Environmental crime figures for York revealed

A report to be discussed next week reveals how many people have been prosecuted in York for various environmental crimes.

46 people were prosecuted for urinating in public with fines and costs averaging over £400.

At the other end of the scale, only 3 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for dog fouling offences.

Three people were fined for littering and 20 for fly tipping

14 warnings for fly posting were given together with 12 Fixed Penalty Notices.

There were no notices issued under the “Public Space Protection Orders”. These are the orders that seek to prevent anti social behaviour in specific neighbourhoods.

Playground tidy up call

Local residents have asked the Council to deal with maintenance issues at the Grange Lane park.

Complaints have been raised about littering but some of the equipment is unusable as a result of vandalism, graffiti, muddy entrances and missing safety surfaces under the swings.

Safety surfaces have sunk
Signs have been vandalised
Play equipment needs cleaning
Litter reported earlier in the week

The Council also promised to put hardcore down on parts of the footpath link from Grange Lane to Westfield Place where it is subject to flooding. This work hasn’t been done yet. It needs to be completed before the wetter winter months arrive.

The path is now being used occasionally by cyclists as a short cut. Some arrangements for them could be made at relatively little cost.

Use by walkers has also increased since lock-down started.

Park footpath needs hardcore in some places to prevent flooding

Authorities concerned about welfare of teenagers

It appears that two teenagers were overcome with fatigue earlier today.

After polishing off a snack on the bench in Foxwood Park they were overcome with exhaustion. This meant that they were unable to deposit their litter in a bin which was only 2 metres away.

Police are looking for two youngsters with no arms and only minimal use of their legs.

A passerby later cleared the rubbish.

Council coy about littering fines

The York Council has belatedly updated its open data page to show how many fines were levied for littering during the quarter ending in December 2019.

It is however refusing to release numbers for the final quarter (to the end of March 2020) and the first quarter of 20/21. The latter includes the time when lock-down restrictions were eased and the now infamous “riverside party” season started. The latter sparked a wave of complaints about anti social behaviour and indiscriminate littering by a minority of visitors.

The Council says that the March stats will be published later in July but residents will have to wait until at least September before they can judge how effectively anti littering enforcement staff performed in June.

The above is just one example of poor management. Other performance indicators also haven’t been updated since last year.

Most should have been updated before the health crisis started. Another example is the decision to stop publishing the number of fines levied on drivers misusing the Coppergate bus lane (which stopped last October) .

Meanwhile, fly tipping continues to be an issue in several locations

Rubbish being left next to recycling containers in west York
Dumping in Council garage area

Mixed picture on public services standards in York but some impressive progress

The lower tree branches that were impeding the cycle path on Thanet Road were trimmed back yesterday. Less than 24 hours from a report being made to action being taken. Impressive.
Grassed area opposite Foxwood shops clear of litter for the first time in over a year. Partly down to dedicated cleansing operative who is doing a sound job in this area.
Extension to Lincoln Court independent living flats completed. Suggests that much missed children’s play area could be reinstated when builders leave?
Slower progress on the Centre of Excellence for disabled children on Ascot Way. The project was never likely to meet its June target completion date even before the health crisis intervened.
Weeds are already overgrowing the little Green Lane garage area. This was problem last year. We expected that the garage owned site would be added to this years treatment list although there is no sign of “die back” yet. A builders skip has also appeared on the site.
We’ve reported the potholes that have appeared ion Windsor Garth

Time to minimise calls on Council staff time

Although we will continue to report routine issues with local public services over the next few weeks, we don’t expect some to have any priority for the use of resources if the CV virus debilitates the Councils workforce.

Clearly the most important services are those that maintain the safety of the local community.

We’d like to see the Council appoint local coordinators so that the vulnerable have someone to turn to. We recognise that valuable resources like the local “hubs” will have to close but they need to be replaced with technology based alternatives. We look forward to hearing more about the Council’s plans

The Friday Hub at the Foxwood Community Centre has already been suspended.

Local residents groups and Councillors are actively supporting residents.

Hopefully those who are responsible for the graffiti that blights the neighbourhood, those who drop litter and those who allow their dogs to foul footpaths will now change their ways.

  • Full bin at Foxwood Shops
  • Graffiti Green Lane
  • Graffiti Windsor Garth
  • Dumped Lidl trolley Bellhouse Way
  • Full bin Foxwood Park
  • Broken glass Cornlands Road

NB. The Great British Spring Clean – which relied on volunteer litter pickers – has been postponed until the Autumn.

York Council reveals number of littering and fly tipping fines issued

The Council says that it only issued two Fixed Penalty Notices for littering during 2019.

13 Penalty Notices were issued for fly tipping.

The information comes from a response to a Freedom of Information request recorded in the “What do they know” web site.

With the Council now only updating its register of responses on its own web site every 6 months (and then with headline information only), the independent site is now the only way that residents can keep up to date with the claims being made by the York authority.

Cost of political advisers

The site also reveals the costs of providing “political advisers” for Council Groups.

The figures reveal that costs have almost doubled over the last decade

The advisers are supposed to undertake background policy research to assist Councillors in their duties.

Litter and pothole problems on Askham Lane

The “rural” part of Askham Lane is looking a bit neglected these days. It is a busy entrance route into the City and it really should be kept tidy and in a good state of repair.

Hopefully when the current issues with flooding have been resolved the area will get an uplift.

  • Litter in lay bys
  • More litter
  • Fridge dumped in field
  • More litter
  • Fly tipping sign has little effect
  • Litter drifts into hedges
  • Carriageway on the A1237 roundabout approach is badly potholed
  • Potholes at the Foxwood Lane roundabout are a hazard for cyclists

Post storm public service issues

River levels are rapidly returning to normal levels now with streets like Skeldergate reopening to traffic.

It will be several hours before the riverside paths are open and cleared of debris

Attention will now turn to how to restore other public services to an acceptable standard

  • Potholes have got worse during the recent weather. They are likely to be even worse in flooded streets
  • The high winds have cased problems with litter drift
  • Dumping at pumping station
  • The condition of several trees is a source of concern. Many need maintenance work
  • Many areas will remain waterlogged for several weeks
  • Request made for cycle path markings to be repainted
  • Time for BT to remove this kiosk (phone no longer working)
  • Speedy work by the Council in planting 3 additional trees on Acomb Wood Drive