Time to get on top of weed growth on our roads and footpaths

With a new Council elected and most candidates committed to ensuring that street level public services are improved it is a good time to report any issues in your street.

We came across this weed infested traffic island build out on Gale Lane today.

Gale Lane 1400 hours 14th May 2015

Gale Lane 1400 hours 14th May 2015

We recommend residents to use the “My Council” app which can be found  by clicking here http://www.mycouncilservices.com/

 

Residents still have time to save money on their gas and electricity bills

City of York Council is reminding residents that they have until Monday 18 May to sign up the Big Community Energy Switch, where they could potentially save on average £243 on their gas and electricity bills.

The council’s partner iChoosr do all the hard work which makes it simple, safe and hassle-free for residents to consider switching their energy tariffs.

There are four easy steps:
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Graffiti on the increase near Tadcaster Road

A lot of graffiti has appeared.recently

Much of it is on structures next the the Sustrans cycle path between Tadcaster Road and the 6 mile bridge.

While we doubt if many race-goers visit our City by cycling from Selby, the graffiti is a poor advert for the City.

The issues below have all been reported to the Council for attention

Litter at Tadcaster Road junction

Litter at Tadcaster Road junction

Graffiti at 6 mile bridge

Graffiti at 6 mile bridge

Graffiti next to Acorn rugby field

Graffiti next to Acorn rugby field

Graffiti at A64 bridge

Graffiti at A64 bridge

Graffiti at Tadcaster Road bridge

Graffiti at Tadcaster Road bridge

Litter on Sustrans cycle track near Tadcaster Road

Litter at A 64 bridge

 

 

Looks like Tadcaster Road will be busy at teatime!

St Helen's Road 1400 hours 13th May 2015

St Helen’s Road 1400 hours 13th May 2015

It looks like Tadcaster Road will be very congested at teatime.

St Helen’s Road is still closed although now relatively free of surface water following the burst main earlier today. Workers are still digging their way down to the source of the problem. There is access for pedestrians and cyclists (who will need to dismount next to the roadworks)

It is race day so several hundred vehicles will be leaving the Knavesmire at tea time.

Those who can are advised to avoid driving down Tadcaster Road.

The number 4 bus route diversion remains in place.

Whatever happened to York’s salvage and re-use centre?

Well we know that it was one of the first cuts that Labour made when they took office in 2011.

Whatever happened to the salvage and re-use centre

The project was to have replaced the Beckfield Lane recycling centre but would have offered much more.

Its priority would have been to encourage the re-use of unwanted items. Currently only informal on-line groups like Freecycle address this need.

Only when the re-use option was exhausted would materials have been salvaged. For example, there is a ready market for building materials such as timber, bricks and hard-core.

Not only was the Beckfield Lane site closed but the replacement – which would probably have been located at Harewood Whin – was also scrapped.

In part the decision contributed to the decline in recycling rates in the City and an inexorable rise in Landfill Tax costs.

The £2 million salvage centre would have paid for itself by now.

Sadly many residents resort to dumping items. One armchair has found its way onto a verge on Gale Lane today. Although some of these items are picked up by “rag and bone” men, many have to be removed by the Council.

Dumped mattresses are a particular problem for those lacking transport to get to the remaining 2 civic tips.

The York Council now charges £40 to remove up to 10 bulky waste items

Small wonder that so many residents are petitioning their objections to reduced waste collection frequencies and the prospect of a £35/£37 pa charge for emptying green garden waste bins.

York Council “doesn’t know” how many litter complaints it is receiving.

A response to a Freedom of Information request has revealed that the York Council stopped counting the number of complaints it was receiving about litter 18 months ago!

Litter complaints admitted by York Council (click to enlarge)

Litter complaints admitted by York Council (click to enlarge)

Monthly figures have been provided only up to November 2013.

The decision not to record complaints co-incided with Labour’s cuts in the number of litter bins provided in the City.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that litter problems are worsening in many parts of the City. 

