Askham Bar new park and ride site opens on Sunday

Poppleton Bar park and ride site

Poppleton Bar park and ride site

The Council re claiming that battery powered buses will run from the Poppleton Park and Ride site from Sunday.

If they do, then it will be due to the efforts of workers on the car park and Poppleton roundabout improvements which were still far from finished earlier today.

Battery powered buses were first proposed by the, then LibDem controlled, Council in 2010.

The introduction of seven zero emission buses on the new park and ride route now is due to a grant from the coalition government.

It is a step in thr right direction.

However, there will be some concern that the new service is being introduced before works at the car park site (opposite the Wyevale garden centre) and on the A59/A1237 junction have been completed.

The new service needs to be a showpiece for the City – not just in terms of appearance, but also in providing a swift journey across a junction which has often been congested in the past.

We seem to be some days away from being able to guarantee that kind of improved visitor experience.

The new Park and Ride site at Askham Bar seems to be further advanced and should be ready for service on Sunday.

Approach to A59/A1237 roundabout

 

Swim Britain launched at Energise

 

David Williams and Kerianne Payne

David Williams and Kerianne Payne

Energise is encouraging York residents to get back in the water this summer for British Gas SwimBritain 2014.

Supported by a host of big-name swimmers including fellow London 2012 medallists Ellie Simmonds, Michael Jamieson, Rebecca Adlington, Keri Anne Payne and comedian David Walliams, SwimBritain is a series of fun team relays that are taking place this September which hopes to inspire 500,000 people across Britain to swim more regularly – and get fit!

Swimmers can take the challenge in 2 ways.

SwimBritain1000 is a four-person relay where each team member swims 250m four times around a specially-designed course in a dedicated 50m pool.

SwimBritain500 is a shorter distance where team members use the same course, swimming half the distance (125m four times) and the nearest participating venue to York is Ponds Ford in Sheffield.

Rebecca Adlington, who retired from competitive swimming at the age of 23 last year as Britain’s most successful swimmer, said: “I may have retired from professional swimming but I will always love being in the water and a challenge like British Gas SwimBritain is brilliant as it’s really inclusive – not just for professional swimmers. Swimming offers everyone a full range of health and fitness benefits so the more people we can encourage to swim regularly, the better. It’s a full body workout without any stress on the joints. A gentle half hour swim can burn up to 200 calories, so I’d love to see as many people as possible joining in and giving SwimBritain a go.”

Swimfit at Energise costs £3.85 for adults with a York Card and £4.80 without. There is no need to book in advance.

Registrations are now open. For further information on venues, how to sign up your team and get training plans and tips, visit swimbritain.co.uk/challenge

 

Skips on Saturday

  • 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.
7th June 2014 8:30am Dringfield Close

10:30am Ganton Place
21st June 2014 8:30am Dale Street
28th June 2014 8:30am Sanderson House Bramham Road 8:30am Bramham Road/Grange Lane junction

12:30pm Lindsey Ave
5th July 2014 8:30am Don Ave

10:30am North Lane

12th July 2014 8:30am Sanderson House, Bramham Road 10:30am Rogers Court

York Council – Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet appointments

LibDem tieThe York Liberal Democrat Council Group has revealed their policy spokespeople following the start of the council’s 2014/15 civic year.

The Lib Dems, who are the joint largest opposition group on Labour run York Council, unanimously re-elected current leader Cllr Keith Aspden and deputy Cllr Ann Reid at their recent AGM, but have made a number of changes elsewhere.

New roles will see Group Leader Cllr Keith Aspden focus on community engagement, Cllr Keith Orrell lead the campaign to Save York’s Green Belt, Cllr Lynn Jeffries take on health and adult social care, and Cllr Ian Cuthbertson lead on Culture, Tourism and Leisure.  (more…)

Local Sky Ride dates announced

Sky ride

With the Tour de France coming to York on 6 July, City of York Council in partnership with British Cycling and Sky is inviting residents who have been inspired by the great race to sign up to a series of free guided bike rides around the city.

