60% of York residents say road maintenance is “poor”

With the York Council’s ruling Executive due to discuss it’s first quarter performance later today, a new survey has revealed that many residents are unhappy with public service standards in the City.

West York survey results July/Aug 2016

Road repairs (60% rated “poor”) and footpath repairs (57%) top the list of woes, but there is also criticism of litter bin provision and car parking arrangements in some sub-urban estates.

Best rated service was recycling (92% rated good or satisfactory), with refuse collection also rated positively (89%).

The Council’s investment in new street lighting seems to be impressing people with 87% now rating it as good or satisfactory.

However there is little evidence that the Council’s proclaimed priority – investing in street level service quality – is having a positive effect.

Dissatisfaction with roads and footpaths is at an all time high.

Councillors today will be given a different set of figures to consider. Their “key performance indicators” are not included on the Executive agenda but can be accessed via the”open data” web site.

This is in itself a step forward from previous years when data was often hidden from residents.

Transport KPIs August 2016 click to access

However a closer look at the stats reveals that, not only are most quarter one figures unavailable, but also many of the out-turn figures for 2015/16 haven’t been updated.

No improvement targets are identified.

Quite what “performance” – other than a bland anecdotal commentary – Councillors will therefore be considering later today is a mystery.

The York Council must now put more emphasis on customer satisfaction. Publishing the results of quarterly residents “talkabout” panel views would be a start.

The key message though, as the Council begins to construct its budget priorities for next year, is that residents want to see more invested in repairing our roads and footpaths.

Extra car parking space in Foxwood to be discussed tomorrow (Wednesday)

Residents living in the Foxwood area are being consulted by the Residents Association on plans to provide additional car parking spaces in the Spurr Court, Bellhouse Way & Oldman Court area.

Four options for spending the estate improvement budget this year have been worked up by Council officials (see below)

The meeting to discuss the options is taking place on Wednesday 20th July starting at 7:00pm. The meeting will take place at the Foxwood Community Centre on Bellhouse Way.

Parking options on Foxwood

Verges damage by vehicles – York report published

Damaged verges

The York Council recently set up a working group to consider the problem of vehicles parking on grass verges. The problem became worse between 2011 and 2015 when the – mainly ward committee funded -lay-by provision programme was suspended.

Now the provision of additional car parking is one of the top requests for the use of the newly restored local budgets.

The working group’s – somewhat long-winded interim report – has now been published. The report comes to no final conclusion.

It has been obvious for some time that verges in vulnerable locations need to be strengthened.

The relativity new matrix protection systems are ideal as they retain the green appearance of the verges and allow water to drain through yet remain undamaged when cars park on them.

They are the type of project that all Ward Committees should be getting on with quickly.

A lot of residents did contact the Council to complain about damage to verges and many of these are evidenced in an annex to the report.

Any resident driving over a verge to access an off street parking space does need to pay for a proper verge crossover. Some estate improvement grants are available to tenants who want to install one.

Otherwise the Council should construct one and bill the property owner.

York Council aiming to privatise its £5 million a year car parking operation

It looks like the Council will be going into partnership with the private sector in an attempt to optimise use of its City centre car parks.

The car parking efforts of the Council have been criticised in recent years with several including the popular Castle Car Park needing resurfacing.

Castle car park

Charges nearly doubled for residents during the four years when Labour were in office although a price freeze for 2016 was recently announced.

A candid report, being considered at a meeting on 11^th February, admits that the Council lacked the expertise to operate the “pay on foot” trial at the Marygate car park. The trial was forced on the Council by some commercial interests and might have had a better chance of success had the equipment been installed under cover at the Fossgate shoppers car park.

The Marygate trial was heavily criticised by taxpayers as the barriers and other equipment frequently failed costing over £50,000 in lost revenue.

Despite this, officials are recommending that the trial be continued.

Extension of “pay on foot” to other car parks would be one of the objectives listed for a new “joint venture company” which would see the Council link up with a professional car park company.

If approved, it would mean yet another Quango running a key public service in the City.

Several other options for the future management of the car parks are listed. They include selling off, what has been a cash cow for taxpayers, to the private sector although this is discounted as it would remove the Councils ability to influence traffic patterns and Park and Ride use.

NCP already run two car parks in York (Tanner Row and Piccadilly) while Q-Park operate the Shambles and Kent Street (Barbican) car parks.

The Council says that it hopes some existing privately run car parks can be incorporated into the new contract.

Car park charges set to be frozen in York

Car park charges look set to be frozen across York to “help local businesses bounce back after the Boxing Day floods”.

Leaders of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Executive have announced plans to freeze charges in council-run car parks as part of next month’s 2016/17 Budget.

This means prices will be unchanged for the next 12 months at car parks including Castle, Foss Bank, Marygate, Monk Bar, Piccadilly, and St George’s Field.

Recent trends under Labour – click to enlarge

The freeze will be the first since the Council was led by the LibDems in the period up to 2011.

Car parking charges were held in check by that administration for a record seven years.

When Labour came to power, they introduced large increases. Over their four years in office, some charges nearly doubled.

In the end, the law of diminishing returns meant that the Councils parking income actually fell.

Although the freeze is likely to be generally welcomed, it fails to address immediate concerns.

We suggested a few days ago that the Council should reduce the charges at its Foss Bank “shoppers” car park at least until the end of March.

