Two additional deaths were announced by the York Hospital Trust today. Both occurred on Tuesday. The cumulative total number of fatalities at the York and Scarborough hospitals since 1st September now stands at 196.
Test results
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE additional positive test results announced today. Brings cumulative total to 9722.
Rate /100k population falls to 657.42 and is expected to reduce to below 600 over the next couple of days.
The Council has said that 2.5% of asymptomatic people taking lateral flow tests in York had positive results.
This compares with 17.3% (latest 7 day rolling figure to 4th January) who took P1 & P2 tests.
The Thanet Road test site has been closed today because of the weather
It is scheduled to reopen on Saturday
Neighbourhoods
Caser numbers are now beginning to fall across most of the City.
They are also falling at county, regional and national levels.
Vaccinations
Not available at local level
Some regional figures were published today as below
Outbreak Management Board meeting
A recording of the meeting can be viewed by clicking below
It was claimed at the meeting that local authorities had not been advised by the government of;
the number and percentage of York residents who have been vaccinated locally &
the numbers and details of people who have not responded to an invitation to be vaccinated.
That seems to us to be a major system failing (given that progress numbers ARE aggregated and published at a national level.)
The meeting did hear that arrangements had been made to ensure that people who were unable to go “on line” to book jabs would still be able to arrange an appointment.
The meeting heard that 144 (2.5%), of the 5888 lateral flow tests carried out so far in the City, on asymptomatic residents, had produced a positive result.
This is the equivalent of an “R” value of 1.4 and could help to explain the rapid rise in cases over the last two weeks.
No information was provided on the percentage of positive test being recorded at the mobile test sites (Bishopthorpe, Thanet Road).
NB. The mobile test site uses the PCR laboratory based system which is generally regarded as being more accurate than the lateral flow option)
Acorn Rugby Club event
The media are reporting that some of those who attended an event at the Acorn Rugby Club before Christmas have contracted Coronavirus. To read the media report please click here
Please remember that the mobile testing centre on Thanet Road will remain open for another week. Book a test here www.nhs.uk/Coronavirus
Letter to parents from York Council
A letter to parents and carers with children at schools in York.
Dear parents/carers,
Following the announcement of the third national lockdown on 4 January, City of York Council has been working with the city’s schools to ensure that they are able to provide a vital service for critical workers and vulnerable children in the city whilst continuing to operate safely.
At a time when the rates of infection both nationally and locally are rising it is very important that we work together to protect frontline services. At the same time we need to continue to prevent the spread of the virus by keeping the number of household contacts to a minimum.
Last week, the Government followed up its initial guidance on who qualifies as a critical worker. The Government is now asking parents and carers who are critical workers to keep their children at home if possible and only use a school place if they have no other options available.
If you qualify as a critical worker but can manage to have your children at home we would urge you to do so. The fewer children we have in schools, the more it will help in our collective efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
Our schools have risk assessments in place which allow them to work safely and to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid19. For this to work as effectively as possible schools need to have the capacity to support home learning as well as having sufficient staff to supervise children on site. For these reasons they need to keep the numbers in school at a safe level.
We appreciate that this is a difficult time for parents and carers. We know that this situation is causing considerable disruption to your personal and working lives. Schools are also working extremely hard to ensure that places are available for frontline workers and for vulnerable children.
We would also, like you, much prefer to have children in school. However, in order to reduce the rates of infection, and following the latest Government advice, we would ask you to think carefully about your individual circumstances, particularly if you or your partner is able to work from home. If you can, it would be really helpful for the safe management of our schools and the suppression of the virus if you could make arrangements to keep your child at home. Where this proves impossible then we will work with parents and carers to find access to provision.
To help support families during the coronavirus pandemic, our educational psychology team has created a booklet with information about how parents can look after their own emotional health, and support their children, which you may find useful. You can find it on our website.
You can also keep up to date with the latest information about the coronavirus response in York:
We are incredibly grateful for all you have done already and on behalf of the city, thank you for all you are doing to reduce the spread of the virus.
