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Get in gear for the York Festival of Cycling

A renowned free event, the York Festival of Cycling will return once again on Sunday 11 September.

The event has something for the whole family from toddlers to grandparents with all sorts of pedal powered activities for people to take part in. There will be bikes and trikes of all shapes and sizes including adapted bikes, balance bikes and tandems for people to test ride.

While the Council is right to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly way of getting around, we are increasingly worried about the quality of some of the cycle paths and cycle lanes in the City.
Cars blockig cycle path exit Bishopthorpe 23rd June 2011 Detritus leaves and litter Grange Lane cycle path 1400 13th Dec 2015 Detritus on cycle path near tesco roundabout Tadcaster rd Entrance to sustans cycle path blocked by overgrown hedge 19th June 2011 PM Hedge overgrowing cycle path back Martin Cheeseman Court nettles Water Lane Hazelnut Grove cycle path 0900 5th Sept 2016 Overgrown cycle path near Tesco 5th June 2012 Trees impeding cycle path Tadcaster near Tesco 19th June 2011 Trees overhanging cycle path Tadcaster Road 19th June 2011 Overgrown hedge cycle path Skiddaw to Eden Close

Many cycle paths have become overgrown by nettles, brambles, bushes and trees. Some entrances to the paths are obstructed by parked vehicles while broken glass can also be a problem.

We think that the Council needs to check the paths and lanes on a regular basis and make sure that they are clear and safe for users. 

BMX stunt team ‘Savage Skills’ will be performing throughout the day showing some of the amazing tricks that can be done on two wheels. There will also be ‘The AirBag’ for BMXers to try out their airborne tricks without the worry of a hard landing.

North Yorkshire Police will be on hand with their state of the art ‘dot peen’ property marking machine. They will be security marking cycles and other valuable items during the day free of charge.

Re-Cycle York will be providing a Doctor Bike service at the event to give festival attendees a free health check of their bike.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “Now in its seventh year the Festival of Cycling continues to draw huge crowds year after year. The festival gives residents and visitors a great opportunity to find out about the health benefits and how fun cycling can be for people of all ages and abilities.”

The i-Travel York team will also be available to provide travel advice and information for residents to encourage them to try out sustainable modes of travel, including cycling and walking. For more information visit Festival of Cycling.

On Sunday 11 September Sky Ride York will take place giving people the chance to ride around a 7km traffic free loop taking in some of the city’s picturesque streets and historic landmarks. The route will be open from 11am-4pm giving residents the chance to ride it as much, or as little as they want and at a pace to suit everyone. Residents and visitors can sign up to Sky Ride York at www.goskyride.com/YorkSkyRide

Cyclists on the Sky Ride York route will be able to enter Rowntree Park from both the Butchers Field/Butchers terrace and Terry Avenue entrances.

Heating bills halved by gas central heating project for vulnerable York households

 City of York Council is working with Better Homes Yorkshire to help to tackle fuel poverty by installing 19 gas central heating systems in the city thanks to the Government’s Central Heating Fund.
Central heating fund

The central heating fund was launched by the then coalition government in March 2015

One home has already halved its estimated heating costs from the project.

York and eight other Local Authorities, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership are taking a similar approach by identifying residents on a low income living in energy inefficient homes.

One of the 19 York households benefiting from this, is a 46-year-old disabled woman living alone in her own home. Her mobility is such that it makes the safe and regular use of her only form of heating, an open coal fire, impossible.

Her water was heated by an electric immersion boiler. A community occupational therapist referred the resident to Better Homes Yorkshire and to City of York Council’s scheme.
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York Allotments Against Crime (YAAC) events a success

More than 770 gardening tools belonging to York allotment holders have been ‘dot-peened’ as a result of an extensive programme of security marking at allotments between May and July this year.

dot-peen-chassis-componentCity of York Council in partnership with North Yorkshire Police visited all 17 council allotment sites at pre-arranged dates to enable allotment holders to have their property marked and registered. As well as acting as a deterrent to theft, property marking also makes it easier to return belongings to their rightful owner should they be stolen and to possibly use them as evidence in crimes.

This year the Fire Service joined representatives from North Yorkshire Police and the council at the larger allotment sites, giving useful information and advice on fire prevention as well as inspecting the areas for possible hazards and fire accelerants. Sites were given a fire ‘health check’ and no issues were discovered. (more…)

Help Shape York’s Alcohol Strategy

DrunksCity of York Council along with other partners are seeking views on a new city-wide alcohol strategy for York.

