Baroness Harris joins the campaign trail in York

Baroness Harris Visit

Local Liberal Democrats were joined on the campaign trail on Friday by a high-profile member of the House of Lords.

Baroness Angela Harris of Richmond, a Deputy Speaker of the Lords and former Chair of the North Yorkshire Police Authority, joined campaigners in Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ahead of next months elections. The Life Peer met with local candidates and party members, including young Lib Dems from across the city.

The Lib Dems are standing a full slate of candidates in the local elections alongside parliamentary hopefuls Nick Love in York Central and James Blanchard in York Outer. Earlier this month, the party launched its local elections manifesto promising to ‘put residents first’.

Baroness Harris commented:

“I am delighted to be helping the campaign here in York. I am particularly happy to be speaking to young members some of whom will be voting for the first time. It is wonderful to see young people engaged in politics and I would urge all first time voters to go out and have their say on May 7th.

“I know there is a really positive mood around the Lib Dem campaign locally and we have tremendous set of candidates across the city. We also have a strong set of local policies which are going down well on the doorstep with residents.”

Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, commented:
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New Clifton Moor to Haxby Road cycle track “open”

An embarrassing 18 months behind schedule, the £1 million cycle track linking Clifton Moor to Haxby Road has finally been declared officially “open”.

The Council says that, “the scheme has created a safe off-road shared cycle and pedestrian route along the A1237 outer ring road between the Haxby Road roundabout and the B1363 Wigginton Road roundabout, connecting over 15,000 people living in this area of York.

The measures also include new links with Haxby Road near to the roundabout, a new bridge over the York to Scarborough railway line with approach ramps on the existing embankments and an additional crossing point on Wigginton Road to safely connect with Clifton Moor.

The provision of an off-road route/safe link opens up access (sustainably, via cycling and/or walking) between Haxby, Huntington, New Earswick and to the retail, leisure and employment destination of Clifton Moor as well as students attending Joseph Rowntree School“.

The delays to the completion of the scheme – which was scheduled to start in 2013 – have been put down to “poor ground conditions”

York unemployment falls by 14% in March

There were 1048 people claiming job seekers allowance in York in March.

This was down by 168 compared to February. 

The York job seeker rate fell to just 0.8%

The UK figure was 2% and the regional figure 2.7%.

The unemployed figure contained 692 men and 358 women.

National employment rate at a new record high

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New figures show that the rate of employment is at a new record high of 73.4 per cent.

In the last three months, the number of jobs created increased by 248,000.

During the quarter youth unemployment fell by 21,000 and 151,000 on the year.

Commenting on the figures, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“Employment levels have hit new records today, with almost three quarter of working aged people now in work.

“Youth unemployment has continued to fall over the year and our successful apprenticeship programme, which the Lib Dems have prioritised in government, will help that improve yet further.

“With wages now rising continuously faster than inflation, living standards are rising too.

“The role of the Liberal Democrats in government has been crucial to promoting economic stability and a strong recovery.  And the work I have led to deal with abuses in zero hour contracts and strengthening the national minimum wage, will help ensure the recovery is also fair.”

Now Labour stop skip visits to many Council estates

Skips scrapped

The Saturday morning skip visit may be a thing of the past for many York Council tenants.

Officials are understood to have cancelled the skips scheduled to visit the following estates/villages.

They claim that the reason for the cancellation is that there is no “active residents association” in the area.

However, that shouldn’t have prevented officials and Councillors from organising a ballot to find out how tenants wanted their share of the Estate Improvements Budget to be spent.

Many of the areas affected have a high proportion of elderly tenants who are least able to make alternative arrangements (and who, understandably, may not be able to participate in a “residents association”)

The matter was discussed at last nights Tenants Federation meeting.

We understand that all Council candidates are being asked to confirm that they will – if elected – intervene to get the skips restored.

The Liberal Democrats have already announced a widespread estate regeneration programme part of which will include improved waste collection and storage facilities.

