Confusion surrounds Labour’s plans to build three new care homes in York after it was revealed that one of the proposed sites in Fulford has been abandoned and another in Acomb has been delayed. Meanwhile, questions are being asked after plans were revealed to use the Burnholme School site as an alternative venue and sell the site in Fulford.

In May Labour agreed proposals to close the city’s nine care homes and replace them with state-of-the-art homes at Fordlands Road in Fulford and Haxby Hall plus a new care village site at Lowfield in Acomb. However, just 6 months later the Fordlands plan has been scrapped after analysis revealed concerns over flooding and space. The Burnholme Community College site has now been identified as the preferred alternative. The changes mean that the new facility will not meet the original April 2014 opening date, with the Burnholme site not available until after the school closes in July 2014. Meanwhile, the Lowfield Community Village project in Acomb has also run into problems as the tendering process to select a partner to run the site will now take longer than anticipated and the proposed April 2014 opening has also been scrapped.

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The Cabinet member with responsibility for Social Care and Housing (Cllr Laing) in the City is likely to face some difficult questions when she holds her first “decision” meeting for 3 months on 12th December.

Not only has the housing waiting list almost doubled since she took over her responsibilities, but now it looks like the flagship programme for building new elderly care homes has also run into trouble.

Reports are emerging that the plan to build a replacement for the Fordland’s elderly care home in Fulford are being abandoned.

Planned Lowfields Care Village

Worse, it seems likely the Lowfields Care Village (conceived by the last LibDem run Council) is now even further behind schedule, with the Council’s complex management plan blamed for tendering delays.

A behind closed doors decision was taken in the summer to advertise the contract for the management of the new Lowfields Care Village but, apparently, with the Unions being given advice on how to organise an in house bid for the contract. The Council had been promising http://tinyurl.com/York-15th-May-2012 completion of the care village by April 2014 but this now seems highly unlikely.

All this on top of a big increase in home care costs during the last 18 months.

The cost per client has almost doubled in the last year. Spend on home care contracts has increased from £54k a week in July 2011 to £80k a week in July 2012.

….and this despite 184 elderly residents, who were receiving home care, having been abandoned. They were assessed, under new rules introduced by Labour, as having only “moderate” needs and not worthy of Council support.

Such a catalogue of failure would normally lead to a Cabinet reshuffle but, with talent thin on the ground now that former Leader David Scott has been suspended from the Labour Group, it seems that York residents face another 2 years of poor leadership and financial mismanagement.

Over 70 people attended the Dringhouses ward committee meeting yesterday. (Labour refused to hold a similar meeting in either the Westfield or Acomb Wards, probably because there are no opposition Councillors in either of those wards)

Although there were some in favour of the 20mph limit there was a majority against.

There was a lot of objection to the fact that there will not be a leaflet drop to every house, a lot of people felt that this was being imposed, that they hadn’t been asked and there was no mandate. Just because it was apparently in their manifesto didn’t mean everyone who voted Labour supported 20mph limits!

Basically residents were saying that the money would be better spent on enforcement and targeted road safety imporvement work.

Councillors have promised to have the next meeting to coincide with the results of the informal consultation and the formal proposals.

(Interestingly the 20mph website only allows you to express your support for 20mph limits and currently there is no online form or dedicated email address you can use to comment. The web site is pretty juvenile anyway http://www.york20mph.org/)

Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose the plans to introduce a wide area 20 mph speed limit

A report has been published by Ofsted into the Kaleidoscope Nursery on Askham Lane. The full report can be read here http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY221643

The Nursery was inspected on 25th October 2012

The nursery was given a score of 4 (Previous inspection 2) but was viewed by the Inspector to be “inadequate”

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A series of exciting performances by students attending City of York Council’s York Arts Academy and local schools will strike up on 1 December 2012.

Three concerts will take place on 1 December at Central Hall, University of York. The first will start at 11am and will include performances from York Arts Academy’s various performance groups.

These include string and folk groups and Yearsley Grove Primary School Choir. The second concert begins at 2pm, and includes music to suit all tastes played by York Arts Academy bands, African drummers, a guitar ensemble and choirs from Huntington, Fishergate and St. Aelred’s primary schools. The third concert starts at 7pm, with performances by senior ensembles from York Arts Academy, including orchestral music from York Arts Academy Symphony Orchestra, performances by the Senior Concert Band and Big Band, a string quartet and early music from the Minster Minstrels, a group of young musicians specia lizing in early music and run by the York Arts Academy in partnership with the National Centre for Early Music.

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The Labour controlled Council has published details of the boundaries for the new 20 mph speed limit that it intends to apply to most of west York.

Some of the roads in the Dringhouses area – at known danger spots such as school entrances – already have 20 mph limits. Other roads are too short for vehicle speed to be an issue.

