The York Council are reporting in a “Health and Wellbeing in York: Joint Strategic Needs Assessment” that York residents are living longer.

” City of York Council, the Primary Care Trust and partners have worked together to produce a report to help inform the future direction of health and wellbeing in the city. As part of the government’s far-reaching health reforms, local authorities will take on more responsibility for public health from April 2013.

The report called the Health and Wellbeing in York: Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2012 (JSNA) brings together information on current and future health and wellbeing needs. It builds on two previous reports and will be used to help make decisions regarding future strategies and plans.

There are four main sections: a snapshot of who lives in York, a look at “wellbeing” in its widest sense, lifestyles and a profile of health in the city.

The JSNA report shows that population is projected to continue increasing. The proportion of the population over the age of 65 years is expected to increase dramatically between now and 2029. Life expectancy has been rising; death rates from cancer have been falling and York scores better than the England average for many health indicators. Work in these areas needs to continue to maintain these successes.

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Councils are facing a backlash from residents over moves to charge for green waste collection.
Over the past year, more and more local authorities have started charging for green waste collections in order to help plug holes in their budgets

In York, Labour have included a cut of £250,000 over the next 2 years in the costs of collecting green waste. The green bins have been popular in York with most residents in sub urban areas routinely using the service.

The cuts could be made either by discontinuing the service all together (and perhaps providing composting bins to residents) or by charging for the bins as Labour & Conservative Councils are doing elsewhere in the Country (see below).

Either way, when added to the rearrangement of collection rounds (different types of waste will in future be collected on different days of the week) and the closure of Household Waste Sites, it means significant change for many York residents.

If the Council are to go ahead with such a proposal then they should be consulting residents now, not leaving it to the last minute as happened with the Beckfield Lane issue.

Residents in Newcastle, Melton in Leicestershire and Bracknell Forest in Berkshire are the latest to come out against the charges, which they claim are equivalent to a stealth tax.

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Residents will have a rare opportunity to see a footpath being reconstructed when work starts on Acomb Wood Drive on 7th May (see right).

The work consists of excavating the current surfacing and replacing with two new layers of tarmac.

The Contractor carrying out the work will be City of York Council’s Highways department which will be working between 8.00am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday.

It is the only street in the Westfield Ward which is likely to be reconstructed this year following the Labour Councils decision to cut the road repairs budget by 56%.

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 2 May and Tuesday 8 May 2012.

•A64 east-bound carriageway Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 west-bound carriageway, Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•Broadway, Fulford, York
•Murton Way, Muton, York
•Fordlands Road, Fulford, York
•A1237 Monks Cross, York
•B1222 Naburn lane, York
•B1228 Main Street, Elvington, York
•B1228 Dunnington Lodge, Elvington, York
•A64 Malton by-pass Malton east and westbound
•A64 Seamer by-pass, Scarborough
•A64 Seamer Road, Scarborough
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NHS 111 is a new telephone based service for patients that will be available throughout the country no later than 1st April 2013.

Plans are in place to ensure that NHS 111 will be available in North Yorkshire and York, along with other areas of the country, no later than 1 April 2013.

The service is being introduced to support access to urgent and emergency healthcare and ensure patients are seen by a service most appropriate for their needs.

It will replace the existing NHS Direct telephone number.

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The fallout from the closure of the Beckfield Lane Waste and Recycling Centre continues as the Liberal Democrats question information given by Labour Cabinet Member, Dafydd Williams.

At last week’s Extraordinary Council, Labour justified the unpopular axing of Beckfield Lane by arguing it was earmarked for closure because it was less accessible (for people with disabilities) than the two other sites in York, Towthorpe and Hazel Court.

Coun Williams, Labour Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhood Services, lauded the accessibility of the Towthorpe site by claiming that it only had steps leading to one skip, the landfill skip. In fact as pictures below show, there are steps leading to other skips at the site including for wood and garden waste. Liberal Democrat Councillors are today demanding that Coun Williams clarifies and if necessary withdraws his remarks.

Coun Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Communities and Neighbourhood, commented:

“It is clear that the Labour Cabinet Member gave misleading and inaccurate information during the debate on the closure of the Beckfield Lane site. A key pillar of Labour’s argument was that Beckfield should close because it was not accessible due to steps leading to the skips. Coun Williams compared it to the other sites in York and claimed Towthorpe was accessible and should stay open because there were only steps to one skip at the site. This simply isn’t true and undermines Labour’s argument for closure.

“I am writing to Coun Williams to ask him to clarify and if necessary withdrawal his remarks; however, there is a wider point. If a Cabinet Member has misled, deliberately or not, councillors during a debate should the subsequent vote stand? Clearly, Labour members voted through this proposal based on false information.”

FREE: YORK RESIDENTS FREE WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 MAY 2012

Opening time: normal house opening hours

Location: Fairfax House, Castlegate, York YO1 9RN

York residents are invited to visit Fairfax House free of charge for one weekend only. This special opportunity is being offered because of the closure of the House during the York Residents’ Festival in February. Residents will need to show a valid York Card to gain entry.

For tickets contact Fairfax House on 01904 655543 or call in during House opening hours.

Two new free sports programmes for young job seekers are being launched by City of York Council. It’s the first time a free fitness programme for unemployed people aged 16 to 25 will be run in York.

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The Olympic Torch Relay is coming to York on 19 and 20 June 2012.

If you intend coming along to the evening celebration the organising partners would appreciate some idea of numbers, how you are getting there and where you are coming from? http://www.yorkgold2012.co.uk/register.php

The Torch Relay is the one part of the Games that goes across the UK, so it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase the people, communities and scenery that make the UK great. In York, with our York 800 celebrations in full swing, it will collectively be our moment to shine in the Olympic Torch light.

The Olympic Flame is lit at the Temple of Hera, at Ancient Olympia in Greece. It is created uniquely for each Winter and Summer Games by focusing sunlight in a parabolic mirror. At this point, it is the only place in the world where the Olympic Flame is alight. It then travels round Greece for seven days before being passed to the UK, where it begins the Relay in Land’s End.

The Torch arrives in the UK on 18 May 2012 and the Relay starts the next day from Lands End.
The Flame will travel for 70 days – 63 days around the UK and the final seven days around London.
The Torch will cover approximately 8,000 miles across the UK, through Torchbearing and travelling in convoy mode.
There will be 8,000 Torchbearers who will carry the Torch for approximately 300 metres each.

Olympic Torch Relay evening celebration locations – Yorkshire
Mon 18 June: HULL
Tue 19 June: YORK
Sun 24 June: LEEDS
Mon 25 June: SHEFFIELD
Tue 26 June: CLEETHORPES
Evening celebration, York

The early evening event in York will be on 19 June 2012 at York Racecourse on the Knavesmire. As part of the early evening celebrations, we will be co-ordinating opportunities for residents to try out new sports or games activities. More information will be shared nearer the time as much of the event will be presented by LOCOG’s presenting partners (see below).
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