Stay safe and best wishes
Councillor Keith Orrell Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education City of York Council
Amanda Hatton Corporate Director of People City of York Council
Fixed Penalty Notices issued from 6 January 2021
North Yorkshire Police have issued 107 FPNs for breaches of the Coronavirus regulations since the new national lockdown commenced on 6 January 2021.
Local Authority Area where Notice Issued
Total Notices Issued
Local Residents
Visitors
Male
Female
Being Outside Place of Living
Outdoor Gathering
Indoor Gathering
Obstruct / Contravene
Craven
19
1
18
16
3
19
Hambleton
4
4
4
4
Harrogate
10
10
9
1
10
Richmond
Ryedale
Scarborough
49
35
14
28
21
15
34
Selby
3
2
1
3
3
York
22
19
3
16
6
7
15
TOTALS
107
57
50
76
31
58
0
49
0
Speaking about the number of fines issued in the first week of the national lockdown, Superintendent Mike Walker, lead for the force’s Covid-19 response said:
“We have issued 107 fixed penalty notices since the national lockdown commenced on 6 January 2021, which is more than double the number we issued in the first week of the first national lockdown last year.
“Sadly we are seeing a minority of people flouting the rules and who are making unnecessary journeys into or across the county or who are gathering indoors and holding house parties.
“I cannot emphasis enough the risk this behaviour presents at this current time and I urge people to think about their actions and very carefully consider the decisions they make about leaving home. You should only leave home for essential reasons and if you do go out, you should stay local.
“Currently within North Yorkshire and the City of York we have some of the highest infection rates across the Yorkshire and Humber region. So it isn’t just about the risk of people bringing the virus in with them. It’s about the risk that you could pick up the virus here and take it home with you, spreading it wider to your family and loved ones.
“So please follow the rules – stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
TWO more deaths announced by York Hospital Trust today. Both occurred yesterday. The cumulative total since 1st September is now 174.
The Trust has today said that the number of admissions has reached a record high for the period of the pandemic. The Trust currently has 135 patients with Covid-19 – higher than the 131 patients it was treating last March.
There were ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE new positive test results announced today. The cumulative total number of cases has now risen to 8522.
The rate /100k population figure is now 532.74.
It is trending to reach 622.0.
There are now three neighbourhoods in the highest infection rate banding. They are Woodthorpe/Acomb Park, Clifton Without and Westfield/Chapelfields.
The Citywide case rate continues to grow following the national trend.
Test numbers down in York.
Perhaps not surprisingly the number of COVID testscarried out during Christmas week (24/12 – 30/12) fell by half compared to the previous period. Not withstanding the drop in the number of tests carried out, a record high number of positive results was recorded on 29th December.
The testing profile showed a marked shift towards the Lateral Flowmethod during December
The latest ONS figures also show that there is a growth in older people testing positive for the virus although the majority of cases (70%) were still found in people aged between 20 and 60.
Fines for COVID restrictions contraventions
Between 2/12/2020 and 5/1/2021 355 FPNs have been issued in total, broken down as follows:
194 to local residents
161 to visitors
9 for outdoor gatherings
334 for indoor gathering – 51% (171) of those have been in the Scarborough district.
Speaking about the number of FPNs issued in Scarborough for breaches of the indoor gathering rules, Chief Inspector Rachel Wood said:
“While the majority of Scarborough residents have followed the guidance and understood the rules around social gatherings, unfortunately the figures show that there was a minority of people who chose to openly flout the rules and host and attend house parties.
“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams attended a number of incidents over the festive season and had to take enforcement action, as sadly some people did not disperse and go home when instructed.
“I cannot stress enough how serious our current situation is. As a nation we have moved into new national restrictions and we are being told to once again stay home to save lives and protect our health service. We are seeing infection rates rise and the impact of the virus and the new more transmissible strain is really being felt by our hospitals and healthcare colleagues. People are losing their loved ones to this virus every day.
