Six burglary suspects have been arrested in the last 24 hours in connection with separate incidents in the Thirsk and York areas.

Two men were arrested in the early hours of this morning (20 December 2012) on suspicion of burglary in York. One man, aged 32 of no fixed address. and another aged 25 from York, were arrested shortly after a burglary was reported by a householder in Wellington Street at around 3am this morning (20 December 2012).

Officers were deployed to the scene of the burglary minutes after it was reported and dog handlers conducted a search of the area. They located the two suspects and a number of discarded items in the street, including a laptop and personal items. It is believed some of the items were stolen during another burglary which had not yet been reported to the police.

Both men remain in police custody for questioning.

In a separate incident in York, officers stopped a white transit van on Ostman Road just after 12am (20 December 2012). After police officers conducted a search of the vehicle, they arrested both occupants, two 23-year-old men from York, on suspicion of theft, burglary and possessing an offensive weapon. Both men have been questioned by police officers and released on bail while enquiries continue.

But police ask residents to remain vigilant and take basic steps to protect their property.

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The amount that central government pays the York council to provide public services will be reduced by 1.1% for the next financial year. This is significantly lower than the national average reduction (1.7%). It compares with a 2.5% reduction in North Yorkshire and a 2.3% reduction in Leeds.

The reduction is offset by increased grants for education. York does well out of the revised pupil premium allocations which will help to address poverty concerns in the City.

In addition the City will benefit from additional income for the provision of additional homes (the new homes bonus)

At least 50% of any increase in Business Rates income will also be retained in the City.

As reported yesterday, extra money is also being provided for road repairs.

The new funding system means that 70% of expenditure in City’s like York will be locally funded meaning that the Council has more control over the financial strategy of the City.

However, the present Labour Council has been heavily criticised for prioritising “vanity” projects like the proposed “arts barge” while substantially increasing the amount that the local authority is borrowing.

It is the repayment on this additional debt that could prove to be a millstone around the necks of successive generations living in the City.
The government has also announced that funding will be available for the next two years to freeze Council Tax levels. The Council in York spurned a similar offer last February introducing a 2.9% Council Tax increase. It remains to be seen whether the prospect of funding for 2 years will prompt a different reaction. If not residents face a 2% increase in Council Tax in April 2013 and a further hike a year later.

The Council have also turned down government grant payments which would have seen any reduction in Council Tax benefit entitlement, for the less well off, limited to 8%.

http://tinyurl.com/Grant-comparisons
http://tinyurl.com/York-grant
http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/1314/plainenglishguide.pdf

Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have given schools in York a £3.6 million Christmas present.

The cash is the Pupil Premium funding, which targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have.

Local schools to benefit include:

• Westfield Primary Community School £167,400

• Hob Moor Community Primary School £109,800

• York High School £271,800 (the largest allocation in the City)

The Pupil Premium covers any primary or secondary school pupil that has been registered for Free School Meals in the past six years. For 2013/14, the Premium will be worth £1.65bn, or £900 per pupil, in total.

The Pupil Premium is a major Liberal Democrat priority that is being delivered by the Coalition Government. The Pupil Premium was one of four policy priorities that the Liberal Democrats put on the front page of their 2010 General Election manifesto. The others were: raising the point at which you start paying Income Tax to £10,000 to give people on low and middle incomes a £700 tax cut; creating jobs by making Britain greener; and measures to clean up politics. The Pupil Premium was one of the key measures argued for by Liberal Democrats during the Coalition negotiations. By 2015, it will be worth a total of £2.5bn a year to schools in England.

Direct schools grants in the City are also being increased from £106M to £110M.

Further information can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/Pupil-premium-2013

The complete list of allocations to York schools is:
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The Council are now claiming in a media release that housing and benefits advice session at Foxwood Community Centre (Wednesdays) and Chapelfields (Thursday) will continue.

The statement comes only 3 weeks after the closure of the services was announced following a private meeting involving the Corporate Services Cabinet member see http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=3722

The decision made was that “face to face” service was to be withdrawn and a “telephone hot line” substituted.

The decision was criticised by disability campaigners who pointed out that’s such facilities were unsuitable for deaf people.

However a media release issued today http://www.york.gov.uk/news/latestNews/PR3148 claims that the sessions are to continue.

We understand that an agreement over the installation of telephone contact lines at the community buildings has proved to be problematic and that Council staff will continue to visit the Foxwood and Chapelfields centres.

Advice sessions at the Acomb Explore library have already been discontinued.

