Foxwood Lane/Woodthorpe to Monks Cross click to enlarge

Copmanthorpe to Haxby Click to enlarge

First are expected to move quickly to register revisions to local bus services, following the announcement by Labour Councillors made earlier in the week about cuts.

Details will shortly be available here. http://tinyurl.com/bus-service-registrations

There are a number of changes to frequencies and several major re-routings.

The most significant is probably for the Number 12 which will now run from Foxwood/Woodthorpe to Monks Cross (not Haxby). This is a shorter journey and will, claim First, improve reliability. The Foxwood loop is retained and there are no plans to change the route through Woodthorpe.

Haxby will be serviced by the number 13 running from Copmanthorpe via Tadcaster Road. This frequency on this service will be cut to hourly.

Other service changes affect the Hollybank link to Acomb and the station, the Dodsworth service to the City Centre and Monks Cross, Bishopthorpe to York and Skelton to York.

A new service to the Sports Village on Hull Road will be started. The new swimming pool there opens on Tuesday.

Many areas will lose out under the new arrangements but the main concern is the continued reluctance of the York Council to publish route by route reliability figures on a regular basis.

Reliability on services such as the number 4, has suffered since the Council started to draw up plans for a statutory bus contract system in the City.

A classic case of “taking your eye off the ball”?

The Council has issues a media release saying, “To celebrate the end of the London 2012 Games and the success of Team Yorkshire’s athletes – such as Jack Laugher and Joanne Jackson – children in York will be able to swim for free this summer”.

The announcement comes a few days after it was revealed that Olympic legacy preparations in York had stalled. The Active York organisation had failed to finish designing its web site despite the Games approaching a climax while the Councils own web site was littered with out of date information.
See: http://stevegalloway.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/08/06/new-swimming-pool-opens-next-tuesday-but-york-olympic-legacy-at-risk/

Children under 16 will go free from Monday 13 August to Sunday 2 September on production of a YorkCard or Yozone Card at Yearsley and Energise pools.

Free entry is for open swim sessions only. Swim timetables for both pools are available at www.york.gov.uk/fit or by calling 01904 552424.

The cost to taxpayers of the concession has not yet been revealed

The Sheriff, Guild of Scriveners and many Serjeants will all take part in the annual medieval-themed York charity event, Assize of Ale, this weekend.

In the middle ages Sheriffs were concerned that the ale of York should be of a suitable quality and brought it upon themselves to appoint Serjeants to test the quality of ale in the city.

This Saturday (11 August) at 1.50pm, members of the Guild of Scriveners, friends and supporters will be summoned and then sworn in as Serjeants by the Sheriff of York, Councillor Paul Firth, in the historical Mansion House, where they will then take part in the medieval custom by visiting the cities alehouses to ensure it is palatable.

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Families can enjoy a full day of medieval fun this Saturday (11 August) as part of the Medieval Summer and York 800.

York’s Merchant Adventurers’ Hall will play host to a range of activities from 10:30 – 4:30, including juggling, comic performances, games, crafts and have-a-go battle drills for children with the Wars of the Roses Federation.

Visitors can also meet experts from the York Archaeological Trust, come face to face with characters from the middle ages, witness amazing birds of prey and enjoy music played by the wandering minstrel.

Tickets cost £6 per adult, £4 per child or £12 for a family of three, £18 family of four £22 family of five and a ticket includes access to the entire site for the whole day.

To pre-book call 01904 615505.

City of York Council will be carrying out essential resurfacing works on Heslington Road from Monday 13th August.

The programme of works is due to take two-weeks to complete, working Monday to Friday between 9.15 am and 4pm. (more…)

Residents will be able to see the Paralympic torch arriving in York on 24th August as part of a national relay in the run up to the start of the Games on 29th August.

At around 3pm it will arrive at Acomb Explore Library by bus with the Lord Mayor and Civic Party and will then be cycled to Energise.

Paralympic Organisers were so impressed with the work done at Energise, to make it inclusive for all, that they wanted the centre to be part of the torch relay (and therefore York is one of the few places in the country to see both the Olympic and Paralympic torches).

More details available here http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/torch-relay/ & http://www.york.gov.uk/content/leisure/sport/yorkgold/celebratingabilityday2012.pdf

Liberal Democrats are attempting to overturn a controversial decision to cut social care in York.

Under the council’s plans its community care service will be available only to those with substantial or critical needs, rather than those with “moderate” needs. The moderate group includes nearly 200 residents who receive support to help with home care services or are supported to attend day activities.

The Liberal Democrat Group has decided to formally call-in the decision meaning that it will now go to the Council’s corporate scrutiny committee on Monday 13 August to be reassessed. The Group has said continuing the current levels of care support is affordable and have raised concerns about the consultation carried out and the viability of the council’s plans.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Adult Social Services, commented:

“We believe that Labour has made the wrong decision and we hope that they will reassess their plans. These unnecessary cuts will affect some of the most vulnerable residents in York and we have raised genuine concerns about the consultation carried out and the viability of the council’s plans.

Despite their claims, Labour has choices on spending. These cuts are not a necessity and if Labour cut things like the Leader’s £1 million personal slush fund they could afford to maintain the current levels of frontline social care. We hope the Council will reconsidered this decision at Monday’s meeting.”

