York Council asset sale

The York Council is planning to sell off property and land that it owns at Lower Darnborough Street, 17/21Piccadilly, the former Manor School and adjacent to the A59 roundabout.

It also intends to purchase the remaining freehold part of Stonebow House.

The scheme on Darnborough Street, would see a vacant former malting converted into 6 town houses, the existing machinery and fittings remaining in situ in the communal area and the creation of a “renewable energy heating centre” using the existing kiln and flue to heat the townhouses which will be let on long leases. The Council have not published details of the successful bid nor have they indicated if it was the highest bid received.

17/21 Piccadilly

17/21 Piccadilly

The Council have negotiated with the owners of the major development site next to Manor school (ABF who own the former British Sugar assets) to sell it. It will form part of the major access to the new housing development. Again the Council have not revealed details of the negotiated price. The site was not put on the open market.

The former aircraft works and (later) tram depot on Piccadilly is – as has been widely reported – set to become a hotel. Offers, which have not been revealed, are subject to the granting of planning permission.

An area of land next to the A59/A1237 roundabout is to be sold to the adjacent garage. The Council understands that a major redevelopment will then take place.

Finally the Council intend to buy out the North Yorkshire County Council, from its 50% ownership of the Stonebow site, for £62,250.

Generally the City has always benefited in the long term from land and property acquisitions so this move may be a good one. However the controversial building is let to property holding company which is currently in receivership, so rapid progress is unlikely.

NB. The York Council has been criticised in the past for selling off assets at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The Haymarket/Hungate car park – which generates over £100,000 a year in income – was sold to an insurance company at the low point in the recession, potentially losing taxpayers over £2 million.

More York companies to get rate relief?

Cabinet to decide individual applications

The York Council is set to make available Business Rate reductions for “young” businesses. The businesses must be independent and less than 2 years old. They would enjoy a 50% reduction in rates payable during the first year.

Tax haven

They must be operating in one of the following sectors.

  1.  Bio-medical/sciences
  2. Agritech
  3. Insurance & Professional Services
  4. Rail & related industries
  5. Business software innovation
  6. Creative medicine

The scheme will also apply to proposals to bring empty Listed buildings back into commercial use AND MAY BE EXTENDED TO COMPANIES WISHING TO RELOCATE TO THE CITY.

With the local economy in danger of overheating – early in the economic recovery we are already approaching full employment – the scheme is not targeted on depressed parts of the City.

Local shopping centres like Front Street have fared poorly in recent years. The last thing that businesses in locations like that need is subsidised competition.

The scheme has also been criticised as the plan is for decisions, on which companies will get the award, will be taken by a single party committee (the Councils “Cabinet”).

Companies that apply are not required to reveal what donations to political parties they have made or are planning to make.

The Council has not revealed how much the discounts will cost. The total amount of state aid to an individual company under EU regulations is limited to € 200,000.

York school set to lose rate relief application

The Steiner school in Fishergate is set to have an application for a reduction in its Business Rate liability turned down by the York Council.

The school is a registered charity and a non for profit organisation with any surplus made used for development. The school has recommended fees of ￡6,500 pa per child. The school was seeking a discretionary rebate of £3203 but this is set to be turned down by Labour Councillors apparently on the grounds that it is a fee paying schools.

The York Council currently discounts around £95,000 that charities in the City would otherwise pay in Business Rates. The scale of the relief was reduced when Labour took office in York.

Most charities, and other not for profit organisations, already receive what is known as “mandatory relief” which is paid for by central government.

In York the division of the Discretionary Rate relief is as follows

Category

DRR (total) £

CYC Share £

Not-for Profit

3340

1670

Charities

119931

59966

CASC’s

21925

10962

Rural Discretionary

40605

20303

Rural Top Up

5514

2757

Total Cost

191316

95658

The complete list of organisations recommended to receive Discretionary Rate Relief over the next year can be found by clicking here.

It includes the Tang Hall, Bell Farm and Foxwood Community Centres. Several Church aided schools are also included.

2/3 of the relief is paid by central government.

“Visionary” needed at York Council – no pay

Stonebow

Hot on the heels of yesterdays decision to appoint internally to a £70,000 a year “non-job”, the York Council is now trying to find someone who will work for free.