The Council says, “Ahead of Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France starting in York Sky Ride Local offers people the chance to join organised, guided rides of varying distances and difficulties. These range from easy-going spins around picturesque parts of York through to ‘steady’ and ‘challenging’ rides, for those seeking a little more adventure.”

The next rides coming up are:

Date: 12 July

Time: 1pm

Location: York Cycle Circuit. Meet at York Sports Village, Lakeside Way

Date: 13 July

Time: 10am

Location: Solar System ride: To the planet Pluto and back. Meet at Rowntree Park

Date: 23 July

Time: 1pm

Location: Solar System ride: To the planet Pluto and back. Meet at Rwontree Park

What’s more, residents who take part in two or more Sky Ride Local rides in July can grab themselves some great British Cycling gifts, including water bottles, neck Buffs and the chance to win a VIP cycling experience to the Tour of Britain this September.

To register for one of these rides and for more information about Sky Ride Local and other bike riding opportunities in York this summer visit www.goskyride.com/York

For more information on the Tour de France and cycling in York visit www.york.gov.uk/tourdefrance

Further threat to York Green Belt

Liberal Democrats say that thousands of extra houses could be built on the Green Belt after new figures were released by Labour run York Council.

Save the green belt poster Dringhouses

 

The housing figures are contained in papers published as part of the council’s 6 week ‘further sites’ consultation, which begins today. Labour was forced to include the housing figures after Lib Dem councillors ‘called-in’ the decision to start public consultation without the numbers.

 

Last year Labour’s Draft Local Plan earmarked 16,000 houses for York’s Green Belt. However, the new information shows that use of so-called ‘safeguarded land’ could increase that figure by thousands more. Safeguarded land is allocated to meet long-term development need and means land that is being removed from the Green Belt and earmarked for housing.Safeguarded sites at Earswick and next to a planned new settlement at Whinthorpe could see over 2,000 and over 4,000 houses built respectively.

 

Meanwhile, some Green Belt sites first identified last year will increase in size, including East of Metcalfe Lane and North of Haxby while new sites such as Stockton Lane, the Old School Playing Fields in New Earswick and off Boroughbridge Road would see hundreds more houses built if Labour’s proposals are agreed.

(more…)

Lendal Bridge – Council Leadership move to block scrutiny of their decisions

Lendal bridge notice

Papers published for a meeting of the Council scrutiny committee, which covers transport issues, today reveal that the Labour Leadership are trying to block an inquiry into their handling of the Lendal Bridge closure.

Residents in general – and the 70,000 motorists fined “unlawfully” by the Council for using Lendal Bridge and Coppergate in particular- had been expecting the answers to a string of questions about the muddle and confusion which surrounded the ill-judged trial.

The Council Leader describes the request as “politics not scrutiny” and says that “an independently chaired congestion commission” should report first. As any such commission would take months – if not years – to report, this is clearly an attempt to bury the issue until after the local elections which are scheduled to take place next May.

Similarly the disgraced Cabinet member, who was responsible for the shambles, argues that a review is “premature” and should await the result of the Council’s appeal against the traffic adjudicator’s judgement. As this appeal expected to be resolved within the next 2 months, it does not seem be a valid reason to delay setting up a review committee.

The committee meets next week to decide on its work programme for the coming year.

Although there is a Labour majority on the committee, they will not be able to deny answers to residents legitimate questions for ever.

The new Council, which will be elected in May 2015, will be able to set up an Inquiry when it takes office.

There will be nowhere for the former Labour Leadership to hide then.

Low absences at York schools

Figures released by DfE last week show school absence in York are amongst the lowest in the country.

Truency

In York, absence in primary schools for the 2013 autumn term fell to 3.4 per cent, a figure bettered in only three of the other 150 local authorities.

Similarly, absence in secondary schools fell to 4.4 per cent – the best ever figure for a term in York secondary schools – bettered by only 11 of the 150 other Local Authorities.

Absence figures in York’s secondary schools are also reducing at a faster rate than the national trend.

Where there are barriers or challenges to a child attending regularly, schools work with families to support them in resolving the issues.