Salt Bin Petition tops 1,000 ahead of this evenings crunch meeting

Yorkshire and Humber MEP Rebecca Taylor has backed calls to reverse cuts to salt bins and gritting routes in York after 1,000 residents signed a petition against the proposals.

Rebecca, Keith and residents

The Labour run City of York Council plans to cut two-thirds of salt bins and remove nearly 30 miles of roads from priority gritting routes, including on bus routes.

Lib Dem Councillors Ann Reid, Nigel Ayre and Keith Aspden have ‘called-in’ the decision for further review and the proposals are now set to be reconsidered at a special meeting of York’s Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee later today.

The plans have met with fierce opposition from residents and Kingsway Area Residents’ Association recently said that the cuts could see elderly and disabled people trapped in their homes this winter.

Speaking on a visit to Fulford at the weekend Rebecca Taylor, Lib Dem MEP for Yorkshire & the Humber, commented:

“The fact that 1,000 residents have signed the Lib Dem petition shows the strength of local opposition to Labour’s plans. The Council needs to consider the impact the cuts will have on elderly and vulnerable in places like here in Fulford. I would urge the Labour Council to listen to local residents and reconsider their plans to cut salt bins and gritting routes in York”.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on City of York Council, commented:

“Local residents in Fulford and Heslington tell me they want the Labour Council to focus on delivering basic frontline services like gritting and salt bins. This is also what the Lib Dem Group has consistently called for including in our motion at last week’s Full Council. However, while Labour is finding money to buy an Arts Barge and increase the pay of senior staff they are still cutting basic services for taxpayers”.

The Lib Dem petition against the plans. It can still be found here: http://yorklibdems.org.uk/en/petition/save-our-salt

Road and path de-icing cuts – crunch meeting on 21st October.

The Council’s review committee will meet on Monday 21st October to look again at Labour Councillor Levene’s plans to cut de-icing activities.

Revised gritting proposals click to see larger map

He decided last week to scrap most salt bins in the City and remove many roads from the routine gritting schedules.

This is a major issue which potentially affects the safety of all York residents.

The meeting will take place at West Offices starting at 5:00pm

A copy of the agenda and supporting papers can be found by clicking here

Damaged salt bin Cornlands Road

Residents may also attend and speak at the meeting. To do so you must register to speak before the meeting by contacting Jill Pickering on York 552061 (E-mail : jill.pickering@york.gov.uk)

The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on Friday 18 October 2013.

The telephone numbers and Email addresses of the members of the committee are reproduced below. Residents can contact them to make representations

Councillor John Galvin Chair (Conservative) 01904 704829 Email: cllr.jgalvin@york.gov.uk

Councillor Sandy Fraser (Labour) 01904 651443 Email: cllr.sfraser@york.gov.uk

Councillor David Horton (Labour) 01904 777274 Email: cllr.dhorton@york.gov.uk

Councillor Lynn Jeffries (LibDem) 01904 551088 Email: cllr.ljeffries@york.gov.uk

Councillor Ken King (Labour) 01904 783024 Email: cllr.kking@york.gov.uk

Councillor Neil McIlveen (Labour) 01904 623062 Email: cllr.nmcilveen@york.gov.uk

Councillor Ruth Potter (Labour) Phone: 01904 438634. Mobile: 07947 539725 Email: cllr.rpotter@york.gov.uk

Councillor Carol Runciman (LibDem) 01904 764356 Email: cllr.crunciman@york.gov.uk

Councillor Chris Steward (Conservative) 01904 638810 Bus. email: cllr.csteward@york.gov.uk

Call for salt bin rethink

Leaking salt bin

Liberal Democrats have called on Labour to rethink plans that would see two-thirds of salt bins in York lost and gritting routes across the city cut.

The decision to cut the winter maintenance service was taken by Labour’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services on Wednesday despite the opposition of local residents and concerns over the online only public consultation.

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Levene backs cuts to de-icing safety schedules.

Labour have agreed to slash the amount of road and footpath de-icing which will take place this winter.

Several hundred objections from residents were over-ruled today by Councillor Levene who was first elected in only 2011 and who made no attempt to address the many concerns that had been raised.

Levene

Nearly 2/3 of the salt bins, put on the streets at the request of residents, will be scrapped.

Many roads – including those that are bus routes – will not now be routinely pre-salted.

The Council is being reckless with the safety of residents and is gambling that we will have a mild winter.

A repeat of the severe weather seen in 2009 and 20010 could bring parts of the City to a halt.

The implications for elderly and disabled residents are even more alarming.

When salt bins are removed from vital streets like Front Street, there is a real danger that many will be trapped in their homes …potentially for days or even weeks.

This is a shortsighted decision which Labour will come to regret.

The decision will be called in by Liberal Democrat Councillors who will refer the matter to an all party review committee.

We will let you know when the meeting is arranged.

Large number of objections to York Council’s de-icing cuts

The Council has now published a full list of the written objections that have been made to the Council’s plans to cut “winter maintenance” activities.

They can be found by clicking here.

In the main the objections have come from residents, and their representatives, living on the west of the city.

They include petitions containing over 250 signatures.

The full agenda for tomorrows meeting, which is open to the press and public, can be found by clicking here

“Keep the bus routes on gritting schedule” say Westfield residents.

Pressure is growing on Labour Councillors to agree to continue to de-ice all bus routes during the coming winter.

Another petition – containing the signatures of 175 residents living in the Kingsway, Danesfort Avenue and Hamilton Drive areas – has been submitted to the decision meeting that is taking place tomorrow (Wednesday 9th October West Offices, 4:00pm).

The petitioners point out that the Councils latest proposals

Christmas 2009

reprieve the Hollybank area which will now be gritted. That area has a 1 hour frequency 13A bus service, the same frequency as the number 24 Kingsway/St Stephens Road link.

