More and more residents are following our advice that they should be intolerant of poor public service standards.
Here are some of the issues reported over the weekend.
Residents should click here to access the My Council reporting tool
Thoresby Road – litter
Litter – Cornlands Road
St Stephens Road – Poor street sweeping standards
The Wandle – detritus
Chapelfields – Grass growing THROUGH footpath surfaces
Chapelfields – Damaged verges
Foxwood – Graffiti
Yorkshire Housing’s Handyperson Service will provide a first class and reliable advice service with practical assistance for repairs, improvements and adaptations to your home.
From changing a lightbulb or hanging curtains to fitting a security chain or installing a grab rail, our friendly, fully trained and knowledgeable staff can provide professional advice and practical support.
The Handyperson Service can help if you are:‐
Contact: York Home Improvement Agency on tel: 0345 366 4401 or e mail handyperson@yorkshirehousing.co.uk
Acomb branch office closed by Labour in 2012
Liberal Democrat Councillor Lynn Jeffries is calling on Labour run York Council to guarantee that housing advice sessions in West York will continue despite funding cuts.
When Labour closed Acomb Housing Office in February 2012 they were forced to set-up alternative advice sessions at Foxwood and Chapelfields community centres. The weekly sessions offer residents help on housing, housing benefits and Council Tax support as well as on issues such as anti-social behaviour.
However, after Labour slashed funding to community centres the sessions are now in doubt. Cuts mean caretakers at the centres have been made redundant and therefore there is no longer a second member of staff on hand to ensure that the sessions can continue – a second staff member is needed due to lone worker regulations.
Labour decided last year to scrap all collections between October and April as one of their economy cuts.
Many gardeners pointed out that November was often a month when a lot of green waste was generated.
Meanwhile Labour are now trying to sell extra green bins to residents with large gardens.
Despite the growing interest in food self sufficiency, the York Council now restricts free collections to just one bin per property.
Many gardeners are thought to have disposed of surplus green waste through their grey bins, partly accounting for the increase in the proportion of York’s rubbish going to landfill (and the financial penalties that result for taxpayers).
The Council statement reads.
This will be followed by a “community asset transfer”.
What this means is that the volunteer committees, who run the centres, will be expected to raise funding not only for day to day activities but also for the repair and maintenance of all aspects of the buildings.
Typical community centres, like the ones at Foxwood and Chapelfields, have running costs of between £25,000 – £50,000 a year.
In the past the bill for part of these costs have been picked up by the Council.
This year it has reduced its grants to the centres by £70,000.
2014/15 will be the final year that the centres will get the remaining £70,000 grant.
After that the Centres will be on their own.
It means that, unless volunteers can be found to take on the additional financial burden, the Centres will close (or, more likely, simply be sold to the highest bidder)
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Meanwhile we are told that the Council intends to privatise its building cleaning contracts. How this will affect the community centres, and for how long, remains to be seen.
Although the Council has cut back on the number of amenity skips it provides, several residents associations continue to run programmes aimed at making it easier for tenants to get rid of unwanted items.
The skips are only in place for a few minutes and residents must ensure that they put any rubbish into the skips and do not leave it on the path or highway.
Saturday 08.02.14
1 Bramhan Rd 08:30 09:30 Community Centre
2 Tang Hall lane 10:30 11:30
3 Fifth Ave 12:30 13:30
4 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Grange Lane
7 Alcuin Ave 08:30 09:30
Street name plates neglected click to enlarge
Ascot Way in Acomb demonstrates just how mixed up the York Council’s priorities have become.
20 mph sign installed within 5 metres of a sharp right bend.
School sign rusting away
Over £600,000 is being spent on installing 20 mph speed limit signs.
These include some in areas which are already protected by speed cushions (which make excessive speeds pretty much impractical).
Others have been installed at locations where it is impossible to exceed 20 mph anyway including short cul de sacs and near a sharp right hand bend (see photo).
Meanwhile other public services are being starved of investment. Street name plates are becoming illegible while other signs are simply rusting away.
Ironically the maintenance of speed cushions has been abandoned making them potential death traps for cyclists and a likely source of tyre and chassis damage for motorists.
Damaged speed humps. Already dangerous for cyclists.
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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Prompt work by the York Council.
Several families will be giving or receiving dogs this Christmas.
New figures published by the York Council – together with the alarming dog attack in Leeds – should provide food for thought.
In response to a Freedom of Information request, the Council has revealed that over the last 12 months it has collected on average 1 dog per day Monday to Friday (there is no weekend service).
Over 50 % of dogs are returned to the owners.
In the period January to September 2013 on average 1 dog a month was destroyed 2 because of very old age / ill health meaning that it could not be re-homed.
7 were of a breed (Staffy / Staffy cross) that no carer was prepared to take.
Kenneling stray dogs costs about £30,000 a year in York
Those dogs who are re-homed go to a mix of national charities or specialist breed rescue centres for further re-homing or long term care, or to individuals / families for permanent adoption.
Many charities are looking for good homes for dogs and cats that they receive during the festive period.
Click below for links.
