More income from Council Tax is expected as a result of a range of revised charges which are likely to be introduced by the York Council.

The changes come as a result of the Coalition governments “localism” policy which allows local authorities more flexibility in managing their financial arrangements.

The changes include:

1. Levying full Council Tax on second homes – Currently these properties enjoy a 10% discount. Homes tied to jobs would not be affected. The chance could bring in an additional £100,000

2. Replacing Council Tax exemption Classes A (homes needing structural repairs) and C (property empty between lets) with a discount limited to 1 year. In York the discount would be 50% and together these changes could bring in around £600,000 in Council Tax.

3. abolishing Class L (Mortgage defaults) exemptions, and making mortgagees in possession of empty dwellings liable to council tax in respect of them;. Introduction of this is being deferred to allow for more discussion with mortgage companies.

4. allowing billing authorities to levy an ‘empty homes premium’ in respect of dwellings which have been left empty for two years or more. In York it is estimated that this 50% premium could bring in around £64,000 from the 154 long term empty homes in the City.

5. setting a default assumption that payment of Council Tax by instalments will be over 10 months The Council however must inform the council tax payer that they have a legal right to pay by 12 instalments.

6. allowing authorities to publish online the ‘Information to be supplied with demand notices’, (but with a duty to supply it in hardcopy to any council tax payer requesting it) as an efficiency measure, and to encourage the take-up of electronic billing;

7. changes to eliminate potential tax complications from arrangements involving third party suppliers where solar panels are placed on the roofs of dwellings without coming into the paramount control of the residents. The Government is proposing that where these are fitted to domestic properties by a third party for profit they are classed as part of the property. This will not increase the value of the property (For Council Tax purposes) but will avoid a complex case by case review by the valuation office for non-domestic rates. The Government have adopted this proposal with a cap at 10kW.

A detailed report can be found by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/York-tax-changes

Although the Council’s forecast budget overspend this year has halved compared to earlier forecasts, it is still around £2.5 million. This assumes that the whole of the £600,000 contingency reserve will be spent.

The biggest problem is the amount being spent on adult social care and this despite an additional £2 million being put into this year’s budget to help with the care of the elderly.
Of particular concern is that the cost per client which has almost doubled in the last year. Spend on our home care contracts has increased from £54k a week in July 2011 to £80k a week in July 2012. This results in a forecast overspend of £2.531M.

Most of the expenditure is influenced by wage rates although the increasing number of people aged over 85 – who have greater needs – will also add to the Councils costs.

The number of looked after children are also increasing, resulting in higher Council costs.

Predictably, promised savings in waste round rationalisation, Household Waste Recycling Centre policy and garden waste collections have failed to deliver the promised savings of around £380,000

Car parking income is down by £167,000.

The overspends are partly being funded by some “windfall” gains with lower interest rates and a Landfill Tax rebate (payments made over a number of years) clawing back around £850,000.

Meanwhile the Councils capital programme is being increased by £2.2 million which it will spend on buying new refuse collection vehicles (it previously leased them) and £248,000 upgrading premises in Nursery Drive which will become a children’s centre (the building has not been used by the Council for several years and was scheduled to be sold to help pay of debts).

£618,000 is to be spent remodelling offices at Hazel Court.

The Council are also proposing to spend £1.6 million modernising the market.

A raft of new planning applications have been received by the Council. Those that affect the Dringhouses Ward include:

• The provision of a replacement telecommunications pole next to The Quaker Wood pub on Acomb Wood Drive (ref: 12/03267/TCMAS. It will be 15 metres high. Applicant is Telephonica and residents have until 19th November to make comments.

• Work to tree located at 288A Tadcaster Road (ref 12/03334/TCA) and at the Marriott Hotel (ref 12/03341/TCA)

• Full details for the development at Masters Mews College Court (ref AOD/12/00243)

Details of all planning applications can be found here: http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

With thousands of residents and tourists expected to visit York next week for the annual Illuminating York festival, extra Park & Rides services are being provided to allow easier access in and out of the city centre.

The internationally renowned digital arts and lighting festival takes places between Wednesday 31 October and Saturday 3 November.

