Spruce up planned for Front Street Acomb as flowers bloom

Spring flowers are making Acomb bright this week.

Sue Hunter visits the new community garden which is taking shape on Front Street

The Ward Committee agreed earlier in the week to fund the provision of additional flower tubs outside Acomb Explore Library

This follows hard work by local residents a couple of weeks ago who cleaned up up the Front Street area as part of the Great British Spring Clean initiative

Next up will be a coat of paint for the cycle stands in the shopping area.

The ward committee has also agreed to get on with leveling the footpath between Gale Farm Court and the car park.

Footpath will be leveled

The agenda has been published for the next Ward Committee meeting which will will take place on

Wednesday, 29th March, 2017 7.00 pm
  • Venue: Gateway Centre Church

Contact: Kay Bailey  Neighbourhood Manager

Items

No. Item
1. What is missing for older and vulnerable residents in the ward – Joe Micheli

What is missing for older and vulnerable residents in the ward/how can we bridge the gap and the new Local Area Coordination –workshop and group discussion facilitated by Joe Micheli, City of York Council, Adult Social Care Head of Commissioning.
2. Update on the Lowfield Green Development

Update on the Lowfield Green Development- with Roy Wallington
3. Setting of Ward Priorities

Setting of Ward Priorities
4. Ward budget

Ward budget – an update on recently funded projects and timetable for year 2017-18
5. Have your say

Q&A with ward councillors

Westfield Ward Committee meeting scheduled

Foxwood Community Centre

Foxwood Community Centre

The next Westfield Ward Committee meeting has been scheduled to take place on  Wednesday, 22 June 2016 at 7.00 pm. The venue will be the  Foxwood Community Centre on Cranfield Place.

It will be the first opportunity since last October for local residents to quiz elected representatives and officials on progress being made with ward budget priorities.

Over £50,000 was made available to spend in 2015/16.

The budget for Westfield ward in 2016/2017 is £53,266. Part of this money (£17,180) comes from the highways budget, and has to be spent on improvements such as resurfacing, footpaths, cycle-ways and lighting. 

The other part of the budget (£36,086) may be used for community, environmental and social care projects.

Residents have already given a view on priorities for the area with the following changes being proposed:

  • Trim back overhanging trees and bushes
  • Provide more off street car parking
  • Improve communal areas and around traffic islands (weed removal, resurfacing, railings, etc.)
  • Improve security (CCTV, target hardening etc.)
  • Provide more litter bins
  • Provide more “poop scoop” bins
  • Subsidise Community Centres
  • Subsidise events for elderly people
  • Subsidise events for children and teenagers

The Council has been asked to update the Ward pages which appear on its web site.  

In some cases the news section hasn’t been updated since last year.

The links to local Residents Associations also reveal that key information – such as the dates that skips will be visiting – has also not been updated.

 

 

 

Survey going well despite confusion caused by local newspaper

Click to complete

Click to complete

Our survey into Westfield residents views and priorities – officially launched on Tuesday – is getting a good response. 

No thanks to The Press newspaper which publicised yesterday a link to a similar survey which is apparently looking for the views of residents living in the Acomb Ward. That survey was only made available more recently. The Press confused the issue by using a photo of part of the Westfield Ward to illustrate their story, but failed to provide a link to our survey.

So Westfield residents should click this link to take part in the “on line” survey.

Hard copies of our survey are being delivered to all homes in the Westfield Ward

Small mercies

The Council has announced supplementary funding for wards judged to be “deprived”. The amounts are tiny compared to the levels allocated to Ward Committees when the Liberal Democrats were in power.

Behind closed doors logo

Until 2011 a ward like Westfield could expect to receive around £60,000 a year. It was spent following a ballot of local residents priorities.

The amounts allocated are:
Westfield – £3,326
Clifton – £3,311
Heworth – £3,354
Hull Road – £2,609
Guildhall – £2,200

No indication has been given as to how the money will be spent athough an injection into dealing with weed growth, potholes and litter won’t be amiss.

The decision was taken at a “behind closed doors” meeting.