York Council election results

Will be updated as results come in

and the final result sees Labour retain its 3 seats in the Hull Road ward.

Labour have picked up their expected three seats in Heworth.

Well that will be the icing on the cake for the LibDems. Winning back Rural West – a Tory stronghold – with a huge swing. Means former Tory Leader Chris Steward has lost his seat and the Tories will finish with only 2 seats in total. That is their worst result since 2003 when they were wiped out. The LibDems will finish with 21 seats, 3 short of an overall majority.

Another big win for the LibDems. Tory Leadership hopeful Stuart Rawlings and Transport boss Peter Dew both lose their seats.

No change in the Guildhall ward although sitting Labour Councillor James Flinders has lost his seat the more experienced Fiona Fitzpatrick. Current Labour leader Janet Looker has retained her seat albeit with a small majority.

LibDems retain their 3 seats in Huntington. Up to 16 seats in total now. Keith Aspden in line to be new Council Leader.

LibDems comfortably retain the 4 seats in Westfield.

LibDem gain from the Tories in Strensall. Tony Fisher, who represented the area several years ago, tops the poll. Paul Doughty becomes the only Tory so far to retain his seat. Danielle Mason, wife of Ashley the Councillr for Dringhouses, polls well in her first contest.

.. and there will be tears. Lord Mayor elect Keith Myers loses his Acomb seat to Labour. It happened once before, ironically also in the Acomb Ward, in 1975 when Labour Councillor Peter Gales lost his seat. Peter Gales never made it into the Mansion House. Who will assume the role later in May is anyone’s guess. There may not even be a Conservative with the necessary experience – and inclination – to take over the demanding role. Rotten thing to happen to a hard working Councillor.

Labour retain their two seats in the Clifton Ward. No Independent candidates this time, unlike 2015.

Well we said that it might be a good night to be an Independent. John Galvin retains his seat in Bishopthorpe with a 33% share of the vote with Carole Green as a close runner up. Ironically Carole Green was standing for the Green party. Last time she contested the seat as an unsuccessful Independent candidate. The Conservative vote fell by 28%

…and the LibDems retain the three seats in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward. One of only two UKIP candidates in York, performs poorly.

Little change in Micklegate although Labour have gained the seat vacated by Independent Johnny Hayes. Greens take the third seat for the second successive election.

and that the first victory for Labour in York today. They retain the 3 seats that they won in 2015 although none of their present candidates were on the ballot paper then. Very poor performance from the Tories and the LibDems who polled much better in last years by election. Other than Westfield, this was the only ward in which the LibDems had a realistic hope of taking seats in the York Central constituency.

Huge 27.5% swing from Tories to LibDems see the party take all three seats for the first time since 2007. On course for he best election result in the City for 12 years.

First surprise of the day and the first seat to change hands. Christian Vassie takes Wheldrake from Independent Suzie Mercer (who was elected in 2015 as a Tory with a big majority. Christian Vassie was a councillor for the ward until 2011.

& the first conservative is elected in Osbaldwick. It was a Tory seat so no real surprise, although the LibDem share of the vote will disappoint them in a ward that they used to hold. Independent Mark Warters retains his seat.

and Nigel Ayre wins very comfortably in Heworth Without. Another sitting Councillor re-elected.

Fishergate election result much as expected with the Greens holding on to the tow seats

Wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from the first two election results. Both small wards with well know local candidates as victors. Turnout better than feared but still well below 50%. May be lower in urban wards. LibDem vote up in one ward, down in the other. Tories major losers (as elsewhere in the country). Maybe better prospects for Greens in Micklegate and Guildhall. We will see.

Big swing to the LibDem Group Leader in Fulford. Has overcome some troubling and unjustified harassment over the last couple of years.

The Comanthorpe Ward has been won by Independent Councillor David Carr. He was comprehensively ahead of the Tory and LibDem candidates. It could be good news for the other Independent candidates, particularly those fighting small rural wards Former Green Councillor Lars Kramm down in 4th place.

