Good to see the Council out today cutting verges in the Foxwood area. Obviously there are a lot of very long cuttings now on paths and in gutters.
Action taken on verges
Local policing: North Yorkshire’s Community Messaging reaches 30,000 members as new and improved smartphone app is launched
North Yorkshire Police’s innovative community messaging system has reached 30,000 members as it re-launches with a new smartphone app.
North Yorkshire Community Messaging is a free system that lets people register to receive the latest crime notifications and community news in their neighbourhoods.
The new and improved app, available to download for iOS and Android devices, takes advantage of geolocation technology, allowing users to receive important alerts that are relevant to them – wherever they are in North Yorkshire.
The app also allows member of the public to share relevant alerts that they have received to their friends and family by email, WhatsApp, instant messaging sand social media.
More than 30,000 people across the county are now signed up to receive alerts and in the last year, 4,296 alerts were sent out by North Yorkshire Police to the public, businesses, and Rural and Neighbourhood Watch groups across the across the county.
This equates to a staggering 3,342,235 messages reaching the public across all channels including email, the previous app, SMS, social media and the website.
Members of the public who sign up to the system can tailor preferences for the type of the message they receive, their preferred channel (phone, text, or email) and the locations that matter to them. Topics include:
• Crime and other police incidents, including missing people and witness appeals;
• Rural policing, including crimes against farms and rural businesses;
• Anti-social behaviour;
• Road safety, including road closures and traffic updates; and
• Neighbourhood news and events, such as invitations to public meetings.
They can also opt to receive push notifications straight to their smartphones and tablets from the app if they wish.
Assistant Chief Constable Ciaron Irvine, lead in force for Local Policing at North Yorkshire Police, said:
“Local policing is at the very heart of everything we do at North Yorkshire Police and our Community Messaging system is just one of the many ways we’re trying to provide the right support, at the right time to our communities.
“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams already use community messaging to raise awareness of recent crime trends, highlight the availability of property marking sessions, and inform the public about upcoming crime prevention operations with over 4,000 alerts sent in the last year.
“In addition, the geolocation function on the new app is a particularly useful tool in rural areas, where alerts can be shared to an audience across a wide area very quickly.
“We’re extremely proud to reach 30,000 members on Community Messaging and would like to take this opportunity to thank every single person who takes the time to provide information and intelligence in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour in their area.
“Day in and day out you help us to make a difference in North Yorkshire – we couldn’t do it without you.”
If you are already a member
If you are already a member and would like to download the new app, just search “Everbridge” via the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and Google Play for Android devices and then search for “North Yorkshire”. The App will then link you to North Yorkshire Community Messaging specific notifications.
Alternatively, please visit nycm.co.uk.
If you are not a member but would like to sign up
Signing up to North Yorkshire Community Messaging is free, easy, and takes less than five minutes. Just visit nycm.co.uk on a smartphone or PC to get started.
Alternatively, to download the app and sign up please visit the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and Googl
European election results in York
What’s on in York: York Knights come to Westfield this weekend
What’s on in York: Hoglets Theatre Presents A Midsummer Night’s Mischief at Acomb Explore
Wednesday May 29th @ 11:00 am – 11:45 am
£4
All is not well in the woods. The Fairies are at war. The battle lines are drawn so it’s time to pick a side. Who will you choose? Team Titania or Oberon’s crew?Come on down! It’s all kicking off in the forest!
Hoglets Theatre presents a raucous, interactive, larger-than-life new production based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Expect wild characters, raucous singalong songs, puppets, stunts, and some frankly ridiculous disco dancing!
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MISCHIEF is a play designed especially for young children (with recommended ages being 2-8 years old – but everyone is welcome). And whilst we love the bard, no previous experience of Shakespeare is required!
Tickets £4.00 from any Explore library or call 01904 552828. All children must be accompanied by a paying Adult. Babes in arms (under 2’s) free with a paying adult. Booking essential.
