Skips on Saturday

skip-bin-hire

5th July 2014 8:30am Don Ave

10:30am North Lane
12th July 2014 8:30am Sanderson House, Bramham Road

10:30am Rogers Court
19th July 2014 8:30am Lowfields Drive

12:30pm Cornlands Road
26th July 2014 10:30 am Saxon Place Potter Lane end

10:30am Fossway
2nd August 2014 8:30am Westfield Place8:30am Dringfield Close

10:30am Ganton Place

12:30pm Jute Road
  • The skips are funded by the local residents association using their Estate Improvement Grant. The skips are removed once they are full so please make sure you arrive in good time if you intend to make use of them.
  • Please remember to take your waste to the site only on the dates advertised
  • If the skip is full or not on the site, please do not leave your waste. This is classed as fly tipping and is illegal
  • Bulky items including furniture, fridges and freezers are not accepted. To arrange disposal of one of these items please ring York (01904) 551551.

Tour de France events diary published as questions raised about City appearance.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Full litter bins and detritus on river banks

Full litter bins and detritus on river banks

Concerns are increasing about the appearance of the City in the immediate lead up to the Tour de France start.

It seems the Council has taken its eye off the ball, not just in its preparations for tomorrows Huntington Stadium “Grand Departy” not to mention the Poppleton Park and Ride embarrassment, but also visitors are arriving in the City to be greeted with public service standards which in some locations are boarding on the squalid..

Graffiti next to the railway station
Graffiti next to the railway station

Residents are, however, being encouraged to prepare for a “full and diverse cultural weekend” to celebrate the Tour de France as events as activities for the whole family take place across the city from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 July.

Highlights include:

Friday 4 – Sunday 6 July

· York Curiouser explores the city centre through contemporary art interventions in colour, texture and word

· Boulevard St Leonard’s will have themed pavement cafés, French decoration and music. Plus, Maintenant (Now) is a sound installation of 100 sounds of Paris and 100 sounds of York – Now! Both are commissioned by Yorkshire Air Museum and York Theatre Royal. www.yorkshireairmuseum.org/ and http://festival.yorkshire.com/events/boulevard-st-leonard

· 60 stunning 15-feet long mediaeval-style banners created by 50 community groups and hung from the city walls from the Lendal Bridge archway to Bishophill via Micklegate bar

· Sonnet Walks involve a collection of costumed characters performing Shakespeare sonnets and speeches around the city centre. http://www.yorkshakespeareproject.org/
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Dringhouses 150 – Celerating the libraries contribution to the local community

 

click for brochure

click for brochure

Come and help us celebrate our birthday! Dringhouses Library is over 150 years old.

It has been a library since 1942, and was a Victorian school before that.

Throughout July 2014, we will be commemorating this role in the life of the people of Dringhouses for the last century and a half.

We celebrate the building as a place of community and learning, through theatre, music, lectures, author talks, and more. 

See the brochure of events (PDF, 12 pages).

 

First bus route changes for Tour de France in York

With millions expected to line the route of the Tour de France this weekend, First is putting in place the final preparations for the local bus and Park&Ride network around York on Sunday 6 July.

Bus stuck during previous TdF race

Bus stuck during previous TdF race

Due to road closures some routes will also need to be diverted or altered and customers are encouraged to plan well ahead by visiting firstgroup.com/tourdefrance for all the details.  Details of changes to routes, stops and services can also be seen around the city centre on notices at bus stops and information displayed on real time screens.

As a result of the route taken by the race, First’s cross-city services will be split and some will be diverted with buses starting and finishing at one of three bus hubs, Fishergate, Hungate & the Station.

First has worked closely with City of York Council to also provide more Park & Ride journeys with services starting from 6am – three and a half hours earlier than on a normal Sunday. In addition, Askham Bar, Grimston Bar and Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride sites will open from 4am to allow people to arrive early.

Park&Ride sites provide services every 10 minutes with great value fares (returns costing £2.70 from the terminal to the city centre, with up to 2 children travelling free with each adult). More information is available yorkparkandride.co.uk. Due to the route taken by the race the Poppleton Bar Park&Ride will not be operating on Sunday 6th July..

