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Fresh light shed on York’s mysterious QUANGOs

Some of the affairs of York’s taxpayer funded but independently managed organisation are to be subject to public review next week. The Councils first comprehensive “Shareholder” committee meeting is to look at the results being obtained by several organisations.

These include

  • Make it York (The tourism and marketing body)
  • Veritau Ltd – An audit body
  • City of York Trading – A recruitment and temporary staff agency
  • Yorwaste/SJB Recycling (Process local waste and refuse)

In the past these bodies have been subject to intermittent “light” scrutiny with many background details contained in “confidential” annexes. Several private annexes are still being reported to next Tuesday’s meeting but fewer than in the past

The meeting is being chaired by Cllr Nigel Ayre who was also responsible for bringing into the public domain reports on the Councils major contracts letting processes.

Make it York (MIY) plans to appoint a new post of “Head of Commercial and Revenue Generation” at a basic salary of £60,000 a year. Performance bonuses could bring the remuneration up to £80.000 pa. MIY failed to recruit to the post at a lower salary earlier in the year. The post has the objective of increasing MIY’s revenues over time such that the company can, in the first instance, become self-funding (relieving the council of its ongoing financial contribution to the business) and, beyond that, increasing the sums available to reinvest in the city.

It is unclear how potential conflicts between commercial targets and York’s traditional values will be reconciled. There have been too many disputes between local traders, visitors and residents in the past few years.

Separately MIY reports an expected £248,063 loss in the year. This is 6304 above budget expectations. Increased overheads are blamed together with poor merchandise sales in the tourist centre.  The organisations new Chair Greg Dyke is due to take over the role in January.

The report touches on the Christmas Market and ongoing difficulties with access for traders (see below).

Veritau Ltd, a company jointly owned by North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council, wants to expand. It hopes in future to provide audit services for several additional Council and other public bodies.

City of York Trading Ltd (trading principally as WorkwithYork and WorkwithSchools) was formed in 2011 with the intention of supplying temporary staff to CYC, to schools (in and around the York area) and to other outside organisations. Through City of York Trading Ltd, the reductions in cost to CYC and the return of the profit achieved are designed to assist CYC’s financial position. If CYC had to source staff in the open market, the cost would be substantially higher than current rates paid to the Company.

Unfortunately the reports from this organisation continue to be largely opaque. The shareholder committee is being asked to approve a business plan which is enclosed in a confidential annex. Similarly, the committee is being asked to endorse the appointment of a n additional company director but without the name of the candidate being revealed.

The net cost/return to the Council of this body is not revealed.

Yorwaste/SJB Recycling. The York Council owns 23% of this company. Yorwaste operates Waste Transfer Stations (WTS), Materials Recycling Facilities (MRF), Green Waste Composting, and HWRCs for both NYCC and CYC. It also manages the closed landfill aftercare obligations at several sites including Harewood Landfill (which closed to general waste in March of this year). SJB currently operates three sites (based at Yorkshire Water waste plants) providing green waste composting services to local authorities.

The company is forecasting a loss of over £300,000 on the year. The company blames the impact of a facility closure (Seamer); external commodity prices; and two waste fires for the downturn in its fortunes.

SJB is forecasting a reduced level of profit (£159,000). With 2 of its three operational sites closing it is heavily dependent on achieving a new contract before the end of the year.

Bad week for congestion in York

There has been a lot of congestion in York over the last week or so.  With many visitors coming for the Christmas markets and the “Winter Wonderland” the influx is potentially good news for the local economy.

But transport systems have capacity limits and these were reached at times with the Designer Centre car parks effectively full and Park and Ride services compromised.

Queues at the hospital car park have caused delays on bus services while even cyclists have found it difficult to find vacant City centre cycle racks.

Lenin addresses people waiting in a Waitrose queue?

Add in the arrival of General Election campaigners eager to be filmed with a backdrop of crowds of people and the new security barriers, which hinder movement in areas like St Helen’s Square, and things have turned decidedly awkward even for pedestrians.

So, what’s to be done?

We have criticised the Council before about its failure to utilise modern technology to ease travel woes. The real time parking space availability map was removed from their web site last year.

Many of the parking space availability signs which can be seen on arterial roads didn’t work for a long time.

On line site parking space availability web site abandoned by York Council

 A promised link through GPS to car navigation systems – which would help to direct vehicles to car parks where there were spaces – has not materialised.

