Campaign to Protect Rural England attacks York's proposed Local Plan http://t.co/HaqK3F8MDe
— Nigel Ayre (@NigelCllr) August 25, 2013
York Council slow to answer information requests
The York Council is struggling to reach statutory response time targets for responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
The number of such requests increased following the change in policy implemented by the new Council – elected in May 2011 – which saw more decisions taken behind closed doors and background information withheld from residents.
The local media have also struggled to get answers to legitimate questions
The Information Commissioner had to be called in force the Council to reveal information about bus services
A guide to FOI can be found here.https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/
The Council admits,
“Between April 2012 and March 2013, 239 FoI responses have taken more than (the deadline of)20 days
Of the 239, on some occasions, extensions to the deadline have been negotiated with those requesting information. In other cases, the complexity of a request has contributed to a delay.
The Council also accepts that some were delayed because of the volume of requests received at particular times.
A review is currently underway to consider how the FOI process could be improved”.
We have some sympathy with the York Council which, in 2009, became one of the first in the country to routinely publish its responses to FOI requests on its web site.
It is also true that some commercial interests clog the system with repeat requests for information about contracts and lists of ratepayers that they believe they can exploit on a commission basis.
But taxpayers do have a legal right to information and the processes need to be speeded up.
The number of FOI requests is likely to increase further as the Council is now reducing the frequency that it publishes quality of public service statistics
Acomb Green summer fayre off!
Acomb Summer Fair has been cancelled due to …….guess what!!! rain!
— Acomb Village Mag (@Acomb_News) August 24, 2013
Council starts cutting support for Community Centres
Next on the list of cuts for the Labour Council looks likely to be Community Centres.
Management at the Burton Stone centre is being handed on to users
Green Dykes Lane road closure
Green Dykes Lane closed @ Hull Rd & Thief Lane junctions from 00:01hrs 24/8/13 – 24:00hrs 30/8/13 due to emergency water & electricity works
— York Travel (@york_travel) August 23, 2013
York Council fraud success
The Council is reporting some success in recovering benefit payments which have been fraudulently claimed.
2010/11 = £389,578
2011/12 = £559,763
2012/13 = £290,895
Acomb Library book sale announced
We're having a book sale on Saturday 19th October. Fiction & non-fiction titles. A home full of books is a happy one! pic.twitter.com/0NsKxjpRpp
— Acomb Explore (@acombexplore) August 22, 2013
Now it begins – Westview Close decision set to erode York Green Belt
The first successful appeal against a refusal of planning permission in the York Green Belt will see 8 additional homes built in Westview Close in Acomb.
The application, from Hogg builders, was originally rejected by the York Council.
Subsequently the Council published its – now infamous – draft Local Plan in April which sought to build on land previously recognised as being part of the Green Belt.
Now an Inspector has used that as an excuse to allow the Westview Close development to go ahead.
Click here to see the full decision.
Labour also want to build on the adjacent land – the former Civil Service sports Ground.
The ruling bodes ill for the future of the City.
“No confidence in Council Leadership” petition launched
Workers have tabled a petition which says that they have no confidence in the Council Leadership.
The petition springs from the controversial decision to pay “salary supplements” to some senior managers.
The petition can be accessed here http://democracy.york.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=229</
York GCSE results
Pupils, parents and teachers are celebrating today!
Whilst it is being reported nationally that results are down on last year, York pupils have bucked this trend with schools showing a 4 per cent improvement on last year’s results.
Provisional results show that 67 per cent of young people achieved five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths GCSE, compared to 63 per cent last year.
This result is the highest ever for the city. Fulford school, Huntington school, Archbishop Holgate’s school and All Saints school all achieved over 70 per cent.