Residents are increasingly being forced to take direct action to cut back the weeds and branches that are impeding roads and footpaths in York.
Some Parish Councils are planning to spray or otherwise remove the weeds that have have blighted many parts of York this summer.
The Kexby Parish Council are understood to be considering paying a local farmer to spray the paths and gullies on the A1079.
Weed growth near Kexby has prompted action from the local parish Council and City Councillor Mark Warters
In parts of west York, which don’t have Parish Councils, residents associations are forming action groups aimed at getting the streets cleaned up.
Weeds on back Beaconsfield Street/Front Street were reported 3 months ago. They have not been treated and have grown to the point where they are obstructing access.
Some of the weeds have been cut back but they have revealed a major accumulation of rubbish. The Council has been asked once again to clear the vegetation and detritus
Insecure rubbish storage arrangements exacerbate the problems on back Front Street.Thorn bushes obstructing the Tithe Close snicket were reported to the Council 3 weeks ago. No action was taken.A residents action team have trimmed back the hazardous branches from the footpath. Again though the Council needs to have the snicket thoroughly swept. A similar situation is developing on Dickson park where bushes are now obstructing footpaths.
As problems with the weed control programme in the City
intensify, one Councillor has discovered that contractors may have been using
the wrong type of weed killer.
The approved weed-killer is Glyphosate
(Roundup). This has proved to be ineffective against many types of weeds including
Horses (Mares) Tail and willow-herb.
Now
Cllr Mark Warters has found that use of the “Diamond”
formulation on Mares Tail in his ward has had good results. He is urging the
Council to use it in the future.
The
news comes as residents wait to hear when – or even if – the Council is going
to organise a clean up of the weeds and detritus which has grown up on the City’s
streets this summer.
Although
a report to an October meeting has been promised more urgent action is needed.
The expectation
was that the executive Councillor with responsibility for street services would
have reported on progress to the scrutiny meeting which is due to take place on
11th September.
However a report to the meeting published yesterday pointedly makes no reference to the ongoing problems on our streets.
Askham Lane footpath gradually being eroded by grassThe footpath on Grange Lane is obstructed by nettlesThe Walton Place/Grange Lane snicket is overgrownWeed growth damaging the footpath on Sherringham Drive was reported 3 months agoMetre high weeds overgrowing railings on Askham LaneDitto on Thanet RoadOne of the underlying problems is poor street sweeping standards. These build outs on Gale Lane haven’t been cleaned for over 6 months. The resulting silt provides an ideal bed for weeds.
All these issues have been reported to the York Council for their attention
Residents from the Huntington and Heworth areas have added their voices to the criticisms of the Council’s performance in keeping local streets clean and tidy. Although, like Woodthorpe on the west of the City, some streets in Huntington appear to have been well swept, they are outnumbered by those where even basic weed clearance has not taken place this summer.
One again it is the main entry roads into the City which are most neglected. It presents a poor image for visitors
Weeds block gutters and paths on Malton RoadPaved area on Huntington Road near Bell Farm has not been sprayedWeeds engulfing street furniture on Jockey LaneA blocked gully on Heworth Green. These need to be cleared before wetter weather arrives with winter. Long term build up of detritus around traffic island build outs on Malton Road
Several councillors have now responded to complaints about weeds, detritus and overgrown hedges in local streets.
Front Street
Joining Mark Warters and Tony Fisher, who operate on the east of the City, Westfield Councillor Andrew Waller has pledged to personally remove weeds from the Front Street pedestrian area. The precinct has been weed infested for over 3 months with growth around street furniture and trees a particular problem.
That is a shame because the image of an area – which in recent years has become more economically successful – can be disproportionately influenced by what people see on arrival. Front Street doesn’t have the advantage of the, York BID funded, clean up contractors that have brought major improvements to the York City centre environment.
Elsewhere we have asked for weeds to be treated in several locations. We think it is now time for the Council to give a public commitment to complete a tidy up programme within a specific timetable.
Overgrown thorn like brambles will be a hazard as darker nights approach. We’ve asked for those on the access road to the Thoresby Road garage block to be cut backAnother example – this one on Kingsway West- where basic spraying or strimming of areas around street furniture has not been competed.Contractors should spray up to the edge of the footpathSnickets are particularly vulnerable to weed growth and litterProblem areas are taking weeks, sometimes months, to addressSome footpaths are now being eroded and will be more costly to repair
Anyone expecting the York Council’s Executive to take decisive action, to address declining public service standards at their meeting yesterday, will have been disappointed.
Despite a plea from Independent Councillor Mark Warters that a team be set up to deal with outstanding complaints, the Councils leadership remained tight lipped.
Cllr Warters was echoing a similar call from a growing number of Liberal Democrat supporters in the City
Many residents may conclude that there is something seriously wrong at West Offices.
Not only is there no timetable for addressing outstanding issues, but communications with residents are poor while many local Councillors (not all) fail to roll their sleeves up and tackle issues directly in their wards.
The York Council is no longer a “can do” organisation. It’s become a “maybe things will get better next year” type authority.
That won’t do. Its the kind of complacent attitude that has prompted a rise in more extreme political ideologies elsewhere in the country and abroad. It needs to be reversed, and quickly.
Not everything is bad, of course. Some individual Council officials are making limited progress in improving our streets as we show here.
