What’s on in York: Christmas Concert on Saturday
How to make a real difference when you go to vote tomorrow
No this is not advice on which candidate or party to support.
Lets face it there are no majorities of ONE. So you make a personal decision when you vote.
……..but why not take a little extra time on your way to the polling station and take a look around.
Is your neighbourhood in good order?
- Are the street lights working?
- Is there litter on the streets?
- Are there potholes on the paths and roads?
- Are there signs of graffiti or vandalism?
- Are the street signs legible?
- Are trees and hedges trimmed?
- Have the litter bins been emptied and the salt bins filled?
All little things but together, if well maintained, they can make a noticeable difference to a neighbourhood.
Just make a note of a defect and this time report it for attention yourself. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you.
Take control of your neighbourhood*.
Pubic service issues can be reported via this link (click) or by Email to ycc@york.gov.uk
It doesn’t matter if there is some duplication. Most outstanding problems are a result of residents assuming that someone else will report them. The Council are generally pretty good at dealing with day to day issues but only if they know about them.
Then next week irrespective of whether your candidate has won or not you will at least get a sense of satisfaction when a small local issue is rectified.
*Not sure if that sounds Borisonian or Marxist but either way
Young people give back at Christmas
Young people working with City of York Council’s Youth Justice Service are supporting a charity project which allows them to give back to the community.
Selby-based charity Spirit of Christmas is organising its fifth Christmas party in York for children whose families are suffering financial hardship.
Acting as ambassadors for the charity and working alongside their supervisors, the team of young people are wrapping gifts for the event and which have been selected to match the children’s ‘wish lists’.
The team is also decorating the venue including transforming one of the rooms into Santa’s grotto, and then helping host and run the party for 120 guests.
Besides introducing Father Christmas to the guests, each will have a snack box, enjoy music and games, dancing elves and access to a free book stall where children can take as many books as they like books to encourage reading.
Amanda Hatton, corporate director of children, education and communities at City of York Council, said: “Reparation is so important to our youth justice work and gives young people who have offended in the past an opportunity to make amends in a constructive and lasting way.
“This is a very worthwhile project, and I hope the rewards of helping disadvantaged children and their families will make Christmas all the more special.”
Ronnie Munro, chair of Spirit of Christmas, said: “We try to recruit volunteers from all backgrounds, give them a sense of belonging to our group and the wider community, and help them feel that they are respected and appreciated.
“The efforts of the young people will, I’m sure, help them to feel good about doing something for others.”
Anyone interested in supporting the project can contact Spirit of Christmas at ronnie@spiritofchristmas.org.uk
Lincoln Court update
The same report provides an update on the Lincoln Court redevelopment
“The Older Persons’ Accommodation Programme is currently working on site to refurbish and extend the Lincoln Court Independent Living Community in the Westfield Ward.
Once complete the building will have 35 one bedroomed apartments, communal lounges, laundry facilities, a salon and a communal kitchen.
Work is progressing well on site, with the development due for completion in late spring 2020.
The tenants who have expressed an interest in moving back into the new development have now had the opportunity to choose their kitchen and bathroom fittings, as the “tenants’ choice” works have been included in the contract”.
Work on site is indeed progressing although whether Lincoln Court could be re-occupied before the development (on the adjacent Windsor House site) of a disabled centre is complete, is open to question.
It is likely to be 12 months before the Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children is commissioned for use.
The development has involved some noise, parking and traffic issues for nearby residents.
Council set to abandon Oakhaven replacement plans.
The former elderly persons home at Oakhaven has remained empty since elderly residents were moved out in 2016.
The building was briefly used as a homeless hostel and then for Police firearms training
A report in October 2015 had set out the Council’s preferred strategy.
We said at that time “given the Councils shambolic record on project management, we doubt if we see any improvements much before the end of the decade”.
It turns out that we are being optimistic.
As recently as 21st November 2018 the Council was maintaining that it would work with a private sector operator (Ashley House) to build an “extra care” scheme.
Now a report published today says the plans have been abandoned.
“due to planning restrictions and financial viability this project has not progressed.
A number of alternative options for the site are being modelled for financial viability and officers expect to present a report to the executive making recommendations for the site early in 2020”.
Tens of thousands of pounds has been spent on maintaining and keeping the empty build secure. With increasing demands for older persons accommodation delays in excess of 5 years, in implementing projects, are simply not acceptable.
Some of the elderly tenants moved out of Oakhaven could have lived out their lives in a home that many cherished.
They deserve a better epitaph
Fresh light shed on York’s mysterious QUANGOs
Some of the affairs of York’s taxpayer funded but independently managed organisation are to be subject to public review next week. The Councils first comprehensive “Shareholder” committee meeting is to look at the results being obtained by several organisations.
These include
- Make it York (The tourism and marketing body)
- Veritau Ltd – An audit body
- City of York Trading – A recruitment and temporary staff agency
- Yorwaste/SJB Recycling (Process local waste and refuse)
In the past these bodies have been subject to intermittent “light” scrutiny with many background details contained in “confidential” annexes. Several private annexes are still being reported to next Tuesday’s meeting but fewer than in the past
The meeting is being chaired by Cllr Nigel Ayre who was also responsible for bringing into the public domain reports on the Councils major contracts letting processes.
Make it York (MIY) plans to appoint a new post of “Head of Commercial and Revenue Generation” at a basic salary of £60,000 a year. Performance bonuses could bring the remuneration up to £80.000 pa. MIY failed to recruit to the post at a lower salary earlier in the year. The post has the objective of increasing MIY’s revenues over time such that the company can, in the first instance, become self-funding (relieving the council of its ongoing financial contribution to the business) and, beyond that, increasing the sums available to reinvest in the city.
