Have your say on City of York Council’s budget

Council Leader on “meet the people” Tour. Budget consultation starts

City of York Council is asking residents and businesses to share their views on the council’s next budget, following the launch of the budget consultation this month.

Early in the New Year, councillors will have to set a budget for the next financial year (2021/22). The impact of the pandemic has been unprecedented and despite the Government’s promise to give councils everything they need, York faces a significant budget gap of over £15 million, an issue that has been compounded by successive years of Government funding cuts.

Whilst the council has continued to provide support for those who need it since the start of the pandemic, the full economic effects of coronavirus on our communities have not yet been fully felt. Therefore, the council’s initial focus for the 2021/22 budget is to stabilise the authority’s financial position, allowing the council to continue to deliver the services which have been so relied upon during this difficult year.

The council will also continue its £600m capital investment programme to accelerate economic recovery, whilst continuing to support local residents, businesses and communities.

This year, there are a number of different ways to get involved and have your say on the council’s next budget:

Complete the paper survey in Your Local Link, which is being distributed to all York households from 15 December. Please send this back to the FREEPOST address provided by Sunday 31 January.
Complete the online survey which closes on Sunday 31 January on our website
Join us for a live Facebook Q&A on 6 January at 5pm on Facebook
Attend our virtual decision making sessions: 12 January 2021 – 10am, 2pm and 5.30pm 13 January 2021 – 10am and 2pm

Share your views on the York Outer Ring Road

City of York Council is asking residents, businesses and visitors for their views on the proposed upgrade of the York Outer Ring Road from A19 Shipton Road to the A1036 Little Hopgrove.

This follows the announcement last year that the Department for Transport has approved York’s £25m scheme to dual the Outer Ring Road from the A19 Shipton Road to the A1036 Little Hopgrove progressing to final business case stage.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority have also approved £38m to upgrade seven roundabouts along the ring road. Wetherby Road roundabout was the first to be upgraded and was completed in 2019.

Alongside the road and active travel upgrades there will also be an extensive landscape programme with the aim of retaining existing trees and hedgerows where we can. Where this is not possible a diverse range of trees and hedgerows will be planted to complement the local environment and integrate the new road into the existing landscape.

The council have written to over 17,000 residents and businesses close to the York Outer Ring Road. People can also share the views online at www.york.gov.uk/yorr. The consultation closes on Monday 16 November 2020.

Giving neighbourhood decision making a bad name?

We are very much in favour of giving local communities the opportunity to influence how resources are used in their area.

Delegated ward budgets, therefore, were a step in the right direction.

The Council allocated £1 million to be spent at ward level. Typically the Westfield ward (which is larger than most wards) has nearly £40,000 a year to spend.

The expectation was that there would be an opportunity for residents to put forward schemes for consideration and – as has happened in the past – for a public vote on priorities to take place.

Obviously the health pandemic may have affected the ability of some ward Councillors to fully consult on a door to door basis. We would, however, expect much more use to be made, by the Council and ward councillors in particular, of social media and noticeboards to stay in touch with local communities.

Keeping footpaths safe and accessible should be a top priority for the use of public funds

A whole raft of new schemes using this budget have been authorised today click

A list of schemes approved for 2019/20 can be found by clicking here Several schemes, including action to prevent fly tipping, didn’t happen.

Planned expenditure for 2020/21 can be access here

While many of the schemes are uncontroversial, there will be some that may cause raised eyebrows. Mentoring services for young people seems to be the new catch all phrase used to access public funding.

That may be necessary, but taxpayers will legitimately want to know what are the objectives of each scheme and how success is being measured?

They will expect to be able to find out this information without fruitless searches of dozens of pages on the internet.

There was disappointment in west York earlier in the year when it emerged that they would not be getting a share of the delegated cycling and walking budget.

Promised road repairs have also not materialised.

The York Council needs to re-engage quickly

Still time to share your views on Station plans says Council

We are reminding people to have their say on plans to improve York Station Front with the removal of Queen Street Bridge and a reorganisation of the transport interchange in front of the station.

Comments on the new plans can be made until Thursday 20 August. People will still be able to make representations after this date. Following this, a report will be taken to the planning committee later this year.

The revised plans, which have been submitted for consultation, follow comments raised throughout the 2019 Station front planning process. As part of this, an addendum will be included to modify several areas of the original planning application, following further consultation with partners, residents and station users.

The key changes to the scheme include:

A redesigned multi-storey car park. After consulting with Historic England, plans for the car park have been revised to better respect the heritage of the railway and York RI. This will also move all the station parking into one area making it better visually.
The layout of parcel square has been redesigned so it is more in keeping with station heritage, and in consultation with existing parcel square tenants to give them a new location in the remodelled station.
On-street parking spaces removed from Queen Street to allow a safer cycle route to promote active travel, whilst reducing congestion around the station.

