The Council has revealed that its forecast financial deficit for the current year is around £3.9 million. However, the biggest potential hit on its finances comes from a forecast £16 million loss of Business Rate and Council Tax income. This would be the result of businesses closing and unemployment rising.
The Council has still not identified how expenditure savings may be made nor has it attempted to reduce interest charge payments by trimming its capital programme.
The York Council economic development report says how it plans to help the York economy recover from the ravages of lock-down. It updates a previous plan which was criticised for a lack of identified actions, targets, and milestones.
The report says that the impact of the COVID lock down has varied across sectors but is most significant where “serving customers face-to-face is at the heart of the business model – retail, hospitality, cultural attractions and personal services”.
One aspect to the report which may cause concern is the lack of clarity on the medium-term impact on unemployment in the City. It highlights the view of the Local Enterprise Partnership which forecasts the loss of “17,500 jobs, including 6,500 in tourism and 2,400 in retail”. If true, then York would go from having almost full employment to a record 15% level.
The report says that around 15,000 people currently work in the care sector in York.
An alternative forecast, from Oxford Economics, says that if a vaccine is rolled out in 2020 then there will be a swift return to full employment. A core (more likely) forecast, based on re-openings on the current timetable and gradual lifting of all restrictions, suggests that employment will continue to grow in York despite the impact of the pandemic.
Only a second wave, and renewed lockdowns in autumn 2020, would result in permanent losses of around 3900 jobs.
So it seems, like the population as a whole, the Council doesn’t know what will happen next. The report concludes “What we are already seeing is sharp increases in benefits claims, and we need to plan for at least a short-term spike in job losses”.
Against that background it is possible to have some sympathy for the Council as they decide their short term economic recovery strategy.
One of the few measurable actions arising from the report is a request to central government for a business support grant of £15 million (possibly £10 million depending on which paragraph of the report you read, 51 or 60).
Mostly the1 year plan though is “talking”, “developing”, “working with”, “lobbying” and “facilitating”.
NB. The Council has revealed details of some of its visitor marketing plans. . As reported yesterday, £100,000 will be spent on marketing over the next 5 months.
One further positive test result in York bringing the total number of cases up to 912
There have been no further hospital Trust deaths.
–
–
–
New rules for household waste sites
The council will be making changes to how our Household Waste and Recycling Centres operate following updated guidance from the government.
Since reopening Household Waste and Recycling Centres across York, the council has operated a ‘click before you tip’ system where residents and businesses booked ahead to avoid queues and ensure social distancing; thousands of slots were being booked.
As with all our services the council has kept this under close review and following changes to restrictions from Government, on Monday 20 July we will no longer ask people to book ahead.
Tips will continue to stay open later. The opening hours of the Household Waste and Recycling Centres will be 8.30am-7pm. Hazel Court is open 7 days a week. Towthorpe will be closed on Wednesdays but open on the other six days.
Social distancing measures will remain in place, with a limited number of vehicles allowed in at any one time. Health and safety measures on site include:
there will be no help to unload waste and place it in the skip. Please ensure you can empty your vehicle yourself – only one person will be permitted outside of the vehicle
trailers, vans and pickups will require a permit to visit site as is usual and will be treated as commercial waste and invoiced at the normal rates
staff will be on site to ensure social distancing guidelines are maintained
commercial users of Hazel Court will need to stop at the weighbridge as per normal site procedure. Invoicing for disposal of this waste will be in place
Bookings are still available for this week and the council is encouraging those who need to use the Household Waste and Recycling Centres to make a booking for this week.
Because of the speed that vehicles can travel along Towthorpe Road and the potential for queueing cars wanting turn right against the oncoming traffic to access Towthorpe, the council recommends that visitors to the site do so from the A64 where possible.
There has been an angry response to the planning committees decision to extend the planning permission for the Spark container village on Piccadilly. They agreed to a 2 year extension although the government was only suggesting a 12 month, post COVID-19, relaxation.
A prominent local architect Matthew Laverack has now written to the media to criticise the decision (right).
It has been claimed that some members did not declare an interest in the application despite close contacts with the applicants. Several are believed to be customers of the establishment. Some had made representations in favour of an extension of the lease on the site while others were executive members covered by the code of collective responsibility.