As a result, vehicles still circle the City looking for spaces, which sometimes don’t exist, adding to congestion and pollution levels.

The York Council needs to raise its game.

On busy days, it should be tweeting updates on at least an hourly basis. Variable message signs on approach roads should be similarly updated. Local Radio has a part to play.

It would be relatively easy to add a CCTV link displaying the conditions at key locations to the Council web site. North Yorkshire already do this (albeit mainly to provide information on road conditions)

Modern problems need modern solutions.

Sadly at the moment there seems to be little sign of urgency at West Offices on the need to further improve traffic management in the City.

Greg Dyke to take over at “Make it York”

The “Make it York” (MIY) Quango is to get a new chair with former York University Chancellor Greg Dyke set to replace Jane Gibson.

Fossgate Festival Make It York

A council report says, “an open, objective and rigorous recruitment process was undertaken supported by specialist head-hunters, Perrett Laver. The role was advertised through the Guardian jobs. Over 100 individuals were involved and these were shortlisted down to a final four. Following an interview with a panel of city stakeholders Mr Dyke emerged as the preferred candidate”

Mr Dyke holds non-executive roles with the London Film School (Chair), Trafalgar Entertainment Group (Chair), BAFTA (Vice President) and was previously Chair of the Football Association, the Ambassador Theatre Group and the British Film Institute amongst others.

His executive career included spells as Chief Executive of London Weekend Television and Director General of the BBC. He knows the city well having been Chancellor of the University of York for 11 years, and has very senior-level experience of working across a number of sectors.

The new Chair will join the organisation at a difficult time. Other tourism bodies (MIY supervises the work of “Visit York”) like “Welcome to Yorkshire” have been criticised for having a cavalier approach to the use of public funds.

MIY itself has been involved in wrangles with local traders and is often accused of a lack of transparency in its processes.

It is 100% owned by the City of York Council.

A review of governance arrangement is overdue.

Nine men sentenced for urinating in public to pay £2,700

York Magistrates have ordered nine men to pay total costs of £2,772 for urinating in public, following joint action by City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police to tackle anti-social behaviour.

On Tuesday 5 November 2019, York Magistrates heard that Emlyn Thomas (aged 37 of Sutton Way, York) was seen, visibly intoxicated, by a BID Ranger at 9:10pm on Friday 9 August 2019. Mr Thomas was found, a short while later, urinating in the doorway of an Estate Agents on Micklegate, York.

Mr Thomas failed to attend court or submit a plea and was found guilty in his absence. He was fined £40 with a £32 surcharge.

Lyndon Johnson (aged 57 of Bishops Court, York) was also seen by a BID Ranger, urinating in Tower Gardens, York, at 8:55pm on Friday 2 August 2019. Mr Johnson pleaded guilty by post and was fined £80, ordered to pay costs of £144 and a surcharge of £32.

Simon Stone (aged 32 of Teal Drive, York) was found by a police officer urinating in a doorway on Coney Street, York, at 1:10am on Saturday 3 August 2019. Mr Stone pleaded guilty by post and was fined £80, ordered to pay costs of £144 and a surcharge of £32.

Adam Sutton (aged 29 of Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton) was seen by police officers, urinating against an alleyway opposite Knavesmire Public House, York, in the vicinity of a large crowd, at 5:30pm on Saturday 27 July 2019. Mr Sutton apologised for his actions and pleaded guilty by post. He was fined £350, ordered to pay costs of £144 and a surcharge of £32.

On Tuesday 19 November 2019, York Magistrates heard that Lewis Greenwood (aged 27 of Ploughmans Croft, Bradford) was seen by a police officer, urinating against a tree on the Knavesmire, York, at 5:15pm on Tuesday 21 August 2019. Mr Greenwood pleaded guilty by post and was fined £146, ordered to pay cost of £171 and a surcharge of £32.

Josh Raynor (aged 20 of Badgley Lane, Pudsey) was seen by a police officer, urinating against a wall between two businesses on Coney Street, York, at 10:30pm on Saturday 7 September 2019. Mr Raynor apologised for his actions during the incident and pleaded guilty by post. He was fined £109, ordered to pay cost of £171 and a surcharge of £32.

