Truce signed by York Council Group Leaders

The 5 group leaders on the York Council have sent a letter to the “local media” saying they are working “together constructively” and are leaving “partisan politics to one side” during the COVID crisis.

They say that they estimate that there will be “over 700 deaths in York by October”. (Currently 120 deaths have been reported at the York hospital).

They promise to make their communications “constructive”.

This outbreak of bonhomie is all the more surprising given that it has taken 10 weeks of crisis management before it has actually appeared. Residents may have assumed that everyone was working collaboratively behind the scenes.

 Maybe not it seems.

The decision to parade their credentials before the media – rather than the City as a whole – seems strange.

There has been no criticism of the Councils Key Worker staff. Rather it is the activities of senior managers and Councillors which is being scrutinised.

Communication with residents has been very patchy during the last 3 months.

Pandemic fears, expressed by at least one Councillor (Mark Waters) in February, were brushed aside.

York recorded the first UK cases of coronavirus but the authorities declined to confirm that the victims had recovered.

Although crisis hubs were set up promptly, the Council failed – and still fails – to provide food delivery information that is fair to all traders and is made available in an up to date format that is accessible to everyone.

Newsletters were promised but it took a long time to get them through letterboxes.

The Council Leadership eventually stopped replying to correspondence and a range of requests for information were ignored.

We still don’t know how many COVID tests have proved to be positive at the Poppleton testing centre. Some will worry about whether the “700 deaths” forecast is based on data from that source?

The number of road traffic accidents has not been publicly monitored (thought to have reduced).

Nor have vehicle speeds been checked using the automatic equipment available to the Fire Services

A decision making process of sorts was introduced. It limps along. Papers – although written in advance – are not published to the public before decisions are taken.

We have seen a half-baked contraflow cycle lane introduced on Bishopthorpe Road at a time which coincided with road works on the suggested alternative route. The result was unnecessary congestion which could easily have been avoided if proper advice had been taken.

A similar impulsive decision seems to have been made about reducing the size of the Marygate car park.

Extreme opportunism and posturing seems to have replaced the measured, pragmatic approach which effective  crisis management demands.

So when the Group Leaders have finished with their socially distanced conga, they might like to take some time to offer a transparency commitment to the people of York.

The Conga Line GIFs | Tenor

Indecision grips key York Council decision making meeting

Second Council “Cabinet” meeting postponed

For the second month running the Council’s policy decision making body, the “Cabinet”, will not meet. The meeting was to have taken place on 2nd December. But now – like the meeting which was to have taken place on 4th November – it has been cancelled.

It means that no major decisions will have been taken since 7th October.

The next Cabinet meeting is not due to take place until 6th January, only a few weeks before the Councils budget has to be drawn up.

Future of empty Guildhall still unclear

Future of empty Guildhall still unclear

The indecision is being blamed on the chaotic state of the Council’s Labour group, which still has the largest number of members. Recently the Council Leader announced his resignation leading to an apparent power vacuum and crippling the decision making process.

Amongst the decisions which were due to be made were the future of the Guildhall. Labour plans a hugely expensive “digital media and arts centrefor the building but it unlikely that the new Council would agreed to the increased levels of borrowing required to fund the project. It is possible that the, relatively new, annex – which comprises mainly modern offices – may now be marketed separately.

Other agenda items, now shelved, include:

Senior Councillors have now had sufficient time (over 6 weeks) to come up with a workable way of making decisions in a balanced (hung) Council.

It had to do so in a similar situation, between 2007 and 2011, when there was little delay in dealing with issues..

It is now vital that all Parties agree to put the welfare of the City ahead of partisan political priorities.