Water under homes

York Council finally produces the figures

Over a year ago The Press published an article in which one of the City’s MPs criticised the Council for the backlog of work needed to reduce the amount of ponding under its properties.

We wondered at the time whether the figures quoted (200 affected homes) were the whole story.

 It seems not.

It has taken months of correspondence to get the facts including the scale of involvement by local MPs.

So, what is now clear?

At the time of the article there were 200 outstanding complaints about water ponding under Council houses.  A programme of work had been initiated in 2016 by the new coalition administration to deal with the issue. The previous Labour run Council didn’t have a programme of remedial works nor did they monitor complaints.

Tenants reported 9 instances of standing water problems in the 12 months ending March 2018.

It seems that local MPs were reporting about 2 ponding issues a year. They reported more issues with condensation (and overcrowding) but these were not connected to the standing water issue.

The number of properties affected by damp had fallen from 466 in 2013 to 176 by the end of March 2018.

We can conclude therefore that the Council does now have a programme aimed at dealing with standing water under homes. About 45 homes a year are having remedial works undertaken.

There are likely to be more properties with water standing in the foundations, at some times of the year,  but the occupiers may not be aware of the issue

The number of Council homes suffering from dampness has reduced significantly.

NB. Our FOI request for details of Councillor complaints about standing water was turned down on cost grounds (the Council don’t have a customer relationship management system which allows this information to be found easily)

£100,000 costs of York Council “witch hunt” revealed

In response to a Freedom of information request the York Council has revealed that it paid £98,348.37 to solicitors acting against LibDem Councillor Keith Aspden.

Cllr Keith Aspden

Copies of invoices submitted by solicitors acting for the Council have now been published. They total rather more that the figure admitted by the Council.

 Cllr Aspden had – unjustifiably as it turned out – been accused of breaking the Council’s Code of conduct.

Cllr Aspden was suspended from his executive position and was only recently formally exonerated.

In addition to the costs of engaging outside solicitors, the Council incurred undisclosed internal staffing and other expenses.

As well as loss of earnings, Cllr Aspden was forced do pay for his own legal representation.

To put the matter into perspective, had the £98,000 been spent on road repairs then an additional 6 streets in the City could have been resurfaced last year.

The matter is still subject to an inquiry into how the case came to be so badly mishandled. Compensation may also be on the cards.

At least one official who was involved in the case is set to leave the authority.

Plenty of issues for Council candidates to get their teeth into

The new Scarborough Bridge cycle and footpath is due to open next week. Several of the paths linking to the bridge require resurfacing
Many other roads need to be resurfaced including Lady Road near Clifton School
The cycle path on The Mount is in particularly poor condition
Damaged fencing on Dame Judy Dench Walk near the “Inn in the City”
Corroded steps leading up to Lendal Bridge need a coat of paint

York Council election manifestos (Updated)

Postal voters in York will start to receive their ballot papers next week in preparation for the Council elections taking place on 2nd May

Some details of policies are emerging with the Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat parties now having published their manifestos “on line”. Click the links below to access them. Apparently the Conservatives haven’t published a 2019 manifesto. The link below is to their 2015 effort.

LibDem

Labour

Green

Conservative 2015

There are also 10 independents standing all with their own unique views. Those views vary from soft left to extreme right wing. Its anyone’s guess what policies they might pursue if elected. Most, however, lack active supporters, so just the task of getting an election address through everyone’s letterbox may be a challenge for some of them.

The Greens web site is a confused array of policy links with brevity and clarity a bit lacking.

NB. One presentational matter unites the parties. Most have opted to photograph their candidates “en masse”. The LibDems and Labour hold up placards or leaflets like a group of chauffeurs waiting outside the “Arrivals” gate at Manchester airport. The Greens – in the absence of placards – have hands to spare with most opting for a left handed version of a salute awkwardly reminiscent of that made famous by an Austrian some 80 years ago. The Tories don’t appear to have united their candidates yet to the point where individual or collective photos can actually be taken.

Local businesses invited to get involved in York Armed Forces Day 2019

Local businesses and community groups are being asked to support Armed Forces Day 2019 by pitching an offer, such as a gift or discount code, for armed forces personnel from 24 – 30 June.

click

Armed Forces Day (29 June 2019) allows City of York Council and local residents and businesses to give thanks for all the hard work and contributions made by the armed forces community.

The day of events, which will be held in York city centre, aims to further develop partnerships between local businesses and organisations, and members of the armed forces community.

Over 60 city-wide offers and discounts were listed during Armed Forces Day 2018, for a variety of city attractions, eateries, shops and travel networks.

Businesses are able to offer a week-long incentive throughout Armed Forces Week or a single-day deal on 29 June for Armed Forces Day.

To get involved, email: Lauren@mudstresscoffee.com

Charlie Croft, Assistant Director of Communities and Culture at City of York Council, said: “We are incredibly proud of our Armed Forces and are committed to supporting our armed forces community. It is important to work with partners across the region to give thanks for the service they provide.

“If you are a business or community group in York with an offer or discount for Armed Forces Day, please get in contact to show your support.”

*All offers and discounts are redeemable on presentation of valid accreditation; Service ID, Defence Discount Card or Letter.

Clockhouse pub survives closure bid

The Clockhouse Pub on Tudor Road was granted a reprieve at a meeting yesterday when licensing officials considered its closure.

Additional conditions have been attached to the license including fitting a noise limiter and a requirement to close all doors and windows from 10:00pm

The Councils decision was described as the “final chance” to address the noise issues.

Poor take up for York Council’s “on line” reporting system

Only 4652 residents have signed up to use the Councils “on line” issue reporting system. “Report It” was heralded as a local successor to successful commercial systems like “Fix my Street”

Unfortunately the Council system lacks functionality. Many issues still can’t be reported using the system and it has provide to be difficult to associate the reference numbers, which are emailed to complainants, with the original complaint.

Only litter and street lighting fault reports generate a confirmation when the issue has been dealt with.

The FOI response also reveals that the authority spends around £1.5 million a year on software licensing.