Tenant satisfaction with Council estates in York tumbles

Dog fouling, lack of parking, rubbish and litter top concerns

Most York Council tenants continue to be satisfied with the quality of their home and the repairs and maintenance service.

Estates increasingly neglected

Estates increasingly neglected

However many remain dissatisfied with the opportunities available to influence management decisions.

And only 44% were satisfied with the final outcome of complaints that they had made.

However, the most significant result to be revealed, by the Councils annual survey of tenant’s views, comes on satisfaction levels with conditions on local estates.

The satisfaction level is down by 5%.

This comes as little surprise with many estates beginning to look neglected.

Weed growth, potholed bitmac, damaged verges and neglected communal areas all add up to an increasingly depressing environment.

The report on the survey results was taken to another behind closed doors meeting last week.
Behind closed doors logo

The report candidly admits,

“Customers have delivered a clear message that their estate services require attention. As well as a decrease in those very satisfied or fairly satisfied, there has a 5% increase in those very dissatisfied or fairly dissatisfied (10% 2012: 15% 2013)”.

The Labour Councillor with responsibility for Housing (Simpson Laing) failed to order any action which might stop the decline.

Tenant satisfaction results click to enlarge

Tenant satisfaction results click to enlarge

 

 

LibDems aim to change spare room subsidy/bedroom tax benefit rules

In line with representations made by many in York, the government is being asked to change the rules on housing benefit.Empty bedroom

The proposed change would mean that tenants in existing social housing – who are under-occupying – would only lose entitlement to benefit if they had been offered smaller accommodation and turned it down.

In many areas a lack of 1 bedroomed properties is preventing people for downsizing (around 1000 single people are registered on the housing waiting/transfer list in York)

The party’s statement reads

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Community centre income queried

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The Council opened a new community centre (“Space 217”) serving the Lindsey Avenue area last year.

The initiative seemed to signal a welcome reversal of the current Council Leaderships policy of cutting all funding support from local community facilities.

However more information has become available which suggests that there is no ongoing business plan to support the facility.

At present all costs are being born by Council tenants (rent payments) through the housing account.

Ironically the two community centres most likely to close, as a result of Labour’s cut’s programme (Foxwood and Chapelfields), were also built on Housing Department owned land.

The Council says that it has had to spend around £31,000 bringing the former shop up to a standard that would allow it to be used as a community “hub”. This cost included the provision of disabled access and the removal of asbestos

The Council says that ongoing costs will also be paid for from within existing ring fenced “housing maintenance budgets”.

Strangely the Council is not offering financial support to other community centres from its housing maintenance budgets despite them being used by estate management officers, and other Council staff, as local meeting points.

NB. Lindsey Avenue is currently represented by Council Leader James Alexander. He will be under a lot of pressure if he is to retain his seat in next years local elections. The decision to open the new centre was taken behind closed doors.

Food inspection scores for York care homes revealed

Food Safety First Logo3

Details of the scores given to 5 care homes in the York area have been published.

Each home received a score of between 0 and 2 (the lower the score the worse the result).

Details for each can be downloaded by clicking the name of the home

Barstow House (Rating 1)

Meadowfields (Rating 2)

Somerset House (Rating 2)

Lamal Beeches (Rating 2)

Red Lodge (Rating 1)

Scores for the (vast majority) of homes that scored over 2 have not been listed by the Council.

Hob Moor development starts

Our Lady's school site clearance started

Our Lady’s school site clearance started

Builders have moved onto the Our Lady’s school site and have started to fell trees.

The Our Lady’s school buildings will be demolished within the next 3 weeks.

School to be demolished in a few days time

School to be demolished in a few days time

Work has already started to provide an electricity power supply to the new housing development.

The whole scheme, which involves the erection of 55 new homes, is expected to take about 12 months to complete.

The building contractors have said that all site traffic will follow the Kingsway West/Ascot Way/ Ashford Place/Windsor Garth bus route to access the site.

Crumbling road surfaces on Windsor Garth

Crumbling road surfaces on Windsor Garth

Residents remain concerned about the poor state of the roads on the route, and in particular the rapidly deteriorating road humps, although whether it would be worth completing permanent repairs before the heavy traffic moves on, is open to question.

York Council U turn on Council housing policy

It looks like the York Council will finally take our advice and buy flats on the open market to increase the availability of Council homes in the City.

We have long advocated using the substantial surplus that the Council holds on its revenue account to buy empty properties on the open market. Labour has resisted this over the last 3 years but finally seem to have some to their senses.

They paln to buy eight two-bedroomed and six one-bedroomed flats which are being constructed on Lindsay Avenue. The flats will have easy access to shops, bus routes, GPs and a Post Office. The Council says that the homes will be offered as downsizing opportunities for tenants aged over 55.

However over 50% of the people on the housing waiting list are single people seeking one bedroomed accommodation.

The Council should buy existing empty properties on the open market to help these residents (many of whom live in larger social housing properties which would be freed up for families).

Under the last Labour Government Council house building reached a, post second world war, low.

Under the last Labour Government Council house building reached a, post second world war, low.

