Despite the poor national economic position, very few homes are being repossessed in York. Figures produced by Shelter show that 1.27 homes per 1000 population were repossessed last year. That put York at 283 in a league table of 324 local authority areas.
Worst repossession rate was in Corby with 7.6 repossessions.
Locally both Doncaster and Hull had rates of above 5.00
In Yorkshire, York was the best performing area other than Hambleton and Ryedale.
The figures confirm just how successful the City has been in establishing a bouyant and resilient economy during recent years.

It’s a shame that so soon after the end of the “Cycling City” programme, off road cycle paths are becoming overgrown. Tree branches at head height, detritus covering paths and bushes preventing access to the Sustrans York – Selby path are likely to discourage growth in the number of cyclists in the City.

Signage is also showing signs of ware and tear with graffiti a particular problem.

The paths need to be inspected regularly by the local Ward councillors, while officials need to act promptly if the city’s image is to be preserved.

I see that the media have picked up on St John’ s plans to expand onto the Union Tce car park. It’s a project that the University have been working on for the last 12 months at least.
The stumbling block is, of course, the loss of 145 car and 35 coach parking spaces. The car park brings in around £400,000 a year (£40,000 for coaches) in income for the Council; so a capital receipt of £2 million looks to be on the low side anyway. Some users might divert to other car parks but, with the Haymarket car park also likely to be closed shortly for redevelopment, traders will be concerned about the number of spaces being lost.
One other worry will be the new Labour Councils commitment to the Alan Simpson report which looked at the layout and function of the City centre. Amongst the ideas that arise out of it was the need for a dedicated public transport route possibly through Gillygate, St Leonards Place and Lendal. It is the latest in a series of reports on the future of streets like Gillygate (the illustration is of a 1948 version)
This very much points to the need for the Local Development Framework (LDF,) and in particular future land uses, to be agreed before any piecemeal decisions are taken on the future of car parks and indeed transport systems generally.
There isn’t, or shouldn’t be, any link between the Universities project and the option of reinstalling “pay on exit!” barriers at surface level car parks. This system was abandoned in York nearly 20 years ago mainly because of the cost of maintaining the equipment. The remains of the barrier mechanisms can still be seen at the entrance to the Castle car park.
Effectively “pay on exit” needs 24/7 call out assistance which pushes up running costs (or otherwise drivers will become trapped in the car parks when the careless, or the mischievous, damage the barriers). Most of the systems currently in use involve the validation of tickets at separate machines which themselves are vulnerable in poor weather. Barrier and ticket equipment for only the main car parks would cost around £500,000.
Those favouring the system claim that visitors will stay longer in the City if they don’t have to worry about when their pay and display ticket will expire.
Maybe so.
But there already is a pay by mobile phone option, which effectively offers the same advantage. Before long we will have data enabled mobile phones and charge cards which could be used to offer additional flexibility such as off peak discount rates. These are likely to be more attractive to visitors than the pay on exit option.
Those who want to can use one of the 2 (private sector) pay on exit multi storey car parks, both are under cover.
Any spare capital receipts that the Council might receive would be better invested in improving facilities for those walking into and around the City centre.

I hope that the Council won’t rush into selling the Kent Street coach park to the Fire Service at a cut price rate.
The new Labour Council will quickly find that it needs to maximise the receipts that it can get from asset sales. These are necessary to underpin the modernisation of the City’s housing, leisure and transport services.
I know that the last Council expected to get £1.5 million for the site. We don’t know what the offer figure from the Fire service is.?
Prudence suggests that the site should be placed on the open market and at a time which optimises the benefit for local residents.
There is a lesson in the sales strategy for the Bonding Warehouse which the Council successfully sold at the height of the property market for £1.1 million. It is now on the market again for only £800,000.
Council taxpayers will expect their representatives to continue to optimise the value of our assets.
The results of the consultation by the Fire Service on their need for new premises can be found here. http://www.northyorksfire.gov.uk/news/public_consultation/provision_of_fire_cover_across_york

The Council in 2004 invested in the route of the number 4 ftr bus service. It provided off street parking space with the intention of allowing public transport a “clear run” and therefore reducing journey times. This was similar in concept to what has to be done when a tram system is introduced. The carriageways on the route were also resurfaced to ensure a level ride and to avoid road works delays in future years.
Of the £1.5 million cost, only a small proportion was spent on changing the radius of some corners, an investment which was the advantage of all articulated vehicles.
The council spent nothing at all on the ftr vehicles themselves which were fully funded by First York.
The comfort and speed of the ftr service has been praised by users. The conductors are a popular and unique feature of the number 4 route, albeit they offer a facility which raises the costs of the service.
Non ftr users do criticise the bulk of the vehicle and its clumsiness in the narrower streets of the City.
While the last Liberal Democrat administration had plans to introduce low emission buses into the City, Labour talk only of scrapping the ftr. No one knows what could replace it or how such a change would be paid for? They would be wise to change their approach as the City needs more not less investment in public transport – and in the current climate funding is unlikely to come from the government.
Similarly their plan to effectively “franchise” all bus services in the City using a “contract” system would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to set up and perhaps millions to implement. It woudl be high risk, and potentially ruinous, strategy against a background of bus use in the City still growing at 1% year on year.
The Councils time and resources would be better directed towards the promotion of low emission transport and easier payment options similar to the Oyster card system currently in use in London.

According to media reports Labour are dithering on the Councils commitment to install double glazing in those Council homes that do not already have it.
It is fortunate that the former Liberal Democrat council had already let the contract for this year’s housing modernisation programme otherwise that could now be in jeopardy. It means that the work already underway on the Chapelfields area will be completed.
However, those living in single glazed flats in the ward, including those in the Thoresby Road area, face an anxious wait.
Council tenants will be rightly angry if Labour, who happily saw £6 million a year siphoned from the York Housing Revenue Account to subsidise tenants in other parts of the country, now failed to deliver on one of their promises. In the Heworth Ward they even collected a petition in support of providing double glazing.

The good weather, and half term holidays, mean that the new playground on Grange Lane is being well used.
Completed a couple of weeks ago the range of equipment exceeds even that available at its sister site on Foxwood Lane.
Next stage in the improvement of facilities should be the modernisation of equipment aimed at younger children. The Ward Committee had plans to provide at least one new piece of equipment each year. A start was made a few months ago at both Acomb Green and Foxwood Lane. Lets hope that programme continues.

The new paving scheme at Library Square is rightly attracting praise from residents.
I always found it difficult to understand the opposition to the project from Labour. The new layout is so much better for pedestrians and particularly those with walking difficulties.
Lets hope that Deangate, Fossgate and a few others get the same treatment over the next few years.

It comes as little surprise that the new Labour Council has decided not to support the continuation of the Nursery facility (Cherry Trees) at Hob Moor School.
Higher wage levels, for staff working there, were introduced a couple of years ago following a “job evaluation” exercise. This exercise compared wage rates for various “similar” posts across the Council. It didn’t compared rates with the private sector, which in the care industry generally and in nurseries in particular, are much lower.
The wage increases added around £2000 a week to running costs.
In effect, customers have been asked to pay higher charges than they would if they used alternative local facilities. User numbers have fallen producing a potential annual deficit of around £70.000.
The Council should now be looking for another way of running the facility. It is purpose designed and an important part of the “Children’s Centre” approach to education.