Speed cameras still focus on York southern by pass

The latest results from the county’s speed safety camera vans reveal that the proportion of drivers exceeding speed limits is stable.
Safety camera van

In York, the vans have concentrated their activities on the A64 southern by pass, where it is not unusual for several dozen speeders to be identified

On one day in February – the latest month for which stats are available – 29 speeders were caught on the A64 westbound near Fulford

North York’s Police are not publishing results as quickly as they have in the past

A separate programme of speed checks, which measures the average speed of vehicles on problem roads, hasn’t been updated this year. These checks involve the use of static equipment. They do not identify individual vehicles.

Roads in the York area waiting for checks – and subsequent remedial action – include:

  • Hawthorn Terrace
  • Hamilton Drive (20 mph)
  • York Road, Dunnington
  • Ox Carr Lane, Strensall
  • Bracken Road
  • Salisbury Terrace
  • Ullswater
  • Lords Moor Lane, Strensall
  • Church Lane, Bishopthorpe
  • Alcuin Avenue
  • Bad Bargain Lane
  • Osbaldwick Lane
  • Temple Avenue
  • Fourth Avenue
  • Towthorpe Road
  • Scarcroft Road

Most of these roads don’t have any recorded injury accidents. None are routinely checked by the enforcement camera vans.

And that remains the problem with the vehicle speed limit enforcement. The expensive camera vans may be influencing average speeds, but the police make no attempt to demonstrate this.

They don’t even publish comparative stats showing the trend in the percentage of speeders at regularly monitored sites.

Within the next few years it is likely that all new vehicles will be fitted with technology which will not only confirm the prevailing speed limit on a dashboard display, but also offer the opportunity for remote enfacement.

That may be a challenge for civil liberties but it could finally rein in the 100 mph plus drivers whose behaviour often irritates other motorists.

Speed/Safety camera results
Vehicle average speeds on York roads

Fly-posting funfair owner fined £2,230

A persistent fly-poster was ordered to pay fines and costs of £2,230 by York Magistrates on Tuesday 9 April 2019.

George Rowland Tucker (of Salsview Fairpark, Tudworth Road, Hatfield, Doncaster), owner of GR Tucker & Sons, a family-run funfair, pleaded guilty to 15 offences of fly posting in the City of York in October 2018.

His funfair was located at Stirling Road, Clifton Moor, York and was open from 16 – 23 October 2018. Posters advertising the event were tied to wooden boards and lamp posts and fences next to roads throughout the city in the week leading up to the event. No prior permission was sought from City of York Council to put up the posters and the business failed to take them down when warned by Council Enforcement Officers.

Council officers photographed and removed each poster and served a fixed penalty notice for each found. Mr Tucker attended an interview under caution when he was shown the evidence. He confirmed that 15 out of the 64 posters found were put up by his business. However, he failed to pay any of the fixed penalty notices and so was prosecuted.

At York Magistrates Court, Mr Tucker offered mitigation that the posters had been put up by a business rival to get him into trouble. The court issued him a fine of £1,200 with a court surcharge of £30 and costs of £1,000.

People who fix posters or advertisements without the landowners’ permission are given fixed penalty notices of £75 per sign to be paid within 14 days.

More places to get married in York

The iconic Merchant Adventures Hall has been added to the list of venues available for the solemnisation of marriage.
Merchant Adventurers Hall

Previously it had been available for receptions and dinners. Now couples will be able to take their vows at the unique venue.

It is among a list of approvals published by the City of York Council which also includes the the Grange Hotel, the De Grey Rooms and the Merchant Taylors Hall.

Empty Council owned Castlegate property – future still uncertain

29 Castlegate, which is located next to Fairfax House, and is owned by the City of York Council continues to be left empty.
29 Castlegate

Hopes that the property might be purchased by the York Conservation Trust have disappeared following a change of Chief Executive. They had been expected to purchase the iconic building for around £431,000. The discounted sale price was justified in 2017 by claims that significant repair works were needed.

At the same time, the York Civic Trust said that they were set to lease the building with an investment of £2.8 million to be made, as part of an expansion of activities at Fairfax House.

It became clear 6 months ago that the York Civic Trust had suspended their plans.

