Fire in Dringhouses

At 12:50am on Wednesday 29 April, police attended a serious fire in flats on North Lane, off Thanet Road, in Dringhouses, York.

The emergency services were alerted by a call from a member of the public. The flats were evacuated however a man in his thirties was taken to York District Hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead.

The police and fire services are making enquiries to establish the cause of the fire, which is at this time unexplained.

Anyone who has information related to the fire is asked to contact police to assist enquiries. Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for York CID, quoting ref NYP-29042015-0013.

York Council publishes list of discipline cases

In response to a Freedom of Information request the York Council has published a list of over 60 offences that their staff have been disciplined for.

The offences include fraud, theft, maladministration, drug misuse as well as abusive and threatening behavior.

Many of the cases resulted in dismissals.

Click here for full list 

click for full list

click for full list

 

New central heating contract awarded by York Council

“Helplink” have been awarded a contract to install up to 500 central heating systems in York Council houses each year.Behind closed doors logo

The change of contractor follows the decision by the existing provider to relinquish the contract

The Council decision papers suggest that the new contract is cheaper than the old one.

No reason was given for the withdrawal of the original contractor.

 

Stop the rot: new campaign highlights how cigarettes ‘rot’ the body from the inside

City of York Council is backing a powerful new campaign that has been launched this week to highlight how smoking damages the body and causes a slow and steady decline in a process akin to rotting.

It follows a new expert review that highlights the multiple impacts that toxic ingredients in cigarettes can have on your body.

Whilst many smokers know that smoking causes cancer and harms the lungs and heart, the new report highlights how it also damages:

  • Bones and muscles – Smoking causes progressive harm to the musculoskeletal system, and has a negative impact on bone mineral density. Harms include:
  • 25% increased risk of any fracture and a 40% increase in the risk of hip fractures among men
  • Slower healing after injury
  • Increased risk of back and neck pain, leading to a 79% increase in chronic back pain and a 114% increase in disabling lower back pain
  • Significant cause of rheumatoid arthritis and can reduce the impact of treatment
  • Brain – Current smokers are 53% more likely to develop cognitive impairment than non-smokers and 59% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease
  • Teeth – Smoking increases the likelihood of tooth loss and decay
  • Eyes – Smoking damages sight by increasing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 78%-358% and increasing the risk of age-related cataracts

With New Year’s resolutions approaching and two thirds of smokers saying they want to quit, new adverts are being used to graphically illustrate the degeneration that smoking causes.
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Council seeks volunteer for key committee position

City of York Council is inviting residents – and individuals with a connection to the city – to apply to be an independent member of its audit and governance committee.

The committee is responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of the council’s corporate governance arrangements, including internal audit; external audit; financial management and reporting; risk management; information governance; treasury management; and counter-fraud. 

The council’s audit and governance committee consists of elected councillors and appoints up to two independent (not affiliated with any political party) members.

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Christmas fun…and money advice

No-money-clipart

City of York Council’s Family Information Service (FIS), Explore York Libraries and Archives Mutual Ltd and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau will be hosting a morning of fun crafts and information on Wednesday 10 December between 9am and 12noon in the reception foyer at West Offices.

There’ll be a host of crafts for little ones (and not so little ones) to get stuck into, including making Christmas decorations, colouring in Frozen characters and decorating paper Christmas trees. Explore York Libraries will also be on hand to provide information about the discounts available through York Cards and representatives from York CAB will be available to help with information on sensible festive spending.

The CAB’s top ten tips to avoid a Christmas Debt Hangover are:
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