“So I am urging Scarborough residents to stick to the rules, especially as we approach the first weekend of the new national restrictions. Stay home and only leave if it is for an essential reason such as shopping or medical assistance. People are not permitted to gather indoor or outdoors socially and you should not be meeting anyone outside your own household or support bubble. For more guidance on the restrictions and what you are allowed to do, visit the gov.uk website.
“Our local patrol plans have been revised and we have increased our presence and visibility in our local communities, so members of the public will see officers on the roads and patrolling our local areas. We will take enforcement action against those who are breaking the rules and putting the wider community at risk from this deadly virus. So please stay home and stay safe.”
Extra £100,000 for York workers having to self-isolate
An additional £100,000 is now available for discretionary payments to York residents who are required to self-isolate by the Government’s Test and Track scheme
This extra funding comes from York’s Public Health Covid Outbreak Management Fund to support the council’s discretionary payment scheme. This scheme runs alongside the Government’s Test and Trace Support Payment scheme which makes one-off payments of £500 to eligible residents suffering financial hardship during their 14-day quarantine period.
City of York Council’s first discretionary scheme was funded by the Government but was enough to support only 39 eligible people. This new discretionary scheme will support up to 200 eligible working people with fixed £500 payments. It will also accept applications from working adults living with parents and from working students where they have been experiencing financial hardship because they have been told to self-isolate for 14 days.
People eligible for the Government’s Test and Trace Support Payment will have been asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace because they have tested positive for coronavirus, or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
Information on how to apply for a self-isolation support payment – either from the Government or the council’s discretionary scheme – is at www.york.gov.uk/selfisolate or please call 01904 551550.
Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Finance and Performance, said:
“We know how worried many people are about money at this difficult time.
“This £100,000 for eligible applicants to our discretionary scheme will provide much-needed relief to those worried about not being able to earn due to self-isolation.
“Self-isolating is just one way in which people are being affected financially by the pandemic. We’re also offering help to people to maximise any benefits and extra payments they’re eligible for, and to give advice to help them manage financially through these difficult times.”
The benefits you might be eligible for, how to claim and how any benefits will be affected if your circumstances change at gov.uk/benefits-calculators
For help to claim any of the help above or for more advice on sources of support in the city, please go to www.york.gov.uk/BenefitsAdvice or call 01904 551556 for help or a referral to the most appropriate support.
If you’re struggling to manage, or you don’t have any support, but need it because of Covid-19, the council’s helpline is here to help you through this difficult time. Contact us by email: covid19help@york.gov.uk or telephone: 01904 551550.
More COVID test appointment times available at Thanet Road
There are a large number of symptom free testing slots available at the Acorn Rugby Club site on Thanet Road for today.
NB. There is a period, from around 3pm – 6.30pm each day, when the Thanet Road site will not show as a testing option on the booking form. This is to allow the system to refresh.
Council guidance on the local initiative is reproduced below
“Dear Resident
As you will be aware cases in the city are rising and we need your help.
In recent days we have seen a spike in the number of cases in your area (and in some parts of the Foxwood area) and so are offering you the chance to get a symptom-free test to help keep you and those around you safe.
1 in 3 cases of Coronavirus have no symptoms but for some catching Coronavirus can have serious consequences. You could be spreading the virus to those you care about without knowing it.
To help stop the spread we are asking for you and your family to get a test. We are setting up a testing site at York Acorn Rugby Club, Thanet Road, YO24 2NW to make it as easy as possible for you to get a test. This site will be open from Wednesday 6th – Wednesday 13th January inclusive, between 9am and 3pm.
How it works
Book to have a test atwww.nhs.uk/coronavirus. On this website select that you do not have symptoms of coronavirus, but in the relevant section choose the option ‘my local council or health protection team has asked me to get a test even though I don’t have symptoms’. Then select the site at York Acorn Rugby Club. Testing can be undertaken on anyone aged 5 and over. We do not recommend being tested if you have tested positive in the previous 90 days. Ring 119 if can’t book online.
If you have symptoms of Coronavirus please do not attend this site, instead book a test through www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119 and select the Poppleton Bar site or a home testing kit.
Getting your results
You should get your results within 24-48 hours of your test.