It is hoped that the strategy will influence more people to be aware of how to drink responsibly and to make positive lifestyle choices around alcohol so that individuals use alcohol safely and sensibly.  In addition it is hoped that people will make informed choices about drinking alcohol and approach the issues that alcohol can bring within our communities and families in a positive way.

The York alcohol strategy has been written by colleagues from City of York Council; Public Health England; Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group; Safer York Partnership; Lifeline; North Yorkshire Police; York Hospital Trust.  The strategy covers a five year time period and York’s Health & Wellbeing Board will be responsible for it.

The city currently uses a large amount of resource to deal with alcohol related issues, like the harm that alcohol has on the health and wellbeing of people and the crime and disorder it contributes to.  The ambulance service, the hospital’s emergency department, police, fire service and members of the public routinely deal with the consequences of alcohol.

Harm to families including domestic violence, child abuse and neglect as well as violent crime, binge drinking, absenteeism from work and lost productivity, drink driving, alcohol related accidents and anti-social behaviours such as public urination, litter and vomit on our streets are all issues associated with alcohol.

The alcohol strategy has four aims:
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Wetherby Road speed limits to change

The Council has today agreed to impose a 40 mph speed limit on Wetherby Road (and Bland Lane) between the A1237 and the built up area. Signage is also to be improved.

It is hoped that the buffer zone will encourage drivers to slow down before they reach the 30 mph limit. A similar buffer zone on Askham Lane has not proved to be very successful 

We have doubts about this plan which will do nothing to control the speed of vehicles leaving the City. An occasional visit by the speed camera van would be more effective as a deterrent.

However the re-election of the old crime commissioner recently means that speed enforcement will continue to be focused on villages and trunk roads. The later produce the bulk of the nearly £1 million income that the North Yorkshire police derive from the camera vans.

Wetherby Road speed limits

York’s largest security check campaign hits the 3,000 mark

The biggest ever crime prevention campaign York has ever seen has got underway – with more than 3,000 homes already security checked.

Operation Joypad patrols in Clifton

Dedicated patrols of police officers and PCSOs, supported by Special Constables, volunteers and Police Cadets, have been out across the city over the last two weeks.

So far, 3,046 households have been physically and visually checked to ensure they were left secure.

Unfortunately, in one particular area of York, 13% of the 500 homes that officers visited were insecure – for example, because a downstairs window had been left open or a front door unlocked.

Operation Joypad sees additional, high-visibility police patrols across York in May, June and July. When an insecure property is found, officers will contact the homeowner and provide suitable home security advice.

Statistically, around one in four burglaries are ‘crimes of opportunity’, where an offender enters a property through an unlocked door or window. Although York is a very safe city, such burglaries tend to increase in the summer months, as homeowners leave windows and doors open, or spend time in the garden.
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York Allotments Against Crime events to combat fire and theft

allotment-posterAn extensive programme of allotment security events launches at Bustardthorpe Allotments on Sunday 8 May.

Organised as part of the ongoing York Allotments Against Crime (YAAC) campaign, the events will help to raise awareness of crime and fire prevention amongst allotment holders in the city.

City of York Council is working closely with North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and local allotment associations to offer friendly help and advice at events throughout the spring and summer.

North Yorkshire Police will be on hand to security mark allotment tools and property, so that if items are stolen they can be returned more quickly and possibly used as evidence. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will also be present at larger allotment sites to offer fire safety advice and undertake fire prevention health checks.

Crime and fire prevention advice will be available, emergencies permitting, on event days listed below:

•    Sunday 8 May    Bustardthorpe Allotments*
•    Sunday 15 May  Howe Hill Allotments
•    Sunday 22 May  Holgate Allotments*
•    Wednesday 25 May  Strensall Allotments
•    Sunday 29 May  Bootham Allotments*
•    Sunday 5 June  Hob Moor Allotments
•    Sunday 5 June  Low Moor Allotments*
•    Sunday 12 June Fulford Allotments
•    Wednesday 15 June  Wigginton Road/Terrace Allotments
•    Sunday 19 June  Green Lane Allotments*
•    Sunday 26 June  Glen Allotments
•    Sunday 10 July  Hempland Allotments*
•    Sunday 10 July  New Lane Allotments
•    Sunday 17 July  Scarcroft and Hospital Fields Allotments*
•    Sunday 24 July  Carr Allotments

North Yorkshire Police will be present at all events and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will be at those marked with an asterisk. Advice is available from 10am until 2pm except for the Wednesday sessions at Strensall and Wigginton Road Terrace, which take place from 4.30pm to 7pm.