This has prompted allegations of cronyism and a complaint has been lodged under the Councillors “code of conduct.” It is likely that the investigation into any such complaints would take months to resolve. Spark will be able to continue to trade in the interim, provided that they adhere to the terms of the planning consent and fulfil the requirements of the proposed lease extension.
Spark have yet to make any net rent or profit share payments. When last published, some business rates payments were also outstanding. The businesses modest contribution had not even covered the costs to the taxpayer of providing services to the site.
In 2016 Spark had forecast a surplus of £213,000 on operations over a 3 year period.
Cllr Nigel Ayre agreed at a meeting which took place on 14th February to renew the Spark lease for 2 years. However, in the light of the large number of complaints from residents and the failure of Spark to make payments to the Council, several conditions were imposed (see left) .
The current lease has ended so the business is operating on a “tenancy at will”.
Taxpayers will be looking very closely over the next few weeks to see whether all the lease conditions have been fulfilled.
If not then the site will need to be cleared.
Even if only used for car parking, it would at least bring in an income for the Council. It could provide, in what are difficult times, accessible spaces which could benefit other City centre small traders not least those operating in the Shambles market. .
Sadly the impending recession means that the opportunity to permanently redevelop the Piccadilly site for the benefit of the City may have passed the Council by for now at least.
Several suburban shopping streets need a tidy up. We asked for bins at Foxwood to be emptied but the Council now needs to provide more support for businesses that “soldiered on” during lock-down providing lifeline services for some.Still too much graffiti on utility boxes in the area. Two more reported in the Dijon Avenue area this weekRain and wind have brought detritus down blocking some drainage channels. We’ve asked for those in Kingsthorpe to be swept. The footpath at the high numbered end of Tudor Road has been levelled. It had been damaged by tree roots. We expect that the problem will reoccurHowever the nearby footpath on Tudor Road is still blocked by overrunning Yorkshire Water works
A major problem across the whole of the City are rapidly growing weeds. The Councils contractors have been seen out spraying but they will have been hampered by wet weather.
As a result many back lanes, footpaths, snickets and cycle paths are now obstructed.
This can be a hazard particularly for the partially sighted.
Hopefully residents, who see an issue near their home or business, will deal with it themselves.
Weed growth and other issues can be reported 24/7 via the Council web site ” click “Report it”
Playgrounds in York will start reopening from July 8th
About 80 play areas and outdoor gyms across the city have been closed since mid March. The council will start a phased reopening of playgrounds – with social distancing and risk assessments
Safety barriers have already been removed from some of the equipment on Chesneys Field.
Household waste site appointments being scrapped.
The Council has said that it will shortly discontinue the requirement to book an appointment before a resident visits a household waste site
Council writes to Blue Badge holders
The York Council says that it has written to all 7,500 York Blue Badge Holders this week. The mailing provides details on what support is available to help badge holders access the city centre, including the 40 replacement Blue Badge bays in Monk Bar car park
UPDATED Deaths and test results
1700 hrs UPDATE – The government has now changed the figures on its web site. The cumulative total (at 2/7/20) is now 898 with two additional cases recorded on 29th June and one on 1st July.
The government has finally updated its web site to include “pillar 2” test results. These are the tests carried out at centres like the Poppleton Park and Ride site.
The good news is that, as of 1/7/20, there had been no new positive test results for 4 days in York.
That is the longest period with only negative results since early March.
The source data can be viewed by clicking here. An extract is reproduced below.
The failure of the authorities to make this information available promptly is one of the most disappointing aspects of the current health crisis.
NB. Tests in the UK are carried out through a number of different routes:
Pillar 1: swab testing in Public Health England (PHE) labs and NHS hospitals for those with a clinical need, and health and care workers
Pillar 2: swab testing for the wider population, as set out in government guidance
Pillar 3: serology testing to show if people have antibodies from having had COVID-19
Pillar 4: serology and swab testing for national surveillance supported by PHE, ONS, Biobank, universities and other partners to learn more about the prevalence and spread of the virus and for other testing research purposes, for example on the accuracy and ease of use of home testing
Attention is now likely to switch to the accessibility of information on pillar 3 and 4 data.