First is also providing extra buses across the York network on existing routes providing more capacity and allowing for slightly longer journeys in some cases to take into account diversions and additional road traffic. Many services will also start earlier on the morning of Sunday 6 July to accommodate the extra demand.

As well as additional driving roles, First staff will be working across the network and behind the scenes to ensure the event is a success. First is also preparing spare buses ready at key locations across Yorkshire to meet any other transport requirements.

Additional late evening services will operate on the Monks Cross Park & Ride on Friday 4th July to cater for the ‘Grand Departy’ concert at Huntington Stadium. The last bus back to the City will depart from Monks Cross Park & Ride site at 11.30pm. Services will run as normal on Saturday 5 July and Monday 7th July.

Customers are encouraged to keep in touch with travel updates over the weekend by using twitter on @YorkTravel

Will Pearson, Business Manager of First in York added:  The Tour de France, Grand Depart is a fabulous opportunity to showcase Yorkshire and we’ve worked closely with partners including City of York Council to support our existing bus network and introduce extra services to help transport existing and new customers. There will be some disruption to the bus network but by planning ahead customers can find out what alternatives are available and ensure they enjoy this

“10 minute shake up” comes to York

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Change4Life and Disney are partnering on a major new campaign – 10 Minute Shake Up – to help encourage the city’s children to get active this summer.

The 10 Minute Shake Up campaign uses a bit of Disney magic to inspire children to reach the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with fun, manageable 10 minute bursts of exercise with an aim of getting children across the country moving for an extra 100 million minutes this summer.
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Terry’s development exhibition tomorrow (Tuesday)

Terry’s Development exhibition.

The exhibition will take place tomorrow (2nd July 2014) between 3 and 7.30pm at St Chad’s Church Hall, Campleshon Road, YO23 1EY.

 The next Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward residents Forum (aka Ward Committee) will take place on Thursday 10th July in St Edwards Church Hall, Tadcaster Road commencing with a “drop in” at 6:30pm

Exhibitions  include an update on progress at Chapman’s Pond and proposals to extend St Edwards Church Hall

The meeting agenda (start  7:00pm) includes

  •  Police update,

  • York Yourth Council and

  • information on the new park and ride sites at Askham Bar and Poppleton Bar

 

Latest Planning applications Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward

 Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Location:       3 Pulleyn Drive York YO24 1DY

Proposal:       Two storey and single storey rear extension

Ref No: 14/01268/FUL

Applicant:      Mr Simon Pearson     Contact Mr Richard Dykes        Consultation Expiry Date        14 July 2014Case Officer:   Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed)       Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       89 Middlethorpe Grove York YO24 1JX

Proposal:       Single storey rear extension

Ref No: 14/01369/FUL

Applicant:      Mr And Mrs Cunningham   Contact Mr R Room     Consultation Expiry Date        14 July 2014 Case Officer:   Carolyn Howarth Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       21 College Court Dringhouses York YO24 1UH

Proposal:       Crown lift Purple Norway Maple, Tree protected by Tree Preservation Order CYC290

Ref No: 14/01424/TPO

Applicant:      Mrs Catherine Reynolds  Consultation Expiry Date        14 July 2014 Case Officer:   Esther Priestley        Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       8 The Covert York YO24 1JN

Proposal:       Erection of single storey extension extending 3.6 metres beyond the rear wall of the original house, with a height to the eaves of 2.5 metres and a total height of 3.4 metres

Ref No: 14/01425/LHE

Applicant:      Mr Alex Dewhirst        Contact Mr David Wood   Consultation Expiry Date        18 July 2014Case Officer:   Dave Johnson    Expected Decision Level DEL

————

Location:       26 Aldersyde York YO24 1QP

Proposal:       Crown Reduce Norway Maple  by 0.5-1.00metres (20%) to an appropriate secondary growth point., Trees protected by Tree Preservation Order CYC 265

Ref No: 14/01489/TPO

Applicant:      Mrs J Wilson    Contact Douglas Monaghan        Consultation Expiry Date        21 July 2014 Case Officer:   Esther Priestley        Expected Decision Level DEL

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

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

 

NB.