For more details check out
Details Date:
Wednesday May 29th
Time:11:00 am – 11:45 am
Cost:£4
Venue Acomb ExplorePhone::01904 552651
Tackle root causes!
Residents rightly become irritated when they report public service problems and either they take a long time to clear up or the issue occurs again very soon afterwards.
This is particularly frustrating when potholes reopen and gullies become blocked immediately there is a shower of rain
We think that the York Council needs to get to the root causes of some issues.
They currently spend a lot of money clearing up fly tipping but have been very tardy in advertising the bulky waste collection service the cost of which was reduced substantially in April.
Recurrent litter problems occur on some snickets. It should be possible to identify, and fine, offenders. In some cases the littering is happening everyday.
More improvements for cyclists needed
We mentioned last week that we hoped the new York Council would tackle some long outstanding problems with cycle routes
The biggest problem remains the state of road surfaces.
Over 1000 extra daily journeys on the new Scarborough Bridge
Over 4,000 pedestrians and cyclists have been using the upgraded Scarborough Bridge foot and cycle bridge everyday since it reopened after a £4.4m upgrade.
This is already an increase of 1,000 extra journeys on the average of 3,000 daily crossings on the old footbridge.
The new accessible bridge has been delivered in partnership by City of York Council, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership (YNYER)and West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) through its £60m City Connect programme, aimed at encouraging more people to cycle and walk.
Although the bridge is now open to the public, work will continue to complete sections of the ramps, install the permanent handrail and erect new lighting.
The new steps to the riverside are open for public use in an interim state, with the final Yorkstone finish and permanent handrail to be installed in the next two weeks.
The bridge and ramps remain open to the public at all times, although the public are reminded that direct access into the station remains – as it was before the upgrade – closed between 22.30 and 05.30.
The £4.4m project has been funded by a £1.9m grant through the Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme, a £1.5m Local Growth Fund secured by YNYER and £1m of City of York Council funds.
At 65-metres long the new bridge is three times as wide at 3.7metres, increasing access to more people and the new ramps and steps mean that it is accessible even at times that the river is in flood. The new bridge is constructed of weathering steel – the same as Gateshead’s famous statue, The Angel of the North.
For more information about the Scarborough Bridge scheme visit www.york.gov.uk/scarboroughbridge
In March, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York Council were awarded £300,000 from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. to make further improvements to cycle and walkways between Scarborough Bridge, York railway station and the city centre.
These improvements will include:
- An enhanced crossing of Bootham linking into the cycle route through to the district hospital.
- Improving the riverside cycle route on the Esplanade side of the river.
- Replacing the steps from St Mary’s to Marygate Lane with a ramp.
BIFFA bin taking root in Acomb?
A full BIFFA bin has been abandoned in the little Green Lane garage area in Acomb. It has been there for over 4 weeks. The bins is stuffed high with black bags.
The garage area is owned by the York Council but is rarely inspected and even more rarely cleaned up.
Hopefully whoever rented this bin will get it removed quickly.
Biffa bin abandoned in Green Lane garage area
Anger mounts as York Council ignores complaints about spoil heap on Front Street
As reported earlier in the week, residents living next to the Library in Acomb were dismayed to find that demolition contractors had taken over the adjacent Council owned land. The trespass apparently formed part of the plan to build on the bowling club
Several days later and things are even worse.
A 4 metre high mound of spoil has now appeared. It is only feet from the gardens of nearby homes
The Council appears to have done nothing other than send an environmental protection officer to the site to make an inspection.
The Council has remained tight lipped about whether they have granted permission for the work and whether the actions of the contractor breach planning regulations.
There are also questions about whether the activities conflict with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
There are complaints about early morning activities. Construction work on the bowling club site is conditioned not start until after 8:00am,.
It is very disappointing that the Council has not acted more promptly to reassure residents about what is going on.
Not a good start for the authorities new Executive members of whom we had expected better.