One law for……

Perhaps the actions that have attracted the most criticism during lockdown nationally have been those where politicians and senior officials have been seen to break their own rules. Several have been forced to resign although, at least, one has famously not.

Not surprisingly the words and actions of their local counterparts are also now under increasing scrutiny. Tomorrow some schools will reopen while those that have carried on educating the children of Key Workers can expect an influx of additional pupils. Opinions are mixed about the timing of this move and, indeed, the return of more people to their workplaces.

MPs have returned to Westminster albeit in a “social distancing” respecting way.

So why have the City’s democratic institutions not been revived? Apart from a couple of anaemic virtual Q & A sessions, local leaders seem to have preferred to issue the occasional policy edict.

They have seemed reluctant to submit to scrutiny.

The Councils scrutiny and audit functions – led by opposition Councillors – have been ineffective for many years, with participants trying to score political points while exploring their own self interest obsessions.

Never has there been a greater need for challenge than now when residents have so many real concerns about what has happened and what might happen if a second wave of COVID infections hits the City. Other areas are already making preparations

It seems extraordinary that City bosses can order teachers and children back to the classroom while they themselves hide behind the safety of virtual reality meetings. While the need for full scale Council meetings may be small at the present time, there is an urgent requirement for all decisions to be preceded with good quality, informed reports. Residents should be able to hear the arguments for and against controversial decisions like the Bishopthorpe Road contraflow cycle lane.

Some Council services have actually improved during lockdown.

Street cleaning standards are high and pothole reports are being dealt with more quickly. This, though, has tended to highlight the awful state of many carriageways and paths – in itself the most likely reason (together with path obstructions) why many, who have taken up walking and cycling in their leisure times, may now return to their cars.

Some empty council houses have attracted dumping

There has also been an increase in the number of long term empty Council houses with some homes having become dumping grounds. The repair and re-letting service needs to get into gear. They can follow the lead of those estate agents who have successfully adapted to incorporate social distancing into their processes.

Whether some Councillors actually “get this” is unclear. They recently publish a letter saying that they estimated “that there would be over 700 (coronavirus) deaths in the City by October”.

So far there have been 126 deaths at York hospital, with a similar total in the local community.

If another 500 deaths are expected, why on earth are we relaxing the lockdown?

Who does what at the York Council?

The first round of scrutiny committee meetings are taking place at West Offices this month.

Hopes that the agenda for the meetings would clarify roles and responsibilities appear to have been misplaced.

We are told that the, quaintly named, “Economy and Place” scrutiny committee will hear reports from three Executive members

Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning (July)
Executive Member for Transport (July)
Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change (Sept)

The latter may be a surprise as the Council meeting held on the 22^nd May agreed to set up a new “Climate Change Scrutiny Committee”. It didn’t define the terms of reference of that committee but engagement with the Executive member with climate change responsibilities would have been a banker for most observers.

Any list of responsibilities will be subject to a change in the Councils constitution anyway.

Meanwhile the agenda for the “Customer and Corporate Services Scrutiny Management Committee” to be held on 10^th June will receive reports from the

Executive Member for Policy Strategy and Partnerships (Leader) &
Executive Member for Finance and Partnerships

No new job descriptions have yet been published for the Councils 9 Executive members. Most of the job titles are opaque, so it remains unclear where responsibilities now lie.

The new Council has got off to a poor start after becoming embroiled in a controversy about increasing the amount spent on Councillors pay. They could easily have avoided that false start by containing expenditure within the existing agreed budget envelope.

New Councillors might have been expected to be more eager to demonstrate their effectiveness by highlighting, via public and social media, the successes they are having in addressing issues raised by residents. Most will have had a full “postbag” during the recent election campaigns.

Little has been heard from the Councils PR department (apart from the occasional anodyne media release) and even the party political propaganda channels have been muted.

During the last 12 months there has been a wide divergence in the number of decision meetings attended by Executive members in York

NB. Executive Councillors receive a payment of £15,600 a year in addition to their basic salary of £9,198.39

No scrutiny of York Community Stadium at key meeting

Project disappears from “to do” list

Every six months a committee at the York Council looks at the progress being made in delivering major projects. A report is being presented on 14^th November to a scrutiny committee which lists all the major projects in the City.

Most of the major plans of the Council are listed.

Schemes listed for consideration at meeting on 14th November

We learn that the plan to improve the northern by pass has a “red alert” attached to it, meaning that progress has stalled. Perhaps more surprisingly we are told that there is now nothing to prevent the Guildhall project from being fully implemented (other perhaps than the small matter of financial prudence).

However there is one major omission from the list.

The £44 million Community Stadium project.

When the committee was last updated in May details of the stadium project were included.

Stadium timetable presented to a scrutiny committee in May

By now builders should have been on site but, of course, the project now faces a “judicial review”.

We think that there are some questions that backbench Councillors would want to ask about this project. There are hundreds of jobs hanging in the balance.

We wonder if there is an even more serious precursor of failure than a “red alert”?

Stags, hens, geese and horses to be scrutinised by York Council

But still no sign of a review of basic service standards

The agenda for the Councils environment committee has been published.

After last months revelation that virtually no performance management information is being gathered by the York Council on services as basic as overgrown footpaths, damaged play equipment, fly posting and dog fouling, many would have expected that any so called “scrutiny committee” would promptly investigated the missing data.

It seems not, as the committee continues to sail safely within its comfort zone.

So they will be:

Considering an update on the “horse bailiff” service – 4 horses were seized last year when “fly grazing”. There have been no instances this year. The Council spends £40,000 a year on this service
Receiving a report from the “stag and hen party scrutiny review task group”. Among the, less than earth shattering, conclusions reached by the group were that stags/hens were only a small aspect of the drunken behaviour problem sometimes evident on the City centre, that the number of hens visiting the City outnumbered the stags (!), that lack of late night public toilet facilities is an issue and that work to draft an “alcohol strategy” had stalled.
Getting feedback from the Friends of Rowntree Park on “Goose Management”.

As the horse bailiff doesn’t appear to have much work to do, is it possible he will be used to seize any stags, hens or geese found fly grazing around the City?

The meeting will also consider a report on restrictions in the use of advertising “A” boards.

This has been on the Councils agenda for 15 years or more, but it became a more prominent issue three years ago. The Council is still trying to work out how an “A” board licensing system might be implemented. Progress is not expected until next year.

In the meantime the present free for all will continue.