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Current York Council consultations

Licensing variations

DrunksA consultation on a proposed review of City of York Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy has opened.

At the Licensing Committee meeting on 25 April, it was agreed to pursue North Yorkshire Police’s request to amend the local authority’s current policy. Published in 2014, it includes a ‘Special Policy’ which relates to applications for the variation of a premises licence or club premises certificates.

The police believe these variations to licensed hours or style of operation can have as much impact locally as granting a new license. To give these variations greater weight and to reflect that they can significantly change the nature of the original license conditions, the force has requested that the policy’s ‘Effects of the Special Policy’ section is changed.

This section of the policy currently reads:
5. “Application for the variation of a premises licence or club premises certificate due to a change of style of operation:

Any application for the variation of style of operation which is subject to relevant representations will be considered on its own merits having regard to the promotion of the licensing objectives

6. Application for the variation of a premises licence or club premises certificate resulting in an extension of the premises and increased capacity:

There will be a presumption to refuse such applications, where relevant representation are received and where the increase in capacity would undermine the licensing objectives unless the applicant can rebut the presumption that the granting of such a variation would undermine the licensing objectives.

7. Application to vary the hours of operation attached to a premises licence or club premises certificate:

All applications that seek to extend the licensed hours will be considered on an individual basis. No different policy will apply in this area as opposed to the rest of the city.”

The a new form of words proposed is:

5.  “The following variations are considered to be material:

• change in style of operation

• physical extension of the premises that increases capacity

• extension of hour of operation

and therefore, there will be a presumption to refuse such applications, where relevant representations are received [deleted and] unless the applicant can rebut the presumption that the granting of such a variation would undermine the licensing objectives.”

Views can be sent by email to: licensing.unit@york.gov.uk or posted to Licensing Section, City of York Council, Eco Depot, Hazel Court, York YO10 3DS.

Other current Council consultations
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Four months after the big York floods

Independent chair and flood panel announced

City of York Council has today announced the independent chair and panel members who will lead on the inquiry into the recent flooding in York.

Floodpanelfinal

The Inquiry was called by the council’s leadership in January and subsequently agreed at the Executive in March to look at how the city coped with the recent floods and issues such as the information given to residents, the response of key organisations and the failure of the Foss Barrier on Boxing Day.

A budget of £50k has been set aside for the costs of the inquiry.

It is expected that representatives from key organisations will be asked to give their account of the floods to the inquiry team but that there will be a wider call for evidence from those who were affected and others who can assist the inquiry reaching its conclusion.

The lengthy delay in setting up the Inquiry means that some evidence may have been lost. Memories can fade quickly.
While the team selected do appear to have the necessary technical expertise to challenge the activities of the Environment Agency and other organisations most of the criticism on 26th and 27 December was directed at the Council’s leadership and various voluntary organisations who seemed to react slowly to the emerging crisis. Having an Inquiry team apparently selected by the four group Leaders – who themselves were noticeable by their absence on 26th December – may lead to some scepticism about the likely outcomes.

The Leaders of all four political groups at City of York Council  have said: “It’s important that as a local council we do everything we can to answer residents’ questions and ensure lessons can be learned for the future. This review will help us to get a much clearer picture of what happened and what steps need to be taken to try to prevent flooding like this in the future. We thank Ms Davies, Mr Waterhouse and Mr Toole for applying to lead on the inquiry and we look forward to working with them on this independent review.”

The independent chair and panel members include:

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York con – Cold callers claim to be part of rehabilitation scheme

sCAM ALERT

City of York Council has had more reports of a scam in which cold callers in the York area are claiming to be selling household items as part of a rehabilitation scheme run by local or North East probation, youth offending or prison services.

Residents have told the council that individuals are going door-to-door in York and the surrounding areas trying to sell dish cloths and other cleaning or household items.

They claim to have identification (ID) cards issued by the Youth Offending Team, Prison or Probation Service. This is not the case and any IDs produced will be fakes.

The Council says, “Our youth offending services would never endorse such a scheme and we ask that residents do not support the scam by buying from these people.

Instead, please alert neighbours to this – particularly any vulnerable neighbours. Anyone approached by a salesperson claiming to be part of such a scheme should ring York police on 101 and report it.

North Yorkshire Police recommend that people concerned about unwanted visitors should call 101, or dial 999 in an emergency.