultation for Health and Wellbeing Strategy

York’s Health and Wellbeing Board has begun a new level of consultation on the Health and Wellbeing Strategy it is developing with partners in the city.

The Board are inviting people who use health and wellbeing services, community groups and representatives, staff and partner organisations to comment on the draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy to ensure that, it reflects people’s views and suggestions and that it includes the principles and actions that are most important to improving health and wellbeing the city ofr the next three years.
(more…)