Lendal Bridge inquiry blocked as fresh report emerges

click for full report

click for full report

 

A cross-party review into the Lendal Bridge closure was blocked tonight despite the emergence of a damning new report into the botched trial.

 

A review of the controversial trial was requested by Lib Dem councillors in June, but blocked by Labour members.

However Cllr Andrew Waller, the new chair of the Economic & City Development Overview & Scrutiny Committee, made a fresh review proposal. This proposal was defeated tonight by 4 votes to 3 with Green and Labour councillors voting against. Westfield Councillor Stephen Burton again voted against holding an inquiry

Lib Dem, Conservative and Independent Labour Group members supported the review proposal.  

The issue is now likely to be discussed at the December Council meeting when opposition Councillors are expected to press for all drivers, who had been fined, to be written to and advised of their right to claim a refund.  The December deadline for claims is also likely to be extended.

Whether we will see a proper inquiry into the failings before the May elections remains to be seen. However, the content of the independent report means that questions will have to be answered sooner or later

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Lendal Bridge Inquiry to be revived

£162,000 refunded so far to motorists who were illegally fined.

It looks like the Labour Councillors who were responsible for the £1.3 million Lendal Bridge closure fiasco will not get away scot free.Lendal bridge notice

In August, when Labour still had a Council majority, they voted not to undertake a review of what went wrong with the trial closure.

Now a report, suggesting that a full and open inquiry into the failure should take place, is to be considered on 12th November.

  • Residents will be eager to learn how a scheme, that was obviously failing only one month into the trial, was  allowed to continue for another 6 months.
  • They will be expecting the legal advice received by the Council at each stage to be made public.
  • They will want to know what secret meetings took place and how they influenced the Councils position.
  • They will look very carefully at the public statements made by officials and Council members in March and April 2014 – after the enforcement arrangements had been found to be unlawful – and which gave the impression that the cameras were still being used for enforcement purposes.
  • The committee will also no doubt wish to look in detail at the costs that were incurred, not least those that accumulated during an ill considered attempt to appeal against the decision of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal Adjudicator

Most of all they will be looking to the Council to remove its arbitrary December deadline for refund applications – from those fined unlawfully – and to finally agree to write directly to all those affected telling them of their right to claim a refund.

So far 7,783 refund claims have been processed.

To date a total of £162k has been refunded as part of the refund process.

However, we understand that some claims have been refused and information about how many – and why – is urgently being sought by LibDem Councillors.

Income from the Lendal Bridge trial totalled £1,378,000. There was administrative expenditure totalling £527k which primarily covered the cost of processing penalty charge notices. As part of the year end accounts the Council made provision of £708,000 to cover the refund penalty charge notices.

 Separately the report confirms that the Adjudicator has still not dealt with an appeal against his decision on Coppergate. No camera enforcement of the Coppergate restrictions is currently taking place.

Cllr Andrew Waller – the new chair of theEconomic & City Development Scrutiny Committee  which will consider the report next week –  commented:

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Disabled scooter riders seek dropped kerb on Martin Cheeseman Court

Disabled residents living in flats in the Martin Cheeseman Court area have asked the Council to provide a dropped kerb.

Location of proposed dropped kerb

Location of proposed dropped kerb

At present those elderly people, who rely on battery powered scooters to get around, have difficulty getting off the footpath.

Cllr Andrew Waller has been asked to intervene and ensure that a dropped kerb is added to the forward works programme.

Cycle facilities – Council send mixed messages on importance

With multi million projects providing little used now cycle paths in some arts of the City, residents are beginning to ask why existing facilities are being allowed to deteriorate.

Surfaces are cracking, rusting barriers need a coat of paint while some routes are now completely blocked by overhanging bushes.

The Council needs to get its supervision and maintenance procedures sorted out

Bushes block cycle path

Bushes block cycle path

Leaves need clearing from paths

Leaves need clearing from paths

Cycle barriers need painting

Cycle barriers need painting

More 20 mph speed limits slipped through by Labour 3 days after losing York Council control.

Strong Police objections overruled in “behind closed doors” decision

Behind closed doors logo

Papers published today confirm that a Council official has nodded through the introduction of 20 mph speed limits on 3 more roads in the York area. The decision meeting took place on 21st October but no notice of the meeting was given to opposition Councillors.

