Police investigating a collision in which a York cyclist sustained serious injuries have issued a further appeal for information.

The collision occurred at around 11pm on Friday 27 July 2012 when a red Seat car first collided with a 39-year-old cyclist before hitting a parked van and coming to rest upside down on Bishopthorpe Road. The cyclist suffered serious head, neck and wrist injuries as a result of the collision.

Earlier in the evening at around 9.30 to 10pm, there was a commotion in Anne Street just off Bishopthorpe Road involving a youth and a red car which was being revved very loudly.

(more…)

Several events have been arranged to celebrate Yorkshire Day.

Yorkshire Ridings Society will be processing around the Bar Walls proudly boasting a Yorkshire flag before performing the Declarations of Integrity in modern and olden dialect, ending on the cobbles at Newgate Market.

The city centre will be decked out in bunting and Yorkshire flags. A Yorkshire Day banner will also be hung for visitors and residents to see at Newgate Market, where there will be a Yorkshire Day market full of local traders with Yorkshire goods and produce, including additional stalls from the Farmers’ Market.

The Civic party will be attending the annual Civic gathering, which will this year be held in Scarborough and will include a procession with sword and mace bearers.

The Mansion House will be flying the Yorkshire Day flag on this special day.

Other events celebrating Yorkshire Day across the city include:

• York’s Chocolate Story selling special Yorkshire chocolates for the day in flavours of Yorkshire blue; white chocolate and rhubarb; tea and fruitcake; and Wensleydale cheese and apple.
• Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop is celebrating Yorkshire Day with a giant, York Minster shaped pork pie which will be unveiled at 2.30pm on the steps of York Minster.
• The York Brewery is doing a Real Ale Trail based around Yorkshire beers in their pubs.
• The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is running a special lunchtime Pullman service runs in celebration of Yorkshire Day on 1st August, which departs from Grosmont at 1.30pm.

click to enlarge

Council taxpayers had to fork out over £200,000 for taxis used by Councillors, staff and customers of the York Council last year.

The costs were 92% higher than were incurred in the previous year.

The figures do not include the costs of transporting pupils with special needs (disabilities) to school.

The revelation comes only a few days after the Council revealed that Social Care costs for the last financial year increased by 29%. See http://tinyurl.com/Adult-social-care-cost-up

The Council was unable – in a response to a freedom of information request – to separate the cost of using taxis for staff from the costs for customers of its services.

click to enlarge

There was a 39% slump in the number of residents returning Ward Committee ballot papers in the autumn of 2011 compared to the previous year. The annual ballot is held to determine how residents want to spend a budget which has been delegated to local Ward Councillors.

The process was heavily criticised last year when ballot papers were circulated with other pieces of junk mail.

The Council also decided not to include some – resident suggested – schemes on the ballot paper and later several Labour Ward Councillors chose to ignore the results of the ballot altogether.

In Westfield they decided to pay for the purchase of pantomime costumes while funding provision for security patrols was axed.

The worst turnout was in the Heworth Ward where only 34 ballot papers (0.6% of households) were completed. The next lowest was Westfield where only 0.7% of households completed the ballot papers.

See also http://tinyurl.com/York-Ward-Committee

A York Council committee has spent the last few months reviewing the effectiveness of the “do not resuscitate” forms used in parts of the NHS.

It is a sensitive area and one that the Council is right to review in its role as a “Health Watchdog”. It followed concerns about the use of the forms at the York Hospital following a review by the Care Quality Commission in October 2011.

Indications are that health professionals do understand and respect the intention of the forms.

The committee is due to meet next on Monday. Details of the study can be found here http://tinyurl.com/do-not-resuscitate

Police are appealing for witnesses to two separate incidents. One involves a collision on Bishopthorpe Road on Friday evening while the second involved an assault in the early hours of Friday morning in Clifton.
(more…)

A resident has registered a petition on the Councils web site opposing the introduction of charges for emptying green garden waste bins.

The petition can be found by clicking here http://tinyurl.com/No-to-green-bin-charges.

Residents have until 6th September to record their support.

The York Council has so far failed to say how their promised “consultation” on the proposed charges will be undertaken.

Meanwhile in Sheffield, Labour have announced an annual charge of £57.60 for emptying green bins.
http://www.sheffieldlibdems.org.uk/2012/03/26/labour-hits-sheffielders-with-eye-watering-garden-tax/

Elsewhere the charges have been described in the national media as a “stealth” tax.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8559683/New-charges-for-garden-waste-collection-described-as-stealth-bin-tax.html

The proportion of shop units in York City centre which are empty is much less than can be found in other parts of the country, according to figures that have been released by the City of York Council

Click to enlarge

The Council says:

• The number and percentage of city centre vacant shops has remained relatively static since April 2009.

• The last 12 months has seen small monthly seasonal fluctuations in both number and percentage, however the overall trend is a static one.

• The number of vacant shops as at 1/7/12 is below the average monthly figure between 1/4/09 and the present.

• Seasonal influences, month to month, affect the numbers of vacant properties with Summer and Christmas having the lowest percentage of the total.

• The total number of shops has decreased since April 2008, meaning the percentage of the total will be higher.

• York’s shop vacancy figure is approximately half that of the Region 15% and national figure of 14.5%.

The City of York council currently provide a gardening service to the elderly.

North Yorkshire Police have been made aware of a potential scam whereby persons are attending addresses and informing the occupants that the council are no longer providing this service.

This is not true.

These persons are then offering their own gardening services in return for payment.

Guildhall dig

Archaeologists are hoping to find a complete set of Labour Party policies as their dig at the Guildhall continues.

A spokesman said, “I think that we are very close to finding them now”.