Police Commissioner orders 2% increase in Council Tax

Nick Love seeks meeting to discuss crime concerns and IT failures

The Police Commissioner Julia Mulligan has announced a 2% increase in the element of Council Tax which funds Policing in North Yorkshire and York.

The announcement comes only a few days after it was revealed that the levels of, some types of, crime were continuing to increase in the City.

Anyone looking to find a working link to the Commissioners web site (from the police site) will be disappointed  Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Anyone trying to follow a link to the  Safer York partnership http://www.saferyork.org.uk/ will find similar frustrations. Even worse, a link to the equivalent site in Selby  directs residents to a mortgage company.

And that is part of the emerging problem with local policing. Communications with the public are haphazard in some areas.

2014 by the numbers

Until 3 years ago we all knew how our allocated local “bobby” was”. There were dedicated Police officers and PCSOs for each ward.

There was a local web site which, as well as containing details of the local officers, also set out surgery dates and contact channels as well as crime prevention information.

This has largely disappeared.

While the web site still includes a – user friendly – map showing the distribution of crime reports it currently fails most other tests.

Some wards seem to have suffered particularly badly from the decision to centralise some police officers into an “anti social behaviour” hub located in the York Councils’ West Offices. There has been no report on the effectiveness of this unit although the York council is budgeting to throw a further £300,000 into it next year.

In fairness there has been some progress on some aspects of “social media”.

The twitter feeds for various parts of the force are appreciated by many residents. The daily news updates are also a positive approach

But little performance information is routinely published across the whole county – and what is available is broad brush. It is particularly difficult to find information on detection rates – one of the key tests for any police force.

Even the supposed independent police and crime panel receives little useful information and has a profile which can most kindly be described as subterranean

As a minimum these changes need to be made:

  1. Safer neighbourhood web sites need to be updated and refined
  2. Local communities should know who their dedicated police officers and PCSOs are
  3. They should have an idea about the level of patrolling frequency that they can expect to see.
  4. They should have access to surgeries where they can talk to (at least) a PCSO. (Only one surgery for the whole of February is currently advertised on the local York Police web site)
  5. The positive engagement policy should be reintroduced with the police attending events at community centres, libraries etc possibly when another event is taking place. (unfortunately, with the demise of the Ward committee, one formal link with local communities was lost)
  6. Residents should be clear how to make contact. If police desks like the one at Acomb are manned what the opening hours are and who will be manning the desks (currently volunteers)?
  7. Local Councillors, neighbourhood watch and the media should be routinely told about local crime trends and prevention advice. All should agree to pass on information to local residents. Use could be made of notice boards and Council newsletters.
  8. Crime stats should be routinely published at least for safer neighbourhood areas. These should include detection rates.
  9. The Police Commissioner should ensure that all meeting agendas and supporting papers are readily available – including links to them from local Council web sites. She should trial webcasting and public access sessions.
  10. There should be a review of the location of senior officers. Given crime trends, there may be a case for the DCC to be headquartered in York.

Those at the top of the local Police force need to get a grip on these issues quickly.

Nick Love the LibDem MP candidate for York Central says,

“I will be seeking a meeting with the Police to see how we can best address areas where crime has increased in York and to explore the possibility of a more senior officer being permanently based in the City such as the Deputy Chief Constable.”

Be Clear on Cancer campaign launched in York to raise awareness that ongoing heartburn can be a sign of cancer

Latest data reveals 62 people in York are diagnosed with cancers of the stomach or oesophagus (gullet) each year.

Be clear on cancer
York is supporting the latest ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign that has launched this week urging people to visit their doctor if they have heartburn most days for three weeks or more, as this can be a sign of oesophageal or stomach cancer.
(more…)

Applications for York play projects invited

Community groups are invited to apply to City of York Council’s Better Play Grant, which provides funding to organisations that deliver play opportunities for children and young people in York.


In the new financial year, £87,000 will be shared between projects of between one and three year’s duration, and which address the priorities highlighted in the York Taking Play Forward policy. In the current Community Play programme, four organisations are delivering projects until the end of March 2015.