The building – which also benefits from a valuable showroom frontage onto the Coppergate Shopping Centre – was used for many years as a photographic gallery. When the gallery moved to Bradford, the Council allocated the space to be used as a youth advice centre.

In 2012 the, then Labour controlled Council, commenced negotiations to move the youth facilities elsewhere. The proposal was widely condemned.

The building has remained empty for over 3 years. Potentially this has cost the Council tens of thousands of pounds in rent and rates income.

Addressing the problems with empty Council owned properties should be a top priority for the new administration when it is elected this week. Too many expensive, high profile, properties like 29 Castlegate and the Guildhall have been left to rot. In future York Councillors must insist on receiving an “unused asset” report on a regular basis. It needs to be transparent.

If the Civic Trust deal on Castlegate has fallen through, then the property should either be leased or sold on the open market.

Because of its prestigious location there is likely to be a lot of interest.

This might include bringing part of the building back into residential use.  With apartments at the nearby fire station site selling for over £700,000 each, the opportunities at this address will be obvious to many developers.

Either way, something needs to be done quickly.

Spark container village – payments to Council revealed

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the York Council has revealed that it has received £13,333 in rent from the Spark container village on Piccadilly since they first arrived in September 2017.
Spark April 2018

This amounts to little more than £700 a month since the organisation took over the prime site.

No payments have been received by the Council from the “profit sharing” scheme agreed as part of the deal to allow shipping containers to be installed on the site. The council says it is still awaiting receipt of accounts for last year. The last accounts filed by Spark were for the year ending March 2018.

£19,856 is owed by Spark and its tenants for Business Rates. The Council says that it is taking recovery action.

The original Spark business pitch to the Council talked about a £71,000 profit each year. Part of this was to be used to repay the Council’s initial investment (which cost over £40,000) in new utility infrastructure,

The container village has been controversial from the start with long delays in meeting some planning conditions. An instruction to replace graffiti style street art with cladding on the Piccadilly frontage is still outstanding (click for background)

The contract allows for the Council to take back the site if, after 21 days, the tenants have failed to pay the rent or complied with their obligations under the Lease.

Many of the individual units have been empty over recent months.

Although warmer weather may give the containers a temporary boost in customer numbers, it is surely long overdue for the Council to test the market by advertising the site for permanent redevelopment.

York Council response to Freedom of Information request 29th April 2019

York Council election round up

Council elections are taking place on Thursday. Each of the four main parties are contesting all the 47 seats. There are also some Independent candidates.

In most of the City, the campaigns have been low key. Little interest has been generated and there remains a fear that turn out will be low even by Council election standards.

This is at least partly due to the national situation which has seen a meltdown in public confidence.

Locally all the parties seem to be concentrating their efforts in “target” seats. So elsewhere some electors may not hear anything from some of the parties.

This is a shame as there was a lively debate to be had about a range of issues. Everyone is affected by the standards of public services provided in the City. Examples are rubbish collection (generally regarded as good in York), road repairs (pretty bad), litter on the streets (bad in some areas) and transport (buses getting better, parking not so good).

A copy of our analysis of voting prospects in each ward, together  with a comparison of the policies on offer from each party, can be downloaded from this link (click)

Our analysis suggests that the York Council will remain in “no overall control” but with a re-balancing of the parties which could see the LibDems and Labour increasing their representation at the expense of the Tories. In two or three of the rural villages Independents may be elected.

Or the electorate may produce a big surprise. We’ll know on Friday.

NB. Councillors from the Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat groups will take part in a debate on Tuesday night, April 30. The hustings will be held at St Peter’s School from 7pm and residents will have a chance to question candidates ahead of the local elections, which take place on Thursday, May 2. Cllr Stuart Rawlings, Cllr Dave Taylor, Cllr Kallum Taylor and Cllr Ashley Mason will take part. Contact 01904 527315 or events@stpetersyork.org.uk for tickets.

York Cultural Education Partnership recruits high profile chair

Chris Edwards, the former chief executive of Education Leeds, has been appointed as the new chair of the York Cultural Education Partnership.