Major roads like Moor Lane, Chaloner’s Road, Tadcaster Road, Thanet Road and part of Gale Lane are to be excluded from the proposed 20 mph limit.

Proposed 20 mph speed limit roads. click to enlarge

However some bus routes (Acomb Wood Drive and Ryecroft Avenue) are included.

Most complaints about motorists exceeding the existing 30 mph speed limit arise on roads like Moor Lane and Tadcaster Road.

On Acomb Wood Drive the council has recently declined to take action to stop the significant proportion of drivers who exceed the 30 mph limit.

There is a contradiction in approach here which is likely to antagonise many motorists.

No detailed costings for this phase of Labours 20 mph policy have been published. We know, though, that every entry point into a 20 mph area will have to be signed and that frequent repeater signs are legally necessary.

Our view remains that residents DO want the existing 30 mph limits to be enforced but DO NOT want the Council to spend £600,000 on introducing a 20 mph limit which will have little practical effect.

This is supported by responses to the recent survey, which we included in Focus, where 72% of respondents opposed a “wide area” 20 mph limit.

There is a meeting on the subject taking place in Dringhouses tonight when the main advocate of the new limits – Cllr Semlyn – will be explaining herself. The meeting is taking place at Woodthorpe Primary School on Summerfield Road. There is a “surgery” at 6:00pm with the meeting proper starting at 7:00pm

http://www.york.gov.uk/council/Wards/dringhouses/

Ouse level graph

Ouse web cam

The level of the river Ouse in York is now falling.

It peaked at below the level seen in September.

Knavesmire Road has reopened. It is hoped that Fulford Road will reopen later today. Reopened at 2:00pm

A64 and Tadcaster Road very busy. http://www.yorklive.info/

Business, retail and tourist activities continuing with minimal disruption.

St Nicholas Fayre starts in City today

The Council has revealed the increases in charges that it will levy from 1st January 2013.

Biggest losers are bowlers who face a 100% increase in the charge that applied when Labour took control of the Council in 2011. Pensioners will pay £3 per hour (up from £1-50 an hour in December 2011) while other adults will have to find £4 an hour (a 60% increase).

Anyone following up the Olympic success in tennis will have to have a deep pockets.

Charges per court are going up from £6 to £7 an hour in just over 12 months. That is a 16.7% increase. Concession holders fare even worse and will face a 33% price hike.

Anyone with an overdue library book faces an increased penalty of 16p per day – up by 6.7%. Room hire charges at the Libraries are up by 6% from January making it an 11% hike in just 12 months.

The Councils war against recycling and the responsible disposal of waste continues.

Having closed one of the City’s 3 recycling centres, anyone wanting the bulky waste collection must now pay £35 (a 12.9% increase in a year).

Disposal of “white goods” such as fridges will cost £20 (up 21.2 % since Labour took control of the Council).

Bonded asbestos collection costs are up by 47% in the same period with collections now costing £84.

Anyone thinking of departing the mortal coil could save themselves over £35 if they enter the next life before 1st January.

Bereavement services face the biggest hike in the new year as the York Council tries desperately to balance its books. Increases of 5% from 1st January (10.4% over the 12 month period) are common.

The extra income is needed to help meet the repayment costs of the additional borrowing that the Council has taken on over the past few months

An announcement on the levels of other charges, including those for car parking and social services, is expected in February

http://tinyurl.com/2013-York-Council-charges

Ouse web cam 0800 28th Nov 12

River levels are high but stable.

Several roads remain closed including the A19 near Fulford.

Water levels are expected to fall gradually over the next 48 hours.

The peak is predicted to be less than the level seen in September.

City of York Council’s St Nicholas’ Fayre is making a welcome return to York this week for four days of seasonal market trading across the city.

The popular Christmas Fayre is back for its 21st year to offer a range of markets specialising in the very best of gifts, crafts and local food producers from the ‘deliciouslyorkshire’ group.

Parliament Street, St Sampson’s Square and Coppergate will be lined with the eye-catching wooden huts that house a range of traders, each offering up different festive delights.

The Guildhall is the venue of a regional ‘Made in Yorkshire’ art and craft market, whilst Barley Hall will present a special medieval market with craft demonstrations, mulled wine and costumed traders. St William’s College is also hosting an arts and crafts market for handmade items exclusive to the market.

The Fayre also adds another element to York’s evening offer over the Christmas period for those visiting the city to soak up the festive atmosphere.

The St Nicholas’ Fayre started in 1992 with only 20 stalls trading for three days. Today there is over 200 stalls on offer and it is one of York’s biggest visitor attractions of the year.

St Nicholas’ Fayre will run alongside the permanent Newgate Market from 29 November-2 December, between 9am-6:30pm each day.

For more information visit www.yorkfestivals.com