North Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable Dave Jones is hosting a live webchat to allow residents the opportunity to ask any questions about crime and anti-social behaviour in their communities.
Mr Jones will be online between 6pm and 7pm on Monday 3 February 2014.
Yorkshire MEP Edward McMillan-Scott is ‘delighted’ with the increase in people in apprenticeships in York and North Yorkshire, he said during a recent visit to York College.
Megan Geyerhosz, Hannah Smith, Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Denise Morrison, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid at York College
Edward visited York College following the announcement that almost 860,000 people were on apprenticeships in the UK in 2012/13. This means that more people than ever before are in apprenticeships and that the government has created over 1.5 million new apprentice places since 2010.
Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid visited York College, one of Yorkshire’s major apprentice providers, on Friday to learn more about their efforts to increase the number of people in York and North Yorkshire who are in apprenticeships.
During the visit they met with Denise Morrison, assistant principal for employer engagement at York College and Finance Assistants, Megan Geyerhosz (aged 20) and Hannah Smith (aged 18). Both Megan and Hannah studied an apprenticeship in Level 3 Business Administration and are about to embark on a course in Book Keeping and Accounts to help them in their roles in the Finance office.
Edward McMillan-Scott, Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and Humber and Vince-President of the European Parliament, commented: “I am delighted that over 25,000 apprenticeships have been created in York and North Yorkshire since 2010. Apprenticeships are a crucial part of the Liberal Democrat strategy to build a stronger economy. I congratulate York College for their efforts towards increasing the number of apprentices in our region. I hope that many more businesses in York and across North Yorkshire will be encouraged to employ apprentices as a result of the success that both employers and trainees locally are achieving.”
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Responding to a survey carried out by the Liberal Democrats, in the Dringhouses, Woodthorpe and Hob Moor areas, only 8% have said that the trial is a success.
90% want the restrictions to be removed.
A massive 95% say that traffic congestion in the City has got worse over recent months.
Stand and deliver
Labour adopt traditional approach to transport funding in York
The results underpin the findings from other sources.
Over 35,000 penalty notices have been issued since the Lendal Bridge and Coppergate ANPR cameras were installed.
The influential “Trip Advisor” web site has logged a large number of complaints from visitors who are vowing never to visit the City again.
A Facebook page has also been set up by opponents of the restrictions.
The Council leadership continue to maintain an air of lofty indifference to resident’s views prompting new calls for a referendum on the future of the restrictions.
An opportunity to test resident’s views, at a reasonable cost, will come on 22nd May when European Parliament elections are already scheduled to take place.
By then, however, some traders may have been forced to close as City centre shopper numbers continue to fall.
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88% say there is no justification for Labours plans to build on the Green Belt, while 80% remain opposed to a wide area 20 mph speed limit.
Most damming verdict comes from the 93% who believe that public service standards have got worse since Labour took office.
No one who has responded so far believes that standards have got better.
Art Gallery remodeling
The £8m scheme is expected to be completed in 2015 with 60% more exhibition space, improved visitor facilities and a new Centre of Ceramic Arts.
The Museum Gardens were awarded a gold medal by Yorkshire in Bloom. The gardens to the rear of York Art Gallery are to be expanded with three new gardens established.
Richard III head
The Trust is also refurbishing the Debtors Prison at the Castle Museum following a successful £1.1m bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The first exhibition to be held in these new spaces will be 1914: When the World Changed Forever, a major changing exhibition on the social impact of World War One. This work will begin in November and will be open to the public in June 2014
Overall visitor numbers to York’s museums showed an increase of 2% this summer although much of that is put down to an exhibition of Richard III ‘s reconstructed head.
The Council has issued a media release saying,
An updated study is underway which will help determine suitable locations for the development of Gypsy, Roma & Traveller and Showpeople sites in York, ahead of the next stage of York’s Local Plan consultation in 2014.
City of York Council has a statutory requirement to identify needs and allocate land and so has commissioned an external study in to the Gypsy, Roma & Traveller and Showpeople Housing Needs and Site Identification which will be used to inform and help determine which sites in York are suitable to be included in the Local Plan submission draft early next year.
The submission draft of the Local Plan is expected to published for consultation in Spring 2014.
The revised study will provide an update on the North Yorkshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (2007/8) and the North Yorkshire Accommodation Requirements of Showpeople (2009).
It will also build on the work carried out by council officers in the Gypsy, Traveller and Showpeople Accommodation Needs Supporting Paper (June 2013) which were all supporting documents in the recent Local Plan Preferred Options consultation.
City of York Council says that it is is supporting Public Health England’s Cold Weather Plan which looks at ways of reducing unnecessary deaths and illness this winter.
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They say that there are between 2000 and 2500 excess winter deaths each year in Yorkshire and Humber, many of which are preventable.
The Cold Weather Plan aims to prevent avoidable harm to people’s health by highlighting the negative health effects cold weather can have whilst enabling people to prepare and respond appropriately.
North Yorkshire Police is supporting a national campaign to raise awareness about anti-social behaviour (ASB) during the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.
Under the Association of Chief Police Officers’ “In Focus” banner, the week of action runs from Monday 28 October until Tuesday 5 November 2013.
