NHS 111 is a new telephone based service for patients that will be available throughout the country no later than 1st April 2013.

Plans are in place to ensure that NHS 111 will be available in North Yorkshire and York, along with other areas of the country, no later than 1 April 2013.

The service is being introduced to support access to urgent and emergency healthcare and ensure patients are seen by a service most appropriate for their needs.

It will replace the existing NHS Direct telephone number.

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The fallout from the closure of the Beckfield Lane Waste and Recycling Centre continues as the Liberal Democrats question information given by Labour Cabinet Member, Dafydd Williams.

At last week’s Extraordinary Council, Labour justified the unpopular axing of Beckfield Lane by arguing it was earmarked for closure because it was less accessible than the two other sites in York, Towthorpe and Hazel Court.

Coun Williams, Labour Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhood Services, lauded the accessibility of the Towthorpe site by claiming that it only had steps leading to one skip, the landfill skip. In fact as pictures below show, there are steps leading to other skips at the site including for wood and garden waste. Liberal Democrat Councillors are today demanding that Coun Williams clarifies and if necessary withdraws his remarks.

Coun Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Communities and Neighbourhood, commented:

“It is clear that the Labour Cabinet Member gave misleading and inaccurate information during the debate on the closure of the Beckfield Lane site. A key pillar of Labour’s argument was that Beckfield should close because it was not accessible due to steps leading to the skips. Coun Williams compared it to the other sites in York and claimed Towthorpe was accessible and should stay open because there were only steps to one skip at the site. This simply isn’t true and undermines Labour’s argument for closure.

“I am writing to Coun Williams to ask him to clarify and if necessary withdrawal his remarks; however, there is a wider point. If a Cabinet Member has misled, deliberately or not, councillors during a debate should the subsequent vote stand? Clearly, Labour members voted through this proposal based on false information.”

FREE: YORK RESIDENTS FREE WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 MAY 2012

Opening time: normal house opening hours

Location: Fairfax House, Castlegate, York YO1 9RN

York residents are invited to visit Fairfax House free of charge for one weekend only. This special opportunity is being offered because of the closure of the House during the York Residents’ Festival in February. Residents will need to show a valid York Card to gain entry.

For tickets contact Fairfax House on 01904 655543 or call in during House opening hours.

Two new free sports programmes for young job seekers are being launched by City of York Council. It’s the first time a free fitness programme for unemployed people aged 16 to 25 will be run in York.

Football sessions and Zumba dance classes have being set-up to support young people in a fun and friendly environment, while they’re looking for work. The new classes which are funded by Sportivate, start week beginning 14 May, and will be running for six weeks, at York RI Club in Acomb. Zumba classes take place on Tuesdays 11.45am-12.45pm, Football sessions run Wednesday 1pm-2pm.

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The Olympic Torch Relay is coming to York on 19 and 20 June 2012. The route will start at the Askham Bar park and ride site and runners will proceed down Tadcaster Road.

The Torch Relay is the one part of the Games that goes across the UK, so it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase the people, communities and scenery that make the UK great. In York, with our York 800 celebrations in full swing, it will collectively be our moment to shine in the Olympic Torch light.

The Olympic Flame is lit at the Temple of Hera, at Ancient Olympia in Greece. It is created uniquely for each Winter and Summer Games by focusing sunlight in a parabolic mirror. At this point, it is the only place in the world where the Olympic Flame is alight. It then travels round Greece for seven days before being passed to the UK, where it begins the Relay in Land’s End.
The Torch arrives in the UK on 18 May 2012 and the Relay starts the next day from Lands End.
The Flame will travel for 70 days – 63 days around the UK and the final seven days around London.
The Torch will cover approximately 8,000 miles across the UK, through Torchbearing and travelling in convoy mode.
There will be 8,000 Torchbearers who will carry the Torch for approximately 300 metres each.

Olympic Torch Relay evening celebration locations – Yorkshire
Mon 18 June: HULL
Tue 19 June: YORK
Sun 24 June: LEEDS
Mon 25 June: SHEFFIELD
Tue 26 June: CLEETHORPES

Evening celebration, York
The early evening event in York will be on 19 June 2012 at York Racecourse on the Knavesmire. As part of the early evening celebrations, we will be co-ordinating opportunities for residents to try out new sports or games activities. More information will be shared nearer the time as much of the event will be presented by LOCOG’s presenting partners (see below).

If you intend coming along to the evening celebration the organising partners would appreciate some idea of numbers, how you are getting there and where you are coming from? http://www.yorkgold2012.co.uk/register.php

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Four men at the centre of a large-scale theft from a major insurance company have been forced to hand back the profits of their crime.

John Michael Taylor, Stephen Paul Spellacy, Peter Harrington and Keith Swift who were part of a gang of 14 people who stole £1.4million from Aviva in York have been ordered to repay almost £500,000.

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Visit York, the City’s Tourism Agency, is to be asked to stimulate a 5% pa increase in “tourism earnings”– together with a 2% boost in tourism jobs – in the City, under a plan released by the Council.

Visit York will be given a grant of £272,310 a year under a proposal which will be considered next week.

A service level agreement with the organisation sets out expectations on both sides.

Amongst the targets proposed are a 1% increase each year in visitor satisfaction and a requirement for 90% of members of the organisation to be satisfied with the services provided.

A 5% increase in the numbers attending the Visitor Centre is anticipated.

Business tourism is targeted to increase by 5% with at least 6 major national and/or international conferences to be held in the City each year.

http://tinyurl.com/York-Tourism-Plan