With the Selby Council now talking about charging over £80 a year for those wanting their green waste bin emptied, there is a concern that the York Council will announce a similar scheme in January.

The results of the poll held on this web site reveal that 95% of those responding would be against such a charge.

The poll question we are now asking for residents views on is the reintroduction of annual Council elections?

Elections were held each year in York until 1995 and are a feature of the democratic arrangements in many City’s across the UK.

More regular polls would allow electors to give a verdict on the way that a party is currently running the City as well as providing an opportunity to pass a verdict on the performance of local representatives.

Responses to the Boundary Commission have to be made before 14th January 2013. Representations on election frequency and ward boundaries can be made direct to the Boundary Commission by clicking here: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/yorkshire-and-humberside/north-yorkshire/city-of-york-fer

See also: An electronic petition is being collected in support of a return to annual elections for the York Council. It can be found here http://tinyurl.com/Annual-elections-petition

The Press has published some interesting tables showing the progress that local Primary schools are making. http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/li/primary_schools.compare.York/

Both Westfield and Hob Moor primaries are reporting improved results in Maths and English.

York city centre will be transformed into a heavenly haven with ice sculptures lining more streets than ever next week as the Festival of Angels returns for 15 and 16 December.

For the first time in its 13 years, the festival will provide a weekend of ice sculptures, stalls and street entertainment.

The highlight of the festival will be 25 ice sculptures created by Glacial Art Ice Sculptors that will include a copy of the famous York 800 Charter frozen inside a block of ice at St Helen’s Square alongside the ice throne of King John who presented the charter to the city in 1212 to allow it self government. People can sit in the insulated seat to be photographed in regal splendour!

The Festival of Angels is free and will run from 10am to 6pm on Saturday 15 December and 11am to 5pm on Sunday 16 December. Participating shops will stay open for longer giving people a chance to linger later in the city centre for even more festive cheer including mulled wine and hot chocolate.

For more information and to find out how to take part in the angel trail, visit: www.york800.com

North Yorkshire Police is urging the public to be on their guard as Christmas criminals look for easy targets.

At this time of year, opportunistic thieves are on the lookout for insecure vehicles and properties which are filled with expensive Christmas presents.

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York police are appealing for the public’s help to trace a wanted man.

York police search for wanted man

Officers are looking for Richard James Sampson, aged 31, of Boroughbridge Road, who is wanted for recall to prison after breaching the terms of his release licence.

Sampson was released from prison on 19 November 2012 but his poor behaviour since his release means he must return to custody.

It is the third time Sampson has breached the terms of this licence since his initial release from prison in November 2009.

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The Council has published a list indicating how old the kitchens and bathrooms that it has replaced were.

Typically kitchens, bathrooms and wiring have a 30 years life while some boilers were replaced after just 5 years.

A full list can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/York-how-old

The number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in the city has fallen to 2,968 people.

That’s the first time it’s been below three thousand claimants since 2008.

Local Authority Unemployment Number (%)
East Riding of Yorkshire 6,702 (3.2)
Selby 1,303 (2.4)
York 2,968 (2.1)
Ryedale 641 (2.0)
Hambleton 894 (1.7)
Harrogate 1,570 (1.6)

Police in York have created a Christmas crime prevention menu to help leave festive criminals feeding off crumbs.

http://tinyurl.com/Xmas-crime-advice

Officers have put the menu together to help keep shoppers and retail premises safe from thieves during the busy period in the run up to Christmas.

Safer Neighbourhood Teams are conducting high-visibility patrols at the Clifton Moor and Monks Cross retail parks throughout December to provide reassurance to shoppers and retailers and to act as a deterrent to potential thieves.

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The Care quality Commission have issued a critical report on the standards they found at the Birchlands Care home in Haxby recently.

The full report can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/Birchlands-Report