Labour fiddle York housing waiting list figures

Cabinet member orders that 2400 residents be taken off list

Earlier in the week a report, which is being presented to the York Council “Cabinet”, claimed that the numbers on the Housing waiting list had more than halved in 6 months.

click for source document
click for source document

The report showed that only 2420 are now registered on the list – down from 4692 at the end of March.

4692 was the figure quoted by Labour to justify their plans to build 22,000 additional homes over the next 15 years, mainly on green belt land next to the City.

No explanation was given for this phenomenal reduction which was simply labelled as a “decrease”.

It was all the more surprising as, since Labour took control of the Council the supply of new “affordable” homes, has tailed off.

It now turns out that the change has been achieved simply by taking people off the list who Labour Councillors feel are not in housing need.

These include all those in the so called “bronze” category.

This is another decision that has been taken without any consultation and behind closed doors. It has not been widely publicised since it was introduced about 4 weeks ago.

No doubt Labour hoped, nearer the next Council elections, to announce that they had “solved” York’s housing problems.

Electors are not so easily fooled.

Behind closed doors logo It is time that the Council ordered a public scrutiny review of the way in which the North Yorkshire housing waiting list has been massaged.

Some of the revised criteria that are now being applied will win general support (listed below).

Many however will find this new example of secrecy a sinister development.

The key changes are listed below.

  • Ensuring local people have priority by restricting the register to people who have a local connection
  •  Supporting balanced and sustainable communities by preventing people with a history of serious Anti-Social Behaviour      issues from qualifying for social housing
  •  Excluding homeowners who have no recognised housing need either for economic or social reasons
  •  Introducing a financial threshold for people who have a combined household income and/or capital and assets of £60,000 plus and who may be able to meet their own housing needs.  It is recognised some people, in particular the elderly, may need to move into specialist accommodation and alternative housing advice will be given to them
  •  Allocating properties to meet applicants’ assessed bedroom need
  •  To make the process fair, penalties to exclude persons from the register have been introduced. These include persons, who provide false information, deliberately withhold information or who have deliberately worsened their housing circumstances

E petition started as Council stops green bin collection

Green Bin

This is the last day that the Council will be emptying green bins this winter.

One resident has started an “on line”  petition aimed at getting the service restored.
Click here to access it

The petition reads

We the undersigned petition the council to collect and empty our Green Bins throughout the Year.

Autumn leaves are falling everywhere and gardens are still growing but we have nowhere to put our Green Waste unless we store it until spring or take it at our own expense to Hazel Court.
We have all paid for this service to the council who have short changed us by cutting winter collections

Childcare in York – have your say and win £100!

Are you a mum, dad or carer of a child or young person under 16 years old? (or 18 years old if disabled or with additional needs)

•             Do you use, or would like to use, childcare in York?

•             Are you a mum, dad or carer to be?

•             Do you have views on the quality and availability of childcare?

Then we’d like to hear from you! City of York Council wants to make sure that childcare meets families’ needs. Your opinions are really important to us and will help us to encourage high quality childcare that is available in the right place, at the right time and at an affordable price. We will do this by working closely with childcare providers and partner organisations.

Have your say and be in with the chance of winning £100 of high street vouchers. Click here Have your say

York market may close earlier in winter

York MarketAccess times for market vehicles entering the area at the end of the day have been relaxed for the winter to take account of outdoor trading conditions.

Working with the agreement of the City Centre Manager, traders are now able to load up an hour early on Sundays through to Fridays, whilst the access time for Saturday business remains at its usual time.

The arrangement will start from Sunday 3 November until Spring Half Term, Sunday 23 February.

Like most City centre traders, market stall holders have been badly hit by the Labour Councils 36% increase in car parking charges while new traffic restrictions in the City centre have been the final straw for some.

Newgate Market is situated in the heart of York, just off The Shambles. For further information about the market and York’s specialist markets visit www.york.gov.uk/markets.For information on planning your journey into the city centre visit www.itravelyork.info.

Hundreds in York could add years to their lives

More than 750 people in York joined a quarter of a million people across the nation in turning their back on cigarettes this month in the mass 28-day stop smoking challenge, Stoptober.

Research shows that stopping smoking for 28 days can extend your life by up to one week if you remain smokefree.  The new ex-smokers from York are therefore celebrating their first steps towards a healthier, smokefreelife, and if they succeed in quitting for good, they could collectively add more than 14 years of life to the city’s population.

Stop-Smoking-Aids

Taking part in Stoptober has reaped additional benefits:

·The average smoker has 13 cigarettes a day, which equates to 364 cigarettes every four weeks.  Stoptober would have saved them £141 each over four weeks and if they remain smokefree they could save £423 by Christmas and £1,696 in a year.

Collectively, if all Stoptober participants in York quit for the 28 days this month they would have saved £106,314.

·With the average cigarette taking approximately four minutes to smoke [5], this Stoptober could have saved the average smoker over 24 hours by not smoking; and cumulatively the nation’s Stoptober participants would have gained over 680 years in spare time.

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Man’s cheekbone broken in York pub assault

Marcia Grey

Marcia Grey

Police are investigating an assault outside a pub in York which left a man suffering from a broken cheekbone.