An additional service at Westfield Junior School (Childrens centre) on Askham Lane is promised for the new year.

“The housing sessions are for residents – including those who are also council tenants – to talk to estate managers about matters including anti-social behaviour, estate improvements as well as the council’s housing services. No appointments are needed: people can simply drop in every Monday between 1-4pm from 7th January 2013”.

“The finance sessions are for all, in partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). They give people weekly opportunities to meet money experts locally to discuss welfare benefits, money management, dealing with debt and returning to work. For an appointment on Fridays between 9.30am-12:30pm with the CAB Family Money Advice at Westfield Childrens’ Centre, ring the CAB on 01904 683 908”.

The coalition government has acted to address the declining quality of roads and footpaths in York.

Problems have been increasing since the Labour controlled Council, announced a £2.6 million reduction in the highways maintenance budget (56%) in February 2012.

Now the City will get a boost of nearly £500,000 over the next 2 years. See http://tinyurl.com/York-highways-grant

The funding will not return investment levels to those seen when the LibDems were in control of the York Council but it should help to address the deterioration evident on some roads.

The roads that will benefit are not yet known and eyes will be turned to the Councils own resurfacing budget which may still be subject to further cuts.

People living in social housing who have a spare bedroom will find any housing benefit claim reduced by about £40 to £80 a month next April under welfare reforms.

Those who are overcrowded, on the other hand, will be able to move to a larger property without any additional financial burden.

The change affects all social housing in the City.

The York Council has now admitted in response to a Freedom of Information request that it will not know who might be affected by the change until February. They are awaiting a “software” upgrade.
This would make it virtually impossible for tenants to relocate to smaller property by the deadline.

The government says the “under-occupancy” penalty will protect taxpayers from having to pay for a two or three-bedroom house for a single person

The change will mean that anyone in social housing – which includes both housing association and council housing – with a spare bedroom will lose 14% of their housing benefit or 25% if they have two spare rooms.

Although there are some one bedroomed properties available in York there is growing concern that some individual tenants are still not aware of the change that is in the pipeline.

Families on the housing waiting list may also have to wait longer before they can move into one of the larger properties which may be freed up by the change.

First buses have confirmed that the bus stop at the Foxwood Lane shops WILL NOT BE MOVED.

Claims that the stop would be relocated were made in the media last week following complaints about buses “stacking” at the new number 4 route terminus. This had affected access to parking and visibility lines at the pedestrian crossing.

It has now been confirmed that a “timing” point will be established on Cornlands Road. This is intended to even out the gaps between services and prevent “bunching”.

The service between Acomb and Foxwood Lane remains at a 15 minute frequency. Cornlands Road to the City centre (via Foxwood Lane) has 8 buses an hour during the day.

Other bus services are not affected.

A national charity will launch England’s first Recovery College in York to support people overcoming alcohol and substance misuse.

Through the college, the Wired Into Recovery charity will train people who are successfully recovering from addiction, to support others going through the recovery process. It follows the principle than an individual can heal themselves, heal their family and heal their community.

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Winning bids for the 2012 Why should they? campaign

12 North Yorkshire charities and groups are celebrating this week after they were chosen to receive a cash award from a pot of criminals’ cash. One of the groups is based in York

York Playspace Chill-out zones – £3,000

Providing much needed youth engagement in the deprived areas of York, the three zones or youth clubs provide a safe haven and essential emotional and practical support for 250 young people across York.

The zones cost £43,500 per year to run, 75% of which is funded from other sources. The money will go towards the remaining shortfall to help continue the project.

Many of the children who attend the zones face problems including low self-esteem, behavioural and anger problems, drug and alcohol dependent parents, parents in prison, loneliness, abuse and long term exclusion from education.

The Zones are one of the few places they can go to be supported and listened to and be themselves. The Zones give the children life skills through activities including our aspiring project to help them to grow their own food to turn into a main meal.

The Zones give young people something positive to do instead of hanging around the streets and becoming involved in criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. They are provided with a hot meal, which may be the only hot meal they get that day and which they plan, cook and prepare.

They also receive help with maths and English to equip them with key educational skills.

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North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following routes between Wednesday 19 December 2012 and Wednesday 2 January 2013.

•A64 west-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 east-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York
•Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York
•Green Lane, Acomb, York
•Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe, York
•A1036 Tadcaster Road, Acomb, York
•Skipwith Road, Escrick
•A63 Hull Road, Hemingbrough
•Church Lane, Wheldrake
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