More progress by York Council

The York Council finally seems to be getting its act together.

It has started publishing supplements to its agendas detailing any written representations that have been made ahead of decision meetings.

This was the system in place up until 2011

Examples are the public representations made on the report on dog fouling in the Holgate area.

Still a long way to go to re-establish confidence io the transparency of the organisation but a step in the right direction.

NB. All future Council meeting agendas are published on the Council web site here.

York Council gets fourth new Leader in less than 2 years

Anyone who knows the pressures of Leading the York Council will sympathise with Chris Steward who is stepping down from the post after only 12 months. We hope that he will get over his health problems quickly.

Experience is a vital commodity in any leader and, as James Alexander, Daffydd Williams and now Chris Steward found, pressures are easier to cope with if intuitive reactions are rooted in a good knowledge of the City, its customs and its people.

The Leadership of the York Council is now very much a 24/7 commitment. As we commented 12 months ago, those holding high office in the City will not have time for second jobs.

Here the Conservative’s new choice of Leader (David Carr a Councillor from Copmanthorpe) may have an advantage as he is retired.

However he has only 12 months experience on the Council – far too little to be able to “hit the ground running“. To this must be added to his poor record with the housing portfolio which he has held since last May. Standards on the estates have declined under his watch and controversial proposals have been launched without proper consultation.

York will expect much better from its new Leader.

There were two other Councillors in the Tory Group with a long record of service. One wonders why they were passed over?

The need now, though, is for a period of stability

We will understand quickly the calibre of the new leadership team at the Council (a new Chief Executive is also being appointed). Major decisions have to be made on the Green Belt, the community stadium/swimming pool, the future of the Guildhall, financing options for York Central and on many other issues.

The Council will also have to act decisively to address its crumbling reputation on transparency and respect for citizens.

A tall order for the new leadership

York Council releases latest – more comprehensive – performance stats

Unemployment low, forecast 12% increase in crime levels, poor housing management performance,

The latest performance figures from the York Council provide a lot more information about public service standards in the City. It is a welcome improvement from the “dark ages” between 2011 and 2015 when little was revealed and Freedom of Information requests flourished

Environment KPIs click to access

The Council is reporting a big over-spend on the costs of looking after children from broken homes. Car parking income is already £282,000 below budgeted levels, and the Council has, of course, received no income from ANPR enforcement on Coppergate.

One worrying trend is on crime where “significant increases are forecast in the violent crime, criminal damage and burglary of non-dwellings”. With elections for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner coming up in May, candidates can expect to be questioned closely on their plans to reverse crime trends in the City.

As you would expect, performance in other areas varies. No one expects perfection – just a solid response to any evidence of declining standards.

The only department that still hasn’t adjusted to the new, more open, culture appears to be the Housing department. The Housing Revenue Account looks like it will underspend by £480,000 this year – yet many estate regeneration projects remain on the shelf.

Housing KPIs click

Housing KPIs lack information about contact volumes, complaint levels. repair numbers and customer satisfaction levels. There is no exception reporting. No “longest outstanding issue” figures are provided.

Housing have also produced a new “business plan” which singularly fails to identify any administrative savings despite a heavy investment in technology. The lamentable condition of many estates – particularly communal spaces and in garage areas – together with growing issues like the lack of off street car parking, is largely ignored.

The Council’s Executive when it meets next week should send the housing documents back for a rethink.

Detailed KPIs can be found behind these links:

York Council consultations near closure date

“Improving public engagement” survey available but still not publicised

Improving Public Engagement

Engagement survey

Our Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee is reviewing the potential for improving public engagement, the take up of services through digital means and our ability to respond. We welcome your views and experiences of engaging with us via our Improving Public Engagement survey.

Consultation closes 31 December 2015

Public Protection review

Our Public Protection service is under review. We would welcome views and comments from businesses about our proposals and how we can make best use of resources including a variety of environmental health, trading standards, licensing and regulatory functions. Have your say in our Public Protection survey.

Consultation closes 31 December 2015

Designer Outlet Park and Ride Bus Service

The Designer Outlet Park and Ride bus service currently calls at all stops along Fulford Main Street, Fulford Road and Fishergate. It is proposed that, from the start date of the new Park & Ride contract in 2017, the number of intermediate stops is reduced.

We would like to hear from Fulford and Fishergate residents and other users of the Designer Outlet P&R service to understand their views on the proposed changes.

Consultation closes 6 January 2016

Minerals and Waste Joint Plan

City of York Council is working with North Yorkshire County Council and the North York Moors National Park Authority to produce a Minerals and Waste Joint Plan covering all three planning authority areas. When finalised the new plan will help us take decisions on planning applications for minerals and waste developments over the next 15 years. Find out more about the latest draft and have your say in the preferred options consultation on North Yorkshire’s consultation website.

Consultation closes 15 January 2016

Budget Consultation 2016-17

City of York Council’s Executive is facing some tough decisions in 2016-17. To help shape the 2016-17 Budget proposals, the council is inviting residents to have their say:

Via our online Budget Consultation survey

By post to: FREEPOST RTEG-TYYU-KLTZ Budget consultation City of York Council West Offices Station Rise York YO1 6GA
By hand at West Offices or libraries/Explore Centres

Consultation closes 20 January 2016

Community centre snubbed at York Council junket

Assembly rooms venue for Council jolly

The York Council’s annual bash, at which employees are recognised for going the extra mile, left a bitter taste in the mouths of some volunteers last night.