Unfortunately this idea has not been followed up.

Instead the City of York Council has confirmed that it will contribute £50,000 to a new UK-wide campaign to promote York. Tourism bosses in the city say this will be their biggest ever marketing campaign as work continues to promote York following the floods.
(more…)

Auditors probe York Council parking discounts

It appears that officials at the York Council have been selling parking spaces at a discount to some local hoteliers.

2015 off street parking charges click

Several hotels don’t have their own parking spaces and direct guests to Council car parks. It appears that they may have been sold scratch cards (which entitle the holder to park for 24 hours) at a rate below commercial levels.

A report, considered by a Council official on Thursday, suggests that the discounts had not be formally authorised and auditors have now been called in to assess the level of any loss.

A temporary replacement scheme is being introduced which will reflect the current commercial 24-hour parking rates (£12 per day). The new scratch card will not be available for short stay (premium) car parks like Castle and Esplanade.

Season ticket parking charges 2015 click

The Council says that it will ask the responsible Executive member to consider whether a more commercially viable offer can be made to hoteliers. The Council is next due to revise its car parking charges in February.

It is not known how much the unauthorised discount on scratch cards has cost taxpayers.

Scratch cards are sometimes used by Council officials and have promoted some Freedom of Information enquires in the past. Here and here

Respark charges 2015 click

An annual contract parking season ticket at the Foss Bank car park currently costs £770.

The Councils web site gives details of the Visitor Permit System (click). Visitor permits – restricted to Respark zones – come in books of 5, each book costs £5.50. Local residents may buy a maximum of 6 books per calendar month and 40 books in a year.

Details of Guest House permits costs can be found by clicking here

Yellow lines being painted on Kings Square

Kings Square

From this week, City of York Council will be introducing parking restrictions on King’s Square.

Businesses and retailers in the area have been sent details of the changes, which aim to reduce the levels of inappropriate and sometimes dangerous parking occurring in the square.

The Executive Member for Transport approved proposals to review traffic management in the footstreets, including King’s Square, at a Decision Session on 12 November.

More information about this is available here.

This work will include a review of access for Green and Blue badge holders. The timeline for considering the issue and formulating clear recommendations will go back to the Executive Member for Transport in the coming months.

However, due to the level of vehicle activity and parking which is currently occurring, the council has listened to businesses, retailers and residents’ concerns and is taking more immediate action now.

Works are set to take place from tonight (weather permitting) which will see the authority introduce double yellow lines in King’s Square. The legal traffic order is in place and the painting of lines will bring restrictions into immediate effect.

This will not prejudice the review of traffic access in the footstreets, but will mean that parking is not allowed at any time except for disabled badge holders who will be able to park for three hours, providing they do not cause an obstruction. Loading/unloading will still be able to take place before and after the pedestrian hours of 10.30am and 5pm.

For more information about the parking changes please contact highway.regulation@york.gov.uk

Quick start for new car parking in Doherty Walk

Doherty Walk area to be protected

The York Council has said that it will begin to install matrix surfacing on the grassed area on Doherty Walk on Monday 7th Dec).

This is very prompt as the decision to go ahead with the scheme – which will see the area protected and therefore available for parking throughout the whole of the year – was only taken last week.

Residents are being asked not to park in the area until the work is competed in about 2 weeks time (subject to weather)

The funding for the project is coming form estate improvement budgets which are funded from Council tenants rent payments.

York Council Car parks: detailed income figures published

Following concerns about declining use of City centre car parks, the York Council has published details of the monthly income that it is receiving from each.

In total the York Council receives over £5 million from off street car parking charges each year.

Recent reports pointed to a “below budget” performance which was partially blamed on unreliable barrier equipment installed in July 2014 at the Marygate car park. The detailed figures now published, suggest that the 12 month rolling average income for Marygate saw use of the facility decline until as recently as August of this year.

It has yet to return to pre-barrier levels of use.

The Council’s policy on charging has been heavily criticised over recent years with the, then Labour controlled, Council imposing huge increases in prices – particularly for residents. A paid for “Minster Badge” was introduced but this has failed to attract the expected number of purchasers.

These factors were blamed for a decline in use – and the migration of shoppers to out of town retail outlets.

The Council is set to review its parking policy at a meeting being held on 28th January Before that, in December, it is expected to set its parking charges for the forthcoming financial year.

Doherty Walk parking area gets “go ahead”

Matrix surface protection planned for this grassed area

The badly damaged grassed area in Doherty Walk – which is used for car parking – will have matrix protection installed.

The move has been confirmed by the Council following strong representations from the local residents association. The proposal was also backed by Cllr Sheena Jackson and the housing departments local estate manager.

It has taken several months to secure funding for the £16,000 improvement, work on which is expected to start in the spring.

Matrix surface protection has been used extensively elsewhere in the Westfield Ward.. It has proved to be popular in locations such as St Stephens Square and Windsor Garth.

The process involves installing a plastic matrix on an area and allowing grass to grow through. It has the advantage that it continues to look like a natural grassed area, allowing safe recreational use. It continues to be mowed in the same way and water drains naturally reducing the risk of flooding. Vehicles can drive over the matrix surface without damaging the grass.

The Council is under pressure to provide similar improvements at other locations on the west of the City.

While the Doherty Walk changes are manly being funded from the housing account (rent payments), other areas may benefit from the recently revived “Ward Committee” funding pot.

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