How is your neighbourhood?

Council releases updated “ward profile” information

The York Council has updated the “Ward Profile” pages on its open data web site. Residents can view a range of statistics about the area in which they live. Click here https://data.yorkopendata.org/dataset/york-ward-profiles-2018-19-q2

A summary of the information is also provided at City level.

The figures compare local public service standards and residents’ views with the City averages (Westfield figures are shown in brackets in the summary below.

  • York has 208,163 residents (14,171) with 5.7% (3.1%) from a black and minority ethnic community group. 83.9% (78.9%) are in good health, with 15.3% (18.8%) stating that they have some limitation in day to day activities.
  • £637.58 (£594.62) was the Average Weekly Household Income in 2015/2016 (£629.00 [£580.00] in 2013/2014).
  • 66% (57%) own their own home, either outright or with a mortgage, 18% (9%) are private renters and 14% (32%) are social tenants. There are 7,614 Council Houses in York.

Westfield continues to be the “poorest” ward in the City although average incomes are now steadily rising.  It is consistently in the “worst” 5 wards when judged on a range of indicators including the economy, poverty, health & Wellbeing, crime, schools, transport and residents engagement.

However more people living in the ward agree that they can influence decisions in their local area than the city average.

The area also scores well on the availability of “superfast broadband”, travel times to secondary schools and business starts ups while most social care stats are positive.

The numbers unemployed have also fallen dramatically over the last 2 years.

Perhaps the biggest underlying problem is health, with 35% of children judged to be overweight. The area also has the largest proportion of overweight adults. Life expectancy is below average for both male and females. These figures will add to criticism of the York Councils decision to reduce the amount of open and sports space available in the ward.

Satisfaction with the Council as land lord is declining according to tenants’ views. Lack of car parking dog fouling and drug use are cited as significant issues in some areas.

All in all, the figures make interesting reading although the major impression is that things have improved over the last year or two.

Latest TalkTalk UFO broadband programme published

There is still some concern that verge reinstatement’s which are being reported as “complete” are actually quite unsightly. In part this may be put down to the recent very dry weather.

However, the local community should not have to put up with dust-bowl verges like those on Foxwood Lane – near Chesney’s Field – which were first dug up about 6 months ago.

Foxwood Lane

Foxwood Lane

Footpath pitches, gardens and broadband works

We understand that the damaged goal posts on the Foxwood Park will be realigned by the Council. The damaged is understood to have been caused by plant. 

Nearby we’ve asked for the goal posts on the Grange Lane Westfield park to also be realigned. There is a long outstanding request for the to be repainted. Kick about sessions at Energise and on Chesney’s Field are due to start at the end of June. They are being organised by the York City FC Foundation

A new safety surface has been provided on the area used for children’s activities at the Foxwood Community Centre

Foxwood residents are asking for volunteers to help on Saturday morning to put the final finishing touches to the, increasingly impressive, community garden on Bellhouse Way

Finally Talk Talk have given an undertaken to make good the damage caused to verges and paths during their recent excavation works (see below for programme)

 

UFO set to take off shortly

TalkTalk have published the latest work programme for their Ultra Fibre Optic (UFO) broadband installation project (see left)

There is some better news from the company, who have said that they will now start on final remedial works to verges and other grassed areas which were damaged when work continued during the recent poor weather.

They have also said that they will start to replace the bitmac temporary reinstatements which were an ugly feature of the works in streets such as Stuart Road. The original concrete finish will be re-established.

Any improvement will be welcomed by residents who have had to suffer  major inconvenience over the last 5 months.

We doubt if the footpaths will ever be returned to their original condition.

Big increase in potholes as ice takes its toll

Some of the worst potholes have appeared on the Castle car park,. They are a hazard for pedestrians and could damage vehicles. The Council needs to take swift action to fill them in.

Councillors have been out and about reporting highway defects like this one on Askham Lane. Cllr Sheena Jackson has reported potholes on Walker Drive

Sheena has also been engaged with Talk Talks broadband installation programme. There has been more surface damage to roads and footpaths than was expected in some areas.