Todays craft fayre at the Foxwood Community Centre has been cancelled.
Big Community Energy Switch sign up
City of York Council is once again inviting residents to sign up to the Big Community Energy Switch, which could help them save on average £169 on their gas and electricity bills.
The sessions will take place in various locations throughout the city during December and January. Residents who would like to find out more about switching are asked to bring a fuel bill along with them.
The council and iChoosr held their first scheme between December 2013 and February 2014. A total of 751 York residents signed up, along with 36,000 people across the UK. Average annual savings for those York residents who switched was £169!
Drop-in sessions where people can register with the help of council staff are taking place on:
Friday 12 December 2014
Tang Hall Community Centre, Fifth Avenue
1.30pm – 4.30pm
Monday 15 January 2014
The Gateway Centre, Acomb
10am – 2pm
Every Monday in January 2015
City of York Council, West Offices, Station Rise
10am – 1pm
Monday 23 January 2015
Tang Hall Community Centre, Fifth Avenue
1.30pm – 4.30pm
Supported by York’s Citizens Advice Bureau and Age UK York – the Save Money by Switching Energy campaign launched in December 2013. The scheme enables York residents to register for the assisted scheme through these four easy steps that can result in them being offered potentially cheaper alternative tariffs to consider switching to.
Christmas fun…and money advice
City of York Council’s Family Information Service (FIS), Explore York Libraries and Archives Mutual Ltd and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau will be hosting a morning of fun crafts and information on Wednesday 10 December between 9am and 12noon in the reception foyer at West Offices.
There’ll be a host of crafts for little ones (and not so little ones) to get stuck into, including making Christmas decorations, colouring in Frozen characters and decorating paper Christmas trees. Explore York Libraries will also be on hand to provide information about the discounts available through York Cards and representatives from York CAB will be available to help with information on sensible festive spending.
The CAB’s top ten tips to avoid a Christmas Debt Hangover are:
(more…)
Carrick Gardens footpaths to be resurfaced
Carrick Gardens resurfacing plan click to enlarge
The Council will start work week commencing 15th December 2014 to reconstruct the footway shown on the plan right. This scheme is programmed to take 3 weeks, weather permitting.
The work consists of fully excavating the footway and reconstructing from the ground up in tarmac. Road kerbs are to be replaced at vehicle crossings.
The contractor will be working between 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Thursday, and 8:00am to 12:30pm on Fridays.
Boyes to take over empty shop in Acomb
Boyes have announced they are moving into Acomb, taking over the former Superdrug building which has been vacant for a number of years.
11-15 Front Street
Sue Hunter, who is Chair of the local trader’s group Acomb Alive! established to help local businesses work together, develop the area and support one another, added: “The position of the building close to both Morrison’s and the junctions of Green Lane and Front Street has long cast a blight on the good work we are all doing in the area, particularly the events staged by the smaller, independent traders.
“Having this shop open and doing business again will provide a boost for Acomb in terms of both confidence and footfall. We are all looking forward to working with Boyes and involving them in the activities we are developing for Acomb for the year ahead”.
Andrew Boyes, Director of the Company said: “We are delighted to be moving into Acomb and becoming part of the business community. We have known Acomb well for many years and have made a long-term investment in the building and the area. Boyes is here to stay and we are very much looking forward to becoming a key brand and offering excellent service to local people while attracting additional trade to the area.”
Boyes are planning to renovate their new store over the coming months and are expecting to open their new Acomb premises in Spring 2015.
Skip locations on Saturday
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.
Click the following links for more information
click to enlarge
Footpath and highways resurfaicng programme announced
The York Council has published it initial programme of resurfacing works for the forthcoming financial year.
Click to enlarge
The carriageway programme can be seen by clicking here The footpath programme can be viewed here
Alternatively click on the graphic right to see a ward by ward analysis.
Not a lot of work is scheduled for the west of the city although the bulk of the programme will not be revealed until the Council has completed its budget for next year in February. The current £2 million programme would normally be supplemented by another £4 million worth of schemes when the dust has settled.
Nevertheless there are some worrying omissions.
In the Dringhouses ward only a small footpath resurfacing scheme in Turnmire Road is included.
Old dog, old tricks?
Those looking for a change of approach from the “new” Labour leadership on the York Council will be disappointed by the content of reports being circulated with next weeks Council agendas.
Having already broken the long standing convention that no party political opinions should be published in Council documentation, both the outgoing Leader and Deputy Leader have produced reports which criticise their opponents or seeking to blame the Coalition for all the ills of the world.
So much then for any attempt at making a fresh start or reaching consensus. Some at least want to continue the confrontational approach which was rejected so comprehensively by electors in the October by-election
Overgrown garage area
One report even seeks to blame the government for a reduction in the number of people registered to vote in the City!
More significantly it continues to turn a blind eye to the deteriorating condition of the infrastructure (right) on many Council estates in the City.
Cllr Alexander sadly has written his own epitaph by claiming “Liberal Democrats want no Local Plan or one that would fail Government requirements” In reality, a Local Plan agreed in 2011 which Labour tinkered with and then withdraw.
Liberal Democrats want a Local Plan which respects both the priorities of the City’s population and which seeks to preserve the unique qualities of the City. Labour’s plan to expand the size of the City by over 20% during the next 15 years satisfied neither of the tests.
Failure to produce a Local Plan which could attract the support of both the Council and the people of the City is a poor legacy to leave to your successor.
How many Labour Councillors does it take to change a light bulb?
Two Cabinet members are to be summoned to a meeting on 11th December to decide whether to include the Punch Bowl in on a list of properties subject to an article 4 direction.
A meeting in October rejected the request even though designation would only require any proposed change of use to be subject to a formal planning application.
The Cabinet members for Planning and for Finance are now being asked to remove permitted development rights by CAMRA who are backed by a 1200 signature petition.
Bus service cuts – no consultation planned
Residents will have to wait until early January before finding out which local bus services Labour plan to cut. A decision meeting would have aired the issue was to have taken place on 11th December. 
The issue has now been referred to a Cabinet meeting scheduled for 6th January 2015.
The Council has made it clear that they are not proposing to consult with passengers likely to be affected by any cuts.
Speed checks taking place on Tadcaster Road in York
Mobile speed camera sites confirmed
The police have confirmed the lest of sites a which its mobile camera vans will be operating for the next week Click They include:
- Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York – Community concern
- B1228 Dunnington Lodge, Elvington – Community concern
- Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York – Community concern
- Strensall Road, Huntington, York – Community concern
- A64 Westbound Malton by-pass – Community concern
- A64 Westbound Tadcaster by-pass – Killed or seriously injured
- A64 west-bound, Heslington York – Killed or seriously injured
- A64 west-bound, Street Houses, Bilborough – Killed or seriously injured
- A64 west-bound, Wharfe Bridge, Tadcaster – Killed or seriously injured
- A64 west-bound, Whitwell Hill – Community concern
New energy deal offered to York communities
York residents and community groups are being urged to bid for a share of the £10m Urban Community Energy Fund.
The fund provides grants and loans to support urban communities, like York, to develop renewable energy projects.
Grants of up to £20,000 are available to help develop ideas into projects. The fund also will provide loans of up to £130,000 to develop projects through to the planning stages and to be in a position to attract funding to deliver the project.
The following groups are eligible to apply for the fund: (more…)