The new Council which will be elected on May 7th will certainly expect not only performance volumes like these to be gathered but also to have them published routinely on the Council’s web site

The Council recently announced further cuts to litter bin provision in sub-urban parts of the City including Foxwood Lane.

 

Street lights – no wonder we are in the dark

York Council fails to fix 67% of faults within target time

Street lighting repair stats

Street lighting repair stats

The York Councils streetlight repair performance slipped to an all time low last December with only 18% of faults being repaired within target times.

Performance had been  dropping since routine “scouting” for faults was abandoned.

Even when faults have been reported by members of the public there have been unacceptable delays.

The Council has the following targets for attending to faults:

  • Urgent faults will be attended and either repaired or made safe within 2 hours
  • Normal faults will be attended and either repaired or made safe within 4 working days
  • When a defect has been made safe and further works are required, we aim to have the repairs carried out within 20 working days.  When there is an issue with the electricity supply, and we have to work with a utility company to resolve, the national standard allows 35 working days for the repairs to be completed

The performance probably hides an even more serious situation with few Councillors apparently now routinely reporting lighting faults in their wards.

In Westfield LibDem Councillor Andrew Waller is the exception having reported (and re-reported) dozens of faults this winter. However, members of the public have become disheartened by the lack of response.

The situation has deteriorated over the last 12 months.

  • In February 2014 only 20% of fault repairs missed target.
  • This had escalated to 67% in February this year.

Labour Councillors blame aging street lighting stock for the problems but conveniently forget that they spent over £1 million on new lamps in 2012. The number of faults reported in January 2015 was actually less than is the corresponding month the previous year.

The reel issue related to the lack of adequate staffing levels and an enforceable service level agreement with repair contractors.

In the battle against crime and to improve road safety, good street lighting should be a higher priority than putting up more 20 mph signs.

Changes to waste and recycling services this Spring… On line “save our bins” petition suspended during April

The petition opposing the introduction of a £35 green bin emptying tax – and opposing any move to 3 or 4 weekly emptying frequencies – has gathered hundreds of signatures on the doorstep in west York.

The on-line version will be available on the Council’s web site until 30th March and will then be suspended during the Council election run up.

click to download

click to download

 

However it will be available again from 8th May. Residents can sign it by clicking here

Meanwhile the City of York Council is reminding residents of a number of changes to the waste and recycling service this Spring.

These include:

  • A reminder that this year’s garden waste collections start from Monday (March 30):
    Residents can look up collections or download a 2015 rubbish and recycling calendar at www.york.gov.uk/refuselookup
  • Residents are asked to ensure their bins are presented by 7am on the day of their collection, but no earlier than 7pm the evening before.
  • Ahead of the new collection season, households with more than one green wheeled bin can subscribe to the additional green bin scheme which operates during the usual garden waste season.   
  • From 1 April, the charge will be £37 per additional green bin that residents would like emptied.  To find out more about the additional bin subscription scheme visit www.york.gov.uk/recycling.
  • To join the additional bin scheme, and have more than one bin emptied, call 01904 551551 or ‘apply for it’ via the secure website at www.york.gov.uk/DoItOnline
  • Changes to the price of disposing of certain items at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) from 1 April:
    For items such as bricks/rubble, gas bottles, plasterboard and bonded asbestos, visit the website here for a full list of prices, or ask a member of staff on-site.

FREE compost giveaway 2015 dates announced:

In partnership with Yorwaste, compost is available every Sunday from 19 April to 20 September (except for Bank Holiday weekends) at the Harewood Whin site, which is open from 8am to 1pm.

 

Anyone wishing to take advantage of the giveaway just need to turn up, and bring a shovel and a suitable bag or container to put the soil improver in.

Home composting is also a great way to manage garden waste at home and provide nutrient rich compost for gardens. Visit www.getcomposting.com for further information.

Residents can also recycle their additional garden waste at Hazel Court and Towthorpe Household Waste Recycling Centres free of charge in a car. Residents using larger vehicles or trailers will need to apply for permits to use the sites.

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