Haxby Library move to Oaken Grove community centre

City of York Council and Explore York Libraries and Archives have today announced a new temporary solution for Haxby and Wigginton library.

Exciting new plans have been agreed with Oaken Grove Trustees for the library service to be located there by summer. The current Haxby & Wigginton mobile service will stop once the new offer starts at Oaken Grove Community Centre.

The council is still committed to providing a new permanent library for residents which is bigger and better than the previous Haxby Library, is located with a partner organisation, and meets both residents’ expectations and Explore’s vision for a modern library service.

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York Council Chief Executive’s retirement confirmed

Cost of pension contributions will be just over £400,000

Following the early retirement of Ms Mary Weastell, Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of the Council commented:

Council statement

“Ms Weastell’s early retirement has given the City of York Council the opportunity to consider a restructure of the Council’s corporate management team. As part of this, we have been able to identify ways to save money through efficiencies and these proposals will ensure that costs can be met through existing budgets with no additional impact for the taxpayer.

“This will also ensure our senior team focus on the areas that are important to the city and that a consultation is able to be brought forward swiftly. Our ambitious council plan requires significant investment, and to achieve this it is right that we review the best way of delivering for the city to make the most of our available resources.”

Debbie Mitchell, Head of Finance, confirmed:

“As an open and transparent council, we want to share how much Ms Weastell has received as part of her early retirement.  There are strict rules in place that govern payments due to individuals and, in line with these statutory requirements; the council has incurred costs of c £404k.  The majority of this sum around £330k is statutory payments and pension strain costs to the authority that have to be paid. 

“The Council will commence consultation to make at least £81k of savings per annum with a paper published today to the Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee to begin that process.  Full details will be presented in the annual accounts as usual.”

Corona (COVID-19) update – effect on west York

The government has relaxed delivery restrictions on supermarkets. Click link. It means that deliveries can be made at any time of the day or night. Most local stores have their own delivery yards but neighbours of, for example, Morrisons on Green Lane may see lorries serving the store later at night.

Local residents associations have suggested that lists of local shops and takeaways who can deliver to these self isolating should be drawn up. They want to see a local neighbourhood coordinator appointed by the Council.

In the meantime they’re offering to publicise any local business that will accept remote orders (phone/email/online), pay electronically, and deliver to a doorstep. (Email Foxwoodra@btinternet.com)

Elsewhere community networks are getting established to deal with any escalation in the numbers confined to their own homes. The Leeds Council are, for example, taking steps to provide community support to safe and professional standards.  click

Volunteer groups like #ViralKindness are also springing up.

Action needed on verges and roads

The Council will be publishing its highways resurfacing programme for the next financial year shortly. There is now a major backlog of work in the area. It is not just potholes that need filling. Large areas of carriageway and several footpaths need patching or resurfacing.

The present Council promised to reconstruct all highways in the City, so it will be interesting to see the extent of next years programme.

School Street remains in poor condition.
Verge damage in Dijon Avenue

Problems with verge damage in the Dijon Avenue area have escalated since building work started on the Lowfield site

Front Street back lane untidy

We have reported on previous occasions that the lane between the Front Street shops and Beaconsfield Street reflects badly on the area.

This is mainly down to poor waste handing and storage arrangements at some of the shops. Need a permanent fix now

Remains of arson attack
Unsightly, and potentially unhealthy, waste storage arrangements
We’ve asked for a “deep clean” of the gutters in the School Street area

Update from York Council on Corona virus

The Authority has now issued the following advice to Councillors;

“We continue to closely monitor the latest national advice and are in regular contact with Public Health England.

Of course, our priority is the health and wellbeing of staff, residents and visitors to our offices.

As usual, our incredible cleaning teams thoroughly clean council offices every night with disinfectant which kills germs and is effective against viruses. As ever, this will continue in line with best practice and public health advice.

Before you use your desk space and, as an extra precaution, please wipe your desk, keyboard and phone using the antibacterial wipes provided. Please also use the gel provided and ensure it and the wipes remain in place for colleagues to use.

We are continuing to share the national advice with council staff, partners, care homes, social care settings as well as schools, colleges and universities.

The health advice from the Government remains the same as yesterday:

  • you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home
  • your condition gets worse
  • your symptoms do not get better after 7 days

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online. Don’t go to your GP or A&E.

Advice on staying at home is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/

We will continue to keep you updated as much as we can, and ask that you keep looking at and signpost people to www.nhs.uk/coronavirus for the latest health information and advice.

There has been updated travel advice on school trips. Government guidance advises against all overseas trips for children under 18. It does not advise against domestic trips at this stage. We are in close and regular contact with all schools.

