Free compost giveaway on Sunday for York residents
In partnership with Yorwaste Ltd free compost is being made available again.
Bring your own bag, container and shover (it is not pre-bagged) and help yourself to some free soil improver for your garden or allotment.
When: On the first Sunday of every month from March until October: 1 September, 6 October
Time: 9:30am until 2:30pm or while stocks last
Where: Harewood Whin waste site, Tinker Lane, Wetherby Road, Rufforth, York, Yo23 3RR
An initiative to tackle housing fraud across North Yorkshire is being launched by a regional alliance led by Veritau.
In the past two years Veritau, a company owned by City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council which investigates fraud within the public sector, has freed over 40 misused properties allowing them to be legitimately let. In addition Veritau has provided information to prevent 15 false applications for housing to City of York Council.
Veritau and City of York Council have now joined forces with eight other social housing providers within North Yorkshire to create an anti-housing fraud alliance. The partners are Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Richmondshire District Council, Broadacres Housing Association, Harrogate Borough Council, Yorkshire Housing, Craven District Council, York Housing Association, and Selby District Council.
This partnership initiative focuses on identifying and prosecuting people who lie about their circumstances in order to obtain a property; tenants who unlawfully sublet their property; tenants who stop living at their property and people who provide false information to gain a property through succession rights.
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Trees illegally felled in Fulford
York police are appealing for witnesses after a number of trees were illegally cut down.
Sometime between June and August this year around 30 to 40 willow trees were felled on Fenby Field in Fulford.
More http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/11993
CCTV appeal as woman’s jaw broken in York assault
York police have issued CCTV images to assist their appeal for information after a woman’s jaw was broken when she tried to break up an altercation in the street.
The assault happened at around 4am on Saturday 17 August 2013 on the corner of Piccadilly and Coppergate when a man was shouting verbal abuse at two women.
The victim of the assault, a 21-year-old York woman intervened and was struck in the face by the suspect before falling to the ground.
click on image for latest position
Traffic congestion is increasing on the inner ring road as the Friday evening peak approaches. Click map for up to date information
The City of York Council will carry out essential resurfacing works on the roundabout on Askham Fields Lane from Friday (30 August).
The works are programmed to take two nights in total to complete, working Friday and Saturday nights between the hours of 10pm and 5am.
To carry out the works safely, a road closure will be in place and there will be a signed diversion route in operation for local and through traffic.
Pedestrian access will be available at all times. Cyclists will have to dismount and use the footways when travelling through the affected areas.
Bus services will be diverted whilst the works are ongoing. Please contact Bus Info on 01904 551400 for the revised arrangements.
As with any construction work, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption and inconvenience but everything reasonably possible will be done to keep this to a minimum. However, motorists should expect some delays and plan their journey accordingly.
Click to go to web site
This September Change4Life is asking families in Yorkto make the most of the fresh start of the new school year by signing up to a healthy change when the kids go back to the classroom. Families across York are being encouraged to take on one change for the better, for six weeks – to help them lead healthier lifestyles for longer.
By the end of summer we can all tend to slack off a bit and it’s easy to let good intentions slide. But the new school year is the perfect time for a new beginning and for the whole family to get fit and healthy for the best year yet!
To help families in the York area do this, Change4Life is encouraging them to sign up to the FREE Smart Restart campaign and pick one healthy change for them to try when they go back to school.
Once signed up, families will receive support from Change4Life via email and text messages for six weeks from the start of term, as well as details of special offers, competitions and virtual rewards for the kids.
A family fun day organised by a group of youngsters taking part in the Lifestyle competition will take place this weekend.
Community Spirit a team from the Community Spirit Boxing Club in Acomb have organised the day as part of their entry into this year’s competition.
The group are hoping to raise funds for the boxing club which is based at York Railway Institute Community Sports Club on New Lane.
There will be plenty going on at the fun day, which will be held between 10am and 4pm, on Saturday 31 August 2013, including archery, face painting, a bouncy castle, sumo suits, a raffle and a cake stall.