The drainage channel on Foxwood Lane has been clearedThe Field Lane cycle track has been cleared of obstructionsBut for every success there is a failure. The footpath on Hull Road remains obstructed despite pedestrians being forced onto the busy highwayand weeds still haven’t been treated even on streets where Councillors actually live!New issues are emerging each day. This footpath on Field Lane, near the Hull Road junction, is now obstructed.Not the Councils responsibility, but there has been a build up of litter on the Teal Drive “pocket park”. Reopened 6 weeks ago, it is being well used but it does need routine cleansing (or a litter bin). Reported to JRHT.
The Press and other local media outlets are running stories
today about excessive weed growth on paths and in drainage channels in the City.
The local Tories are criticising the Lib Dem/Green administration for the problems.
The published stories give the impression that the Tories have been actively campaigning
on the issue.
That is misleading.
Problems with the effectiveness of the weed spraying contract
became apparent in May. As the contract was relatively new, and responsible executive
members were busy changing roles post the local elections, It seemed fair to
allow a few weeks for things to settle down and for the chemical treatments to
take effect.
We reported serval dozen problem areas including the
longstanding weed problem on the parapets of the Ouse Bridg,e together with a
build-up of silt on many traffic islands.
Nothing much seemed to happen. As usual with this sort of report
there was no feedback from the Council to those who had highlighted the problems.
There was still no response from Council officials. Councillors
were notified but the only response came from Mark Warters who was having problems
in his Osbaldwick ward.
6 more weeks passed and we felt we had no option but to make a formal complaint (see below). This was tabled on 15th August. It was copied to the Councils leadership.
An official replied on 21st August blaming the weather for the problems.
The complaint was escalated on 22nd August and we await a further response.
The Council’s leadership did announce yesterday (Wednesday) that they would conduct a review of weed control processes at a meeting which will be held in October. What happens in the interim remains unclear.
We are quite clear that a blitz on weeds and overgrown hedges, using mechanical removal methods, is needed urgently.
One other aspect that needs to be clarified is the responsibility for keeping former trunk roads like the A59 clear. Highways England confirmed that it was down to local authorities to deal with these highways. Yet the Council’s current weed control contract seems to exclude these roads (they have certainly not been sprayed).
We have submitted a Freedom of Information request in an attempt to clarify the situation.
Ironically a review of performance indicators, being considered by the Councils Executive later today, pointedly puts no focus on the appearance of the City’s streets.
While the Tories are being opportunistic in highlighting the current weed problems, they might have a point if a Council, committed at the recent election to raising street level public service standards, failed to address quickly and effectively significant failures when they have been identified.
Invasive weeds were being cut back on Hob Moor yesterday. The area is fortunate in having supporters who will undertake this sort of task with the Friends of Hob Moor one of the most successful of local amenity societies
The Friends of Hob Moor organise various interpretation events.
However, there are some problems on the Moor. Hedges have become overgrown with several paths, including part of Kingsway West, being obstructed.
The cycle path link to the railway tunnel is becoming overgrown.
Little Hob Moor (adjacent to Tadcaster Road) is showing signs of neglect.
Weeds haven’t been sprayed and are now overwhelming the cycle barriersAreas around street furniture need to be sprayed or strimmed .The grass was cut yesterday 28th August)
So there is some work to be done. As this area is off the public highway (and relatively “safe”) gardening could be undertaken by – suitably equipped – volunteers. The Council does, however, need to add amenity area management to its promised weed control review agenda.
Senior York Councillors have confirmed that they will be reviewing how the City controls weed growth in gullies, on footpaths, on traffic islands and on other hard landscaped areas. A review meeting will take place on 7th October.
The move comes after many residents, together with some local Councillors including Independent Mark Warters from Osbaldwick, pointed out that this years spraying programme simply hadn’t had the required effect..
Ouse Bridge today with long established weeds (and cans)
More perceptive residents will, however, have also worked out that, by October, weeds will be dying back naturally anyway.
So some action over the next 6 weeks is still needed.
This can really only be done now using mechanical – rather than chemical – processes.
We can report that today the weeds that disfigure the Ouse Bridge still remain along with assorted empty beer cans.
It would take only 5 minutes to clean the area.
Weed control review added to Councils forward plan today
Three weeks after local residents sprayed weed killer onto an overgrown traffic island on Northfield Lane die back has been limited. Further investigation revealed that around 4 inches of silt had accumulated around the island. Moss is a major problem on this and other similar islands
The area in question is important because it is immediately adjacent to the Councils Poppleton Park and Ride site. It is one of the first (and last) neighbourhoods that tourists are likely to see. Neglect is not a good selling point for a City with an economy dependent on visitor income
The nearby A59 is worse with weeds around 1 metre high.
While we don’t advocate residents taking matters into their own
hands unless it is safe to do so, there are some roads where relatively little
local effort could produce a startling improvement.
In every problem location we do ask residents and visitors
to report obstructions – including excessive weed growth, overhanging hedges
and trees – to the York Council.
We understand that a Councillor plans to raise the issue of failures in this years weed control contract at an executive meeting which is taking place on Thursday. Despite there being 300 pages of reports to the meeting, they fail to review the Councils performance on key street level public services. The Councillors responsible for street public services are likely to come under increasing pressure to issue a public statement, and initiate a recovery plan, aimed at restoring acceptable standards.