If you receive a negative test result you can continue as you were.
Remember:
a negative test result provides information about the level of the virus at one point in time
it’s possible to become infected in the hours or days after taking a rapid test – so you must continue to follow government guidance on social distancing, good hand hygiene, and practice ‘Hands, Face, Space’
this type of testing will only be effective if people continue to follow the guidance
Positive test results
If you receive a positive test result you must self-isolate for 10 days.
By working together and looking after each other we can get through this. We are incredibly grateful for all you have done this year to help stop the spread of Coronavirus.
Thank you for your continued support.
Stay safe and best wishes
Sharon Stoltz
Director of Public Health“
Essential frontline Council services announcement
City of York Council is working hard to ensure critical frontline services, such as waste and gritting services, will continue during the new national lockdown restrictions.
As the number of Covid cases increase in the city and across the country, it’s inevitable that the council will also see an increase in the number of infections within its frontline workforce, which makes delivering some services challenging.
Therefore, the council has acted fast and brought in additional measures to keep key frontline services like gritting and waste going over the coming months. This includes introducing stricter staff bubbles to protect staff, redeploying staff from other services and Public Health are also looking to roll our regular testing to staff in the council’s key services.
Immediate operational changes have also been introduced to ensure all but essential highways maintenance works have been paused during the national lockdown, prioritising household waste (refuse) collections and gritting services.
With many key workers currently using the highway network and winter weather affecting the city, it’s important that that the gritting team can continue to keep the highways clear and safe. Grit bins can be used by local residents and are being restocked. Residents are reminded to help relief the pressure on the NHS by taking extra care on untreated side roads and footpaths.
The council has worked with trade unions and its supply chain to develop new ways of working and has ensured all works will happen in a safe way for front line operatives and the public, particularly whilst roads are quieter than normal.
Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, said:
“During this incredibly difficult period, it is important that the council continues to deliver essential frontline services, such as gritting and waste collections, to support local residents, businesses and key workers.
“Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, our crews are working hard to ensure that these services can continue despite the national lockdown. With many key workers currently using the road network, it is important that our roads are gritted, so road conditions are maintained and improved. Our Household, Waste and Recycling Centres will also remain open to local residents throughout this period.
“As ever, the resilience and reaction of our city in the face of adversity has been encouraging. We have been overwhelmed by the response of residents and community groups who are supporting more vulnerable residents across the city. Again, I would like to thank our staff, residents and communities enough for truly demonstrating how York comes together in times of crisis.”
However, even with these additional measures, some services like waste may still be affected if case numbers significantly increase amongst staff. This could include some delays or missed collections and the need to co-mingle some items. The council is doing everything it can to keep such disruption to a minimum where possible.
Key services and changes summary:
Waste: some comingling may occur due to staff absences because of increased COVID infections and there may be some missed collections. Staff are operating in bubbles to protect crews
highways repairs/gritting: essential pothole repair and winter gritting will continue as normal. Staff are operating in bubbles to protect gritting drivers
outdoor gyms: sports areas, basketball courts and outdoor gyms are now closed
household waste sites at Hazel Court and Towthorpe: These services remain open
explore libraries will be opening at York, Acomb and Tang Hall for public access to PCs, in order to ensure that everyone in York has access to the internet and isn’t digitally excluded. There will also be a click and collect from Acomb and Tang Hall. These centres will be open Mon-Fri 10am to 3pm and Sat 10am 1pm
a takeaway service will also operate from Rowntree Park Reading Café, seven days a week between 9am- 4pm.
christmas tree collection – York residents can take their real trees for recycling to Tescos at Askham Bar in York between 10am and 4pm on Sunday 10 January.
footstreets – operating hours will revert to 10.30am to 5pm (not 8pm). Extensions (Blake Street/Lendal & Goodramgate/Colliergate sections) will remain in place.
street Works – Works to accelerate the delivery of utilities will take place were possible and whilst traffic levels are lower.
the lockdown restrictions may affect the frequency of buses on some routes. Please check the itravelyork and operator websites for the latest information: itravelyork.info
piccadilly car park is now closed.
