Quango set to take over Council’s economic development activities

More of the York Councils decision making powers are to be handed over to an unelected body tomorrow (Tuesday) The Council’s Cabinet is being recommended to approve  the transfer of “marketing, culture, tourism and business development” activities to a company called “Make it York” (MiY).

The new company will have a budget of around  £4 million a year. Much of this will come from Tourism activities although the Council will transfer its Shambles Market (£241k),  Tourism (£232k), Science City (£100k), Economic Development (£337k) and Cultural activities (£229k) budgets into MiY control.

Made-in--York-T-Shirts

As well as tourism, the company will be responsible for an eclectic range of activities including “Christmas Lights”.

The outline business plan for the organisation can be read by clicking here

The Council’s interests on the Board of Directors will be represented by the Council Leader and Chief Executive.

Some will feel that the second Council seat should be allocated to an opposition Leader, rather than to a paid official. This might improve the chances of a  consensus emerging on priorities and could give the company a life expectancy extending beyond May 2015

The move comes in the wake of a series of decisions which have, in recent years, steadily eroded  taxpayers influence over how their money is spent.

As well as the Museums Trust, the City’s Libraries and Archives are now managed by an independent organisation. In fairness, both  these organisations have so far been relatively benign and seem to be sensitive to users views.

Strategic transport and economic development powers have been partly transferred to a “combined authority” which has its headquarters in Leeds. Feedback from this body is poor with the decision making process largely impenetrable for the average resident.  There will be big questions to be answered about York’s future in the “Leeds City Region” after the Council elections take place in May.

In the meantime, the major criticisms of “Make it York” remain its lack of accountability, transparency and its attitude to the needs of the City’s suburbs.

 It could quickly enhance its reputation by publicly backing the Front Street regeneration project.

Residents will want to see the organisation making its decisions in public and will expect it to – voluntarily – agree to respond to Freedom of Information requests.

Additional garden waste collection reminder

City of York Council is reminding residents that an additional one off garden waste collection will take place this month between 19 and 30 January.

Green Bin

This will mean the council will be able to collect all the autumn waste and Christmas trees in green bins.

Please note that Christmas trees must be inside the bin, so please cut it up if necessary.

 

The green waste collection will take place on the same day as recyclables are scheduled to be collected.

Look up collections or download a 2015 rubbish and recycling calendar at www.york.gov.uk/refuselookup  or call 01904 551551.

During the winter months residents can take additional garden waste to Hazel Court and Towthorpe Household Waste Recycling Centres free of charge in a car. Residents using larger vehicles or trailers will need to apply for permits to use the sites.

Home composting is also a great way to manage waste at home and provide nutrient rich compost for gardens. Visit www.getcomposting.com for further information or to purchase a reduced price home compost bin to get started.

Ahead of the new collection season in 2015, households with more than one green wheeled bin can sign up to the additional green bin scheme which operates during the usual garden waste season.   

To join the scheme call 01904 551551 or ‘apply for it’ via our secure website at https://www.york.gov.uk/DoItOnline/

To find out more about the garden waste subscription scheme visit www.york.gov.uk/recycling

Follow @CYCWaste on Twitter, or like CYCWaste on Facebook.

Tour de France report leaves many unanswered questions

The Councils Cabinet and, later, scrutiny committee will be debating the final report on last years Tour De France event when they meet next week.

Tour De France launch dinner in Ripon Cathedral

Tour De France launch dinner in Ripon Cathedral

The report rightly highlights the positive benefits which the event produced. Not least among these were the 200,000 spectators in the City and the international publicity which the City received as well as an estimated £8 million injected into the local economy.

The latter figure is estimated and does not seek to relate benefits to the £1.8 million that the taxpayer paid for the event.

That was the largest amount that the York Council has spent on a single leisure event.  

To put it into context, a similar number of people visited the City for the “Royal Ascot at York” event held in 2005. That event cost taxpayers less than 10% of the TdF costs (with most costs relating to traffic management).

The reports are weakest in the areas which caused some local residents concern.

A much hyped claim was that merchandising, car parking and camping sales would produce a “profit” to off set costs. That simply didn’t happen.

Sparse crowd for Grand Departy

Sparse crowd for Grand Departy

Many decisions such as the location of the event “hubs” were delayed before being imposed on unwilling neighbourhoods.

Some failures – post start entertainment and big screen blackouts – could have been avoided with better planning.

But the conspiracy of silence about the £180,000 Grand Departy decision making process remains the most significant outstanding issue. Only a passing reference is made to this event in the reports.

Hopefully the Scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday will finally insist on answers being given to the outstanding questions about the Grand Departy. When we know the answers, a more informed decision can be made about the level of public subsidy – if any – which should be given to the proposed “Tour de Yorkshire” (TdY).