To qualify, applicants for the 2015-18 funding must be a constituted voluntary organisation, or a community organisation with policies and operating procedures in place which are appropriate for working with children and young people. Successful applicants will also be required to register their organisation on the YorOK Service Directory.

Anyone wishing to talk through a project or idea in more detail before applying can contact Tim Waudby on 01904 553426 email: tim.waudby@york.gov.ukor Mary Bailey 551812 email: mary.bailey@york.gov.uk
Application forms and guidance can be down loaded from www.yor-ok.org.uk/play and must be submitted before the deadline of 13 March 2015.

York Council plans huge increase in borrowing

£1 million a year in interest charges to be added to Council Tax burden

Labour Council leaders say that they want to spend an additional £44 million on capital schemes in the City.

Potentially controversial projects include:

Scarborough footbridge £3 million bill

  •  £3 million on a replacement Scarborough (foot/cycle) bridge (the adjacent rail bridge is currently being renewed in a completed separate project)
  • £12.1 million on new IT systems (£1.8 million of which will be charged to Council tenants)
  • £1.8 million on further “reinvigorating” York work
  • £11.0 million on a bridge into the York Central site
  • £800,000 on LED street lamps (despite the Council poor performance in getting existing lights repaired)

No provision has been made for the new Elderly Care facilities at Lowfields or Burnholme – effectively confirming that the Council intends either to abandon these projects or hand them over to the private sector.

Instead a further £300,000 is to be spent repairing existing homes.

Summary of new growth proposals click to enlarge

Summary of new growth proposals click to enlarge

Also missing is any reference to investment in the Guildhall although the last Labour Cabinet meeting authorised a £9.2 million scheme to convert it into a Digital and Arts Media centre.

The Council is making cuts to road resurfacing (structural maintenance) with its contribution falling from £1.0 million next year to £3/4 million in future years.

Labour intend to impose wheeled bins on terraced houses – sparking fears that wars, about the impact that collection points may have on neighbouring properties, will be reignited.

There is a lot missing from the published programme – or hidden from public view.

Despite promises that the “Combined Authority” link with West Yorkshire would provide capital investment funding for transport improvements such as the dualling of the northern by pass, no such contribution is shown during the next 5 years.

Congestion on northern by pass set to continue?

Congestion on northern by pass set to continue?

Similarly no new economic development funding is shown – leaving hopes, for a regeneration initiative in Acomb, floating in the air.

The housing programme once again fails to recognise the need for a face-lift, on many sub-urban estates, despite the surplus on the housing account now approaching £15 million.

It is likely that Liberal Democrat Councillors will seek to use some of this surplus to tackle parking issues on some of the older estates where road widths are relatively narrow.

 Should we be worried about the Councils increasing debt burden?

Planned Council borrowing levels click to enlarge

Planned Council borrowing levels click to enlarge

The York Council currently owes about £330 million.

That is set to rise to £348 million over the next 2 years.

This is an historic high and means that a significant proportion of the taxes being paid (around 14%) are being absorbed by interest and repayment costs.  

The Council is currently borrowing at an interest rate of about 4% pa

The new proposals (above) will add around £28 to next year’s average tax bill.

Delays in repairing street lights

Liberal Democrat councillors say cuts to streetlight checks are leaving many areas of the city in the dark.

In 2013, Labour run City of York Council decided to end ‘night scouting’- the routine checking (scouting) for faulty streetlights by council officers. The council said it would rely on the public to report any faults. Lib Dem councillors ‘called-in’ the decision, but Labour forced through the controversial plans.

Lib Dem councillors now say there is a growing backlog of faulty lights with some taking weeks to repair. Cllr Andrew Waller says he has reported 50 faulty lights in the Westfield ward alone and concerns have been raised with him over public safety. He has also arranged for some tree trimming in the ward where streetlights have been covered by branches.

Cllr Ann Reid, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Transport and Environmental Services, commented:

“We warned that the ending of night scouting would cause problems. Solely relying on residents to report issues is not an ideal system. During the summer months people don’t always notice the lights are out so there was an increase in reports once the clocks went back. This creates a backlog, which officers are now struggling to catch-up with. Regular checking prevents this.

