Search Results for: "Housing waiting list" ...

New look bus stop for the city centre

click to see original drawing

click to see original drawing

Residents and visitors are set to benefit from a “new look bus interchange“* in the heart of York’s city centre, in and around Exhibition Square.

The bus interchange at Exhibition Square is a key location for many bus services for residents, visitors and people living in rural areas to the North of York, handling around 750,000 bus passenger journeys a year.
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LibDems to change spare room subsidy/bedroom tax rules

In line with representations made by many in York, the government is being asked to change the rules on housing benefit.Empty bedroom

The proposed change would mean that tenants in existing social housing – who are under-occupying – would only lose entitlement to benefit if they had been offered smaller accommodation and turned it down.

In many areas a lack of 1 bedroomed properties is preventing people for downsizing (around 1000 single people are registered on the housing waiting/transfer list in York)

The party’s statement reads

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639 York Council tenants affected by removal of spare room subsidy

639, of York’s 7803 Council tenants, were affected last year when the “spare room subsidy” was removed.

New figures reveal  that 267 of them now have new rent arrears.

None have been issued with eviction notices.

To deal with hardship cases, the Council has a budget of £300,000 for the current financial year.

Only £207,272 (72.4%) had been allocated by the end of January.

The Council had previously said that it had 1347 people on its housing list waiting for one bedroomed accommodation.  Many of these are currently occupying larger properties which would be released for families if under-occupation could be eliminated.

Despite there being numerous one bedroomed properties available on the open market in York, the Council has so far declined to use its £13 million housing surplus to purchase some of them.

A one bedroomed flat on Green Lane in Acomb has a guide price of £80,000

The policy is likely to be challenged at a Council  meeting taking place at the end of the month.

Tenancy fraud clampdown in York

Council’s and social landlords in the region are encouraging people to report tenancy fraud as part of a regional Tenancy Fraud Awareness Week 2014.

Council’s and social landlords in the region are encouraging people to report tenancy fraud as part of a regional Tenancy Fraud Awareness Week 2014.

Tenancy Fraud Awareness Week 2014 runs between Monday 3 and Sunday 9 February, and social housing providers and fraud busting-agencies across the region are encouraging members of the public to report any suspicions of tenancy fraud.

With tenancy fraud now a criminal offence following the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013, this latest campaign builds on an anti-Housing Fraud campaign launched in August 2013 by City of York Council and its counter fraud specialist partner Veritau.

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Medical breakthrough will encourage retrospective births in York

Twitter exchange click to enlarge

Twitter exchange click to enlarge

Cllr Tracey Laing has told residents that she can’t afford to buy a home in York.

With several 2 bedroomed properties available at around £120,000, one wonders just how much more a £24,000 a year “Cabinet” member needs to earn to get on the housing ladder?

Or indeed how “cheap” a house has to be before it becomes “affordable”.

But the biggest eyebrow raiser will be the comment that 22,000 extra homes are required over the next 15 years because of “increased birth rates”.

No evidence was presented by the Council, before the Local Plan consultation started, to justify such a claim. They should publish a trajectory showing how many of the new homes will be occupied by “local people”.

There was a hike in birth rates 3 years ago but it is falling again. York has a lower birth rate than the rest of the region anyway.

For the 22,000 homes to be occupied by the children of existing York residents, an amazing advance in medical science would be required.

Increased procreation will need to be backdated to 1995.

The Council argued that it needed nearly 5000 homes to meet waiting list demands.

Birth rates click to enlarge

Birth rates click to enlarge

A few weeks ago it downgraded that requirement to 2200, taking 2400 people off the housing list at one fell swoop.

It also claimed that the homes would house workers in new industries which would grow in the City.

Clearly that level of economic growth isn’t going to be sustained, but – if it was – then vast majority of the houses would be occupied by inward migrants.

The representations made by York residents haven’t yet been considered by the Council. We understand that they intend to “redact” responses to obscure the identities of the authors.

Irrespective, that is, of whether the authors wish to remain anonymous.

It is already clear that some Labour hard liners are going to ignore electors, paving the way for a major showdown at the Public Inquiry next year and at the 2015 local elections.

Oliver House – £30,000 taxpayers bill for property empty for 18 months

It has become clear why the Council’s leadership were so reluctant to answer questions about the future of the former elderly person’s home at Oliver House in Bishophill at the last council meeting.

Oliver House York

A Freedom of Information response has revealed that the building is costing taxpayers nearly £2000 a month to keep empty.

The building has been unused since April 2012.

The only “occupants” are a firm called “ad hoc property management” who – in return for access – offer a “free” security service.

No rent or other income has been received for the property.

Discussions with the York CVS, which might have led to the building being sold to them, started in May 2012. They stalled several months ago.

The value of the prime site has been put at over £1 million with offers having apparently already been made, to the Council, by housing developers.

The Council has spent £30,000 over the last 18 months paying rates and on maintaining the empty property.

There are currently over 4500 people on the waiting list for social accommodation in the City. Many of these require single person accommodation

NB. The Guildhall has also now been empty for 8 months and is costing Council taxpayers around £160,000 a year in maintenance, rates and other costs.

Incentives for Council tenants to move to a smaller home in York

The Council has published a list of incentives that it will offer to encourage tenants to move from properties that are too large for them. There are several smaller homes available in the City while demand for family housing continues to grow.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

The Council currently has 732 tenants (claiming housing benefit) identified as under occupied (unused bedrooms). These tenants (excluding pensioners who are not affected) will lose some of their entitlement to housing benefit in April.

The Council stays that, “There are a number of reasons why customers may have not considered downsizing or initially be unwilling or unable to move to a smaller home. These are often, financial (can’t afford to move), emotional (family home of many years) and practical (find it difficult to organise a move) whilst at the same time living in a home that they do not make full use of, find hard to keep on top of or expensive to heat”.

Where there is a financial constraint preventing a tenant moving the Council is suggesting several initiatives to help. These include:
• Incentive payments based on rooms freed up
• Cover cost of moving appliances, carpets and other associated costs.
• Practical and financial help in arranging and doing a move
• Practical and financial help with decoration.
• Purchase of white goods where these do not exist.

Where tenants are incapable of organising a move themselves practical help would be offered.

Similar schemes have cost around £400 per “mover” to run.
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Lowfields care village plans slip

It seems that the promised report on the care village plans for the Lowfields school site will not be available until at least May. That is despite the Council web site continuing to display a briefing promising the release of key facts this month (see right).

That is now impossible as deadlines for officer reports have passed.

Consultation with local residents was promised last year. So far only basic layout plans have been released. This showed two 45 bed care homes and 21 bungalows. All were located on the “footprint” of the old school buildings and playgrounds. This is about 6 acres of land with the remaining playing fields accounting for a further 7 acres.

While we know that most local residents support the care village plans, many have responded to surveys indicating that they wanted to retain open space on the site while several mentioned the need for new facilities such as communal allotments (there is a waiting list for allotments in the area).

It is possible that the final plans will have a higher density and mix of bungalows and assisted living housing for older people on the site whilst also retaining a village feel with open space etc. The accommodation could include affordable housing and a social hub for the village that local people could also use.

The current timetable is to complete any tendering and planning work and award contracts during 2012.
Building would start on site early in 2013. Completion is expected in April 2014.