York Council staff absence through stress hits record high

The proportion of sickness absences recorded by Council employees, because of stress related issues, reached a record high during the last financial year.

21.8% of absences were put done to stress compared to a previous high of 19.5% seen in 2010/11

Dates Days Lost/FTE (all) Days Lost/FTE (stress) % of absence days lost because of stress
01/04/2009-31/03/2010 8.98 1.74 19.38
01/04/2010-31/03/2011 10.48 2.04 19.51
01/04/2011-31/03/2012 8.56 1.22 14.25
01/04/2012-31/03/2013 8.63 1.68 19.47
1/04/1013-31/03/2014 9.15 1.99 21.79

Overall the number of sickness days per employee has also risen to 9.2%

The Council has not yet commented on the worrying trend

Drunken sailors return to York?

The York council will soon have spent its £28 million “Economic Investment Fund”.

In a final spending spree, before electors have a chance to give a verdict on the “spend, spend, spend” approach of the Labour Council, over £250,000 is to be spent this year on new projects.

One involves the investment of £175,000 in paving the entrance to Hungate/Peasholme Green.

Peasholme Green

Peasholme Green

The justification for the investment is that it will encourage more “return visitors to the area”.

While the Quilt Museum and Black Swan pub (both of which could suffer because of the Councils decision to close the Haymarket car park) may read this with interest, most commentators will think that the private sector should pay for any improvements to Hungate.

This is, after all, adjacent to the site which the Council sold off for a little over £2 million in the depth of the recession.

The prime City centre site – on which Hiscox hope to build offices – has now more than doubled in value.

The project will, however, have little impact on Hungate even after adding in Section S106 contributions which could increase the budget to circa £250,000.

Nearby £300,000 is being spent on paving a very small section of Fossgate, while the controversial resurfacing of Kings Square is costing taxpayers £500,000.

Most of the Council’s EIF budget comes from borrowing. It will add around £1.6 million a year to the debt charges that taxpayers will have to find.

Meanwhile sub-urban shopping and residential eras continue to suffer a decline in public service standards.

Perhaps the most telling comment on the Hungate scheme comes in the Council report itself.

It virtually admits that they have no idea whether the investment will bring any kind of return for the City.

“With respect to the Hungate public realm project, estimating the exact impact of investment in public realm can be difficult, but estimates provided in this report from respected authorities suggest that the impact provides value for money”.

Quite so!

Gypsies, Travellers and Showpeople – new sites in York identified

Secret report reveals Labour plans

One of the most controversial aspects of Labours Draft Local Plan for York was the propsed provision for Travellers.

Last year, some landowner’s spotted the opportunity to identify land for use by caravan dwellers but later withdrew them when the “Green Belt” designation of the sites had been undermined.

This happened at both Wetherby Road/Knapton (Showpeople) and Dunnington (Travellers).

The York council was then left with a shortfall of around 60 pitches. If they do not identify sites for them, it is likely that their Plan will not be supported by an Inspector at a Hearing in Public later in the year.

Behind closed doors logo The Labour Councils response was, typically, to table a report at the last minute at a Cabinet meeting held earlier in the week. The highly contentious proposals were not made available to the all party working group which met the previous week, effectively ruling out any chance of consensus on the issue.

Labour propose to establish new traveller sites at:

  • Osbaldwick – East of Metcalf Lane ST7
  • Huntington – North of Monks Cross ST8
  • Rawcliffe – Clifton Moor ST14
  • Heslington/Wheldrake – Whinthorpe ST15

All these are Green Belt sites.

The principal of housing development on them will be bitterly contested by residents at the public inquiry.

Even if one or two are approved (they don’t need to be as York has more than enough brownfield land to satisfy demand for the next 25 years or more) developers have said that the viability of these huge new housing estates would be jeopardised by the inclusion of traveller camps.

The Council should have included the new industrial areas that it has identified as potential sites for 2 or 3 small caravan sites. Travellers, perhaps more than any other group, typify the need for “live/work” units. Many are involved in salvage or surfacing work which is a use more appropriate for industrial areas. Others may require good access to schools. Essentially these communities need to have a choice of location to meet their differing needs.

The York Council has made a major blunder by slipping its proposals into the public realm in such a way as to avoid any debate.

The decision sheet from the meeting earlier in the week has been published.

The traveller paper was noticeable by its absence. (It has now been added but is very difficult to find and is not included in the “Newly Published” list).

Residents have a right of access to important papers like these.

It is another example of the Council ignoring its constitution and adopting a secretive, bunker mentality.

In the interests of openness you can download a copy of the paper from our web site by clicking here.

Acomb Police station closing for renovations

The Acomb Police station will be closed for a couple of months.

The public desk – which is manned by volunteers – is being relocated to Sanderson House Community Centre in Bramham Road, Chapelfields.

Details here

Meanwhile a survey being undertaken by Chapelfields LibDems has found that many residents feel that they don’t see a Police presence in local streets as often as in the past. Most want the Police to keep them up to date, with what is going on, through the distribution of leaflets. The main concern raised by residents is the lack of car parking provision on the estate.

York businesses win government grants

Seven York businesses are celebrating after they recently secured Local Enterprise Partnership Business Support Grants and more businesses can still benefit from the scheme.

The York businesses which  have successfully secured funding are; Choc Affair, Eborcraft, Andrews Signs & Engravers, Trustspan Timber Engineering, Mercers of Yorkshire, Yorvale Ice Cream and Muddy Boots Nursery.

The grants were received from York, North Yorkshire & East Riding Enterprise Partnership and Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership who are still offering grants to businesses who are looking to make capital investment in land, buildings, plant, machinery and equipment, or towards research and development projects which will lead to new products and job creation.

The funding comes from the Government’s £3.2 billion Regional Growth Fund (RGF), which supports eligible projects and programmes which raise private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment.

(more…)

Bid to improve York’s flood defences over the next six-years through new study

York floods Sept 2012 bar walls

York could receive a boost to improve its flood defences over the next six-years and see a new study undertaken to re-evaluate the flood risks to the city, following a bid to the Environment Agency and Defra.

In the light of the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, the new study will look to examine the case for upgrading and enhancing York’s defences for the future.

(more…)

Poppy projects getting good support

poppy
Hard on the heels of the poppy planting project implemented by the Foxwood Residents Association, the
City of York Council has announced that it has secured cross-party support to help the First World War commemorative Poppy Road Poppy Project take root. The council is giving further assistance by providing two plots of land and support for volunteers.
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York road repairs list “missing in action”

The York Council has issued a media release claiming to list the streets that will benefit from this years highway resurfacing programme.

The list is a supplement to the base programme which was agreed in March. It will add £2 million worth of work and bring expenditure back up to the level inherited by the Labour Council, in 2011. During the last 2 years the highways resurfacing budget had lost nearly £4 million in much needed investment.

Footpath and verge repair needed in Little Green Lane in Acomb

Footpath and verge repair needed in Little Green Lane in Acomb

Interested residents who would like to know whether their roads is included on the list will be disappointed.

The list is missing from the Couincils web site!

It is the latest in a series of irregularities which has seen

  • a report on Lendal bridge supressed,
  • “key” decisions reclassified to prevent an all party public debate,
  • an attempt to sabotage the independent report writing protocol,
  • misuse of taxpayer funded equipment to promote party political objectives,
  • misuse of the Councils media team to promote a “decision” (free parking) which hadn’t even been taken together with
  • the publication of incomplete/inaccurate information about the Local Plan.

The base highways resurfacing programme was first published last November and confirmed at a meeting held in March.

A copy can be read here.