Other downsizing schemes with housing association partners include those in Tang Hall, Huntington and Acomb, plus a further scheme completing in June 2014 at Water Lane, Clifton. This is in addition to a new council house building programme, of which sites at Beckfield Lane, Chaloners Road, Fenwick Street and Newbury Avenue are proposing apartments for people downsizing.

This new site on the corner of Lindsey Avenue and Sowerby Road has been marketed since summer 2012 as a development opportunity. With no interest expressed in running the former public house as a business, or the site as a commercial development opportunity, the site was auctioned in September 2013 and was purchased by York-based RHW Developments which has experience in delivering affordable housing.

The planning application was submitted in late March 2014, the outcome is expected in June 2014 with building work to start this summer with the completed homes ready in the summer 2015. If approved, the acquisition price would be paid in stages during construction.

The Council has declined to reveal how much it is paying for each property.

House prices in York

Several properties in Acomb sold for less than £120,000 recently.

With most people on the housing waiting list seeking one bedroomed properties, these homes represent an opportunity for the Council to add to its stock of socially rented property. They should at least consult home choice registered applicants to see whether the properties would meet their needs.

Recent sales have included

Address Sold price Sold date Type
15, Eaton Court, YO24 3NJ £110,000 31 Jan 2014 1 bed semi-D
10, Invicta Court, YO24 3NN £116,500 20 Feb 2014 1 bed terraced
78, Cornlands Road, YO24 3EA £146,500 31 Jan 2014 3 bed terraced
7, The Knoll, YO24 3EB £140,000 07 Feb 2014 3 bed semi-D
144, St Stephens Road, YO24 3EF £126,000 08 Jan 2014 3 bed semi-D
150, Askham Lane, YO24 3HR £145,000 29 Jan 2014 3 bed terraced
73, Cornlands Road, YO24 3DX £119,000 21 Feb 2014 2 bed semi-D
24, Girvan Close, YO24 2XR £325,000 17 Jan 2014 5 bed detached
29, Troutbeck, YO24 2RE £177,000 24 Jan 2014 2 bed semi-D
2, Ryecroft Avenue, YO24 2RR £201,500 31 Jan 2014 3 bed semi-D

Some larger properties are being advertised for sale

Foxwood Lane
£205,000
4 bed Semi-D
The Reeves
£165,000
5 bed Semi-D
Ashbourne Way
£239,950
4 bed Detached
Alness Drive
£295,000
5 bed Detached

Properties without a chain include:

The Reeves, Acomb, York
£165,000
5 bed Semi-D
Moor Lane, York
£389,950
4 bed Detached
Hamilton Drive West, Holgate, York
£170,000
3 bed Semi-D
Green Lane, Acomb, York
£105,000
1 bed Flat

Properties where the asking price has been reduced include:

Aldersyde
£210,000 -6%
2 bed Flat
Goodramgate
£250,000 -9%
2 bed Flat
Oakdale Road
£230,000 -6%
4 bed Detached
Brecksfield
£165,000 -5%
3 bed Semi-D

The rental market remains buoyant with the following currently available

Westfield Place
£675
3 bed
College Court
£825
2 bed Flat
College Court
£825
2 bed Flat
Tadcaster Road
£3,000
5 bed Detached

£625 pcm Invicta Court, Acomb, YO24 2 Bed Terraced

£675 pcm West Bank, York 2 Bed Flat

The latest House Price Index from Land Registry shows that house prices increased by 0.7 per cent in February.

The annual change in England and Wales stands at 5.3 per cent. In York values have yet to return to 2008 levels.

The number of property sales has increased over the last 12 months.

Chaloners Road development plans revealed

Chaloners Road development layout click to enlarge

Chaloners Road development layout click to enlarge

The York Council’s controversial plan to develop the garage area on Chaloners Road has taken a step forward with layout plans having been published.

The plans show a 3 storey block containing 6 flats, plus two houses, on the site.

The main criticism of the Councils plan had been its impact on the availability of parking spaces in the area, increased traffic, the dominating effect that a 3 storey building would have and its impact on the adjacent Hoggs Pond nature area.

The plans show an allocated parking space for each new property with one visitor space. No measures to address the needs of drivers displaced from the garages have been announced.

On street parking space in the area is very limited. and the dropped kerb and layby provision programmes have both stalled recently.

The plans suggest that 8 mature trees will be felled. A significant amount of land is allocated as a “compost area”.

A planning application is expected to be submitted and determined in May. Residents will be able to object to the proposals and are permitted to address the Planning Committee before a decision is made.

Chaloners Road development plans click to enlarge

Chaloners Road development plans click to enlarge

Chaloners Road development exhibition on Wednesday

Chaloners Road garages

Chaloners Road garages

A Public Information Drop-In Event has been organised for those interested in the plans for new Council flats on Chaloners Road and Newbury Avenue.

The Council has still to confirm how it will deal with the extra car parking requirements generated by the vehicles displaced from the site.

The “drop in” takes place on

Wednesday 16th April between 4pm – 7pm

at the York and district Indoor Bowls Club, Thanet Road, YO24 2NW