Concern for future of ward-funded activities

Local Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed concern that a ‘ban’ on allocating ward funding could lead to planned summer holiday activities for young people being axed.

Cllr Stephen Fenton at the York Knights session held at York Acorn ARLFC on 30th May

In recent years, Lib Dem councillors in wards across the city have jointly commissioned York Knights Foundation and York City Football Club Foundation to deliver free activity sessions for young people, which also included the provision of drinks and snacks. These sessions are open to all. When the council budget for 2023/24 was passed in February, Lib Dem councillors protected ward funding so that schemes such as these could continue.

Dringhouses & Woodthorpe’s Lib Dem councillors have now been told by council officers that they cannot allocate some of the 2023/24 ward budget to fund activities for young people in the July / August summer holiday period. It is understood that this ‘ban’ has been imposed as the incoming Labour administration plans to propose an ‘emergency’ budget in July, meaning that ward funding is in limbo.

Dringhouses & Woodthorpe councillor Stephen Fenton has called on the new administration to commit to retain the full ward funding allocations agreed in February, so that ward schemes and projects can go ahead.

He said “The summer holiday sessions run by the Knights and York City have been very popular, and at a time when family budgets are stretched, the ability to offer free-of-charge activities is more important than ever. It would be such a shame if we had to axe the planned summer programme because of a ban on allocating the ward funding that was agreed back in February.

“At this time of year, ward councillors would ordinarily be inviting local voluntary and charitable organisations to apply for ward funding to support local projects that benefit the community. It now looks as though we won’t be able to do this, unless there is a commitment from the new administration to protect ward funding.”

Road and footpath schemes announced for 2020/21

City of York Council has published its programme of highways and footpath maintenance work for the 2020/21 financial year https://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=5802&LLL=0

In Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward, works are planned on the following roads:

Resurfacing

  • Tadcaster Road
  • Hillcrest Gardens

‘Large patching’

  • St Helens Road (section near the Tadcaster Road junction, already completed)

‘Micro patching’

  • Wains Road
  • Lowick
  • Troutbeck
  • Overdale Close
  • Glenridding
  • Windermere
  • Bramble Dene
  • Dringfield Close
  • Woodthorpe Primary School entrance

The Tadcaster Road resurfacing scheme is carried forward from 2019/20, when it was allocated £633,000. Local councillors have queried why, in the 2020/21 published programme of works, the scheme is listed as having a budget of £560,000 and the extent of the scheme seems to have shrunk from its original scope in the 2019/20 programme (The Horseshoe to St Georges Place) to Ainsty Grove to St Georges Place.

We have received clarification from officers that the total budget available for the Tadcaster Road scheme in 2020/21 remains at £633,000 and the extent of the works will be as per the 2019/20 programme.

No footpath resurfacing works are planned for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward, other than those to be funded from the ward capital budget – these are a section of the Little Hob Moor cycle path and the path across Woodthorpe Green linking Summerfield Road and Glenridding.

How does the council decide which roads and paths get resurfaced?

In order to produce the programme of highway works for each year, council officers draw information from a number of sources:

  • Inspectors undertake an annual visual proactive condition survey of all roads and footways, this in addition to their monthly inspections for reactive maintenance
  • Digital camera capture condition survey of all roads and footways (GAIST)
  • United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS) visual and machine surveys (SCANNER) which records skid resistance.

All of this inspection data is collated by GAIST to produce five condition categories for sections of public highway, being grade 1 (very good), grade 2 (good), grade 3 (fair), grade 4 (poor) and grade 5 (very poor). 

The results of the condition survey are available via the council website

Each road and footway is assessed and given a ranking (score) based on a range of criteria, all metrics of the network were collated and a treatment solution determined.

In order to develop a set of schemes in accordance with the best practice promoted by the Department for Transport the council additionally considers criteria such as accident data, traffic levels, footfall, bus frequency,  proximity to schools, shopping centres etc.  This produces a list of schemes that can be delivered within the budget.

Councillors set the budget, but officers devise the list of schemes (other than ward-funded schemes).

