Westfield to get jobs project funding from Europe

Volunteers needed for £40,000 community-led project for city’s most vulnerable

US-unemployment-jobs-fair-007City of York Council is looking for volunteers to identify what would most improve people’s lives in five of the city’s less prosperous communities.

This project – 4CommunityGrowthYork – will benefit Bell Farm, Clifton, Navigation and Walmgate, Tang Hall and Westfield and is underway thanks to the council winning an initial £22,000 funding from the European Structural and Investment Funds, which the council has match-funded to £40k.

Once accepted onto this community-led local development project, the volunteers will focus on the needs of the five communities with special emphasis on supporting the more vulnerable into work. The £40k will go towards their training, research and consultations, as well as seeking expert advice and examples of best practice nationally and locally, such as the Tang Hall Big Local project which has similar objectives.

This feedback will help develop ideas on how to support and offer early help to families in need and to jobseekers and local enterprises. This will be looked at alongside existing work including with ward teams and residents’ associations.

4CommunityGrowthYork’s plans will be developed into a formal strategy which will be submitted to the EU by the end of August 2016, in a bid to win a further £1.29 million. This sum will be match-funded through the council, Government and Tang Hall Big Local funding to a total £2.58m, to realise the strategy and so help improve the quality of life of residents in the five communities.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Deputy Leader of City of York Council with responsibility for Economic Development and Community Engagement, said: “Applications to join the project will be especially welcomed from people living or working in the five key communities, and who have experience of both the private and public sectors. You’ll be warmly welcomed to the information sessions we are holding where you can find out much more. This is a significant project which could make a lasting difference to our communities.”

Information sessions for 4CommunityGrowthYork will be held at West Offices, YO1 6GA on:
• Friday 1 April at 12-1pm
• Tuesday 5 April at 4-5pm and at 5-6pm
• Friday 8 April at 12-1pm.

To book a place on the information sessions, or for more detail on the project, please email mora.scaife@york.gov.uk or call 01904 551834.

Advice on apprenticeships available at York drop-in session

 Young people will be able to find out more about apprenticeships, vacancies and alternative routes to higher education at an event on Thursday 11 February.

Breadmaker apprentice

Advisers will be on hand to speak to young people, parents and carers at the Castlegate Centre between 4pm and 7pm and offer careers advice, including information on apprenticeships.

In York there are currently a wide variety of Apprenticeship vacancies being advertised covering; business and finance, hospitality, lab technicians, construction, creative and cultural, digital marketing and social media, engineering, I.T, health and many more.
(more…)

York Council indecision on new Chief Executive?

IndecisionYork seems likely to be without a permanent replacement for its Chief Executive for at least another 6 months.

Papers published for a meeting taking place on 1st February reveal that a review of the Council’s management structure, commissioned last June, has apparently still not been concluded.

The report blames ongoing financial pressures for the delays, although the Chief Executives post  has been filled on a temporary basis (at full salary) for over 6 months.

It now appears that the report on a new structure may now be available in March. A £150,000 a year saving on salary costs is being achieved from 1st April by deleting a post dealing with “transformation and change”

Staff working in the Chief Executives Department are being transferred to other management groups suggesting that the Council may be thinking of abolishing the role of Chief Executive altogether.  

The Council will, however, now move to appoint a permanent Director of Public Health on a salary of around £100,000. 

The Council will also make a permanent appointment to the post of “City and Environmental Services”. Essentially this is the role formerly held by Bill Woolley who retired over three years ago. It is responsible for planning and transport policy.  The post will also attract a pay level of around £100,000 pa. The Council says that to minimise recruitment costs this post will be “advertised externally on City of York Council Jobs Website and promoted through the Council social media channels”.  Minimal advertising of vacancies is usually a tactic that a Council adopts when it has “someone in mind” for the post.

Recent events – including the Councils response to the flooding crisis – suggest that there is a lack of effective leadership in the authority.  Taking over 12 months to find a permanent appointment for the post which is responsible for driving the administrative side of the Council is, at best, complacent and at worst negligent.

The York Council is now desperately short of experienced management capacity.

Councillors need to act quickly and decisively to fill the void.

Unemployment figures fall in York again

unemployed_queue_benefits_DWP

The number of York residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit (out of employment) has again fallen.

Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed there to be 101,000 people in employment in York between October 2014 and September 2015, an increase of 1,600 compared to between July 2014 and June 2015.

The figure represents 75.3 per cent of the working population and contrasts the regional average which stands at 72.4 per cent and the national average which currently stands at 73.4 per cent.

The statistics also showed there are now 945 residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit in York, a fall of 224 since December 2014 and of 65 claimants in the last month.

The Jobseekers Allowance claimant count for York represents 0.5 per cent of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 1.5 per cent.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economic Development at City of York Council said: “I am pleased that the figures show a reduction in the number of claimants and that more people are in employment across the city. It’s been a tough few weeks for everyone in York and this week’s record visitor numbers and spend figures, announced by Make it York, are really positive to see. We will continue to work with partners across the city to help businesses and residents benefit from this and get back on their feet.”

York Council publishes analysis of numbers made redundant

Over 100 York Council employees have suffered compulsory redundancy since April 2011.