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Residents and businesses to have their say on the future of York city centre

Local people are being invited by the City of York Council to have their say on the future of York’s city centre as a major 12-week consultation is launched today to help the Council create a long term vision for the city.

‘My City Centre’ will build on York’s strengths by seeking the views of residents, businesses, visitors and stakeholders to inform a new city centre vision. This vision will guide investment and shape development and improvement projects in York city centre for decades to come.

An online survey will explore issues ranging from affordability, community and the environment to digital technologies, transport, leisure and culture. It can be completed at www.york.gov.uk/mycitycentreyork.

An exhibition and series of drop-in events are also planned in the city centre and around wider York where the public will be encouraged to share their views on some of the challenges facing the city centre through responding to the questionnaire and other interactive elements. The exhibition starts at York Explore, Museum Street from 2 to 26 March before stints at Burnholme and then Acomb. The first two drop-in events are being held on Saturday 14 March on Parliament Street and Friday 20th March at St Helen’s Square, both 10am-2pm.

On Monday 23 March, a workshop session led by retail expert Bill Grimsey provides a further opportunity to discussion the future of the city centre in more detail. Tickets can be obtained at https://mycitycentreworkshop.eventbrite.co.uk

The full details for the exhibitions are:

Touring exhibition

Mon 2 March – Fri 27 March @ York Explore
Mon 30 March – Fri 17 April @ Centre@Burnholme/ Tang Hall Explore
Mon 20 April – Fri 8 May @ Acomb Explore
Mon 11 May – Fri 22 May @ City of York Council West Offices

Staffed drop-in sessions

Wednesday 18 March, 11.30am to 1pm and 5.30pm to 7pm @ York Explore
Tuesday 7 April, 10am to 2pm @ Centre@Burnholme/ Tang Hall Explore
Thursday 30 April, 10am to 2pm @ Acomb Explore
Wednesday 13 May, 3pm to 6pm @ City of York Council West Offices

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Help to design the homes and spaces you want at Ordnance Lane

The next stage of designing York’s 600 new homes is underway, and residents are invited to get involved in helping shape the planning application for Ordnance Lane on 22 February.

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The design and project teams from architects Mikhail Riches and City of York Council met some 120 residents in November last year, who shared their ideas, priorities and local knowledge about the site which includes Ordnance Lane and part of Hospital Fields Road. This is one of eight sites forming part of the council’s Housing Delivery Programme*.

Now, residents are invited to the second consultation phase for this site: a detailed, hands-on workshop with lunch provided. A project briefing and site visit will set the scene before the design team will share early layout ideas for the site. Participants are then invited to work with the team using 3D models to explore the emerging plans and improve them.

The workshop is on Saturday 22 February, 9:45am-5pm, at York Steiner School, 25 Fulford Cross, York YO10 4PB. Spaces are limited, so please book your place at: https://ordnancelane.eventbrite.com

Anyone not able to join the workshop or anyone who wants to keep fully involved, are also invited to a public briefing session to learn about the design work to date on Thursday 5 March, 6:30-8pm, at Cycle Heaven, 31 Hospital Fields Road, York YO10 4FS.

David Mikhail, founding director of our architects Mikhail Riches and design director for the council’s Housing Delivery Programme, said: “Our design team and City of York Council are eager to learn from the people who live, work or study in the area.

“We believe in co-design. We also know that collaborating with people on our projects helps us to design and build a better place: a new place that belongs to the neighbourhood right from the start.”

Cllr Denise Craghill, Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods said: “Guided by our housing design manual (www.york.gov.uk/housingdesignmanual), residents are invited to help design beautiful, low-energy homes in a thriving new community.

“Each site has a three-stage engagement process, which means that as many people as possible can help create the homes and settings that they want to see and where present and future generations of York residents will live.”

Please book your place at https://ordnancelane.eventbrite.com. For more information, and to be kept updated on the project, please visit www.york.gov.uk/HousingDeliveryProgramme

York Minster precinct plans

The Minster has commenced the final stage in its consultation over a new Neighbourhood Plan.

There have been some changes since the last survey mostly for the better.

The new plan and feedback arrangements can be found by clicking this link

The major areas of debate are likely to concern the plan to build a new cafe and visitor centre at 1 Deangate. Plans to build next to the south entrance have (rightly) been scrapped. The Minster Stone-yard exhibition barn will be moved away from this area (allowing uninterrupted views of the Cathedral).

Admission tickets will be sold from a property at the end of Stonegate/Minster Gates.

It is less clear how the new boundaries of the (expanded) Minster school campus will be delineated.

Two cycle routes have been retained with one curving through Queens Walk and Minster Green while the other follows the existing carriageway line. The opportunity to provide a, daytime only, cycle route (by passing Deangate) through Deans Park has been missed.

