Residents angry over state of roads as Council says “collect a petition”

The York Council seems to be slipping into an alternative world as they launch “democracy week” in the City. They suggest various ways of influencing their policies and priorities including attending “budget consultation meetings”.

They seem to have developed a blind spot about the quality of some of the public services in the city.

Roads, footpaths and verges in many areas are now in appalling condition and this before we suffer the ravages of icy winter weather.

Reality check needed

One resident has written to us to complain about his difficulty in getting potholes repaired in a  local road “the complaints procedure is a farce”

Potholes on poorly maintained carriageway in Welborne Close

 

 

 

Budget consultation – what they don’t tell you

Any resident with an idle moment can take part in the York Council’s annual budget quiz. A simulator allows residents to set council tax levels and public service priorities.

It is a slight improvement on playing scrabble on the wet Sunday afternoon but has little in common with real budget setting and the horse trading that goes on in a “balanced” Council. One reason is that officials are too scared to include options like having fewer Councillors or reducing senior officer pay levels.

Most significantly they say little about the Councils accumulated debt omitting to remind residents that 13% of what they fork out in Council Tax goes to pay interest charges on past borrowing.

There are options available which could have an immediate effect in freeing up money for under pressure street services like road repairs.

One example is the Guildhall business centre project which is currently set to cost £15 million. It could be restructured to encourage private sector investment.

Once spent, of course, there is usually no way back. But some taxpayers may feel that higher admission charges at York’s new Community Stadium might be one way of clawing back some of the £13 million taxpayers investment in the project.

You won’t, of course, find those options like these  listed on the Councils web site.

Click to play York Scrabble

Good news and some bad news

The Kingsway kickabout area (MUGA) has been repaired. It was litter and vandal free when we visited yesterday and once again could fulfil a role in getting kids “off the streets”.

The area under the trees adjacent to the MUGA has been tidied. The MUGA can now be viewed from Lincoln Court following a request from residents there to have boundary hedges cut back.

We’ve asked for the weeds to be cut back

The Askham Grove snicket is looking very tidy these days. Not always the case in the past

Andrew Waller has had some success in getting a pothole filled in on Beaconsfield Street

Fly tipping has been cleared from around the recycling bins on the Acomb car park

Unfortunately the dumped sofa has not yet been removed from the Cornlands Road playground

A litter bin has been upended on Chesneys Field

 

Thoresby Road recycling not collected today

The York Council says,

“We are still working hard to catch up on garden waste collections and have managed to collect today from another 593 properties in the Tadcaster Road area.

Unfortunately, we were unable to collect garden waste in the Tang Hall area. If you live in Tang Hall and are affected by this please leave your green bin out for collection and we will collect it as soon as we can.

Despite the crew working beyond their shift, 200 properties on Thoresby Road Acomb did not receive a recycling collection today due to the volume of waste presented. The team will return to collect this tomorrow. Please present your recycling for collection by 7am Wednesday”.

Opposition mounting to Front Street building plans

Pensioners petition against proposal to develop Bowling Green

Acomb Bowling Club

The Council has told the proposed developers of the Acomb Bowling Club green on Front Street that they need more time to come to a view on their proposals. They say that there are access and other problems associated with the proposal to build 11 houses on the site.

comment on planning application

The news came after it emerged that a petition, signed by pensioners in an adjacent block of flats, and objecting to the loss of green space had been lodged with the Council. The pensioners were also concerned about potential noise nuisance from the site.

Sport England have also sounded a warning about the plan highlighting the continued erosion of sports pitches in the Acomb area.

Concerns have also been raised about the impact on the local bat population and other wildlife in the area.

The Council’s own heritage officer has pointed to the historical significance of the site. It is thought that there may be important archaeological deposits in the area.

Comment on Planning application

Although the balance of comments is against the development in its present form, perhaps surprisingly local amenity societies, Ward Councillors and adjacent property owners have so far failed to make their views known.

The proposals – which could jeopardise plans to bring derelict land to the rear of the Library back into use, while providing much needed accommodation for older people – are a particularly poor piece of incremental planning.

Hopefully a more coherent plan for this part of Front Street will emerge now.

York Council acts to tackle street level problems – potholes, school parking, weeds/litter, footpath repairs etc

Saturdays story, Now action promised on cleaning up streets

Potential boost for York’s frontline services
York’s frontline services could be set to receive a further financial boost, thanks to the efforts of Liberal Democrat Councillors.
In a report published today, it is proposed that:
  • £1.031 million is used to increase capacity in some of York’s crucial frontline services by utilising £620k that has been unspent and a further £411k of unused contingency fund.
  • It is also proposed that an extra £1 million is brought forward from the 2019/20 budget to resurface some of the worst roads in the City, as a result of the recent extreme winter weather. 
If approved by the Executive, it is proposed that this newly released funding be used to support existing frontline services and launch new initiatives, including:
  • Creating a new work programme for footpath repairs across the city.
  • Establishing an additional team to carry out pothole maintenance.
  • Providing new resources for enforcement teams to control dangerous parking, with a special focus on improving safety around schools.
  • Allowing residents who have had recycling boxes damaged or stolen to claim two free boxes per year.
  • Using the Economic Infrastructure Fund to support high street shopping in Haxby and Acomb.
  • Creating a fund to support voluntary and community groups who wish to develop innovative ideas on how to make the best use of our green spaces.
Cllr Andrew Waller, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of the Council, said:
“Frontline services have always remained our number one priority for the Liberal Democrats and if approved by the Executive in June, this additional investment goes a long way top reaffirm that commitment.”
“Subject to Executive approval, this additional funding can be put to good use in order to carry out extensive highways repairs and considerably improve our public spaces.”
“Just as this investment shows, the Liberal Democrats will continue to uphold our commitment to York’s frontline services and work hard to ensure residents receive the highest standards of service from all Council services.”

York’s free WiFi network reaches Acomb’s Front Street

York’s Cityconnect WiFi has expanded its network out to the suburbs this week, as Acomb’s Front Street has gone live to join the city-wide network.

Front Street serves as a strategic location for the expanding network as it sits central to the suburb of Acomb which is home to a population of over 22,000.

 

This, the latest CityConnect expansion, incorporates Front Street into a network covering York’s city centre, Bishopthorpe Road and all 6 of the city’s Park & Ride terminals. This is in addition to the public WiFi available in 14 libraries and 41 council owned buildings.

The CityConnect wireless connection is available 24/7, 365 days of the year, and is completely free to log in to and use. The expansion of CityConnectWiFi comes at no cost to the city’s council and helps to further develop York as a digital city. The network allows those who pass through the public space to access the network from their phone, tablet or any other wireless device and can support high quality streaming services such as BBC iPlayer.

This latest expansion of the CityConnect WiFi, is one of many initiatives which have taken place over the past few years to further York’s digital infrastructure.