Help us to ensure your waste/recycling collections can continue as normal, by following these steps:
Personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags
double bag – these bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste within your own room
this should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin
wipe down bins and boxes etc before and after collection
minimise the waste you throw away
park responsibly.
Gritting:
So far this season the crews have treated the roads and trial cycle network on 22 occasions, using 1,100 tonnes of salt
each time our nine large and three mini gritters treat York’s network they cover around 390 kilometres of road, footways and cycle-paths, with up to 100 tonnes of salt
crews leave as early as 4am to ensure the city’s main roads, footpaths and cycle ways are treated
some circumstances affect when and how we spread grit, including, traffic, rain that can wash away grit, unexpected changes and temperatures below -5°C, which make grit less effective.
yellow warnings of ice expected to remain in York over the next week, meaning icy patches are expected to develop, especially on untreated surfaces
therefore, it is vital that people travel to the conditions and leave extra time to complete their journey.
the aim of the winter maintenance service is, as far as is reasonably possible, to allow the safe movement of traffic, pedestrians and cyclists, on York roads, footways and cycleway during times of adverse winter weather
it also seeks to keep delays and accidents to a minimum
precautionary treatment is undertaken before ice forms or snow settles on the highway
precautionary treatment will only be to footways and carriageways on the defined network, which excludes most footways, cycleway and all car parks
the gritting of cycle route networks forms part of our winter maintenance, unfortunately resources do not allow us to treat these as frequently as the primary network, these routes will be treated as and when resources becomes available.
With the current situation continuously evolving, it is incredibly important that residents, communities and visitors can access reliable and accurate information easily. To subscribe to direct email updates from City of York Council, visit: www.york.gov.uk/form/EmailUpdates
Whilst national restrictions are in force, City of York Council is expanding its symptom-free testing offer to local residents.
The Council is now expanding its testing to include anyone living or working in York who is unable to work from home during the lockdown and who come into contact with other people during the course of their work, including staff working in education and early years settings and those in factories or working in construction.
Testing continues to be offered to those who support the most vulnerable in the city, to school pupils who are eligible to attend school and to teachers who will be working in schools.
We advise that tests are booked regularly (every week), and that people get tested twice, 3 days apart. More test slots have been made available and residents are being encouraged to book their place now.
The Council is also working to identify more testing sites in the coming weeks. We are seeing a high demand for testing and are working hard to increase capacity so if people experience difficulties in booking please try again later when slots may have become available.
The Council is asking that those who are no longer going into school or work as a result of the national restrictions to cancel their appointment if they no longer need it. This will help provide tests to other residents who need a test urgently. You can do this by clicking the link in the confirmation email or visiting our booking website clicking the ‘reschedule or cancel your appointment’ option.
Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, said:
It is estimated that 1 in 3 people with coronavirus do not display symptoms and therefore, some individuals will be spreading the virus without realising.
“That is why we are committed to offering symptom-free tests to help stop the spread of the virus. Given the recent changes in restrictions, we have expanded our criteria to offer it to those most likely to come into contact with others.
“We will be looking to open more testing sites in the coming weeks, and we are hugely grateful to York St John University for their support and other partners who are offering their help.”
Sharon Stoltz, Director for Public Health said:
The early identification of those who have coronavirus and subsequent self-isolation will really help us drive down the number of new cases.
“Thank you to the thousands who have been tested so far and book a slot. I would urge anyone who is eligible to get tested regularly to protect those they love as well as the wider York community. We would also be really grateful if those who no longer need a test as a result of the change in restrictions cancel their appointment so this slot can be offered to another resident who may need it urgently.
“If you have symptoms of Coronavirus please cancel your appointment and arrange a test through the NHS at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.
“More venues will be opening across the city soon and we will share more details when we can.”
To book a symptom-free test please visitwww.york.gov.uk/SymptomFreeCOVIDTest. Telephone support is available Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 5.00pm on 01904 551559
The York Hospital Trust has announced THREE additional deaths today. Two occurred on Monday and one last Friday. That brings the cumulative number of fatalities, at the York and Scarborough hospitals since 1st September, to 172.