Applications for ward funding invited

Local voluntary and community groups are being invited to apply for funding from the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Ward Committee.

In recent years funding has been awarded to a range of groups who are working to make Dringhouses & Woodthorpe a better place to live. For 2019/20 the ward budget has been set at £19,585. There is a separate ward highways fund of £13,991.

Further information is available on the ward page on the council website at https://www.york.gov.uk/info/20155/wards/127/dringhouses_and_woodthorpe_ward

Ward schemes coming to fruition

A number of schemes funded from the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward budget are coming to fruition.

The installation of tarmac runovers on the corners of Nidd Grove and Don Avenue has been completed, with tactile paving also installed at the crossing points.


The installation of new play equipment in the Woodthorpe Green playground is due to begin on Monday 8th January and should last one week. The playground will be closed whilst the work is undertaken. The installation team is then due to move on to the Nelsons Lane playground on 15 January.

And finally, a new streetlight is being installed to illuminate the snicket that connects Moor Lane with the old Askham Bar Park & Ride site. This is a busy route for both cyclists and pedestrians, and a number of residents had complained about the complete lack of illumination.

New lamp post being installed

Budget: Extra funding for frontline services

City of York Council’s Executive has announced an amendment to its 2016/17 budget which increases investment in transport, bins and local ward committee projects. Extra money will also be set aside to help with the flood recovery and remodel early-intervention services for children and young people.

Earlier this month, the Government announced that York will receive £781,000 in transitional funding following the original national finance settlement announced last December. The Executive is therefore moving an amendment to its Budget on Thursday to allocate this money. The amendment also takes account of feedback to the original proposals announced at the beginning of February.

The investment will cover:

  • £35,000 to fund new dog and litter bins across the city.
  • £45,000 for Design and Conservation.
  • £300,000 to support changes in Prevention and Early Intervention Services for children and young people.
  • £50,000 to support the remodelling of bus subsidies.
  • £150,000 for ‘Pride in York’ (part of Ward Committee funding) to support environmental projects, grounds maintenance and voluntary groups.
  • £26,000 to ensure that substance misuse advice can continue to be offered at York Carers Centre.
  • £20,000 to support greater capacity in planning enforcement.
  • £30,000 to support sustainable transport projects.
  • £125,000 into contingency to plan for further flood and drainage costs.

Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of City of York Council, commented:

“Whilst this transitional funding is welcome the council is still facing an overall budget cut from the government over the next four years as well as the rising costs of adult social care. We have therefore focused this transitional money on helping to ensure crucial services such as early intervention work for children and young people and bus subsidies are sustainable in the long-term.

“We have also listened to those who have been responding to our consultation and initial proposals. This means more investment in frontline services such as bins, more money into local ward budgets and community projects, as well as more support for York Carers Centre.”

The amendment and overall budget proposals will be debated on Thursday 25th February, and full details can be found here: http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=331&MId=8835

Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward Committee Grants

Friends of Hob Moor logoDetails of the grants approved by the Ward committee for the current year have been published on the Councils web site. Click here 

Beneficiaries include the Woodthorpe Community Group, West Thorpe Methodist Church, St James the Deacon Church, the Mayfields Community Trust, “Craft & Chat”, the Friends of Chapman’s Pond and the Friends of Hob Moor,

An “on line” newsletter covering the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe area can now also be found on the Council’s web site click here: https://www.york.gov.uk/news/article/54/dringhouses_and_woodthorpe_ward_news_councillors_update_december_2015

 

York Council Tax arrears hit £5.9 million

Council TaxAt the end of March 2015, the York Council was owed £5,968,577 in Council Tax arrears.

This was up from the £5,314,296 recorded at the end of 2010/11.

A total of 14,383 residents were in arrears.

292 residents owed more than £3000, while 6 residents owed more than £10,000.

In 2011 the latter figure had been zero.

7535 liability orders were issued last year and bailiffs dealt with 3637 cases.

The Council wrote off over £370,000 in Council Tax debts last year.

More detailed figures can be read by clicking here