Ironically that event is scheduled to hit the City on a busy bank holiday only 3 days before the Council elections are scheduled to take place.

York residents deserve to know all the facts before Council discussions are veiled by the start of the local election “purdah” period.

Police recruiting more Special Constables

North Yorkshire Police are on the hunt for people with that “Special” quality, as the force launches its campaign to recruit a new intake of Special Constables.

North Yorkshire Police

Special Constables are volunteers, who commit at least four hours of their time per week to keeping communities safe. “Specials” go through a rigorous training programme before they qualify to go out on the beat, where they work alongside regular police officers covering a wide range of different duties – anything from policing public events, to tackling anti-social behaviour or attending emergency incidents.

North Yorkshire Police currently has more than 160 Special Constable volunteers, who come from a wide range of backgrounds and professions, including teachers, airline cabin crew, office workers and archaeologists.

The force is hoping to recruit a further 100 Specials as part of a wider programme to boost the number of citizens involved in policing, and enhance links with all parts of the community in North Yorkshire.

Special Constabulary infographic Displays a larger version of this image in a new browser window
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New events for York Residents Festival

City of York Council is flinging open the doors of West Offices and the Mansion House to welcome visitors during York’s Residents’ Festival, sponsored by First, on Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February. In addition, Explore York Libraries and Archives will be offering a behind-the-scenes look at its new Archives and Local History Service on Saturday 31 January.

.The Mansion House, home to the Lord Mayors of York since 1732, will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm. Last year the building welcomed over 1,500 people who enjoyed its magnificent interior throughout the weekend. Residents will be able to see the Caps of Maintenance, worn by the Sword bearer on ceremonial occasions, including the one presented by the Queen during her 2012 visit, as well as a special display of the work of York Camera Club.

On Saturday at West Offices, author and railway historian Dr Bill Fawcett will tell the story of York’s first railway station in an illustrated presentation entitled ‘Still serving the people’. Bill has lectured and published extensively on railway and architectural history, twice receiving the David St. John Thomas award for best transport history book of the year. He has also assisted with the historical background to conservation development strategies for many railway buildings. He is editor of the journal York Historian and is a member of the Railway Heritage Trust advisory panel. His talk will be followed by a tour of the original station hotel, refreshment rooms and train shed canopy – now part of West Offices –and a look around the modern offices of City of York Council
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Public meeting hears reasons for York hospital A&E crisis

“Not a funding issue”

York hospital amb

The health committee last night received an update on problems at A&E.  It can be heard on the video of the meeting after 41 minutes

There was a 6% overall increase in patient presentations over recent weeks

Problems were prompted by an 80% increase in viral conditions with increased risks of pneumonia particularly in elderly people.

The issue was not a funding problem.

The hospital says that it is impossible to provide more beds as there are not enough doctors and nurses to staff additional wards.

The hospital is looking to recruit overseas to fill vacancies.

The 111 service locally is provided by ambulance service in York and is performing well. 

Bed blocking (delayed discharges) in not a major factor in the A&E crisis in York. There are vacant spaces in some local elderly person’s homes. There are staffing shortages in this sector as well.

A trades union representative suggested “upskilling” paramedics to deal with more potential patients at the scene on an incident (although this seemed somewhat irrelevant given the advice provided on the causes of the increased demand)

Councillors rightly expressed concern that any increase in the City’s population as a result of Labours “Big City” Local Plan population growth proposals could only exacerbate the pressures on the hospital.

The issue was considered at yesterdays meeting at the request of Nick Love , the City’s prospective Liberal Democrat MP.

A meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board takes place on 21st January. It is also open to the public

Customers’ social care views to shape local priorities

Adults receiving care and support from City of York Council will be asked for their views and experiences of the services as part of a nationwide survey in January and February.

The Adults’ Social Care Survey, which will be sent out by every council in England and Wales, will be used by the authority to understand the experiences of people receiving its care and support services.

The survey will focus on customers’ quality of life, how well informed they are about services, their health and well-being and their levels of safety and security.

The questionnaire will go out to a total of 1,350 customers, and will include adults living in residential/nursing care, people with learning disabilities living in the community or supported residences as well as those receiving services in their own home.

The survey is due to be sent out to a cross section of customers over the next week. Accessible versions are available for customers who need them.

The findings from previous surveys and the opportunity to post general comments on the priorities for Adults’ Social Care are available on the council’s website at www.york.gov.uk/localaccount

The survey is just one of a number of ways that customers can give their views on the care and support they have received from City of York. Other options include feeding back directly to service providers, using the CQC ‘Share your experience’ link on the council’s Adult Social Care webpage(www.yor.gov.uk), or through Healthwatch York’s new feedback centre (www.healthwatchyork.co.uk).