A media release from the Council says, “Part of an initiative by Arts Council England, the partnership brings together arts and cultural organisations, educational institutions and City of York Council, to drive a joined up local arts and cultural offer, share resources and knowledge and ensure that children and young people can make the most of the city’s cultural offer. It was set up in 2016 following the city’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City”

Chris Edwards has held senior roles at City of York Council and as Chief Executive of Education Leeds. More recently he has undertaken consultancy in Staffordshire, Guernsey and for the Cutlers Company in Sheffield.

Chris will take over the chair from Chris Bailey, who held the post for three years.

Amanda Hatton, Director of Children, Education and Communities, City of York Council, said: “Chris Edwards brings a wealth of expertise to the role, having worked in the education sector for many years, and has a real commitment to ensuring that all children and young people achieve a high quality creative and cultural education. I look forward to working with him, and our partners, to help our young people access the wealth of cultural opportunities York provides, supporting our work as a UNESCO City of Media Arts.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Chris Bailey for his work over the last three years, guiding the group from its inception in 2016 to the strong partnership we have today.”

Chris Edwards, said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair of the York Cultural Education Partnership and to be working again in a city with such a rich heritage and culture, with great teachers working in strong schools and a vibrant and thriving arts sector.

“We know that culture and the arts matter with all the research suggesting that the arts can have a massive impact on children and young people, helping them develop the skills required to thrive and succeed at school, at work and in life, supporting their health and well-being and creating a pathway into one of the most rewarding and fastest developing employment sectors.

“I am looking forward to the challenge and to connecting all these pieces to create a vibrant, exciting and engaging arts entitlement for every child and young person in York… whatever it takes!”

So who will win the York Council elections on 2nd May?

Westfield and Wheldrake wards reviewed

Westfield Ward

The Westfield Ward is home to 14,171 residents. Average incomes are significantly lower than the City average. 57% of residents own their home.  9% rent privately and 32% are social tenants. There are 1,654 Council homes in the area (the largest concentration in the City). 2.5% are out of work. Crime levels are above average.  73.9% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (York average 88.6%). 38.1% believe that they can influence decisions in their local area (City average 26.2).  Source

Elections

Westfield has been  held by the Liberal Democrats for most of the last 50 years. Labour briefly gained the three seats in their 2011 landslide but equally quickly lost them again. The end for Labour started in the autumn of 2014 when a by-election saw a record swing back to the LibDems and their candidate Andrew Waller. They followed that up by taking all the seats in the 2015 poll with large majorities.

The only blip came when they decided not to re-select Sheena Jackson as a candidate.  It is understood that this was for reasons of style rather than policy differences.

The new LibDem candidate is former local government officer Simon Daubeney who doesn’t live in he ward (but lives nearby in Woodthorpe). Indeed it is the first time in 50 years that the LibDems will not be including a Foxwood resident on their slate of candidates . Foxwood is the largest population centre in the ward having about 1/3 of the total electorate.  Two of the other candidates do live in Foxwood   (Sheena Jackson and Labour’s Louise Corson, although the latter declined to say where lives on her nomination form!).

Labour are also fielding someone who describes himself as a “Management Consultant” and who has moved into the Chapelfields area. Their third candidate is a former Ethiopian refugee currently living in the Holgate Ward. He apparently admires the Ethiopian socialist people’s revolution, which may put him to the left of even most ardent of Corbyn supporters.

The other two parties are putting up “straw” candidates although the Tories have drafted in current Rawcliffe Councillor Sam Lisle, no doubt to give him a  salutary send off.

This is one of the poorest wards in the City. It has a very large percentage of social housing. More housing is scheduled to be built on local playing fields and sports grounds.  Life expectancy is the lowest in the City and obesity levels are the highest. The LibDems will feel that they have done enough over the last 4 years to merit a further term of office. ….but more will be expected of them if they are to continue in the future.

Prediction

3 Liberal Democrat seats

Wheldrake Ward

The Wheldrake Ward is home to 4,132 residents. Average incomes are significantly higher than the City average. 86% of residents own their home.  8% rent privately and 5% are social tenants. There are 44 Council homes in the area (the largest concentration in the City). 1.3% are out of work. Crime levels are below average.  83.3% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (York average 88.6%). 18.2% believe that they can influence decisions in their local area (City average 26.2).  Source

Elections

Wheldrake was won by the Tories from the LibDems in 2011. It has remained Tory since then.  There is an unusual choice of candidates with two of them adopting a peripatetic approach to their party loyalties.