Applicants who are prepared to work for at least 2 or 3 days a week without pay to establish a new company aimed at promoting the City, only have until 7th January to do so.

Advertising any sort of opportunity over the festive period pretty much minimises the likely field so the suspicion will arise that someone’s name is already” in the frame”.

The Council says that it and partners including Visit York are looking to recruit a ‘visionary’ transitional chair to lead the creation of a new agency which will be responsible for marketing, tourism, cultural and business development for the city of York.

Reporting to CYC initially and working closely with partners including Visit York, Science City York and the two universities, as well as members of the private sector and the cultural community, the transitional chair will be an ambassador for the new agency. He or she will lead the creation of the new board and executive team and will also produce a five-year business strategy for the agency to deliver new branding, generate cultural activity, build the business and leisure visitor economy and support business development.

The post holder will be paid expenses. How the post fits into the Councils living wage policy is a mystery.

Details click here

Narrow vote but £70,000 “non job” gets York Council “go ahead”

Labour Councillors today voted through (by 3 votes to 2) the appointment of a new £70,000 a year “Interim Assistant Director Transformation and Change”

You did waht

The post has been described as a “non-job” with vague objectives

A variety of questions were asked by opposition Councillors, including why just an internal advert, about the pool of people who could apply, about constituency of recruitment across the council and why if they could save money from a Children’s Services post did they need even more than the £500k set aside for transformation.

The post will be recruited internally. Only existing Council staff will be able to apply.

Two other posts are also to be advertised. An Assistant Directors for School Improvement and Highways/Waste will be advertised externally.

Unlike other Council meetings this committee’s debates are not transmitted over the web. Nor is an audio recording made available for residents.

Apparently some agricultural language was used by one of the participants!

Unemployment down again in York

Unemployment levels fell again last month across the country.

In York the number claiming job seekers allowance has fallen to 1.6% of the population.  That is down from 2.10% in November last year.

Employment trends click to enlarge

Employment trends click to enlarge

A total of 2133 York residents were claiming Job seekers allowance last month. This figure is likely to increase in January as seasonal jobs come to an end.

The lowest ever unemployed numbers were recorded in 2004 when only 1.2% were looking for jobs.

The change reflects an improving economy. The trend in the City almost exactly mirrors the national picture.

Nationally unemployment has dropped by 0.8 percentage points over the last year.

In York the improvement has been less at 0.6 percentage points.

At the last York Council, meeting the Labour Leadership tried to claim that the change was due to their decision to borrow and spend a £28 million Economic Infrastructure Fund. The Fund was started early in 2012.

However, by that time. unemployment had fallen from a peak of 4134 to 3682; a trend that continued.

The only quick way for the public sector to create jobs quickly  is – as Hitler and Mussolini demonstrated – by spending on public works (autobahns etc).  Such a short term policy does increase the number of construction jobs for a time at least.

The only work of this kind announced by the Council is the so called “bridge to nowhere” at the York Central site. Work on this won’t start for another couple of years at least.

The rest has been squandered on a plethora of uncoordinated initiatives ranging from “free” public WiFi to arts barges and the like.

The only direct effect that the present Council could claim to have had on the local economy is the creation of around 100 apprentice posts at the Council. These post were more than outweighed by job losses incurred as public service standards were been slashed.

The legacy will of course be a huge increase in the debt burden of each resident living in the City.

Frontline services threatened by membership of Leeds super council

Potholes

Liberal Democrats have raised fresh concerns over York’s membership of a new super council after it was revealed that money could be cut from frontline survices to fund the City’s contribution.

Labour run City of York Council has decided to join with Leeds, Bradford and other West Yorkshire metropolitan authorities in a new super council, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, from April 2014. York will be expected to contribute around £4million-a-year to the authority, which will have a range of roles including deciding major local transport schemes and overseeing economic development.

At last week’s Full Council meeting, in response to a question from Lib Dem Councillor Keith Orrell, Labour confirmed that they did not know where the £4million-a-year would come from but they would consider taking it from York’s revenue budget – which funds frontline services.
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