In addition 420 have opted for voluntary redundancy.

The report – being considered by a Council committee tomorrow does not say how much the redundancies have cost taxpayers. However, after taking into account pension contributions, this is thought likely to be a 7 figure number.

Most of the redundancies occurred between May 2011 and April 2015 when Labour were in control of the local Council. Since May 2015 there have been a total of 43 redundancies, the majority of which have been voluntary.

Recent events suggest that the Council has shed too many experienced managers. As a result it struggles to cope with unusual events such as the recent floods.

click

click

York Central – consultation meeting dates

Have your say on York Central proposals
York central land ownership. Yellow -Network Rail, Purple - Railway Museum, Red - York Council taxpayers

York central land ownership. Yellow -Network Rail, Purple – Railway Museum, Red – York Council taxpayers

Residents and businesses are invited to have their say on the future of York’s largest brownfield site from this month.

Plans were unveiled last month by City of York Council, Network Rail and the National Railway Museum (NRM), to consult with residents and businesses on what has been labelled as the King’s Cross of the North.
Consultation will take place between Monday 18 January and Monday 15 February, via:

Drop-in sessions, at:

  • • West Offices: Station Rise, Thursday 21 January 10am – 4pm
  • • National Railway Museum: Saturday 30 January 10am – 4pm
  • • Holgate and Micklegate joint ward committee: Tuesday 19 January St Paul’s Church, Holgate Road, 6-8pm
  • • York Railway Station: Wednesday 3 February 4pm – 7pm
  • •  Public Exhibition: West Offices, Station Rise. Throughout the duration of the consultation period.

Online at: www.york.gov.uk/consultations

Printed copies of the consultation document and questionnaire are also available at West Offices, Hazel Court and all York Libraries and Explore Centres.

Over the past 12-months, the council has been working in collaboration with Network Rail, the NRM and the Homes and Communities Agency towards a high level masterplan of York Central – a 72 hectare site located in the heart of the city.

The city’s new vision could provide up to 120,000 sq m of high-quality office space, creating up to 7,000 new jobs, a new residential community for up to 2,500 new homes, with opportunities to expand and enhance the National Railway Museum, make improvements to the railway station and create a network of vibrant public squares, green spaces and routes linking to surrounding neighbourhoods.
(more…)

Unemployment falls again in York

 

Got jobCity of York Council has welcomed figures that have shown the number of York residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit (out of employment) has again fallen.

The statistics, released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show there are now 1,025 claimants in York, a fall of 210 (17 per cent) from November 2014 and of 27 residents claiming jobseekers allowance and Universal Credit in the last month.

The figures also showed the number of young people claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit has also fallen by 63.27 per cent in the last year.

The Jobseekers Allowance claimant count for York represents 0.5 per cent of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 1.5 per cent.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economic Development of City of York Council said:

“I am pleased that the long-term figures show a reduction in the number of claimants in the past 12 months. As an Executive we remain committed to working with partners across the city to support residents looking for work. With the recent positive news in relation to York’s economy with announcements such as the York Central proposals, the opening of the Hiscox offices and the announcement regarding the BID will hopefully see this positive trend continue and offer more opportunities for York residents.”

Leeds City Region LEP report claims £1.2 million invested in York

LEP report Dec 2015Today’s Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) report claims the LEP has helped York over the last four years to unlock £1.127m private sector investment, has created 22 jobs through £167,883 LEP grant investment and has provided support to around 50 SME’s.

The report also outlines that work by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as a whole has added an extra £1.4 billion to the Leeds City Region’s annual economic output and helped create an additional 3,200 jobs for local people.

4,300 businesses have benefitted from LEP finance and support, and this combined activity has unlocked around £491 million of private sector investment in the region. For every £1 of taxpayers’ money secured by the LEP, some £10 in economic output has been generated in line with the ambitions in the LEP’s overall Strategic Economic Plan.
(more…)

York’s apprentices celebrated at graduation event

Hundreds of York apprentices and apprentice employers were celebrated at last night’s graduation ceremony (Thursday 19 November) which took place at the Royal York Hotel.

The fifth York Apprenticeship Graduation, co-ordinated by York Apprenticeship Hub, saw over 100 apprentices recognised for completing their Apprenticeship.

Apprentices were joined at the high-profile ceremony by over 200 friends, family, employers and training providers. Other guests at the event included The National Apprenticeship Service, York and North Yorkshire Enterprise Partnership, The Guilds and the Civic Party.
(more…)

Rise in number of apprenticeships in York

 Breadmaker apprentice

City of York Council has welcomed figures showing a 30 percent increase in the number of people starting apprenticeships in the past year making it the UK’s sixth top-performing local authority.

Figures released by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have shown that 1,690  York residents have started an apprenticeship in the last year (2014/15), 390 more than the last academic year.

The statistics also show York to be one of the highest performing local authorities for Apprenticeship growth amongst businesses with York ranking sixth out of 151 at full Local Authority level, meaning it is in the top four per cent of Local Authorities.

The figures also showed that around 20 percent of this growth in apprenticeships was generated by the council-led York Apprenticeship Hub which helps small businesses new to apprenticeships, supporting them through the process and helping them find the training provider and right person for the job.
(more…)