We also await the York Councils comments on the success, or otherwise, of local contact tracing arrangements.
As well as the absence of recent positive test results, another piece of good news is that there have been no further deaths at local hospitals (1/7/20) as a result of COVID-19. The last death was recorded on 18th June.
How busy is the City centre?
The “footfall” information for York City centre camera sites is still being updated on the “open data” web site. The data has been criticised over recent months when it was discovered that some cameras had been disconnected and the data company responsible had extrapolated data from other cameras to fill in the gaps.
It is unfortunate that this issue wasn’t remedied before lock-down occurred
Nevertheless it, together with mobile phone activity, is the only measure that we have of the numbers of people visiting the City centre.
The data suggests that, during June, the number of visitors to the City centre had fallen by 84% compared to the same month in 2019.
However, by the final day of the month that reduction had fallen to 62%.
That probably reflects the gradual reopening of shops and other facilities, together with the launch of an embryonic marketing campaign.
Tomorrow will see sections of the hospitality trade reopening with some cafes hoping to provide outdoor tables, while pub beer gardens may be popular if the weather improves.
So a critical weekend ahead for the City.
Micro grant scheme puts over £2m into small York business accounts
City of York Council’s extended small and micro business grant scheme is on course to deliver another £2.2m to York businesses which fell through the cracks of government support packages.
The scheme closed earlier this week and has now awarded a total of just over £1.92m to 558 businesses, with another 113 applications pending or yet to be processed.
The grant extension follows an earlier £1m grants scheme which gave vital financial aid or access to services through membership of the Federation of Small Businesses to 800 York businesses.
Grants payments were offered to support a wide variety of small businesses, including those in shared offices and flexible work spaces, science parks and incubators, regular market traders without a business rates assessment, nurseries, B&Bs paying council tax instead of business rates, and charity properties which all missed out under previous schemes are also eligible.
Council policy on business rent payments
Plans are in place for financial support to continue for those businesses and residents who pay council fees or rents.
Since the Coronavirus pandemic started the council has been committed to supporting businesses and residents through this unprecedented time. Plans are being put in place to ensure support continues for those who need it most.
Three months on from announcing the first financial assistance schemes, the council wants to reassure people that the existing support will still be available for those who require it. Detailed plans are being finalised and will be taken to a decision session later this month.
In April the council announced:
a three-month freeze on the council housing rent increase
the extension of the York Financial assistance scheme for residents
a £1m emergency fund for businesses
a three-month deferral of commercial rents
plus a raft of other measures to help residents and businesses.
In order to support more residents in need from this month (July), a new hardship fund will be established for council tenants affected by rent increases. An initial sum of £80,000 is being set aside and will be kept under review should further funds be required. Council housing tenants who can pay rent as usual, will be asked to pay the agreed increased rent charge. Those who can’t will be encouraged to talk to housing officers and will be able to apply to the hardship fund.
Commercial tenants will be able to benefit from a deferral of rent for a further three months, if required. The council will also ensure repayments can be made over an extended period of up to two years.
From July, the council will write to all its commercial tenants to discuss any financial support available to them.
The Museum Gardens are due to reopen today (Thursday) at 10:30am. They will close at 6:00pm.
Deaths and test results
The were no additional deaths reported at local hospitals yesterday. There was also no increase in the number of positive test results (23/6/20).
£144 per person York cost
According to the BBC, the York Councils income shortfall in the wake of the health crisis is equivalent to £144 for each person in the City. The Council has already said it faces making cuts of £24 million in services.
The worst hit Council – the Highlands in Scotland – has a £411 shortfall per person, largely as a result of declining visitor numbers. The Leeds Council has a £61 million shortfall and says that it may not be able to balance its budget this year.
Physician, heal thyself?
Reports coming out of West Offices, say some Councillors are to be offered counselling to help them cope with the pressures of lockdown and the COVID crisis.
Welcome to Yorkshire
According to some reports, the Yorkshire tourist organisation could fold shortly. It depends for part of its income on a complex rates pooling arrangement which involves local authorities with a business rates surplus cross funding those with a deficit. The fall in business rates income as a result of the COVID crisis means that there will be no surplus to share, leaving WTY appealing for a direct subsidy from cash strapped local Councils.