Foreign office travel advice for the general public is available at www.gov.uk/guidance/foreign-travel-checklist. Advice on specific countries is available at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. 

It is inevitable that someone you know will follow the latest health advice and self-isolate. We ask that everyone respects their privacy and protects their identity. They are doing the right and responsible thing by following government advice, and it is important we all support them as much as we can”.

The Council have also now produced a more comprehensive briefing which can be downloaded from this link

This is a link to a US advice list https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/get-your-household-ready-for-COVID-19.html

More on funding for station front transformation

Artist's impression of York Station front

Council leaders have welcomed news that at least £14.5m funding has been secured to transform the front of York station into a fitting gateway to the city.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has today confirmed that the scheme will be funded from its £317m allocation from the Transforming Cities Fund.

The fund aims to improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on for up to 1.5 million people, supporting Zero Carbon ambitions while providing a 21st century transport network to create economic growth across the region.

Under the proposals, the redundant Queen Street Bridge would be removed to create the space for the changes, which include:

  • an improved transport interchange with separate arrival points for cars, buses, taxis and cyclists
  • moving the taxi-rank, drop-off points and short stay parking access to create car-free public spaces in Tea Room Square and a new ‘Station Square’
  • revealing hidden parts of the City Wall, the station and York Railway Institute’s buildings to offer a better setting for the city’s heritage
  • improved pedestrian and cycle routes, connecting to the new pedestrian and cycle path over Scarborough Bridge

For more information about York Station front  visit www.york.gov.uk/stationfront

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York Council set to agree £21.282 million transport investment programme

The Councils transport capital programme is being allocated at a meeting taking place next week. The funding covers the 20/21 financial year and as capital expenditure it much be invested in assets which have an extended life expectancy.

Much of the funding comes from central government although the West Yorkshire Transport Fund will contribute over £8 million to dualling the outer ring road and the remodelling of the station forecourt. It is unclear what the future of this funding will be in the light of the announcement earlier in the week that West Yorkshire will get an elected mayor who will have control over strategy transport funding streams.

Some of the schemes are largely opaque. The Smarter Travel Evolution Programme (STEP) is funded by the National Productivity Investment Fund and aims to implement real- time monitoring and associated infrastructure to allow York to prepare for future transport measures such as connected and autonomous vehicles. The work planned for 2020/21 includes the development of the new transport model for York, and an upgrade of communications equipment across the city. Possibly not a priority for cyclists trying opt negotiate the latest crop of potholes.

The City has yet to hear how much – if any – of the government pothole fund will be allocated t the City. There is also no indication how much Local Transport Pan funding will go towards resurfacing roads and paths.

Including the Councils own resources, nearly £1 million has been located for cycling and pedestrian schemes. £500,000 of this was agreed last July but non has so far been invested. Much of this will be required to repair the neglect of the last 8 years.

The Piccadilly car park will become pay on exit. The programme of modernising traffic signals across the City will continue. Maintenance work will be carried out on Lendal Bridge during the year.

York Council’s longest empty property Ashbank set to be sold.

Council report on empty property avoids any comment on its own poor performance

The planning committee yesterday approved plans which would see the former Council offices at Ashbank on Shipton Road converted into apartments.

Ashbank has been empty since 2013.

The news comes a few days before a report on empty property in the City is due to be discussed by the Council’s Executive.

It follows claims in 2018 that the City had a relatively large number of empty properties. At the time that seemed – given local land and property prices – unlikely but the Council agreed to review the issue. The review wasn’t aimed at bringing unused space (e.g. floors above shops) into use but rather focused on those properties where empty property tax relief was being claimed.

Last September the Council increased the Council Tax liability on long term empty homes to 300%.

National statistics confirm that York has the second lowest level of empty homes in the country (after Oxford).

The Council claims that it has helped to bring back in to use 45 long term empty properties, through advice and assistance, since April 2017.

An audit of properties shown as empty on the Council tax database found that 43% of those visited so far are either occupied or about to be occupied.

Only 150 (27%) of properties visited were found to be empty. Nearly half of these empty homes were undergoing refurbishment, currently up for sale or let or awaiting site redevelopment.

 In only 10% of the cases (15 properties) the owner appeared to have no immediate plans to bring the property back in to use.

One unintended consequence of the audit may be that some owners, who have been claiming empty property tax relief, may find that they now receive a substantial bill.

The report pointedly fails to mention the Councils own housing stock. Leaving aside delays in re-letting Council houses, the list of empty properties owned by the Council – which includes some residential homes – clearly merits further investigation.

Whether the Council’s Executive will order a probe into their own performance will become clear at next Thursday’s meeting

Comparisons
Reasons property unoccupied