The skips are regularly the most popular facility voted for by tenants in the annual ballot on how estate improvement monies should be spent.

There has been speculation that the Council also intend to stop altogether the programme of dropped kerbs/verge crossovers which, until 2011, was gradually reducing the numbers of vehicles parked on estate roads. The programme slowed when Labour took office, but there were hopes that the new Council – to be elected on 7th May – will take urgent action to address escalating parking problems on some streets

The news is the latest of a series of set backs for Council tenants in York. A few weeks ago the Council revealed that it had a surplus of £15 million on its housing account.

Many tenants blame Cllr Tracey Simpson Laing for the deteriorating condition of their neighbourhoods. She has been responsible for housing in York for the last 4 years.

Problems with dumping have gradually increased in west York since the Beckfield Lane recycling centre was closed in 2012.

Coupled with proposed reductions in grey bin emptying frequencies and charges for emptying green bins, the Council is in danger of creating “perfect storm” conditions for the sub-urban environment

Announcement of primary school place allocations in York as overcrowding grows

  • 92% of York children have been allocated their first preference primary school for September 2015.
  • 100% of York children have been allocated their first preference junior school for September 2015.
  • 8% of York children were allocated their 1st, 2nd or 3rd preference primary school. Need help or advice? – email education@york.gov.uk

Larger class sizes in York

The Council has also released details of overcrowding at some schools following a Freedom of Information request

In 2014 there were 8 infant classes with a size of over 30

These were at Poppleton Ousebank, Wheldrake, Elvington, St Lawrences, Bishopthorpe and Ralph Butterfield (3)

By 2015 this figure had increased to 12.

The schools affected are

  • Our Lady Queen of Martyrs,
  • Whedrake (2),
  • St Aelreds,
  • Elvington,
  • Bishopthorpe (5) and
  • Ralph Butterfield (2)

LibDems announce education manifesto

click to access

click to access

 

Whatever happened to York’s salvage and re-use centre?

Well we know that it was one of the first cuts that Labour made when they took office in 2011.

Whatever happened to the salvage and re-use centre

The project was to have replaced the Beckfield Lane recycling centre but would have offered much more.

Its priority would have been to encourage the re-use of unwanted items. Currently only informal on-line groups like Freecycle address this need.

Only when the re-use option was exhausted would materials have been salvaged. For example, there is a ready market for building materials such as timber, bricks and hard-core.

Not only was the Beckfield Lane site closed but the replacement – which would Probably have been located at Harewood Whin – was also scrapped.

In part the decision contributed to the decline in recycling rates in the City and an inexorable rise in Landfill Tax costs.

The £2 million salvage centre would have paid for itself by now.

Sadly many residents resort to dumping items. One armchair has found its way onto a verge on Gale Lane today. Although some of these items are picked up by “rag and bone” men, many have to be removed by the Council.

Dumped mattresses are a particular problem for those lacking transport to get to the remaining 2 civic tips.

The York Council now charges £40 to remove up to 10 bulky waste items

Small wonder that so many residents are petitioning their objections to reduced waste collection frequencies and the prospect of a £35/£37 pa charge for emptying green garden waste bins.

Woman robbed in Foxwood


A WOMAN has been assaulted and robbed by three men wearing scarves over their faces in Foxwood.

The 21-year-old was on a path between Rogers Court and Lydham Court in Acomb when she was approached from behind by three men, assaulted and money was taken from her purse.
The robbery happened on April 1 at about 7.15pm.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for any information about the attack.

The attackers are described as a man wearing a grey tracksuit top and bottoms, with a dark blue Adidas logo on the top left side of his top. His face was covered with a plain black scarf.

Another was about 6ft tall, wearing a black Nike hooded top, with a distinctive skull-patterned scarf covering his face.

The other was a man wearing blue “Cross Hatch” jeans and a blue hooded top with a red logo on the top left side. He was wearing a distinctive pink and blue scarf across his face.

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Ben Stevens – or email benjamin.stevens@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Please quote incident number 12150053766 when passing on any information about this incident.