City of York Council is celebrating St John’s Day by encouraging residents to show their support for St John Ambulance tomorrow.
As part of this effort, the city’s walls will be lit green on Wednesday evening.
St John Ambulance staff and volunteers have spent over 100,000 hours supporting the COVID-19 crisis response since the beginning of April, its biggest mobilisation of volunteers since the second World War.
To get involved, residents and businesses are encouraged to show their support by displaying lights, flags or banners in their windows and gardens.
Anyone hoping that the Councils postCOVID strategy document would be a stimulating read may be disappointed.
A series of papers have now been published which are long on hyperbole but very short on tangible actions
Those hoping for a series of initiatives, incorporating measurable deliverables and with specific key milestones, will search in vain amongst the papers for the Executive meeting which is taking place on 25th June.
The expectation was that clear actions would be identified to take the City through the next 3 months at least. Only the half-hearted free parking initiative fits into that narrative.
Nor has any more up to date information been provided on the nature of the Councils financial crisis. The papers simply continue to wave the shroud of an £24 million – largely unspecified – shortfall.
Additional spending is proposed on;
Supporting local businesses including the tourism sector (£100,000),
“Communities Recovery” (£250,000),
Creating places in which visitors can safely return to the City (£530,000),
Changing building access and deep cleaning (£50,000) and
ICT equipment to allow continued remote working (£500,000).
There is no mention of a freeze on new expenditure.
The report merely reports windfall savings on climate change, waste services, northern forest and local transport plan. All are the result of (unavoidable) delays caused by the lock-down.
The Council says that its capital investment programme is being “reviewed”. That means that the Council is continuing to slip further and further into debt.
The Council promises that it will have a “Big Conversation” with residents over the next 12 months.
Residents may choose to opt for something a little more robust.
People living alone and most single parents in England can stay at another household from Saturday. Adults living alone in England, including single parents with children under 18, will be able to form a “social bubble” with one other household
You can meet with up to 5 other people in England, but you must stay outdoors and keep 2 metres apart.
Deaths
The have been no more coronavirus deaths at York Hospital. The total remains at 126.
A spokeswoman for NHS Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said it had now discharged 500 patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 from York Hospital and Scarborough Hospital to continue their recovery.
The total number of positive COVID lab test results for York remains at 462
York preparing to reopen more of the city for residents to enjoy safely says Council
“One way system being introduced in some streets”.
Public toilets reopening
City of York Council is preparing to reopen more of the city from Monday 15 June for residents to enjoy safely, following recent changes in national guidance.
The re-opening is part of the council’s Economic Recovery – Transport and Place Strategy, to build resident, visitor and stakeholder confidence that York is a safe, healthy and attractive place for everyone to enjoy.
In line with the Government relaxing the restrictions for retailers and businesses on Monday, the council is introducing a number of new measures to support the reopening of our city.
From Monday, the city centre pedestrian zones will be extended to support local businesses, providing residents with more space to social distance, making access to shops and businesses easier.
The council is also exploring a further extension of the pedestrian zone hours into the evening, to coincide with the reopening of our cafes, bars and restaurants. This could include pedestrian areas being opened up to help businesses operate outside, to ensure space for social distancing.
New safety and guidance street signs/floor stickers and markings are being placed across the city centre for pedestrians. This will be extended to York’s secondary shopping areas, which could include areas like Haxby and Acomb.
One way pavement sticker
Signage will be placed at key areas on footstreets and the highway to provide guidance on which routes are one way, where to keep left and where to social distance.
The same signage is included and has been shared as part of a comprehensive guidance for retailers wishing to welcome customers from 15June.
All the pack contents and many more designs and posters, including resources for display within staff areas, are available to businesses to download and print.
To receive one of these packs for free, businesses, charities and other organisations welcoming customers are advised to register at www.york.gov.uk/BusinessToolkit . The packs will be available to collect on 12 and 13 June this week from convenient locations. Please register by midday Thursday for a collection on Friday.
Public toilets
To coincide with many retailers and businesses reopening their doors, the council is also reopening its public toilets on the Monday 15 June.
