Street lights – no wonder we are in the dark

York Council fails to fix 67% of faults within target time

Street lighting repair stats

Street lighting repair stats

The York Councils streetlight repair performance slipped to an all time low last December with only 18% of faults being repaired within target times.

Performance had been  dropping since routine “scouting” for faults was abandoned.

Even when faults have been reported by members of the public there have been unacceptable delays.

The Council has the following targets for attending to faults:

  • Urgent faults will be attended and either repaired or made safe within 2 hours
  • Normal faults will be attended and either repaired or made safe within 4 working days
  • When a defect has been made safe and further works are required, we aim to have the repairs carried out within 20 working days.  When there is an issue with the electricity supply, and we have to work with a utility company to resolve, the national standard allows 35 working days for the repairs to be completed

The performance probably hides an even more serious situation with few Councillors apparently now routinely reporting lighting faults in their wards.

In Dringhouses LibDem Councillor Ann Reid is the exception having reported (and re-reported) dozens of faults this winter. However, members of the public have become disheartened by the lack of response.

The situation has deteriorated over the last 12 months.

  • In February 2014 only 20% of fault repairs missed target.
  • This had escalated to 67% in February this year.

Labour Councillors blame aging street lighting stock for the problems but conveniently forget that they spent over £1 million on new lamps in 2012. The number of faults reported in January 2015 was actually less than is the corresponding month the previous year.

The reel issue related to the lack of adequate staffing levels and an enforceable service level agreement with repair contractors.

In the battle against crime and In road safety terms, good street lighting should be a higher priority than putting up more 20 mph signs.

Call for action on Council estate maintenance standards

Not surprisingly many tenants are bemused as rents continue to rise while maintenance standards on estates fall.

Fly tipping on Green Lane Acomb garage forecourt

Fly tipping on Green Lane (Acomb) garage forecourt today

Council tenants have faced a 28% increase in rent levels over the last 5 years.

The York Council is expected to have a £15 million surplus balance on its housing account at the end of this year.

Yet little has been invested in improvements and communal areas are too often targets for graffiti and dumping.

Weeks elapse before clean ups are arranged

York Council Housing rents and balances. Click to enlarge

York Council Housing rents and balances. Click to enlarge

Strangely the York Council housing  department is the only part of the local authority which has seen no cuts at all in funding during the last 4 years yet service standards are declining.

There is little evidence that the Labour Councillors who are responsible for Council housing ever routinely visit estates to ensure that service standards are acceptable.

Time for a change of approach we think!

Latest Planning applications Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward – Lycett Road, Whin Road & Tadcaster Road

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:       24 Lycett Road York YO24 1NB

Proposal:       Single storey rear extension

Ref No: 15/00502/FUL

Applicant:      Mr And Mrs Metcalfe     Consultation Expiry Date        23 April 2015 Case Officer:   Carolyn Howarth Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       28 Whin Road York YO24 1JZ

Proposal:       Two storey side extension

Ref No: 15/00595/FUL

Applicant:      Mr Turner       Contact Mr Alan Ramsay  Consultation Expiry Date        23 April 2015 Case Officer:   David Johnson   Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       113 Tadcaster Road Dringhouses York YO24 1XA

Proposal:       Single storey rear extension and replacement garage

Ref No: 15/00600/FUL

Applicant:      Dr Andrew Elmslie      Consultation Expiry Date        23 April 2015 Case Officer:   Elizabeth Potter        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.

Bins petition – 500 sign in one week as residents face 57% increase on tipping charges

Council let slip £37 a year “tax” on Green Bins to start mid summer

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click to enlarge

Over 500 residents have signed our petition opposing Labour plans to reduce bin emptying frequencies and impose an annual charge of £35 or £37 for emptying green, garden waste, bins.

The on line version of the edition is now suspended until after the election but copies of the petition form can be downloaded by clicking here

At a recent Council meeting in response to a question the responsible Cabinet member said,

“Officers from waste services, IT and customer services are working to determine a time frame in which chargeable Green waste collections could be implemented should the Council choose to proceed. It is anticipated that sufficient evidence will be available in the summer of 2015 for the Council to consider this matter”

 Labour Councillors fear that many residents will avoid the new charge by putting green waste into grey – residual waste – bins.

Hence the – still secret – move to reduce bin emptying frequencies to once evry 3 or 4 weeks.

Like the proposals to close Lendal Bridge 4 years ago, it is unlikely that Labour will publicise their plans for the future of waste collection in the city until after then Local Elections on May 7th.

Landfill Tax charges up by 57% in 5 years as York Council recycling effort fades

Meanwhile the Council has admitted that recycling rates have been falling in the City. Landfill Tax charges – paid by residents through their Council Tax bills – have increased.

Landfill Tax payments click to enalrge

Landfill Tax payments click to enalrge

Landfill Tax increased by £8 per tonne annually until 2014/15 and by inflation thereafter having reached £80 per tonne.

Scarborough footbridge to be closed again

City of York Council will be installing new street lighting on Scarborough bridge footbridge this month, which will require a temporary closure of the footbridge for up to three days.

Scarborough rail bridge circa 1973

 

From Tuesday 14 April through to Thursday 16 April, the footbridge will be closed between 8am and 6pm in order for the works to be carried out safely.

It is unclear why the work wasn’t done during the recent month long closure of the adjacent railway bridge.

A completely new cycle bridge is also due to be installed later in the year
(more…)

Grants for community groups… April 10th deadline

Local community groups are in for a cash boost, as North Yorkshire Police invites applications to its Police Property Fund.

North Yorkshire Police

Every so often, the police service auctions off property that has been seized as a result of criminal investigations, or that has been recovered from burglaries where no owner has come forward to claim the property back. 

The proceeds of the auction are used to support local voluntary and charitable projects.

Recent recipients of the Fund include Swaledale Seedlings Playgroup, Art Therapy Yorkshire, Riding for the Disabled in York, Ryedale Community Transport and Richmond Tri-Kudo Triathlon Club.

North Yorkshire Police has now declared the latest round of applications open, and is urging local groups to come forward with their bids by 10 April.

Groups who want to apply for funding must meet certain criteria, and should apply on the North Yorkshire Police application form.  This is available at:  http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/ppfa

The applications will be judged by Chief Constable Dave Jones, and Julia Mulligan, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire.

Speaking about the fund, Chief Constable Dave Jones said:

“Through the Police Property Fund we are turning the negative results of crime into a big positive for the community, and that is very satisfying.   We’re very interested in initiatives that could have a positive impact on local safety, but we also want to hear from groups that are creating opportunities for young people, or that help to bring communities together.”

 

York Council’s poor financial performance under Labour

A freedom of Information response has confirmed what many residents suspected. They are paying higher taxes than they would in many other City’s, and less is being invested in public services than 5 years ago.

Despite claims to the contrary, government grants to the city – relative to other unitary authorities – have been stable for 5 years..,

The main change is in Council Tax levels. When Labour took office in 2011 York had the second lowest Council Tax level in the country.

The Council now only ranks 14th lowest.

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click to enlarge