The victim, aged 29, was having a drink outside the Marcia Grey in Acomb at around 6pm on Thursday 17 October 2013, when he was approached by a man who punched him twice in the face.

He was admitted to York Hospital where he underwent treatment for his injuries.

Officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed the assault or knows who is responsible to contact them with information.

Anyone who can help officers with their enquiries is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select option 2 – and ask for PC Damion Liversidge or York police.

Alternatively, information can be emailed to
damion.liversidge@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you prefer not to give your name, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference number 12130180978 when passing information about this incident.

20 mph speed limits signs being put up?

The Councils £600,000 scheme to put up 20 mph speed limit signs across west York will apparently start this weekend.

20 mph

Had the signs gone up before mischief night we doubt many would have survived for long!

The scheme is being g introduced in the face of fierce opposition from the majority of residents.

In the Acomb, Westfield and Woodthorpe areas surveys showed 80% opposed the plan with costs and the ineffectiveness of putting signs, on streets where average speeds are already below 20 mph, being cited as the main concerns.

The Council are desperately trying to convert public opinion by selectively quoting the Police and “local head teachers” as supporting the change. Both the Police and “head teachers” also have responsibilities to taxpayers.

Ironically all the schools in west York already have a 20 mph speed limit outside their entrances – and have had for many years.

speed and accident record of streets in west York click to download

speed and accident record of streets in west York click to download

They might also look at the statistical data – suppressed by the Council during their consultation period – which can be downloaded here.

It revealed that most roads, that will get new 20 mph limits, have had no recorded accidents at all.

The bulk of accidents, in the York area, occur on the main arterial and trunk roads (which will continue with their current speed limits).

A couple of months ago the Council admitted that in other City’s (Portsmouth and Bristol) the number of accidents taking place in wide 20 mph limit area, had actually increased since the speed limits were reduced.

Even the hitherto responsible Benendon Healthcare organisation (where a Labour Councillor is in charge of public relations) appears to have been been taken in by the propaganda with their Chief Executive quoted as saying that it will improve safety.

Not for those living in Bristol and Portsmouth it didn’t.

The Council’s response is to use taxpayers money to pay for a video which is probably the most patronising piece of propaganda that you will see.

Numbers killed and seriously injured in York click to access source data

Numbers killed and seriously injured in York click to access source data

The last set of accident statistics for York roads, up to the end of 2012, have recently been published.

They reveal that those killed and seriously injured on our roads have fallen to an all time low.

This is the result of targeted accident reduction work the funding for which is being cut to pay for the 20 mph signs.

The figures for 2013 will be the last where most of the year reflected this priority. The 2014 figures should be published just a few days before the next local elections taken place (May 2015)

We hope that York residents’ will continue to drive at a safe speed taking into account all road conditions.

York Council to water down petitions action – “smile you’re on……”

The Council is being asked to abandon the right citizens currently have to hold highly paid officials to account.

A proposal to the “Audit Committee” says that senior officials should not in future have to attend a meeting to answers questions raised about their management responsibilities.

York residents petition

York residents petition

The existing petitions scheme (agreed in 2010) contains the following clause:

If your petition contains at least 500 signatures, you may ask for a senior council officer to give evidence at a public meeting about something for which the officer is responsible as part of their job. For example, your petition may ask a senior council officer to explain progress on an issue, or to explain the advice given to elected members to enable them to make a particular decision. The following senior staff can be called to account:
• Chief Executive
• Chief Finance Officer
• Monitoring Officer
• Directors of Service

A report, drafted by the Council’s monitoring officer, suggests abandoning this right.

Cabinet members also escape any requirement to explain their actions to taxpayers.

There are currently 5 live petitions running on the Councils web site.

The last Council meeting discussed a record number of petitions (7) submitted by residents and which had passed the 1000 signature threshold which guaranteed a discussion at a full Council meeting.. Most concerned the controversial aspects of Labour draft Local Plan.

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The same meeting – which is taking place next Wednesday -is set to approve a “protocol” for web casting of Cabinet and Council meetings.

Sadly the report makes no reference to the costs of such a proposal nor does it indicate how many “viewers” the trial broadcasts have attracted (understood to be derisory)

Cabinet agenda WebCam

The key issue is whether a casual viewer would be able to follow what was actually taking place at a Council meeting. Even those sitting in the public gallery, with an agenda in front of them, some times struggle to work out what is going on.

The Council need to further develop the information that can be provided possibly using a split screen format. It is just possible that, if residents could see the relevant agenda item papers, together with the way that individual Councillors vote on each issue, more interest might be generated.

The trial web casting of “Cabinet” meetings has attracted very little interest. The meeting consist only of a dull procession of uninspired speeches from Labour Councillors. (It is a one party meeting).

A Council meeting offers more opportunity for debate on important issues but it will require much better organisation than has been evident on York Council governance issues over recent months.

National Adoption Week: Find out more about adoption

York is joining in the national celebrations for National Adoption Week (4-10 November) by encouraging people to find out more about adoption.

Across the UK 4,000 children are waiting to find an adoptive family, but for one in four it is likely to remain only a dream. And for every year a child waits their chances of being adopted reduce by 20 per cent. National Adoption Week is for anyone who would like to help change this, so that every child waiting in care finds somewhere they can feel safe and loved.

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