Craig Russell (aged 26 of Mayfield Drive, Armadale, Scotland) was spotted by police officers, urinating against the wall of St Martin’s Le Grand Church, Coney Street, York, at 10:50pm on Saturday 24 August 2019. Mr Russell pleaded guilty by post and was fined £128, ordered to pay costs of £171 and a surcharge of £32.

Daniel Boyle (aged 26 of Front Street, Acomb, York) was seen by police officers, urinating against the door of a business on Church Street, York, at around 1am on Saturday 14 September 2019. Mr Boyle apologised for his actions immediately and pleaded guilty by post. He was fined £158, ordered to pay cost of £171 and a surcharge of £32.

Tom Jeffrey (aged 32 of Thatch Leach, Oldham) was found by police officers, urinating in an area opposite the allotments on Albermarle Road, York, at around 6:30pm on Saturday 27 July 2019. Mr Jeffrey pleaded guilty by post and was fined £173, ordered to pay costs of £171 and a surcharge of £32.

Tom Brittain, Assistant Director for Housing & Community Safety, said: “Thanks to our neighbourhood enforcement officers and our colleagues at North Yorkshire Police and York BID for the continued joint effort to tackle anti-social behaviour in York.

“While we welcome people to York to enjoy the city, we will take action against people who spoil the city. All licensed premised are required to provide toilets for customers. To find out where your nearest toilet is, visit: www.york.gov.uk/map/PublicToilets.”

Inspector Andy Godfrey of York Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Urinating in public is offensive, unhygienic and illegal. It puts an additional burden on the council’s services as well as spoiling the city centre for others. These convictions should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with it. We’ll continue to work with the City of York Council to keep York a safe and pleasant place to visit.”

£43,277.40 owed to York Council by theatre company

It has emerged that, when the operators of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre on Castle car park went into administration, they owed the York Council over £40,000 in rent payments. The information is contained in an response to a Freedom of Information request published today.

Reconstructed Rose Theatre

It seems unlikely that the Lunchbox group will have sufficient assets to repay this amount. In total the group had agreed to pay £113,076 to the Council to compensate for the loss of parking income. The Castle car park is the best used in the City.

The pop-up theatre attracted only 47,000 visitors in York this year, compared to 78,000 visitors last year

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Limited was placed into administration by the directors “to protect its business and assets” on October 9, 2019

Thor’s Bars Limited and Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, which are currently operating in the City, are “unaffected” by either the liquidation of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre or the administration of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions.

Homes closed in Dale Street & Wensley House to stop drug-related anti-social behaviour

To tackle anti-social behaviour blighting the lives of neighbours, the courts have allowed the council has to close two council homes.

This action has been part of recent activity to curb drug trafficking from large cities to smaller towns, known as County Lines. This can involve criminal activity around a home which council and police officers have worked together to stop.

On 9 October, York Magistrates’ court issued a Premises Closure Order to the council for a home in Dale Street, off Nunnery Lane. This follows a number of criminal incidents, some of which involved drugs and violence. The police supported the council to secure the order which prohibits anyone except the tenant from entering or remaining the property. The tenant has since ended the tenancy and the flat will be re-let as soon as possible.

On Tuesday 5 November, the council secured the full closure of a flat at Wensley House, Holgate. This follows drug-related incidents involving offensive weapons which were attended by North Yorkshire Police, and who have backed the council’s action to close this home. The order will be in force for three months from the date of issue.

Premises Closure Orders are often used to break a cycle of anti-social and sometimes illegal and violent behaviour at the property. This may be caused or aggravated by visitors and can sometimes be out of the control of the tenant or encouraged by them.

It is a criminal offence to enter or remain in a property in breach of the terms of the closure order. Doing so can lead to penalties of up to a year’s imprisonment, fines or both.

Superintendent Lindsey Butterfield, Neighbourhood Policing Commander for York and Selby, added: “Tackling County Lines and the violence and antisocial behaviour associated with it is a major priority for North Yorkshire Police. It involves the exploitation of the young and the vulnerable and requires a response from not just the police, but many partner agencies too – we can’t do it alone.

“This action by City of York Council is a great example of true joint working and will help to disrupt the misery caused by out-of-town drug dealers in the neighbourhood.”

Cllr Denise Craghill, Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods at City of York Council, said: “Criminal behaviour is unacceptable and these orders are very effective ways of ensuring that it stops.