The Council’s official Twitter account announced that an award for “Contribution to the Community” goes to “Volunteers at Foxwood Community Centre”.

In reality the award was presented to the – largely Council funded – Children’s Centre which rents a room at the Foxwood Community centre from time to time. Sure Start and the Children’s Centres in the City generally do a good job and their efforts are worth recognition.

However, the Councils communications team made a crass error last night (right).

The York Council gradually reduced – to zero – the grant that it gave the community centres operating in the City. This meant that the caretakers – employed by the Council – were sacked earlier in the year. Last month, the new Coalition run authority, agreed to reinstate an annual £4000 subsidy but this is much less than is needed to sustain the Community Centres in the long term.

In the meantime, the work of running the centres now falls on a handful of hard working volunteers. None of the volunteers are seeking recognition although a more supportive approach from the City of York Council would not go amiss.

Apparently last night’s jolly – held in the Assembly Rooms – was funded by sponsorship.

Looking through the list of sponsors, many turn out to be Council suppliers and contractors.

York Council facing £1.2 million over-spend

Concerns that NHS could land City taxpayers with £3 million bill

A report being considered by the Council next week reveals that it may overspend this year’s budget by £1.25 million. This is relatively small in percentage terms compared to previous years.

The forecast comes as the expenditure against budget for the period to September is revealed.

It is possible that a “Better Care Fund” budget, shared with the NHS, and intended to support adult social care services, may be raided to help fund a deficit run up by the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group.

This could leave a £3 million hole in the Council’s budgeted income.

The government is also consulting on reducing the Public Health budget for this year by £1/2 million.

The biggest pressures on the Council’s budget though comes from the large number of children in foster care.

The report says,

“The number of Children Looked After is unlikely to reduce in the foreseeable future, and York’s unit cost is already the lowest of all 150 Local Authorities nationally”.

The report also reveals:

The income from car parking was £91,000 below expectations. “The largest year on year % reduction was from Marygate car park (15%) where Pay on Exit is being trialed. This has been partly due to technical issues impacting on income levels”. (Incredibly the Council has separately announced that it will consider extending barrier operation to other car parks when it meets on 28^th Jan 2016)
A forecast income of £100,000 from fines levied by the use of ANPR cameras on Coppergate – inserted into the budget by the last Labour administration – has not been realised as the cameras have remained switched off. However, some Councillors are thought to be in favour of switching them back on again – watch this space!
The Council’s housing account is still forecast to have a surplus of £16.6 million at the end of the year.

Still no performance stats on basic York Council services

The latest performance report to the Councils Executive taking place on 26^th November , pointedly fails to provide any data on core public service standards.

The nearest insight a taxpayer could expect to get to day to day service standards is a statement about the number of bins which the Council failed to empty first time round during the last quarter (535)!

Of customer satisfaction levels or speed of response on roads, footpaths, street lighting repairs, weeds, litter etc. there is silence.

York Council’s debts still a cause for concern

The latest finance figures released by the York Council show that over 13% of the annual Council Tax paid by York residents is being used to pay interest charges on the Councils borrowings.

This equates to payments of £20.25 per person per year.

The worrying trend is in the net debts level of the Council.

This is forecast to increase from £245 million this year to £285 million in 2018.

This figure which is concerning and reflects the fact that the present Council has yet to scrap some of the more extreme commitments that it inherited from the last Labour administration (e.g. the new swimming pool at Monks Cross, the “in house” development of the Guildhall annex site and the “bridge to nowhere” access for the York central site).

How not to increase “public engagement” with the York Council

According to the York Council web site

“Our Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee is reviewing the potential for improving public engagement, the take up of services through digital means and our ability to respond.

We welcome your views and experiences of engaging with us via our Improving Public Engagement survey“.

Strange that a Council seeking to increase “public engagement” should launch a survey and then fail to publicise it!!!

It isn’t even mentioned in the recently distributed “Our City” civic newspaper.

Click here to complete the survey and get a warm sense of “engagement”

Now another Labour Council Leader quits in York

“and I anoint…”

Less than 12 months after taking over as the Leader of the Labour Group on the City of York Council Dafydd Williams has resigned.

He quotes personal reasons for the decision although it comes in the wake of an extraordinary few months of turmoil in the Labour party nationally.

Dafydd Williams, although far from being a favourite on the west of the City, was more moderate and inclined to be discursive than his predecessor (James Alexander) – qualities that a party needs after suffering a crushing electoral reverse.

It leaves the 14 strong Labour Group with a very thin field of potential replacement candidates. Many have only been members of the Council for a few weeks and lack the experience necessary to lead one of the larger political groupings.

Others are in an age range which means they are coming towards the end of their political careers.

Several experienced Labour Councillors, of course, resigned from the Labour Group in the run up to the last Council elections. Others were thrown out by the electorate

The upcoming internal election raises the intriguing prospect that the so called “£3 members” may, having elected the extreme left wing Corbyn to office nationally, try to do the same locally.

Step up any Councillors with a UNITE connection?

Councillor’s declarations of Trades Union and other membership can be found on the Councils web site.

So perhaps, in future, we can expect a few more questions to the Executive from “Malcolm of Tang Hall”

NB One Tory Councillor, upon being told the news, announced that a £3 investment in associate Labour membership looked to be a bargain if it meant that he could vote Cllr Crisp into the vacancy.