The new “Queen Elizabeth Square” which incorporates part of Duncombe Place, is retained. It is compromised by allowing vehicular access to the Dean Court Hotel and the Purey Cust homes. Some will feel that a dropping off point near St Wilfred’s Church would allow reasonable access during pedestrian hours (with an electric hand trolley service if necessary). Many will feel that providing a turning circle for the, outdated, Railway Museum “train” is also an unnecessary feature.

Still the plans represent a measured and welcome approach to neighbourhood planning and, in many ways, are an exemplar for similar projects elsewhere in the City.

The area near the South entrance will be remodelled

York Council seeks help in balancing budget

Without apparently any sense of irony, in the wake of a decision yesterday to hike Councillors pay levels by an average of 18%, the City of York Council is now asking residents, partners and businesses for their help in balancing the council’s budget for 2020/2021.

The consultation is now open and asks which areas the council should invest in and prioritise and where people feel savings could be made.

This year, there are a number of different ways to get involved with the council consulting sooner and holding special budget decision sessions which the public can attend or watch online. People can have their say by:

Taking an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/York_20-21_Budget_Consultation by Tuesday 31 December
Completing the straw poll in Our City (the council newsletter for residents), distributed to York houses throughout December or available at West Offices or libraries and return it freepost by Sunday 12 January
Coming along to one of the following decision sessions in the new year at West Offices to tell us your thoughts:
Housing and safer neighbourhoods 13 January 2020 at 2pm
Economy and strategic planning, Environment and climate change and transport 13 January 2020 at 5.30pm
Children and young people and Culture, leisure and communities 14 January 2020 at 4pm
Health and Adult Social Care 15 January 2020 at 12noon
Leader and finance and performance 15 January 2020 at 5.30pm

Papers for these sessions will be published from Friday 3 January. The decision sessions will ensure that residents can view the budget proposals significantly in advance of previous years to ensure higher quality consultation.

The online consultation closes on 31 December 2019 and all printed questionnaire responses from Our City will need to be received by Sunday 12 January.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council said:

“We have recently agreed an ambitious council plan that promises to support and invest in our communities despite the financial challenges we face.

“Demand for our services is increasing and in the last decade our funding from government grants reduced by £52m, equating to a 44% real terms reduction. Next year we need to save a further £4m with further savings needed in the coming years.

“We are committed to continuing vital services and making sure the right support is there for those who need it most. Whilst we have set out an ambitious strategy for our city over the next four years; we want to ensure that York continues to make history and build communities. It is really important that we hear from residents, businesses and communities to make sure we invest in the right areas.”

Councillor Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader of City of York Council: “York is in a sound financial position which allows us some flexibility to invest in all our futures. However, growing demand for adult social care as our population grows older is a continued challenge and as more and more savings are needed the decisions get tougher.

“We want to make sure our spending reflects our priorities to protect the most vulnerable and respond to the climate emergency.

“Your feedback in the council plan consultation helped us shape our priorities and we are looking forward to hearing where residents think we should focus our spending against each priority.”

For more information, please visit www.york.gov.uk/budget

Consultation with Council tenants in York

Disappointing report from the York Council.

Its over 12 months since the York Residents’ Federation were forced to fold. They were the victims of an over officious approach by some Council staff. Their independent input never seemed to be welcomed by senior Councillors or officials.

As with any voluntary body, those involved needed to feel that their contribution is valued. Too often it clearly wasn’t by the York Council.

Some Councillors to their credit saw this as a backward step and the LibDem manifesto at the May local elections gave a pledge to revive citywide consultation arrangements.

A report on the subject of tenant consultation has now been published and will be considered by one of the Councils scrutiny committees next week. The report can be found by clicking here

Sadly there is little new in the report. It has apparently not even been run past the several successful residents associations which exist in the City

The Council needs to take consultation and tenant involvement much more seriously.

Residents anger over Council plan to remove security railings

Local residents in Lowfields are objecting to plans to remove the railings which protect their garden boundaries.

The plan by the Council to replace the railings was first revleaed on tyhis site at the weekend.

According to their Facebook site, the Lowfields Residents Action Group is leading a campaign to get the Council to consult neighbours on their plans.

Their main concerns are about the appearance of a new fence, its impact on the natural environment, damage to existing landscaping and the money which would be wasted if the existing railings – which are in good condition – were junked.

Separately the Council has announced today that it will commence construction work on the site in two weeks time.

It is writing to residents telling them about a consultation meeting which is taking place next week and which will involve the Wates building contractors

The Residents Group has responded saying, “We think this is pretty short notice for a consultation event.

The letter includes an evasive reference to “Yorspace” who we understand are still struggling to find funding for their communal living site.

It also pointedly doesn’t admit that the Council have failed to find a developer for their proposed elderly persons care home.

Nothing more either, on the public buildings (Health Centre and Police station) which seem less and less likely now to happen.

This means that there is no chance of building work on the whole site being finished within 2 years”.