Yet more changes to the planning permission granted for the erection of houses on the former Our Lady’s school site on Hob Moor have been submitted. It is the third change, to the conditions imposed by the Planning Committee, requested by the developers in little over 1 month. The letters issued to neighbours who objected to the original – very controversial – plan are opaque with only a very limited time available in which to raise objections. All in all, it is not a satisfactory way of dealing with genuine concerns.

Marygate car park gets barrier

The new equipment for Marygate has apparently has cost £100,000.

The reliability record of this type of system is also patchy

There are some big questions to be answered about value for money with residents discount Minster Badges now costing £20. .

NB. Will charges apply in the evening? How will badge holders exit without paying?

Big York Council Departmental overspends in 2013/14

Council took £1.8 million in spy camera fines which may have to be refunded

Social care budgets were over spent by £1.3 million last year with Environmental Services (mainly waste collection) clocking up a £443,000 and Children’s Services/Education a £309,000 loss.

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Overall York Council Departments spent £1.7 million more than had been budgeted.

The budget broke even only because of a £2 million surplus on “centrally administered” budgets.

The figures are revealed in a report to be considered by the Councils “Cabinet” tomorrow (Tuesday)

As previously reported, the biggest problems arise in Social Care where the Council reveals overspends on community support (£236k) due to a higher number of customers than forecast, a continued increase above forecast level in the number of customers taking up Direct Payments (£129k), increased use of external placements for emergency and short term breaks (£252k) and a higher than budgeted number of customers in residential nursing placements (£718k).

The Councils financial position was saved only because it continued to enjoy the benefits of low interest rates on its borrowing (equivalent to a £990,000 budget saving).

It achieved only 73% of its planned capital investment programme storing up a massive £83 million backlog in work which it says it will try to address during the current financial year.

The government gave the City an extra £732,000 to reduce the Rate burden on small businesses although there has been a slow take up on this important concession.

The position is also masked by £1.765 million in fines income received from spy camera use in the Lendal Bridge and Coppergate.

The Council has now admitted that the trials cost a whopping £718,000 to implement. £1.047 million has been put in a reserve account which will presumably be used to refund fines imposed unlawfully.

The balance would have to come from Council taxpayers (the equivalent of a 1% rise in Council Tax levels).

The spy cameras on Lendal Bridge have been removed while those on Coppergate were switched off on 1st April.

The housing revenue account (Council house rents income) showed a £12.1 million surplus at the end of the year.

The report to the Cabinet pointedly fails to contain performance data on the quality of public services being provided to York residents.

NB As at April 1st 2014, 6717 York Council Taxpayers had arrears of £ 4,769,989.36

How to get residents attention? Call your project something impenetrable

York Council reduces opening hours

order chaos

The Council is being asked to approve the next stage in it’s, ludicrously titled, “rewiring” project.

The project has nothing to do with moving electricity supply cables in the Councils West Offices!

It is just a euphemism for another reorganisation; but the non de plume will effectively raise a barrier to resident understanding.

A report to a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) proposes to reduce the hours of opening of the Councils contact centre. In future it will open between 9:00am and 5:00pm (Mon-Fri)

Although it is claimed that this is a response to resident contact patterns, the reality is that the centre is hopelessly overloaded with IT systems unable, after 6 months, to even provide complainants with an issue reference number.

The Council report also makes much of devolving management of public services to local communities.

Incredibly it talks of the need for “local buildings to be multi agency focal points”.

This is the same Council which has cut Community Centre support –all of which are located in the least well off communities – to the bone.

Two face closure.

It comes from a Council which has off loaded, to an independent trust, local libraries – one of the few successful public services provided in the City over the last few years.

The programme aims to facilitate cuts of £5.5 million in the Councils budget.

The largest part of these will come from Social Care. The Social Care budget overspent by more than £1.3 million last year.

While some change is inevitable, the Council would be wise to provide more details of the implications of its plans for residents and in plain English.

Dropping gimmicky titles would be a good start