“Labour introduced the cut without proper public consultation and they failed to take account of the problems caused the last time the council stopped night-scouting about 15 years ago. Residents expect their council tax to cover basic things like good streetlights and roads, but while Labour find millions to spend on city-centre vanity projects these basic services continue to be hit.”

Cllr Andrew Waller, Lib Dem Councillor for Westfield, commented:

“Residents are concerned that there are black spots where street lighting is poor or non-existent. We need a clear plan to improve the lighting of streets. In Westfield there is a blind bend on Acomb Green at the junction with Askham Lane which does not have any street lighting and a large number of residents have raised concerns with local Lib Dems.

“Residents have contacted me saying that they would feel a lot more at ease going out at night if there was better lighting in particular areas, such as where trees are currently blocking out lights.”

Liberal Democrats announce candidate line-up for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe

Local Liberal Democrats have selected the team of candidates who will contest the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward at May’s local elections.

Ann, Stephen and Ashley

Ann, Stephen and Ashley

Standing with Cllr Ann Reid, who has represented the ward in its various forms since 1986, will be Ashley Mason and Stephen Fenton, who hope to join Ann in representing the ward on City of York Council. Currently the ward is represented by one Lib Dem and two Labour councillors, one of who (Anna Semlyen) is not seeking re-election after just one term.

Cllr Ann Reid commented:

 “Ashley and Stephen live locally and so know the area well. They have the energy and enthusiasm to make a positive impact on the council. Local residents recognise the work that the local Lib Dem team does, and understand that with a larger team of councillors we can achieve even more.”

Ann Reid was first elected to York City Council in 1986 and represented Foxwood Ward until ward boundaries were changed in 2003, and has represented Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ever since. Ann was Lord Mayor in 1993/94 and was Executive Member for Planning and Transport from 2003 – 2008 and for Environmental Services from 2008 – 2011. Ann has been a member of the Planning Committee since 1988 and more recently chaired the Learning and Culture Scrutiny Committee. Ann has been a Governor of Woodthorpe Primary School since 1986 and is a Trustee of Mayfields Community Trust and a member of the Company of Cordwainers. Ann’s three children were all educated at Woodthorpe Primary and Oaklands School. 

Ashley Mason

Ashley Mason

Ashley Mason is 25 years old and has lived in York all of his life. His family home overlooks the Knavesmire. Ashley attended Knavesmire Primary, Millthorpe School and then York College. Ashley runs a successful small business in the city employing 40 staff. Before this he spent 5 years with North Yorkshire Police. As a young entrepreneur, Ashley wants to use his experience to help young people as they enter the world of work.

Stephen Fenton

Stephen Fenton

Stephen Fenton is 43 years old and has lived in Acomb since 2003 when he moved to the city to take up a new job. He currently works for the NHS. Stephen has been involved in a number of campaigns locally, including the fight to save the Beckfield Lane tip from closure. He has worked with Ann Reid over the past year on the campaign to protect York’s Green Belt from development. Stephen is a keen sportsman and is secretary of Poppleton tennis club, where he plays.

York Council letting disadvantaged children down?

A new Centre for City’s study has put York bottom of a league table when measuring the exam results achieved by disadvantaged pupils.

Attainment graphs

Although the number of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs including Maths and English in 2013/14 was good, the results for those from disadvantaged backgrounds was worse then elsewhere in the country.

 The gap in York at primary school age (KS2) is 23 percentage points.

This widens to a 40 percentage point difference between disadvantaged pupils and their peers at GCSE level: just 29 per cent of disadvantaged pupils in York achieve five or more good GSCEs, while 69 per cent of their peers do.

The government’s flagship “pupil premium” funding was intended to address this issue.

Someone at the York Council needs to start explaining why some secondary schools seem to be letting down those pupils from a disadvantaged background.

Council Leaders have been quick to jump on any good news from this organisation.

When a downturn in performance become apparent, silence isn’t an adequate explanation.

Latest Planning application 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:       Knavesmire Manor Hotel 302 Tadcaster Road York YO24 1HE

Proposal:       Erection of detached dwelling and garage

Ref No: 15/00054/FUL

Applicant:      The Knavesmire Venture LLP      Contact ONeill Associates       Consultation Expiry Date        25 February 2015 Case Officer:   Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed)       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/

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