The Council’s ruling Labour “Cabinet” have tonight agreed to impose a £35 a year annual charge on residents who have a second green – garden waste – bin.

They have also decided to cut the hours of operation of the Towthorpe recycling site

A large petition was collected opposing the charging plan.

It is unclear how long it will be before the bills start to arrive through the letterboxes of the 3500 customers who together have around 5000 “additional” green bins.

Many could choose to give up the extra bins and use their grey bins instead.

As we saw with the closure of the Beckfield Lane site, everyone loses if the Council is faced with higher landfill charges.

To this should be added the 2370 tones of green waste generated in the winter months which will also not now be collected.

The Council’s “Cabinet” agreed to the plan to cut back on resident participation in decision making, as we predicted earlier today

Below is the latest list of planning applications received by the York Council for the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward. Full details can be found by quoting the application reference on the “planning portal” web site. Click here.

Representations can also be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the planning portal.

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.

Ref No: 13/00409/ADV Location: Knavesmire Service Station 20 – 22 Tadcaster Road Dringhouses York YO24 1LQ Proposal: Display of various signage to replace existing Applicant: The Co-operative Group Limited Contact Mr Derek Squibb Consultation Expiry Date 23 April 2013 Case Officer: Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed) Expected Decision DEL
Meanwhile the planning decisions taken by officers and Councillors in York are being increasingly criticised when appeals are considered.

The table (right) shows that between 1st January and 31st March 2013, a total of 16 appeals relating to CYC decisions were determined by the Inspectorate.

Of those, 6 were allowed. At 37.5%, the rate of appeals is higher than the 33% national annual average.

By comparison, for the same period last year, 4 out of 17 appeals were allowed, i.e. 23.53%

For the full year between 1st April 2012 and 31st March 2013, CYC performance was 43.55% allowed, higher than the previously reported 12 month period of 39.60%

A list of appeal decisions can be found by clicking here

A list of outstanding appeals can be found by clicking here.

The Council is likely to abandon today one of the key opportunities available for local residents to influence their communities.

Ward Committee meetings are likely to be consigned to history. Instead residents who wish to question the Councils policies at local level will have only an annual forum meeting to attend.

The agendas for these meetings will not have a “have your say” section. As a result resident participation will be so restricted it is unlikely that anyone will bother to attend.

The lack of meetings is likely to be of less concern than the loss of the Ward Committee budgets which were used to address priorities voted on by local residents. The annual ballot has been scrapped. A very small budget (only 15% of the amount budgeted in 2010) will be available although it will be allocated by local Councillors without a ballot of residents views.

Rather than being spent directly on tangible improvements (such as off street car parking) “local voluntary groups” will be commissioned to do the work. If there are no local bodies with the skills or capacity to complete projects then they simply won’t get done.

There are hidden threats in the new process. The Council talks about local groups “taking on” local assets. This means the Council abandoning its responsibilities and handing youth centres and other public facilities over to local volunteers. It is a cost cutting exercise, which is likely to result in the closure of facilities.

The decision to scrap ward committees is due to be taken at a meeting later today

The new process involves a refresh of “community contracts” which have been in place in York for the last 15 years. They are largely anodyne documents which are too inflexible to address the real concerns of local residents. They notably fail to include objective measures by which service quality and performance can be judged.

Ironically, a separate Council committee also meets this week called the “community engagement task group”.

Set up to consider ways of involving residents in the democratic process, its interim report praises the participation of residents in setting local budgets

Ironically it is that resident participation which is now being jettisoned by the Council’s “Cabinet”

The 20 mph propaganda web site run by the Council is still claiming that west York will be covered by the new 20 mph limit “by the end of the 2012/13 (financial) year”.

Well it hasn’t happened…….. fortunately.

Most residents still haven’t been consulted on the plan which could see £600,000 wasted on an unnecessary array of 20 mph signs on roads where speeds are already less than that limit.

The latest monthly house price monitor in west York (YO24 postcode area) reveals house prices stable, although there are still some bargains to be found.

Property recently sold

The average property price for homes in the YO24 3 area has been £174,000 over the last 3 months. Notable sales include a 3 bedroomed property on Thoresby Road for £135,500, a 4 Bedroomed property on Foxwood Lane for £127,500 and a 1 bedroomed detached bungalow on Lowfields Drive for £107,000.

A 4 bedroomed property on Oldman Court sold for only £116,000.

An attractive 3 bedroomed bungalow on Otterwood Lane fetched £162,000 in late January. Lowest recorded price was for a flat on Green Lane which sold for a bargain £70,000 in January.

A flat in Vyner House in Front Street fetched £85,000. At the other end of the scale a large 3 bedroomed home in Moor gate sold for £315,000 in February.

2 bedroomed terraced properties in the Gladstone Street area are selling for around £134,000.

In Dringhouses and Woodthorpe a 4 bedroomed property in Alness Drive sold for £240,000 while one in Glaisdale fetched £271,000. A 3 bed modern terrace in Kensington Court sold for £280,000. A 2 bedroomed older terrace in Trentfield Court attracted a £135,000 sale price.

Property for sale

Properties recently coming onto the market include

• a 2 Bed semi detached bungalow in Wordsworth Crescent at £155,000,

• a 2 bed semi in Gower Road for £152,950,

• a 3 bed semi in Linnet Way for £77,500 (Shared ownership)

• £103,000 buys a 1 bed apartment in Silverdale Court

• A 3 bed semi in Tithe Close is yours for £149,950

• £129,500 buys a 2 bed terrace on Gale Lane

Property for rent

Property made available for rent over the last couple of weeks includes:

• 1 bed flat in Lindley Street for £625 per calendar month (pcm)

• 4 bed detached in Green Lane for £895 pcm

• A 3 bed terrace on Slessor Road is available for £675 pcm

• Renting a 4 bed detached on Lingfield Crescent could cost as much as £1200 pcm

• Only £650pcm is being asked for a 2 bed flat at Shelley House

• A nice 3 bed bungalow in Huntsman’s Walk is available for £695 pcm