During the festival, the Rawcliffe Barr number 2 Park & Ride Service (Green Line) will be operating extra late evening journeys between Museum Street and Rawcliffe Bar.

Buses will depart at half-hourly intervals from Museum Street between 8pm and 10.30pm.

For more information about the festival, please visit the illuminatingyork.org.uk/ or www.itravelyork.info/events/illuminating-york

Council promises, that a long awaited report on bus services in the City would shed some light on reliability issues, have once again been broken.

The report was originally to have been considered at a meeting in September.

The impending report was used in August as an excuse for not publishing the information gathered by the Councils “Mystery Travellers”. They check on the reliability of local bus services.

We were told that this information would be included in the report.

The report will compare buses in York with those elsewhere in the world

Eventually the report was put back to a meeting which the Councils forward plan said would be considered between “01/10/12 and 31/10/12”.

Although this date is still shown in the current Council forward plan, with only 2 days left to go in the month, that now seems highly unlikely. http://tinyurl.com/Bus-Imp-York

No explanation for the delay has been forthcoming.

The next meeting on transport policy is not scheduled to take place until 19th November.

We think that the York Council Cabinet members responsible should show more respect for bus service passengers in the City!

Closing dates looms for eXtra factor

City of York Council is reminding residents that they don’t have long left to nominate their unsung local authority hero.

With the largest and most diverse workforce in the city, the council’s eXtra factor awards help highlight and celebrate the hard work and dedication of its employees – be they architect or archeologist, care worker or cleaner, librarian or leisure centre worker, planner or plumber, warden or waste operative.

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An investigation by the Information Commissioner has concluded that the York Council has breached data protection legislation by publishing resident’s identities on a public web site.

The problem arose when in March 2012 the Council launched what it described as a unique way of reporting – using an Iphone – issues such as graffiti and dumping. The system allowed a photo of an issue to be sent to the Council.

It turned out that, far from being unique, the “App” was simply a copy of a “Keep Britain Tidy” system which has been adopted by many other Councils. Elsewhere it is known as “love clean streets” and can also be used to report “potholes” and other problems (click here http://www.lovecleanstreets.org/Reports/LiveMap)

The system – which is basically a sound idea – cost around £8000 to implement in York but unfortunately the need to preserve the privacy of user’s details wasn’t recognised.

When this was pointed out to the Council Leader at a Council meeting in July he declined to take any action. (click here http://stevegalloway.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/07/27/boris-johnson-blamed-for-york-council-confidentiality-lapse/)

The lack of action by the Council prompted a complaint to the Information Commissioners Office in August.

At that time the Council Leader in response to media enquiries said, “I am sure the system we have set up complies with all necessary regulations”.

click to enlarge

Now the information Commissioner has decided that residents must be told that any information that they provide could be published on a publicly accessible web site. Users have the option to use a pseudonym to preserve their privacy.

The Commissioners office has decided not to take any further legal action against the authority on the basis that the “App” signing on system will be refined to protect the privacy of users.

All this should have been done months ago of course, but we are pleased to see that the Smarter York reporting system has now been updated.

How web site information has changed

NB. A Freedom of information request in August revealed that about 50 cases a month were being reported using the new App (click here http://www.york.gov.uk/content/foi/988224/Y5953_-_attachment.pdf)

Unfortunately the other major complaint about the system – that members of the public do not receive any feedback telling them what has been done about issues reported – has yet to be addressed by the Council. We think that users should be offered the opportunity to have an Email confirmation when – for example – litter that they have reported has been removed.

City of York Council has arranged for an artisan producers’ group to join forces with the traders of Newgate market to offer a new shopping experience this half term.

On Monday October 29, the group of artisan arts, crafts and fashion producers called Artsmix, will set out their stalls alongside traders from Newgate Market on Parliament Street for a bumper edition of the Monday market which will include jewellery makers, soap producers and frame makers.

For this exclusive event, the market will kick off at 10am and finish at 8pm, giving people the chance to stay in town longer, have a meal and start their Christmas shopping in style.