At the Full Council meeting last night Labour revealed their plans to massively increase the number of houses built in the city over the next twenty years, putting our local green belt land under threat of development.

They want to increase house building targets from 575 homes per year to more than 800. Such a high number couldn’t be accommodated by using brown field sites and so would put the green belt under pressure.

When challenged by Lib Dem Councilors, Labour were unable to say where the extra homes would be built and astonishingly Labour Councillor Dave Merrett said people wanting to protect the green belt were NIMBYs and the development was necessary to keep businesses happy.

Liberal Democrat Councillors in Westfield have been fighting to protect the green belt from development for many years. They have been doing this because local residents have consistently and strongly told us they do not want to see development on the green belt.

For the Labour group to be so dismissive of the views of local people is very worrying and gives a stark warning about their approach to the city if they were to control the council. Only the Lib Dems are in a position to prevent Labour giving the go ahead to development on our green belt.

As part of our pre election review we look at some of he things that happened in 2010.

The new Energise pool on Cornlands Road opens. It incorporates a learner’s pool, a hydrotherapy pool, café and fitness suite. 58% of Westfield residents say they will give it a try.

In a poll, Westfield residents said that speeding was a problem on some local roads. …..A  majority were against a blanket 20 mph limit but most thought that the Police should use mobile speed cameras to enforce limits……….. There was a major crime crackdown in November with 300 Litres of wine and 7 cases of illicit spirit were seized together with 1.5kg of illicit tobacco & 19 wraps of heroin.

The Council agreed to reopen the footpath link from Grange Lane to the ring road (and possibly the route onto Rufforth). The roll out of additional recycling collections for the Green Lane terraced area was announced………. The Council announced that it would demolish the old Lowfields school buildings in 2010 following problems with arson. …….A Christmas food cookery demonstration was held at the Foxwood Community centre and Lidl put on display their plans for the Thanet Road site……… The Fair was to return to the Thanet Road sports area in May.

A new school on Hamilton Drive would replace Our Lady’s in Windsor Garth

Spring

A worn verge in Bramham Road was hard surfaced……. and a new dial and ride bus joined the York fleet.

Ambitious plans for the conservation of Acomb Green were announced.  The demolition of Lowfields school was well underway but not before residents had complained about verge damage.

The new Lidl store got planning permission.

The new Foxwood Lane playground was almost complete.

New Foxwood Lane playground

A general election took place in the spring. We told candidates that a high priority was returning local decision making powers to the City….. Later the new Coalition government announced a “localism” agenda which stops London dictating how City’s should be planned. The housing finance system is also to be reformed meaning that York Council tenants will no longer have to pay £6.5 million a year propping up other Cities) ….. The most popular polices of the new Coalition Government –with Westfield residents – were scrapping income tax for those earning less than £10,000 a year, increasing pensions at least in line with wages, scrapping plans requiring people to carry I/D cards and better funding for the NHS.

Summer

The York Council voted against a Labour inspired idea to have a congestion charge in the City.

The introduction of a one way system on Milner Street/Gladstone Street was approved………. Nearby problems with parking near the Fish and Chip shop were being pursued by parking wardens………. Further down Green Lane a flashing speed warning sign was to be installed.

A Toucan crossing would replace the zebra crossing on York Road.

The  popular performance group called Medieval Murderers – visited Acomb Explore………. 92% of residents said that they preferred the new recycling boxes to the bags that they replaced. ………Mark Waudby joined our local team as Westfield Councillor Sue Galloway was sworn in as the City’s 798th Lord Mayor……….. The Councillors annual cycle ride round the ward took place on 19^th July.

Autumn

The Council announced that the Barbican would reopen in 2011 following successful discussions with a private operator. …………..The £50 worth of travel tokens made available to people with disabilities proved to be a popular choice with many……

 81% of users rated the ftr as comfortable with 91% liking the idea of having Conductors (hosts) on board.

Steve Galloway & Andrew Waller launched a campaign aimed at encouraging residents to use local shops and services………. A successful summer fayre had been held on Acomb Green.

We published a list of the 34 salt bins that exist in the ward. Little did we anticipate the usage that they would get in November and December.

400,000 people used the Energise sports centre in its first year……… The first carol concert ever to be staged on Acomb Green was announced for December……… Additional parking spaces on St Stephens Road (lay by) and St Stephen’s Square (off street) was agreed…… They follow on from the substantial improvements made on Thoresby Road, Cornlands Road and the Windsor Garth area.

Vandals attacked the now empty White Rose pub and the new owners were told to demolish it following an intervention by Steve Galloway. The owners announced that they would build 6 new bungalows on the site.

The local team of Councillors completed a survey of 5500 homes in the ward. ……….Most popular improvements with residents proved to be the recycling collections, the new Askham Lane roundabout, Energise and the new Explore library.

The Local Team face a challenge from 3 Labour candidates at the 5th May Council poll. Surprisingly all the Labour candidates live on the Heworth side of the City.

Also competing for residents 3 votes will be 3 Green candidates & 1 Conservative. (The Conservative lives in Dunnington!)

 (NB. Average votes for each party candidate)

The Local Team all live in the Westfield Ward.

Their details in brief are:

Steve Galloway lives in Foxwood and has been a local Councillor for 38 years. A former Lord Mayor of York, he was the Council Leader between 2003 and 2008. In Westfield he led the campaign to provide a roundabout at the Askham Lane ring road junction and backed the new Front Street “Explore” library.

Askham Lane resident Andrew Waller is the current Leader of the council. He was first elected to represent the Westfield Ward in 1994. Andrew championed the replacement of the Hob Moor and York High school buildings and was the architect of the 3 fold increase in recycling rates seen in the City in recent years.

Mark Waudby lives in St Stephens  Road . He had 8 years experience on the York council before moving to Westfield. He recently led the fight to have the White Rose site  redeveloped quickly and is a keen supporter of our new “Energise” sports and leisure centre.

The New Homes Bonus means that for each addition to the housing stock, in the City of York Council area, including those brought back into use, the council will receive match funding for the council tax paid for each of the next six years. The Council  will be able to use the money in whatever way it chooses and in particular to make the development more acceptable to local people.

A number of residents have asked where we stand on the economic problems facing the country. A background brief can be found here:

http://yorklibdems.org.uk/en/page/labour-s-legacy-of-cuts

What should you do if you haven’t received your voting card?
1. Run around the house waving your arms and shouting “at last a proper excuse for not voting”
2. Immediately start to organise a pro-democracy rally in St Sampsons Square
3. Ring the Councils election office on 551007 and check that you are on the electoral register.

Correct answer: 3

North Yorkshire Police Authority is asking the public to nominate Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers from each Safer Neighbourhood Command area for the North Yorkshire’s Safer Neighbourhoods Awards 2011.

The Officers awarded the overall title of North Yorkshire’s Safer Neighbourhood Police Officer and Police Community Support Officer 2011 will be put forward for the national awarding scheme as administered by the magazine ‘Jane’s Police Review’.

These awards are an important way of recognising the essential positive contributions that North Yorkshire Police’s team members make every day to their communities and are judged on the basis of personal skills, local initiatives to combat crime and the officers working relationships within their neighbourhoods.

Nomination forms can be;
• Downloaded from the North Yorkshire Police Authority website www.nypa.gov.uk/sna11
• Requested from the Authority Support Unit 01765 641839 or
• Requested from your local Safer Neighbourhood Team in person or through the non-emergency number 0845 60 60 24 7