The petition is in addition to those who signed a similar plea aimed at retaining gritting and salt bins in the St Stephens Road area.

A copy of all the written representations should be available on the Councils web site shortly. Click here.

Residents wishing to attend and speak at the meeting have only got until 5:00pm today (Tuesday) to register to do so. Telephone – (01904) 552062 Laura Bootland.

The Council has confirmed the list of salt bin sites that will be retained if their proposals go ahead. Around 2/3 of the existing bins are scheduled to be scrapped.

Click here to download a full list of those that will remain.

Residents sign petition asking for salt bins and de-icing to be retained in the St Stephens Road/Cornlands Road area

49 residents have signed a petition asking the Council to think again about reducing ice clearance activities in the Cornlands Road area.

Residents are particularly concerned about the Councils proposal to stop de-icing St Stephens Road – which is a bus route.

The Council is set to agree to continue to salt the bus route in Hollybank which has a similar frequency service.

The petition has been sent to the Council for consideration at its “decision” meeting which is taking place on Wednesday.

Sacks of salt were deployed by the then LibDem controlled Council during icy weather in 2010

The Council proposed cuts would leave the area without a salt bin. The bin near the shops on Cornlands Road was heavily used during the last bad winter weather which occurred in 2010.

Residents may attend and speak on the proposals at the meeting which is taking place at West Offices on Toft Green on Wednesday starting at 4:00pm click here for details

You must register to speak before the meeting. The deadline for registering is 5pm on Tuesday 8th October 2013. Telephone – (01904) 552062 Laura Bootland.

Written representations must be made by 5pm on Monday 7th October 2013. They should be E-mailed to laura.bootland@york.gov.uk

Residents survey cites poor highway maintenance as York’s biggest public service problem.

York residents survey results click to enlarge

A survey completed by over 400 residents living in the west of York has revealed that highways and footpath maintenance are now the biggest cause for complaint.

73% thought that road and footpath maintenance had got worse in the City over the last 2 years.

The service was followed closely by ice clearance which 69% thought had got worse.

This is bad news for the Labour Council as the response come before the latest set of cuts to winter maintenance are implemented.

Parking provision was criticised by 65% with the large increases in parking charges introduced by the Labour Council likely to be the main influencing factor.

More than 50% of respondents also thought that litter, control of dogs, refuse collection and weed removal had got worse.

Only crime prevention fared relatively well, with 66% saying that the quality of the service was unchanged

The survey results will add pressure on the Council to support additional investment in street level public services at its meeting on Thursday.

Street level public service standards – plea to York Council next Thursday.

The York Council at a meeting next week will be asked to jettison its prestige expenditure plans and return to a more sensible economic policy.

Weeds need strimming at end of Ridgeway

A motion being put forward by the Liberal Democrats condemns deteriorating roads, footpaths and increasing litter as well as plans to reduce de icing services in winter.

It says that Labour’s decision to scrap the “York Pride” maintenance programmes means that many areas are now strewn with weeds and detritus.

Carriageway failed in Vesper Drive

Recent rain highlighted the impact that Labours decision to end the routine cleaning of gullies (road drains) is already having.

Meanwhile a rather disingenuous motion from Labour Cllr Burton, seeks to justify the bill for York staging the start of just one Tour de France stage.

The cost to taxpayers is already in excess of £1.5 million and rising.

The Labour backed motion says that any income to the Council from the event should be allocate to improve basic service standards.

It fails however to say that the income from a few hot dog stands is unlikely to make much difference.

The cost of the repairs back log on the City’s roads and footpaths alone now stands at over £20 million.

The Liberal Democrat motion reads
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Derisory response to Councils road gritting consultation – residents alternatives not published by Council

Only 285 residents responded to the Councils consultation on their future road gritting plans.

This represents only 0.14% of the population and is as clear an indication as possible that York residents are not prepared to answer “loaded” questions.

Only 146 responses were judged by the Council to be “valid” suggesting that many residents had simply told the Council to rethink it priorities.

Petitions, which have been submitted to the Council, have not even been recorded as having been received, while the views of Residents Associations have also been suppressed.

Although officials are recommending that some bus routes – which were scheduled not to be gritted this winter – are returned to the de-icing schedules, local residents pleas that the self help salt bin network be sustained, look set to be ignored at the decision meeting which is scheduled to take place on 9th October .

Many of the salt bins were installed by Ward committees as a result of requests by residents.

Amongst the roads reprieved in the proposals are Bellhouse Way, Ryecroft Avenue and Acomb Wood Drive which may now continue to be gritted. Click to see map

Revised gritting proposals click to see larger map

However the Dringthorpe estate, the whole of the Kingsway (West) estate, the little Moor Lane approach to Hob Moor school, Danesfort Avenue, St Stephens Road, and part of Chapelfields will not be gritted.

The Council have now admitted that the reduced number of gritting rounds will save only £20,000 a year.

This would compare to the £100,000 that the Council is planning to spend on an” Arts Barge” or the £600,000 reserved to sign new 20 mph speed limits.

Residents may attend and speak on the proposals at the meeting which is taking place at West Offices on Toft Green on Wednesday 9th October at 4:00pm..

You must register to speak before the meeting. The deadline for registering is 5pm on Tuesday 8th October 2013. Telephone – (01904) 552062 Laura Bootland.

Written representations must be made by 5pm on Monday 7th October 2013. They should be E-mailed to laura.bootland@york.gov.uk

Residents in the Middleton Road area are known to be collecting a petition this week which asks the Council to reverse the planned cuts on safety grounds.

40 residents in the Foxwood area – backed by the local Residents Association – have already submitted a petition asking for the existing network of salt bins to be retained.

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