Current Councillor Suzie Mercer was elected as a Conservative. She was one of the  9 Councillors who quit the 14 strong Tory party group, one way or another, in the run up to the election. She is seeking to retain her seat as an Independent.

Equally flexible is the LibDem candidate Christian Vassie who represented the area on the Council between 1999 and 2007.  He lost his seat in 2011 and strangely chose to contest the Holgate Ward  as an Independent in the 2015 poll. He performed poorly there. He now turns up again in Wheldrake, the ward in which he lives.  His application to return to the LibDems must have caused some soul-searching for the candidate selection panel, especially in view of his acerbic comments about party policy in the letters column of the local newspaper.

The Tory candidate, relative unknown Wesley Coultas, lives in the ward in the village of Naburn.  This is the smallest of the villages which make up the ward.  Wheldrake and Elvington are both much larger communities.

Parochial loyalties can be important in rural areas like this, so Susie Mercer’s links with Wheldrake may be enough to give her victory in what could be a difficult year for the Tories.

Prediction

1 Independent seat

So who will win the York Council elections on 2nd May

Rural West and Strensall wards reviewed

Strensall Ward

The Strensall ward is home to 8,334 residents. Average incomes are higher than the City average. 80% of residents own their home.  13% rent privately and 6% are social tenants. There are no Council homes in the area. 1.4% are out of work. Crime levels are below average.  84.2% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (York average 88.6%). 21.1% believe that they can influence decisions in their local area (City average 26.2).  Source

Elections

Rural West  was held by the Liberal Democrats in the last decade. The Tories have gradually increased their share of the vote since then and in 2015 secured both seats.

Retiring Councillor Helen Douglas is standing down, Helen Douglas has had a short but colourful career in local government having started off representing Clifton for Labour before making the long walk across the Council chamber to join the Tories. She is replaced as a candidate by an equally controversial choice in Sian Wiseman who represented the ward following the 2011 elections.  However, she was another who left the Conservative Group preferring to sit as an Independent following a controversy involving her, family owned, development land which might have been affected by an emerging Local Plan. After sitting out the last 4 years she returns to the the Tory fold.. Sian Wiseman is well known locally but whether local electors have forgotten and forgiven her dalliance remains to be seen. The other retiring Tory Councillor Paul Doughty is seeking re-election. He also lives in the ward.

The main challenge will come from well know local LibDem candidate Tony Fisher. He is a former Councillor for the area and polled strongly when contesting the ward in 2015. He is a trenchant supporter of the Green Belt and is likely to garner a few extra votes this time round.

Prediction

1 LibDem 1 Tory

Rural West Ward

The Rural West ward is home to 7,963 residents. Average incomes are higher than the City average. 86% of residents own their home.  7% rent privately and 5% are social tenants. There are 154 Council homes in the area. 1.4% are out of work. Crime levels are below average.  86.3% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (York average 88.6%). 16.7% believe that they can influence decisions in their local area (City average 26.2).  Source

Elections

Ward boundary changes mean that voting trends need to be viewed with caution.

Rural West was held by the Liberal Democrats in the last decade. The Tories have gradually increased their share of the vote since then and in 2015 secured both seats. One is held by the retiring Council Leader Ian Gillies, who is standing down after 12 years. He is replaced by an even older candidate in Robin Garland who was a feature of the local, political scene until about 30 years ago.  The other seat is held by arch Brexiteer Chris Steward who lives some distance away in the Micklegate ward.

An Independent did win one seat in the ward briefly over 12 years ago. There are no Independent candidates standing this year.

The challengers will be the LibDems. Their main hope will rest with  Ann Hook who lives locally.  The second LibDem candidates (James Barker) holds the unfortunate distinction of being the only one of the party’s candidates who declined to say on his nomination form whether he lived in the ward..

If the predicted meltdown in Tory support actually happens, then  the beneficiary is likely to be a LibDem candidate,

Prediction

1 LibDem 1 Tory