“Premises closure orders, along with routine policing, can help breaking the cycle of criminality and repeat offending, with which a very small minority of people can blight the lives of neighbours and the immediate community. The closure comes at a cost of a much-needed council home which we hope to re-let as soon as possible.

“The courage of the local community in supporting us to stand up to this anti-social and criminal behaviour should not be underestimated.”

Man sentenced for running an unlicensed scrap business

An investigation carried out by City of York Council has uncovered and successfully prosecuted a serious case of the illegal trade of scrap metal.

Appearing on Friday 18 October 2019 at York Magistrates, Craig Miles (of Roche Avenue, York) was ordered to pay £1,230, for collecting, transporting and selling scrap metal without holding the necessary licenses.

Mr Miles was stopped by North Yorkshire Police in December 2018, after being spotted by police a number of times during November and December 2018.

He was found to be carrying scrap metal and his vehicle was seized due to lack of business insurance.

Mr Miles was also charged for not keeping the required records for both selling and collecting scrap metal, as well as failing to provide City of York Council with the correct paperwork.

Mr Miles was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of £600, costs of £600 and a court surcharge of £30. He was also disqualified from driving for six months. 

Cllr Denise Craghill, Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods at City of York Council, said: “The majority of licenced scrap metal carriers in York act within the law, however, there is a penalty of up to £5,000 for those who fail to obtain a scrap metal licence and fail to keep accurate records of the metal they receive and dispose of.

“We hope the sentences send a strong message that the collection, storage or sale of commercial and domestic scrap metal must be correctly licensed, and that the council will continue to investigate and prosecute businesses that operate illegally.”

The council urges York residents to ensure any waste of scrap metal they request removal of that the collector has the appropriated licences to take their waste away.

Residents have a duty of care to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly. To obtain or renew a scrap metal licence, visit: https://www.york.gov.uk/info/20169/business_licences/1023/scrap_metal_dealer_licence or contact Licensing services at licensing@york.gov.uk

National Adoption Week (14-20 October) is the ideal time to find out if you can adopt

There are currently 69 children across North Yorkshire and the Humber who are waiting for permanent, loving homes due to a shortage of people coming forward to adopt.

Unfortunately many potential adopters rule themselves out, due to myths and outdated beliefs about who can adopt and the qualities they need. During this year’s National Adoption Week, which takes place from 14-20 October, One Adoption North and Humber is urging all potential adopters to come to an information event or contact the agency to find out how they can create a forever family.

In addition to a series of information events across the region, One Adoption is hosting a live online question and answer session via social media on 14 October from 8-9pm. The Q&A, which will be hosted on the agency’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/oneadoption, will enable people who are thinking of adopting to get up-to-date and correct information about who can adopt, the adoption process and anything else they are curious about from adoption professionals.

Suzie Grove, head of One Adoption North and Humber (the regional adoption agency) said:

“We would love to hear from anyone interested in learning more about adoption. We need all kinds of different families to meet the varied needs of children across our region and particularly need adoptive parents for sibling groups of all sizes.

“People often assume that you have to be a certain type of person to adopt, but this isn’t the case. We want people who are committed to having a positive impact on a child’s life, and are devoted to providing them with a secure and loving home.”

The regional adoption agency for North Yorkshire and the Humber is also keen to ‘bust’ the myths which often put people off from taking the first step into adoption.

Suzie added:

“Our team has lots of experience helping people create a family and are always on hand to answer your questions. For instance, you don’t have to be married to adopt, we have some excellent single adopters, and we have approved lots of adopters from the LGBTQ+ community. People of any race or religion are welcome to apply as are people who have a disability or are an older parent. The only criteria is that you must be 21 years or older, have space in your home and a willingness to provide a safe and loving home for a child.

“We are so grateful for the wonderful adopters who have chosen to adopt with us but we always need more people to take that first step towards becoming a parent.”

People who are concerned that they may not get the support they need once they adopt can also be reassured. One Adoption parents are supported throughout the whole process by highly experienced, dedicated adoption support teams. There is a comprehensive programme of pre- and post-adoption training and support – from stay and play sessions to more in-depth workshops and a new peer mentoring scheme.