Notes:

The full wording of the calling-in from Cllrs Aspden, Cuthbertson and Runciman is:

‘The Liberal Democrat Group formally oppose the decision made by the Cabinet Member and believe that the eligibility criteria should remain unchanged at Moderate, Substantial and Critical. The Cabinet Member has failed to take into account any of the representations made by the Group, prior to taking her decision:

• The consultation was misleading as it failed to tell residents that there are alternatives to withdrawing care provision from York residents. Therefore we believe the results should be treated with extreme caution.

• The consultation exercise was also poorly conducted and an investigation needs to be undertaken to determine why mistakes were made. As the report states, 200 residents were sent the wrong information and feedback from residents said the consultation was “confusing”, “patronizing”, contained “wrong” information, was “very poor”, that “questions were impossible to answer”, and complained questions were “ambiguous”.

• The 31% response rate means that of residents sent consultation packs only 20% agreed with the change in eligibility levels, with 10% disagreeing and the overwhelming majority either not answering that specific question or not taking part in the consultation. In other words, only 1-in-5 people have actively supported these proposals and even these did so through a misleading consultation document. This means that the Council can not claim there is a proper mandate for the changes. For such a vital issue, we do not believe that this flawed consultation exercise is good enough or can form the basis for an informed decision.

A number of concerns raised by partners particularly the York Older People’s Assembly:

• Low level intervention at modest needs level can help sustain independence for longer and any short-term financial gains should be set against the costs of having more people fall into the ‘substantial’ and ‘critical’ needs bands because they lose this crucial support.

• The ability of the voluntary sector in York to provide the level of personal support envisaged in this report. The report provides no detailed evidence from the voluntary sector on this point.

• The report states that the £150,000 cost of not introducing the changes can not be found elsewhere in the Council’s Budget:
“There is no indication at this stage of the year that other areas of the council budget are able to make additional savings to avoid the need for this proposal.”
The Liberal Democrat Group believes that savings could be made elsewhere to protect social care. In our February Budget proposal, we outlined how reversing some of Labour’s planned spending increases and making savings elsewhere could fund this area.’

Luck runs out for thirteen extreme speeders

Thirteen motorists have been summonsed to court after being captured driving or riding at extreme speeds by North Yorkshire Police’s mobile safety camera.

They include six car drivers and seven motorcyclists who were caught at speeds ranging from 72mph in a 40mph zone to 132mph in a 70mph zone.

All thirteen have been summonsed to appear at Selby Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 16 August 2012.

The van is equipped with five cameras on the front, rear and roof. The technology can detect the speed of approaching and receding traffic from up to 1,000 metres away and captures 360 degree images of the location. The device produces high-quality images of vehicles and the riders or drivers.

The mobile safety camera pilot was introduced on 1 July 2011 in a bid to reduce fatal and serious road collisions. The pilot was extended following the initial six month pilot period in December 2011

Proposed Art Gallery extension

An application for significant changes to the Grade II listed Art Gallery in York have been received by the Council.

The changes include internal and external alterations comprising an additional gallery floor, the erection of an extension to create a new gallery area, the creation of a new balcony and replacement windows together with the demolition of a single storey extension and part of a roof as well as internal demolition works and removal of partitions

The reference number for the application is 12/02509/LBC and details can be found on the following web site http://tinyurl.com/York-art-gallery

York Art Gallery is a Grade II listed building and is close to 24 other “Listed” buildings in what is one of the most sensitive parts of York’s historic streetscape.

Art Gallery in the 1880's

The Art Gallery was constructed between 1874 and 1879 as part of a Yorkshire Fine Art & Industrial Exhibition. A site was acquired from the York Philosophical Society within the walls of the St Mary’s Abbey precinct known as ‘Bearpark’s Garden’, in use as gardens at the time of acquisition (previously used as nursery gardens by Edward Bearpark).

The proposal for the construction of the exhibition building was formally launched to the public on 16th March 1876. The cost of the building at this time was estimated at £10,000 and acquisition of the site at £5,000.20 This first scheme was in the ‘Elizabethan’ style. However, it was not considered sufficiently ornate and a further scheme was developed in the ‘Italian’ style. This change in design increased the estimated costs of the construction to £19,000.

Construction of the Yorkshire Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition, York, began in January 1878. The foundation stone for the building was laid on 22nd April 1878 by the Lord Mayor of York and the building was opened just over a year later on 7th May 1879.

Constructed for the Exhibition in 1789, the building continued to be used for a variety of purposes, including lectures, concerts, performances, and events such as boxing, bazaars, displays, prize givings and exhibitions. The building was also tenanted by the School of Art.

An interesting history of the Art Gallery site can be found here http://tinyurl.com/history-of-art-gallery

Consultation on the planning application will continue until 24th August. A decision is expected in September.

If approved, the Art Gallery is likely to be closed for 12 months while the works are undertaken.

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 8 August and Tuesday 14 August 2012

•A64 west-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 east-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•Brayton Lane, Brayton, Selby
•Barff Lane, Brayton, Selby
•Skipwith Road, Escrick
•A63 Hull Road, Hemingbrough
•Church Lane, Wheldrake
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