The latest ONS figurespublished today reveal that a further 6 York residents fell victim to the COVID-19 virus during the week ending 25th December.
All are recorded as having died in hospital.
NB. these figures are different from those announced by the York Hospital Trust which covers a wider area.
TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY THREE (243) additional positive test results announced today. That is another record high and brings the cumulative total to 8323
The rate /100k population figure is now 496.1 and is trending upwards towards towards 594.47,
The rate has now exceeded the peak seen in the second wave on 16th October when a figure of 444.30 was recorded.
There continues to be large increases in case numbers across all neighbourhoods in York
Looks like it will be mid January before we can hope to see any sustained reduction in case numbers.
Council recovery plan
The Council has published an update on its COVID recovery plan. It can be read byclicking here
New COVID test site for Woodthorpe/Acomb Park/Foxwood south
A local COVID testing site has been established at the Acorn Rugby Club on Thanet Road.
It is a response to the very high local infection level and is aimed at those who have no virus symptoms.
It is open from Wednesday 6th until Wednesday 13th January inclusive, between 9am and 3pm.
A Freedom of Information response has revealed that little progress has been made on providing a replacement multi user games area in Westfield despite a Council executive decision taken in February 2019.
The expectation had been that the replacement, for the now closed facility on Kingsway West, would be in use by now. Discussions were to have been held with the Acorn Rugby Club who currently lease the alternative site which is in the Thanet Road sports area.
However, it seems that meaningful correspondence only started in July 2020 some 18 months after the Council’s Executive had made their promise. Some meetings then took place in August, but no progress report has been prepared for consideration by the Councils executive
Quite why the initiative had not been followed up sooner is unclear.
It had been thought that the most likely site would be under the existing floodlights to the side of the clubhouse. This would have minimised costs and might have been useful addition to the rugby clubs training options.
It seems that that officials, however, favour a location next the car park, while a local Councillor is keen to incorporate a n outdoor gym in the plans.
No consultation has taken place with the Foxwood Residents Association on the plans. There was a lukewarm response to plans for an outdoor gym a few years ago although objections then centred on proposals to locate the facility on Chesney’s Field.
Exiting MUGA became a building compound
Residents are quite clear that some informal free access must be available to the new games area. The price of access to pitches at the Energise centre are prohibitive for many local young people so a system needs to be worked out which meets the needs of both local users and the rugby club. The rugby club has a good reputation for encouraging young sports people so there should be no conflict of interests.
It is understood that serval potential users have expressed a wish to rent the facility so this should provide a basic income to cover maintenance and replacement costs.
The new facility could cost around £200,000.
The Westfield ward is statistically the poorest area in the City and has the largest proportion of obese children. The project would go some way to addressing the inequalities which have been worsened in the area in recent years as a result of the development of open spaces and sports pitches.
YORK Acorn’s rearranged Coral Challenge Cup round three tie with Rochdale Hornets will now take place at Salford’s AJ Bell Stadium on Sunday (3pm kick-off).
The tie sees National Conference League premier division outfit Acorn facing professional opposition in a competitive match for the first time since 2016.
The full draw for round four was drawn at Halifax’s Shay Stadium on Monday evening, with the winner of this game being handed a home match against the British Army.
YORK Acorn have been drawn at home to Barrow Island in round two of the Coral Challenge Cup.
The tie will be played at the Thanet Road ground.
Acorn beat Hammersmith Hills Hoists in the first round.
National Conference League premier division side Acorn will take on a Barrow outfit who finished fifth in division two last year on the weekend of January 25-26.
It is understandable that residents want to know when the £42 million community stadium complex will be fully open for business.
Taxpayers will point out that around £10 million of the costs have come out of their pockets.
Originally scheduled for a 2012 opening, delays dogged the project.
Even after contracts had been signed for a June 2019 opening “labour shortages”
meant that the actual stadium opening was put back to the autumn 2019 and then
to the Spring 2020.