During National Adoption Week One Adoption North and Humber is holding a series of drop-in information events to help more people find out about the adoption process and the needs of children who are waiting to be adopted. These are:

  • Hull – Wednesday 16 October, 17:30 (The Guildhall, HU1 2AA)
  • – Wednesday 16 October, 11:00-13:00 (80 High Street, Starbeck HG2 7LW)
  • – Thursday 17 October, 13:00-15:00 (North Yorkshire House, Scalby Road YO12 6EE)
  • York – Saturday 19 October 09:30-11:00 (West Offices, YO1 6GA)

These are in addition to the regular adoption information events held across the North Yorkshire and Humber region.

People who are interested in finding out more about adoption are advised to call 0345 305 2576 and talk to one of the friendly teams in each area or visit www.oneadoption.co.uk.

Cllr Ian Cuthbertson, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, City of York Council, said: “City of York Council is the host authority for One Adoption North and Humber, so I am really proud of the work we are doing together to speed up the adoption process for our children and help find the right adoptive parents for them more quickly. Our regional adoption agency is playing a vital role in improving the outcomes for some of the most vulnerable children in our care.”

York A1237 northern by pass improvements update

City of York Council’s Executive will receive an update on the improvements to York’s Outer Ring Road (YORR) at next week’s Executive including funding bids to dual sections of the ring road.

Due to challenges with acquisition of land through negotiation, the report requests that the Executive approve, in principle, that the council could pursue Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) to acquire the necessary land to deliver the Monks Cross Junction improvements, although negotiations with land owners will continue in the meantime to try and avoid this.

It will also recommend that the Council borrows £5 million to enable the delivery of the upgraded Clifton Moor Roundabout with a future proofed design to provide access and a pedestrian/ cycle underpass to a proposed new housing development within the Draft Local Plan.  It recommends that officers identify opportunities to reduce the CYC contribution through external funding (HIF, developer contributions etc.) which if successful will reduce overall CYC borrowing.

The report, if approved, will request officers to undertake a study of how the benefits of any dualling of the ring road can enable greater sustainable transport options across the city as travel around the ring road becomes easier.

The outer ring road roundabout upgrade scheme will see a total of seven roundabouts upgraded as part of the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund scheme.

It is hoped that increasing the capacity of the city’s outer ring road will help to redistribute traffic in and around the city, enabling residents and visitors to move around more sustainably and positively benefit city centre air quality

The York Outer Ring Road improvements programme is being funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

National campaign to recruit 20,000 police officers launches today

·       Home Office campaign features serving police officers and urges people to join the police and ‘Be a force for all’
·       Up to 200 officers could be recruited in North Yorkshire
·       North Yorkshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain is encouraging potential recruits to register their interest at northyorkshire.police.uk/JoinUs

A national campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers is launched today (Thursday) – urging people to join the police and ‘Be a force for all’.

The police recruitment drive is the biggest in decades and could mean an additional 200 police officers across North Yorkshire.

The ‘Be a force for all’ campaign has been developed by the Home Office in partnership with the police and using feedback from the public via independent research.

It features serving police officers, including a neighbourhood officer, a police dog handler and a firearms officer. One of the officers started as a volunteer Special Constable, while another is a former charity executive who changed career.

They appear on billboards and digital displays at locations across England and Wales, including at shopping centres and railway stations, as well as in a radio advertisement.

A new website has also been set up to provide potential recruits with more information and direct those interested in policing in North Yorkshire to the recruitment pages on North Yorkshire Police’s website.

Potential recruits can also express their interest before recruitment opens in North Yorkshire directly on the force’s website at northyorkshire.police.uk/JoinUs

A second phase of advertising is planned for the New Year.

Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain of North Yorkshire Police said:

“This is an exciting opportunity for anyone considering a career in policing to join our team.

“The role of the Police Officer is one of the most important parts of the policing family. No other job gives you the sense of satisfaction like this job does – you will be the frontline of the criminal justice system, helping people in their time of need and assisting when they are at their most vulnerable. It is a challenging but extremely rewarding role which offers long-term career opportunities.

“There is no denying that 200 additional officers will make a significant difference to policing in North Yorkshire but for us to achieve that figure we need people to apply. We’ll be announcing further details when recruitment opens in North Yorkshire soon but in the meantime, please register your interest here: northyorkshire.police.uk/JoinUs

“We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences and recognise that the more our force reflects the diverse communities that we serve, the stronger it becomes. Whether you are just starting out in your career or are a more experienced and mature individual looking for your next challenge, this is your police force, please come and join it.”

For more information visit joiningthepolice.co.uk