The Prior Medical Group – which runs 5 surgeries across York including one in Cornlands Road, is to merge with the Abbey Medical group. The latter has practices on the east of the City.
Together the new group would have 38 GPs and serve 51,000 patients across 9 locations.
The group reports that 74.5% of patients who responded to consultation favour the change.
The merger will take place on 1st April 2013
More information click here: http://tinyurl.com/Priory-merger
York has been awarded £96,438 to help homeowners and private tenants remain independent in their own homes for longer.
The funding augments the council’s Disabled Facilities Grant Fund which is used to help residents who have been assessed by an occupational therapist as requiring modifications to their home.
Residents can apply for help by contacting City of York Council’s Customer Access and Assessment Team on 01904 555111, or by doing their own, online self assessment at:
http://www.york.gov.uk/health/Services_for_older_people/ or via:
https://www.equip-yourself york.org.uk/smartassist/york
Once an occupational therapist has assessed the need, a referral is made to the council’s Housing Standards and Adaptations team who help over 175 residents each year to adapt their homes such as replacing a bath with a level access shower or providing a stairlift.
The Disabled Facilities Grant Fund is means tested, but members of the team offer support while the adaptation is being carried out.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has compiled a list of twelve frauds that we suspect criminals may use during this festive period.
The Police have created the “Twelve frauds of Christmas ” with the aim of highlighting these fraudulent activities, increasing business and community awareness, together with advice to help prevent you becoming a victim of crime.
If you have been a victim of fraud, now, or in the past, it is important that you report the matter.
With support from retailers, North Yorkshire Police and bus operators in York, City of York Council announces new plans this week to tighten enforcement measures on one of York’s busiest bus, cycle and taxi routes.
Traffic enforcement restrictions have been in place on Coppergate since the 1960’s, but only enforced infrequently. Results from an enforcement action day in August 2011, undertaken in partnership with North Yorkshire Police, saw over 600 motorists ignore ‘no access’ signage and illegitimately access Coppergate during restricted hours.
In a bid to reduce congestion and improve journey reliability for buses and taxis through the heart of York’s city centre, the council is introducing strict new controls which include extending the hours of access for authorised vehicles, slightly reducing the hours of access for loading and unloading and introducing automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR).
Yesterday’s announcement that the personal tax allowance will rise again next April, means that 81,200 working people in York will get a further tax cut and the number of low-earners who have been lifted out of paying Income Tax altogether since 2010 will reach 7,560.
This means that the Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have increased the amount of money people can earn tax-free every year. In April it will be raised again to £9,440, a total tax cut of £600 a year for more than 20 million people nationally. The changes mean that more than 2 million low-income workers will have been taken out of paying tax altogether since 2010. The Lib Dems are on track to increase the amount of money people can earn tax-free to £10,000 by 2015, which would be a total tax cut of £700 a year for most people.
Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that York will get a share of £50million funding to improve broadband connectivity right across the City. The news was announced as part of today’s Autumn Statement.
The funding is available as part of the coalition government’s vision for broadband in the UK, which aims to ensure the UK has the best broadband network in Europe by 2015.
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Residents will have to wait longer for improvement to transport arrangements following a private decision by the York Cabinet member with responsibility for transport. Earlier in the week he cut the programme value by over £2 million (25%) to £6.8 million.
It is particularly bad news for bus users who will bear the brunt of the cut.
Less is being spent on speed management schemes although the 20 mph city wide speed limit still figures in the programme. The introduction of the 20 mph limit in Woodthorpe/Acomb has been put back into the next financial year (although it is clear that Labour intend to ignore the local opposition to their scheme).
Most of the cut comes from the plan to provide 2 new park and ride sites in the City. Work on these is not now expected to start before the middle of next year.
The full list of changes it as follows
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Tanner Row area cycle routes click to enlarge
Tanner Row proposed signage click to enlarge
In another “behind closed doors” decision, the Council has agreed to introduce a contra flow cycle lane on Tanner Row.
The intention is to provide easier access for cyclists leaving the new Council HQ in Toft Green.
Tanner Row is relatively narrow and there are likely to be some safety concerns. These have already been highlighted by the police.
There has been no public consultation on the plan.
More details here: http://tinyurl.com/Tanner-Row
At the same time as the Met Office issues a warning that temperatures are set to fall towards the end of this week, City of York Council, North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency join forces to issue a safety message to all residents and road users to exercise caution following the recent spell of flooding.
The Met Office has issued a yellow “be aware” warning, which means as temperatures fall there will be widespread frost and ice on some roads and footpaths.
The Council has decided its policy on the management of tethered horses.
Yesterday it agreed to develop a joint protocol with the Police, RSPCA and landowners and travellers setting out responsibilities of all parties and detailing a course of action to be taken in the following circumstances:
• Where a horse is tethered on a highway verge;
• Where a horse is grazing illegally on CYC land;
• Where a horse is grazing illegally on private land;
• Where a horse is found loose on a public highway.