The roads concerned are:

  • Heslington Road (part of)
  • Hospital Fields Road (full extent)
  • Broad Highway, Wheldrake (part of)

The Police objected to the proposals saying, in a strongly worded letter, that they would not be able to enforce the 20 mph limit.

 Their objection – which can be read by clicking here – points out that average speeds are below 30 mph anyway and that at least one of the roads is not “residential” in character.

In another, the Police question whether the change proposed might actually increase speeds near a school increasing, rather than reducing, accident potential

It is possible that the changes do have the support of local Ward Councillors.

But the expectation was that the new Council would immediately stop the practice of holding private “decision” meetings before subsequently publishing – sometimes days later – agendas and supporting papers.

Residents have a right to make additional representations on proposals if they chose. They can’t do so if a decision has already been taken.

The opposition group Leaders seem to have been out manoeuvred on this issue – and a similar one concerning TransPennine Express and Northern Rail franchises  where there is no sign of any opposition influence.

Opposition Councillors will need to raise their game quickly on the newly balanced Council.

York will expect open decision making and genuine consultation from now on.

Council to seek compensation for Poppleton Park and Ride delays

The York Council is to seeking liquidated damages for the 5 month delay in completing the park and site and associated highways works at Poppleton.

Weeds2 Park adn Ride siteIt says that the issues will be assessed during the preparation of the final accounts for the scheme which was completed using “using a standard construction contract which includes liquidated damage clauses if the works over run beyond the contract completion date”

The ongoing road works became something of a joke for residents living on the west of the city with deadline after deadline passing without completion.

The roadwork’s were temporarily lifted for the start of the Tour de France but were re-imposed shortly afterwards.

Even the Park and Ride site itself was opened 2 months before necessary landscaping work was completed.

The extent of any compensation likely to be claimed is not yet known.

Residents living near the A59 roundabout are understood to be seeking compensation from the Council for the delays and inconvenience that they suffered

Speed checks – none done, some planned

The last Council meeting heard confirmation that no vehicle speed checks had been completed in west York since 20 mph signs started to be put up 12 months ago.

Elsewhere checks in the Bishopthorpe Road area have revealed that average vehicle speeds have not changed since the controversial £600,000 programme was introduced there.

In the West York area several examples of unlawful signs have been reported by residents.

Green Lane speed signs 2In Green Lane the speed limit signs indicate different speed limits on each side of the road.

There have been no prosecutions in York for vehicles exceeding the 20 mph limit.

The new Council is expected to abandon wide area 20 mph limits.

Spending taxpayer’s resources on removing the sign though might be considered to be a case of throwing good money after bad.

However if – as has happened elsewhere – accident rates increase in the 20 mph areas then removal may have to be considered.

Council abandon cycle hire project

bike hire

The Council’s much hyped plan to introduce a “Boris Bikes” style cycle hire scheme into York has been quietly abandoned.

The Council has realised that such a scheme would lose a lot of money.

A similar (commercial) scheme in the City 10 years ago failed after only a few months.

As was pointed out when the Council scheme was originally proposed, the lack of sustained all year round demand makes such schemes impractical.

The low cost of a new or second hand cycle is such that most regular users will chose to own a bike while tourists and visitors find that the compact nature of the city is more suited to walking.

Several cycle shops do offer hire bikes but these are mainly aimed at visitors wanting to explore the countryside around York. They involve picking up and returning the cycle to a shop.

Day of the Triffids – York Council fights back

day-of-the-triffids

The Council is to re-examine its contracts which cover spraying weeds on public highways.

The move, announced at the last Council meeting, comes in the wake of unprecedented levels of complaints about weed infested streets particularly in the west of the City.

At one point, even prominent City centre structures like Ouse Bridge were under attack.

Ouse Bridge 7th August 2014

Ouse Bridge 7th August 2014

It now appears that several streets – scheduled to be treated in a second wave of spraying – were missed.

During early October the Councils contractors walked the whole of the City spraying areas that needed attention.

They are also spraying round street furniture, poles etc.

The last Council meeting was told that the authority is considering letting a new spraying contract next year in conjunction with neighbouring authorities.

The Cabinet member was unable to explain why supervisory checks had not revealed – and remedied –the problem this summer.