It is unclear how potential conflicts between commercial targets and York’s traditional values will be reconciled. There have been too many disputes between local traders, visitors and residents in the past few years.
Separately MIY reports an expected £248,063 loss in the year. This is 6304 above budget expectations. Increased overheads are blamed together with poor merchandise sales in the tourist centre. The organisations new Chair Greg Dyke is due to take over the role in January.
The report touches on the Christmas Market and ongoing difficulties with access for traders (see below).
Veritau Ltd, a company jointly owned by North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council, wants to expand. It hopes in future to provide audit services for several additional Council and other public bodies.
City of York Trading Ltd (trading principally as WorkwithYork and WorkwithSchools) was formed in 2011 with the intention of supplying temporary staff to CYC, to schools (in and around the York area) and to other outside organisations. Through City of York Trading Ltd, the reductions in cost to CYC and the return of the profit achieved are designed to assist CYC’s financial position. If CYC had to source staff in the open market, the cost would be substantially higher than current rates paid to the Company.
Unfortunately the reports from this organisation continue to be largely opaque. The shareholder committee is being asked to approve a business plan which is enclosed in a confidential annex. Similarly, the committee is being asked to endorse the appointment of a n additional company director but without the name of the candidate being revealed.
The net cost/return to the Council of this body is not revealed.
Yorwaste/SJB Recycling. The York Council owns 23% of this company. Yorwaste operates Waste Transfer Stations (WTS), Materials Recycling Facilities (MRF), Green Waste Composting, and HWRCs for both NYCC and CYC. It also manages the closed landfill aftercare obligations at several sites including Harewood Landfill (which closed to general waste in March of this year). SJB currently operates three sites (based at Yorkshire Water waste plants) providing green waste composting services to local authorities.
The company is forecasting a loss of over £300,000 on the year. The company blames the impact of a facility closure (Seamer); external commodity prices; and two waste fires for the downturn in its fortunes.
SJB is forecasting a reduced level of profit (£159,000). With 2 of its three operational sites closing it is heavily dependent on achieving a new contract before the end of the year.
Anti drink driving push in York including random breath tests
Campaign launches by urging drivers to ‘Do one good deed this Christmas – be a designated driver’
Motorists in North Yorkshire are being encouraged to do a very simple good deed this Christmas – volunteer to be a designated driver.
It’s part of the county’s Christmas campaign to reduce drink and drug driving, which is being launched today.
Police are encouraging people to be designated drivers both during a night out with friends or colleagues, or to help them get to work the morning after a big night, then asking their friends to return the favour.
That way, everyone gets a night out and no one gets arrested.
Traffic Sergeant Andy Morton said: “While some people we encounter simply don’t care whether they break the law, others have gone out with the intention of ‘just having one’, but the atmosphere or peer pressure gets the better of them.
“We also arrest a lot of people the morning after a heavy session, and many are mortified to learn they’re still over the limit.
“As this is the season of good will, we’re asking motorists in North Yorkshire to do their good deed this Christmas. Good friends look out for each other. Volunteering to be a designated driver for your friends or colleagues just once, and asking them to return the favour, means everyone gets a night out and no one gets arrested. It really is that simple, but it could save a life.”
North Yorkshire Police arrested 123 suspected drink and drug drivers last December.
Many received driving bans of more than a year and were fined hundreds of pounds. Magistrates also gave community orders and suspended sentences to a handful of offenders.
All those who were banned also face sky-high insurance premiums when their disqualification expires.
Dave Winspear Group Manager Prevention for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We often attend serious road traffic collisions where alcohol has been involved. We encourage everyone to have alternative arrangements to get home from any event where they’ve had an alcoholic drink. We’d also like to remind people to be aware of the time it takes for alcohol to leave their system, as there’s a risk you could still be over the limit the following morning.”
North Yorkshire Police will be conducting random roadside checks across the entire county throughout December.
They will also be gathering intelligence about repeat offenders and targeting those individuals.
Help us keep North Yorkshire’s roads safe. If you know someone who regularly drinks and drives, call North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you see an offence happening or about to happen, report it on 999 immediately.
£5.6 million to be spent upgrading York schools
The York Council is planning to undertake maintenance work over the next few months at 13 schools in the area.
The largest part of the £5.6 million budget has been allocated to Huntington School which will see £987,000 spent on refurbishing the Science Lab with part of the roof also set to be replaced together with the provision of a new kitchen and improved insulation.
Clifton Primary school will receive £944,000. This will see Roofs, Gutters, Windows and External Doors replaced. The building will be rewired, and old pipework replaced.
The Westfield Primary school will get a £686,000 boost. A section of the building will be re-roofed, the playground resurfaced, and a new fire alarm system fitted.
Other work planned includes
The proposals are being discussed at a Council meeting next week.
Plea to sort out Foss Island Road maintenance problems
We reported earlier in the year that the verge and planted areas on Foss Islands Road needed to be cut back. They were overgrown with nettles, thistles and other weeds.
We expected that this issue would have been sorted by now but a visit today revealed that the problems continue. This is particularly disappointing in an area which is visible from the City Walls and which a large number of people see each week.
We have now formally approached the Council to determine who is responsible for maintenance and to what standards.
York exports plastic waste
The York Council exported 224 tonnes of plastic waste last years.
All went to accredited licensed facilities through the DTS Trading copnay
In 2019 mixed plastic bottles were sent to UK and Spain accredited polymer washing and sorting plants. The EU have the same environmental regulations as the UK