Police Officers, Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers will be carrying out a large number of activities, including:
•Delivering posters to shops to prevent young people buying eggs and flour and fireworks
•Delivering “No trick or treat” posters to vulnerable and elderly people to display in windows
•High visibility patrols in areas where ASB has been an issue previously
•Visiting schools to educate young people about ASB and the dangers of fireworks
•Targeting known ASB offenders so that they know we are watching them
•Identifying insecure properties and offering crime prevention advice
Social media is also being used to provide information and advice to local residents, as well as promoting the activities taking place during the week of action.
To receive the updates you can follow North Yorkshire Police on Twitter @NYorksPolice using the hashtags #ASB or #InFocus.
Specials activity in York
On Monday 4 November 2013, around 25 Special Constables in York will be carrying out targeted patrols in the city focusing on ASB and burglary hotspots.
The night before Bonfire Night has often seen an increase in the levels of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage by juveniles taking part in Mischief Night. The team of specials will carry out high-visibility patrols to prevent and detect criminal damage, as well as offering reassurance to vulnerable people.
The team will also be checking properties to make sure that they do not present an opportunity for burglars. If they find an insecure property the officers will leave crime prevention advice.
York
•Monday 4 November 2013, Special Constables on high visibility anti-social behaviour and Beat the Burglar patrols
•Engagement with repeat victims of anti-social behaviour and persistent callers from the same period in previous years in order to offer reassurance
•Distribution of “No Trick or Treat” posters to local residents who are either repeat victims of anti-social behaviour, live in a anti-social behaviour hotspot areas or are vulnerable
•Delivering “Flour and eggs – not for sale” posters to local retailers
•Leaflets to local businesses regarding the sale of fireworks and alcohol to youths
•Engagement with known anti-social behaviour offenders so they know the police are watching them
•Engagement with students at York University and St Johns College regarding noise nuisance from late night parties
•High visibility patrols in the anti-social behaviour hot spots including the mobile police office to offer reassurance
There were no surprises when the route that the Tour de France will take though York was revealed today in Paris.
click for enteractive map
The route will start from the Racecourse on Sunday 6th July taking in the City centre before leaving the City via Bootham, Clifton Bridge and Boroughbridge Road and making its way to Harrogate and Sheffield.
York taxpayers are already set to get a bill for over £1.4 million for the stage two depart event.
There were no surprises either when it was revealed that another Labour Councillor jumped at the chance to visit Paris today for the, somewhat less than historic, announcement of “Le route”.
This time is it was Cllr Tracey Simpson Laing, who represents the Acomb Ward, who took the opportunity to top up her air miles.
The trip came only a couple of days after the Council decided to scrap 12 self help salt bins in the Acomb ward (see list below)
These bins would have cost £600 to fill with salt this winter.
NB. Co-incidentally, the cost of 2 airline tickets from Leeds/Bradford to Paris return is around £500. Eurostar is a bit cheaper.
The Acomb Ward salt bins being scrapped by the Council are located at:
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Yorkshire and Humber MEP Rebecca Taylor has backed calls to reverse cuts to salt bins and gritting routes in York after 1,000 residents signed a petition against the proposals.
Rebecca, Keith and residents
The Labour run City of York Council plans to cut two-thirds of salt bins and remove nearly 30 miles of roads from priority gritting routes, including on bus routes.
Lib Dem Councillors Ann Reid, Nigel Ayre and Keith Aspden have ‘called-in’ the decision for further review and the proposals are now set to be reconsidered at a special meeting of York’s Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee later today.
The plans have met with fierce opposition from residents and Kingsway Area Residents’ Association recently said that the cuts could see elderly and disabled people trapped in their homes this winter.
Speaking on a visit to Fulford at the weekend Rebecca Taylor, Lib Dem MEP for Yorkshire & the Humber, commented:
“The fact that 1,000 residents have signed the Lib Dem petition shows the strength of local opposition to Labour’s plans. The Council needs to consider the impact the cuts will have on elderly and vulnerable in places like here in Fulford. I would urge the Labour Council to listen to local residents and reconsider their plans to cut salt bins and gritting routes in York”.
Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on City of York Council, commented:
“Local residents in Fulford and Heslington tell me they want the Labour Council to focus on delivering basic frontline services like gritting and salt bins. This is also what the Lib Dem Group has consistently called for including in our motion at last week’s Full Council. However, while Labour is finding money to buy an Arts Barge and increase the pay of senior staff they are still cutting basic services for taxpayers”.
The Lib Dem petition against the plans. It can still be found here: http://yorklibdems.org.uk/en/petition/save-our-salt
City of York Council is supporting the NHS Be Clear on Cancer ‘Blood in Pee’ campaign.
The campaign will run from 15 October to 20 November 2013 across England. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the key symptom common to both bladder and kidney cancer – blood in pee – and encourage those with this symptom, even if it’s ‘just the once’, to see their doctor straight away. If bladder and kidney cancers are diagnosed early they are more treatable.
Adverts will appear on national TV, radio and in the press.
Around 65 people in York (1774 people in Yorkshire and Humber) are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer each year and these cancers account for around 7,500 deaths per year across the country.
