Councillors in Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward are appealing for information to help find a brass plaque that has been stolen from a much-loved statue.

Chalfonts, off Tadcaster Road, is home to a statue of a bear that was installed when the homes were built in the 1960s. Beneath the statue sat a brass plaque which marks the ‘Award for Good Design’ granted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in 1969.

The plaque was stolen sometime on the evening of Tuesday 5 November. Local residents reported the theft to the Police, who were not interested and instead suggested that the residents contact Shepherds, who built the houses.

Cllr Stephen Fenton is appealing for information to help find the stolen plaque and have it reunited with the statue.

“It’s desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away like this. The plaque was small and so won’t be worth a lot, assuming that it was stolen by metal thieves hoping to make a few quid.

“The Police have said that they won’t be investigating this theft, which is disappointing but sadly not surprising. So it looks as though it will be up to the local community to try to track it down. If anyone has any information about who stole the plaque, or where it might have ended up, please contact me on 07751 963215 or email cllr.sfenton@york.gov.uk “

There is an interesting article about the statue and plaque on the York C20 website, which is an architectural gazetteer of 20th century York – https://www.yorkc20.york.ac.uk/vignette/one-of-the-finest-examples-of-speculative-housing-in-york-but-who-is-the-bear/