Changes have been made in the toilets to protect members of the public and staff, including:
automatic flushes
automatic water and soap dispensers
replacing hand dryers (which cannot be used) with hand towels
more regular and increased cleaning
Clear guidance has also been placed in all toilets, including:
social distancing floor stickers
advice on how to wash hands or use hand santiser
instructions on not touching surfaces or handles and using paper towels where possible.
Residents will be able to give feedback about the plan by participating in the city-wide consultation “Our Big Conversation” helping to set the long-term vision for our city. This will be launched in the next couple of weeks
Residents can stay up-to-date with the latest proposals and Our Big Conversation by signing up to the weekly resident newsletter:www.york.gov.uk/form/EmailUpdates
To stay up-to-date with the proposals or find out more information please visit: www.york.gov.uk/letsbeyork
Live Q&A to discuss resident questions on reopening the city centre and schools
Join the next live #AskTheLeaders Coronavirus Q&A on the council’s Facebook page this Monday 15 June at 5-6pm, as the panel discuss your questions and comments about the city’s response to Coronavirus
This next question and answer session will discuss your questions, with a special focus on the further re-opening of city centre businesses, phasing children’s return to school and how York will do this safely.
Residents can watch live on Facebook to hear from:
Cllr Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change
Cllr Ian Cuthbertson, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education
Cllr Andrew Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning
Sharon Stoltz, Director of Public Health
Amanda Hatton, Director of Children, Education and Communities
Maxine Squire, Assistant Director of Education and Skills
James Gilchrist, Assistant Director for Transport, Highways and Environment
Andrew Lowson, Executive Director, York BID
In this, the council’s third live coronavirus question and answer session, special guest Andrew Lowson from York BID will be taking questions regarding next week’s further re-opening of the city centre as restrictions lift to allow non-essential business to open.
How can I get involved?
Residents can interact with the session by either submitting questions in advance by emailing them to YourQuestions@york.gov.uk or commenting on the live video on Facebook where leaders will read out questions and respond.* Questions may be answered by theme rather than individually, so that the conversation covers as many topics as possible.
Birth registration resumes for new parents
Following updated government guidance and the installation of several health and safety measures, York Register Office is opening for birth registrations from Monday 15 June, by appointment only.
The Register Office will not be open to the public for any other reason, until further government guidance is given, in order to reduce the chance of infection.
To start with, we want to give priority to those whose babies were born earlier in the year who have been unable to register until now and are asking that new parents yet to register a birth on or before 23 March book an appointment.
In the coming weeks new mums and dads of babies born after 23 March will also be able to book an appointment to register the birth. We will provide further updates on our website and social media.
Parents are asked to contact the Register Office to let us know you need an appointment by emailing registerabirth@york.gov.uk. When sending the email, please provide your baby’s date of birth, parents’ names and a telephone number for us to call you on to set a time for your appointment.
Those unable to email can call 01904 654477.
A number of safety measures have been put in place to allow the Register Office to undertake registrations:
Perspex screens have been installed in the interview rooms
Hand sanitiser is available in all areas
Regular disinfecting of the office throughout the day
A one way in/out system has been introduced with clear directional signage to the interview rooms and exit point
Reduced the need to touch surfaces at the office including doors.
People are asked not to attend their appointment if they:
have any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 – continuous cough, fever or loss of taste and smell
are living with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19
Those who are shielding should follow the advice they have received from their GP and or the government. The latest information for those shielding is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
The Register Office is closely monitoring guidance around other services, such as weddings and will update residents with any developments.
For the fifth successive day there have been no further deaths at the York hospital
Small business grant payments start – businesses encouraged to apply
City of York Council is encouraging eligible businesses to apply now for the upgraded scheme small and micro grant scheme, which has been created to support local businesses.
Grants payments between £1000 and £10,000 will support small businesses, including those in shared offices and flexible work spaces, science parks and incubators, regular market traders without a business rates assessment, nurseries, B&Bs paying council tax instead of business rates, and charity properties which all missed out under previous schemes are also eligible.
Small business and childcare nurseries up to £10000
Micro business up to £5000
B&Bs and market traders who live in York up to £2,500
Self-employed with fixed property costs up to £1000
To apply, businesses must have been trading before 11 March 2020, have a rateable value or annual mortgage of below £51,000, and demonstrate both an ongoing fixed property cost and significant financial impact of the coronavirus. It is not available to any business eligible for any other government COVID grant.
