York Council debts mounting as housing borrowing plan pushes finances to the brink

By the end of the year the York Council will have debts of over £318.2 million, up £52 million compared to 12 months earlier.

Nearly 14% of taxes paid to the authority now go on interest and principal repayments on loans.

The authority owes £139 million in historic debt on Council housing programmes.

The overall exposure is partly offset by investment balances which stand at £75.7 million (down from £91.6 million in 2017)

Debts have increased because of several projects. One of the most expensive is York’s share of the Allerton Park waste processing plant. Money has also been borrowed to fund aspects of the York Central development.

The financial assessment is due to be discussed at a meeting later this week.

The same meeting will consider the Council’s policy on funding new housing.

Included in the plan is a proposal which would see the Council borrowing £10 million to fund the development of the Lowfields site. This means the Council will have housing debts of £145 million, close to the legal debt cap of £146 million.

The Lowfields proposal involves building on a sports field which will be controversial and may lead to legal challenges. A promised “start on site” early in 2019 looks optimistic.

There is also the problem of development expertise in the Council. It has a woeful recent project management record with cost escalations on several major projects including the Community Stadium and the refurbishment of the Guildhall.

Lowfields – Plan to build on sports pitches

There are some good features in the new housing plan, but the Council will be sailing very close to the financial wind if it accepts the officer recommendations without amendment.

The report fails to address the problem of unlocking disused Council land like the site behind the Acomb Library or private sector “land banks” like the prime location next to the Barbican.

It would be more than ironic if the planning committee was bullied into accepting the Lowfields plans which, green space provision aside, feature straight geometric lines of 3 bed semis – a discredited  layout abandoned by other Councils over 50 years ago

Community garden open this afternoon as Acomb shop reaches “Bloom” final

Floral Elegance on Front Street is a finalist in today’s “Bloom” window dressing contest

The Community Garden on Bellhouse Way will be open to visitors from 2:00pm.

There will be an opportunity to buy garden produce, purchase handy-crafts made by the “Foxy Crafers” group and enjoy some refreshment.

Meanwhile Floral Elegance in Front Street is the only sub-urban shop to make the finals of today’s window dressing contest.

Details can be found by clicking here 

Latest planning applications for the Westfield Ward

Overgrown tree on Burgess Walk set to be loped

Burgess Walk

Below is the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Westfield ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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13 Burgess Walk York YO24 3LP

Crown lift Oak protected by Tree Preservation Order no. CYC28.

Reference           18/01368/TPO

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

  1. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received

Wetherby Road/The Green, Acomb – pedestrian changes confirmed as part of larger programme

A slightly revised layout at The Green/Wetherby Road junction is proposed in a Council report published this week

City of York council is set to invest £50k to improve or install new pedestrian crossings on several streets in York. These include

  • a potential new zebra crossing on Heworth Green
  • improvements to a central refuge on Wetherby Road near Danebury Drive
  • pavement build-outs on Huntington Road near Lowther Street
  • slight alterations to the crossing and link path on University Road opposite Heslington Hall
  • improvements to the crossings on New Lane in Huntington either side of the Jockey Lane mini-roundabout
  • provision of a new section of footway on Main Street in Copmanthorpe.

Several other sites will be improved using the city’s dropped kerb programme.

To view a full list of where all the proposed improvements will be made click here,

Officials have ranked the schemes in priority order according to the benefit achieved with Huntington Road at the top, followed by Wetherby Road, University Road, Heworth Green, New Lane and Main Street, Copmanthorpe. If approved, it’s recommended that the schemes are implemented in this sequence.

The Decision Session takes place on 12 July at West Offices from 2pm and is open to members of the public or is available to watch later online from: www.york.gov.uk/webcasts

Verges need major repairs following excavations

Good to see TalkTalk contractors out n the Danesfort Avenue area repairing verges today. The dry weather has made reinstatement to an acceptable standard a challenge.

But residents are less happy about delays in other verge repairs.

Reinstatements on Foxwodo Lane have been outstanding for nearly 6 months

Concrete drives on Kingsthorpe have been repaired but adjacent verges are an eyesore

Verges in Kingsway West are appalling

Another overgrown cul de sac

The cul de sacs on Kingsway West are a particular problem. Overgrown, weed infested with many bare patches

Anti social behaviour meeting in Foxwood a success

Cllr Sheena Jackson organised a meeting with Sergeant Danny Leach and Police Constable Andy Pearson at Foxwood Community Centre last night.

10 residents took the opportunity to discuss ongoing issues in Bellhouse Way/Willoughby Drive area re cars and mopeds.

Sheena reports that residents feel a bit more reassured in terms of how incidents are reported and Sergeant Leach is more than happy to attend any other meetings that are organised.

“It is good that he is happy to listen to residents issues and get something done”.

NB On the same eveing the police tweeted to say that two moped riders had been stopped and served with vehicle offence notices in the Westfield area.

 

Future of local football team unclear

2.9 miles from Lowfields to “replacement” football pitch

In a planning  committee report, officials are still claiming that the Woodthorpe Wanderers Football team will relocate from the Lowfields sports field to a new pitch being created on the  Green Belt near London Bridge on Tadcaster Road.

Residents had understood that this had been ruled out as too remote and lacking in perimeter security. The Club does have access to the nearby college pitch.

The  London Bridge field may, however, meet the needs of the Bishopthorpe football club.

The fate of the Lowfields football pitch is central to plan to build houses at Lowfields.

The Sports Council have objected to the loss of the facility.

The Council has now said that they will consider the planning application at their August meeting, well ahead of the start of the Public Inquiry into the York Local Plan.

There have been a lot of objections to the Local Plan relating to the development of the playing field.

Not surprisingly local amenity bodies are crying “foul” over the timing of the planning applications. The Lowfields Action Group have updated their Facebook page.

A few months ago the Action Group published an alternative layout for the Lowfields site which would have ensured that the pitch was retained while also providing space for 200 homes.

Alternative proposal for Lowfields tabled by residents

There are some serious implications for existing Council tenants within the  “housing development programme” published by the Council today. We’ll comment on these later in the week.