Turnmire Road footpath resurfacing work set to start

The council’s Highways Department will start work on Monday 20th July to reconstruct the footpath on Turnmire Road.  The scheme is expected to take 5 weeks, weather permitting. Work will start at 8am and finish at 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Turnmire RdPaving flags will be taken up and relayed, with broken and worn ones replaced. Vehicle crossings will be reconstructed in concrete, and some road kerbs are to be replaced.

Properties that had hedges and vegetation overhanging the footpath have been asked to cut it back to allow the workers access to the rear of the footway.

New store set for Grand Opening

The Middlethorpe estate off Tadcaster Road will welcome a new store this weekend when ‘Creative’ opens its doors at 12 noon on Sunday 19th July. Creative has taken over the premises formerly occupied by the newsagents.

Creative

The new café/ deli will host a fun afternoon in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice.

It’s great to see a new shop open on the parade. To further improve the area, the local Lib Dem councillors are trying to get the bicycle hoops re-painted or replaced, the litter bin replaced and the rusty postbox repainted.

Dringhouses Community ‘Bake-Off’

Local residents are invited to join in the ‘Community Bake-Off’ to be held on the afternoon of Sunday 20th September at the Moor Lane Youth Centre on Wains Road.

The event is being organised to help bring the community together and promote the re-launch of the Dringhouses West Residents Association. Participation in the Bake-Off is optional, but of course there’ll be an opportunity for everyone to sample the produce!

Dringhouses-Community-Bake-Off

Ward councillor Stephen Fenton is encouraging residents to come along for what should be an enjoyable afternoon: “Whether you are entering the bake-off or not, this is a great way to spend an afternoon getting to know more about the local community or sharing your knowledge with people who are new to the area.”

Racecourse praised for prompt action on hedge problems

We are grateful to York Raceourse for taking prompt action in response to our request for a hedge encroaching onto the footpath on Tadcaster Road to be cut back.

Before

Before

A number of residents had written to us and responded to the recent FOCUS newsletter to tell us about the hedge, which is near to the entrance to the stables complex.

We took this up with the racecourse, and we are pleased to report that the hedge has been cut back to allow pedestrians unhindered use of the footpath (see below).

After

After

 

Ouse Bridge weeds in rude good health

Ouse bridge weeds 25th September 2014

Ouse bridge weeds 25th September 2014

Almost 4 months after the weed growth on Ouse Bridge was first reported to the Council they continue to thrive.

The Council agreed in the summer to ensure that they were treated with weed killer but – if the process ever took place – it has proved to be ineffective.

Great shame as the bridge is well used by both residents and tourists and the undergrowth is a poor advert for the City centre.

Hopefully the Council will act before the structural integrity of the bridge is compromised.

We now understand that they are to try to pull the weeds by hand

 

Skips

The skips below are funded by your 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.

1. Please remember to take your waste to the site only on the dates advertised

2. 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

3. Bulky items including furniture, fridges and freezers are not accepted. To arrange disposal of Bulky items including furniture, fridges and freezers are not accepted. To arrange disposal of one of these items please ring York (01904) 551551.

 

04 October 2014

Cornlands Road

 12:30pm

Dringfield Close

 8:30am

Ganton Place

 10:30 AM

11 October 2014

Ostman Road

 10:30am
Community House Bramham Road 8:30am

18 October 2014
Bramham Road/Grange Lane 12:30pm

25 October 2014

Jute Road

 12:30pm

01 November 2014

Community House Bramham Road

 8:30am

Bramham Road/Grange Lane

 12:30pm

Kingsway West

 8:30am

Stuart Road

 10:30am
Windsor Garth

12:30pm

Labour Council fails “value for money” audit

External auditors have offered only a “qualified” judgement on Labour run York Council’s 2013/14 accounts due to failings in adult social care.

Lowfields care village - 3 years behind schedule

Lowfields care village – 3 years behind schedule

At last night’s meeting of the council’s Audit & Governance Committee it was confirmed that auditors Mazars would only offer a “qualified” judgement on the council’s accounts, specifically their ‘Value for Money’ assessment.

A report presented to the committee said there were “weaknesses in budgetary control and financial management in Adult Social Care services….a lack of understanding and ownership of budgets….and performance information was limited”.

It said “during 2013/14 the service did not demonstrate an ability to address the issues that it faced” and financial arrangements in place were “not strong enough”.

The final announcement comes in the wake of serious delays in a number of social care projects.

Key amongst these are plans to construct a state of the art centre on the Lowfields school site which would have made the service more efficient.

The project is 3 years behind scheduled and Labour Councillors have refused to reveal why, although no formal contract for the facility has yet been advertised for tender.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and a member of the Audit & Governance Committee, commented:

(more…)