It seemed that the dates were firming up as the IMAX cinema admitted its first paying customers before Christmas while an excitable gaggle of Councillors started tweeted pictures of the “finished” stadium.
The Knights Rugby Club said that their first home fixture of the new season would take place at the stadium on 9th February. The stadium was also set to host a big “double header” with Super League clubs Toronto and Wakefield facing off on the 22nd March.
Questions at a York City supporters forum led to a statement from an executive councillor last week who confirmed that a transport plan was in place. It would get large crowds to the out of town, 8000 capacity, stadium site. (Currently, York City matches attract around 2500 spectators)
However, it remained unclear whether joint entry/transport tickets would be sold and information about public transport capacity was scarce, given that the opening (rugby) fixture was less than a month away.
A “trial” dinner event was then cancelled, and the Knights said that their 9th February fixture might have to be moved to Bootham Crescent.
We think that the stadium will be an asset for the City. When the interest level stabilises, after the first couple of games, transport arrangements should also be adequate.
We are less convinced about the viability of some of the other elements of the development not least the additional swimming pool.
But we are, where we are.
The Council and its contractors should now be able to give a clear programme of actions leading up to firm commissioning and hand-over dates.
NB. Local side York Acorn Rugby got off to a winning start
on Saturday in their cup match against Hammersmith Hills Hoist. The score line
was 36 points to 14. There were no problems accommodating the crowd at the Thanet
Road Stadium (!)
Bi match for local Rugby League side Acorn yesterday. They beat off a challenge from Pilkington to continue their bid for the NCL1 title. Acomb cricket club were also in action yesterday. Idyllic surroundings at their ground on The Green. The first XI lie in second place in the leagueMore informal leisure on the generally well maintained Acomb Green
Could the Council fund an upgrade of the Thanet Road Sports area?
The future of the all weather games (MUGA) provision in the Kingsway part of York remains unclear. Sport England – with the backing of local Netball and Football governing bodies – is insisting that, if the present facility is removed, then a similar provision must be made nearby.
In effect, Sport England have a veto over new developments if they involve the loss of sports fields. They can insist that a development application is referred to the Secretary of Sate for a decision.
The Foxwood Residents Association has also voiced its concerns claiming that a fitness trail – planned by officials for Chesney’s Field – would not meet the informal sports/leisure needs of the 8 – 13 age group. Instead they urge that discussions take place with the Acorn Rugby Club aimed at funding improvements, and wider access, to the floodlit area that is already in place on the Thanet Road Sports area.
York Council officials are being particularly stubborn on this issue. It is putting at risk a plan to modernise the sheltered housing flats at Lincoln Court.
Some flexibility, urgency and imagination in addressing the issues now needs to be shown by both Councillors and officers at West Offices.
Sport Englands representations can be read by clicking here
The Residents Association comments can be read here
We understand hat several residents complained about noise coming from an event taking pace at the Acorn Rugby ground yesterday (Sunday evening). The source of the complaint seems to have been bands playing outdoors. They stopped at 9:00pm.
We understand that this was a charity event although it is unclear whether it formed part of the councils summer holidays “Shine” programme as stated on publicity posters.
It is the second time that complaints about events at the rugby ground have been made. The organisers of another charity event, held in August, had resorted to sellotaping posters to the outside of local noticeboards, causing damage in one case. (information is posted within the noticeboards upon request)
Fly posting is often a source of complaint when fairs visit Thanet Road (as they will shortly).
New licensing arrangements, introduced a few years ago, mean that organisations no longer have to apply for special licences to organise events like these. Instead they rely on a general license issued on request by the Council to land owners. (in this case the land is owned by the Council but it is on a long lease to the club).
Licences can be revoked if terms and conditions are not observed.
In this case, the frequency of outdoor events may be approaching the point where the license could be reviewed.
We understand hat several residents complained about noise coming from an event taking pace at the Acorn Rugby ground yesterday (Sunday evening). The source of the complaint seems to have been bands playing outdoors. They stopped at 9:00pm.