Grant payments are being processed in batches, with the first batch set to land in businesses accounts on Friday 5 June. The council is also telling businesses that have applied not to worry if they don’t receive their payment advice this weekend – there will be further payments every Friday over the next four weeks.
Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, said:
“I’m pleased to see that our local grants payments are already being paid to small and micro businesses across the city, in order to help them through this incredibly tough time.”
“York’s small and micro businesses are at the heart of our vibrant economy and I would urge businesses who are yet to apply, to get in touch and apply for the support as soon as possible. As restrictions are eased, more small and micro businesses are reopening, so we understand how important these cash injections can be.
“From the very beginning of this crisis, we have worked to ensure our local businesses received swift support from the Council, particularly those who did not meet the criteria for government support. I am pleased that City of York Council has been recognized as one of the fastest local authorities in the country to distribute grants and rates relief, totalling £33m so far.”
“We will continue to make the case to Government, with our partners, to lobby for further financial support to support all our businesses, particularly as we work to put in place the foundations of our economic recovery.”
Councillor Andrew Waller, executive member for the economy and strategic planning, said:
“Staff across the council have worked quickly to process grants, with payments landing in businesses bank accounts shortly after the announcement of the scheme.
“Considerable effort and resource has been deployed to carry out the required checks as quickly as possible, in order to get these payments to businesses who need them after falling through the cracks of government support.
“I’d encourage businesses to check the eligibility criteria for these grants and apply as soon as possible if they are able to do so. We are already seeing the positive affect they are having for businesses during this incredibly difficult period.
The council is using an additional £2.2m discretionary government fund to expand its own small and micros grant scheme, which has already supported over 3,000 local businesses affected by coronavirus.
The council acted quickly to distribute £110m of grants and rates relief to over 4000 York businesses, and created its own £1m grant scheme to support over 1000 more businesses, which did not qualify for government support.
Under the discretionary fund, local authorities have been given an additional 5% of the total value of grants already distributed in York, together with some government rules and outline guidance on which businesses should benefit. However, this means councils have to use local knowledge to decide how to fairly distribute the money, as to benefit as many businesses as possible in the city.
Companies that are in financial difficulties because they fall outside the Government set limits are asked to contact Make it York to discuss their options. They can email business@makeityork.comCOMMENT ON THIS PAGE
York Council celebrates all those caring for others
In Carers Week (8-14 June) the council is inviting health and care services, schools, employers and businesses to celebrate and support the vital contribution by unpaid carers across the city.
This year in particular, tribute is paid to the enormous contribution made by unpaid carers during the coronavirus pandemic. They continue to play an essential role supporting friends and family who are older, disabled or seriously ill.
Where social distancing or shielding means that carers can’t do what they usually do, volunteers across the city have come forward. They have helped ensure that vital food supplies and medication are delivered, and that companionship and caring welfare calls continue to help keep people cared for and in contact with others.
Many people have found that during lockdown they have had to take on more caring responsibilities than usual. The council is encouraging them to contact the city’s Carer’s Centre to benefit from the support and advice it gives 01904 715490 or email enquiries@yorkcarerscentre.co.uk.
Cllr Carol Runciman, executive member for health and adult social care, said: “This Carers Week, we want to thank carers across the city more so than ever, for the amazing part they play in these extraordinary and challenging times.
“During this pandemic, so many people in York are caring for all parts of our community in new and different ways. We’ve been celebrating them and their work and making them more visible through our #YorkKind campaign. I thank them all.”
Carole Zagrovic at York Carers Centre, said: “We are delighted to be part of Carers Week to highlight the huge contribution unpaid carers make throughout our communities, often with little recognition or support for themselves.
“Making Caring Visible is about all of us taking some time to think about what unpaid carers do. That can range from a few hours to pick up prescriptions or help with shopping to providing personal care day and night to a child, husband or wife with complex and worsening health conditions.
“This is the one week when we as a society can show our appreciation of the challenges carers face, particularly through this difficult time, and to acknowledge and respect their value in our communities.”