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When the Council announced its preferred list of locations for new Council houses 5 months ago, it refused to reveal which other possible locations had been considered.
Now a Freedom of Information request by Cllr Ann Reid has forced the Council to reveal the identity of the sites.
Green Lane garage site
The sites under consideration were:
• Green Lane garages (Westfield Ward)
• Viking Road garages (Acomb Ward)
• Infill land on Maple Avenue. (Bishopthorpe Ward)
• Infill land to the rear of 21 – 51 Fossway (Heworth Ward)
The sites eventually selected were
Fenwick Street 9 Apartments
York Road, Haxby 4 Houses
Beckfield Lane 27 (Houses & Apartments)
Chaloners Road (Garage Court) 11 Apartments (possibly 8)
Hewley Avenue (Garage Court) 6 Apartments
Newbury Avenue (Garage Court) 9 Apartments
The Planning committee will consider the Beckfield Lane application next week. Thursday, 5th September, 2013 2.00 pm George Hudson Board Room – 1st Floor West Offices (F045)
The application includes 9 “affordable” houses and 9 “affordable” flats. In total 27 units will be built there. There have been several objections to the plans
The York Council is set to reject a petition from local young people who had hoped that the flat £1 “go anywhere” fare available in parts of North Yorkshire would be extended to York.
In May 2013, an 11-16 year old variant of the go anywhere ‘All York’ the ticket was introduced but it was priced at £2.30.
First announce fare cuts for young people – New ticket offers are available for children, young people and students from this Sunday 1 September.
New price list
Child tickets (with an 11-16 YOzone card)
• 80p single and £1.10 return ticket prices frozen
• Day ticket reduced from £2.10 to £2
• Week ticket reduced from £8.50 to £7
• 4-week ticket reduced from £31.50 to £25 (available at PayPoint outlets)
Young People tickets (with a 16-18 YOzone card)
• New maximum single of £1.30 (unless the adult single is lower than that, in which case the lower price applies)
• New day ticket at £3
• New week ticket at £10
Student tickets (University & College)
• New day ticket at £3
• New week ticket at £10
• Term products frozen and now available to college students as well as those at University Valid University Student card or NUS card required.
City of York Council has been forced to extend its “on line only” winter maintenance consultation for a further two weeks. It will now close on Sunday 15 September.
The Council was heavily criticised for holding the consultation during the main school holidays.
click to access larger interactive map
This was compounded a few days ago when the maps of the new gritting routes were unavailable on the Council’s web site.
In some areas it is proposed to remove around 80% of the salt bins from local streets.
Abandoned salt bin
Several major bus routes will no longer be routinely salted (e.g. Ryecroft Avenue, part of Chaloners Road , the Dringthorpe estate plus dozens of other streets)
However the survey questions are heavily “loaded” with little opportunity for residents to tell the Council to look elsewhere for economies.
Residents are being advised to write in “safety comes first, no cuts to de-icing services”
The survey can be found by clicking here
Alternatively the Council now says that residents can visit their “reception at West offices, Station Rise, York where the maps will be available on display boards with facilities available for you to complete the survey from Monday 2nd September.
Those groups who cannot meet this timescale can send their comments to Stephen Moulds by 30 September 2013 and we will endeavour to consider those comments when making a final decision on 9th October 2013”.
Some of the finest British motor engineering and design will be on display in central York when the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts’ Club will roll out a fleet of vehicles for all to inspect. The exhibition is being held by way of thanks to the city for support given to a club member who fell ill at York Racecourse last year.
A range of over 20 Rolls Royce vehicles will be displayed in York’s city centre on Sampson’s Square on Sunday 1 September, as a celebration of great British engineering. City of York Council is supporting the event which will feature both new and vintage Rolls Royces.
Over 20 fascinating club cars will be coming along accompanied by around 60 members of the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club. These include a beautiful 20hp RR 1928 Barker Tourer and a lovely RR 20hp 1926 Park Ward Saloon. A new local member from York, John Benson, will be bringing along his ‘new’ car – a Bentley Continental 2006!