Huge risk for York as Science City abandoned

Culture, festivals and leisure set to be hived off

logo-sciencecity

The York Council is to take on the liabilities of the Science City organisation and is breaking its partnership with the University of York.

Science City claims to have brought £30million in investment to the City over the last 14 years.

Now the Council is replacing it with a wholly local authority owned company on which it will have only two Board members.

Taxpayers will be expected to pay £710,000 plus set up costs to sustain the new company.

A less than convincing business plan suggests that most of its activities will be similar to those undertaken by the long defunct Inward Investment Board.

Other activities are intended to underpin the (generally successful) Visit York organisation which has been in existence for less than 3 years.

As well as the lack of transparency, taxpayers will worry about the City Centre/visitor bias of an organisation which also aspires to take over “cultural and leisure”activities.

The company owners (York taxpayers) will have little say over the objectives of the new company, its Board appointments or method of working.

It is likely to hold its meetings in private, further reducing local residents influence.

The targets of the new company refer entirely to the City centre. Neither Front Street (badly in need of regeneration) nor any other suburb centre gets even a passing a mention.

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With the Labour administration on its last legs, the best interests of the City would be best served by trying to get a cross party consensus before entering into an arrangement which may only have a life of a few months.

The Council report fails to reveal the terms under which the City would acquire the Universities share of the Science City company.

NB. Last year the Council Leader actually welcomed a bid by Science City to manage all business grant investment decisions for the City.

York Apprenticehips event

Young people across the city will be able to view over 250 Apprenticeship vacancies and receive job advice as City of York Council hosts an Apprenticeship Recruitment Event on Tuesday 1 July.

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The event, which will take place from 4.30pm-7.30pm at the Hilton Hotel, will showcase exciting Apprenticeship opportunities from both large and small to medium-sized York employers.

The recruitment event comes after the success of the York Apprenticeship Challenge which saw 104 local businesses pledge to create 162 Apprenticeship vacancies in the city.

Young people aged 16-24 and their parents will have the chance to meet with recruiting employers as well as find out about alternative routes to Level 3 qualifications and university.

20 employers and 10 training providers will be advertising over 250 Apprenticeship vacancies covering a range of sectors including; business and finance, construction, creative and cultural, digital marketing and social media, engineering, I.T, health and more. Employers attending the event include City of York Council, NHS, Barratt Homes, Nestle, Garbutt and Elliott Solicitors, GIA Architects, Purenet, McDonalds, York Cocoa House, Meltons Restaurant and many more.

Connexions advisors will be available at 29 Castlegate alongside the event to support young people with their next-level options, including Apprenticeships, plus CV and Job Application workshops.

For more information on the event contact york.apprenticeships@york.gov.uk or visit www.facebook.com/yorkapprenticeships.

Call for Barbican hotel statement

Barbican development site June 2014

Barbican development site June 2014

The next Council meeting is likely to debate why a start on building work, on the derelict site next to the Barbican, has been delayed.

Planning permission for a 165 bedroomed hotel was granted in January 2012 with the aim being to provide facilities which would complement the use of the adjacent Barbican auditorium as a conference centre.

Property firm Broadhall was granted permission to build a Hilton Garden Inn on the land. The development was expected to bring at least 200 additional jobs to the City.

Plans to erect nearly 200 flats on another part of the vacant site were submitted last year

A recent major conference held at the Barbican centre was criticised for lack of “break out” space.

Now the site – which used to accommodate a swimming pool – has been derelict for 2 years with gaps in the hoardings affecting the view from the City Walls and blighting one of he key routes around the City.

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Walmgate Bar June 2014

Walmgate Bar June 2014

The Council has also been criticised for not starting a permanent repair on nearby Walmgate Bar.

The Bar was shored up following a collision four years ago.

Two years ago the media reported that a start on refurbishment work was imminent.

With the City having a “showcase” opportunity provided by the Tour de France event next month, many had expected the Council to act on unsightly buildings and sites.

 

 

Unemployment down again

Jobs growth (national)

Jobs growth (national)

The number of unemployed in York has fallen to its lowest level since 2008.

The latest ONS figures show only 1.4% claiming JSA in the City in April. (1.9% Men, 1.0% Women)

The improvement reflects an upward trend in employment levels across the whole country.

The national figures show the largest quarterly rise in employment since stats were started 40 years ago.

York unemployed figures down

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The latest ONS figures reveal that there are 1430 men and 682 women unemployed and seeking work in York at the end of March.

This represents 1.6% of the working population and compares to the regional average of 3.8%

The total of 2122 represents a reduction from the January total of 2183.

Unemployment in the City has reduced by 931 over the last year.

The improvement can be traced to the general economic recovery underpinned by several specific Coalition government initiatives

York to get Ultra-Fast Broadband

Broadband

The news that Sky/TalkTalk are to launch an ultrafast broadband service in the City, possibly as early as next year, is welcome.

The high speeds on offer will be a boon to businesses in the City particularly those in the technology reliant sectors.

It may also provide a boost for “home workers”.

The City has many broadband providers but the domestic market is dominated by the BT network and Virgin.

Virgin in particular provides a high speed service – shortly to increase to 150 mps in some areas – which most leisure/domestic users will find adequate. It comes at a price though.

Competition is generally good for the consumer.

There may, however, be some downsides.

Unless the new network provider – CityFibre – can utilise existing utility ducts, we could be in for another period of damaged footpaths. NTL (Virgins predecessor) didn’t win many friends as it ploughed up the City’s streets nearly 20 years ago.

And pricing will be important. Commercial users will take a hardnosed approach.

Residents living in the suburbs and villages around York may, however, find that the market simply couldn’t fund the new infrastructure at this point in time.

We will see.

In the meantime the Council Leadership is promising “citywide” coverage.

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York unemployment figures released

Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics have shown a 28.3% fall in the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in York, since February 2013.

Today’s statistics have shown an increase of 47 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance compared to last month’s figures meaning there are now 2230 claimants in the city, the lowest February figure since February 2008.

The claimant count represents 1.7% of the working population and stands less than half the regional average of 3.9%. The figures are also much lower than the national average, which stands at 3.0%. However.

Today’s figures also revealed a 45.5% decrease in the number of 18-24 year olds, claiming over one year. The statistics showed a decrease of 10 people claiming JSA from last month, meaning there are now 60 claiming, 50 less than one year ago.

The results also showed the number of claimants out of work for over one year has decreased by 20 from last month, totalling 500, this represents a 24.2% decrease of 160 from one year ago.

Youth unemployment was also shown to have decreased 35.7% since February 2013.

Vince Cable

Vince Cable MP

Figures published today by the Office for National Statistics show that the level of unemployment has fallen again nationally.

Unemployment figures have fallen by 63,000 to 2.33 million in the three months to January 2014. The number of people in employment has risen to 30.19 million.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable said:

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Unemployment down in York

Unemployment levels fell again last month across the country.

In York the number claiming job seekers allowance has fallen to 1.6% of the population. That is down from 2.10% in November last year.

Employment trends click to enlarge

Employment trends click to enlarge

A total of 2133 York residents were claiming Job seekers allowance last month. This figure is likely to increase in January as seasonal jobs come to an end.

The lowest ever unemployed numbers were recorded in 2004 when only 1.2% were looking for jobs.

The change reflects an improving economy. The trend in the City almost exactly mirrors the national picture.

Nationally unemployment has dropped by 0.8 percentage points over the last year.

In York the improvement has been less at 0.6 percentage points.

At the last York Council, meeting the Labour Leadership tried to claim that the change was due to their decision to borrow and spend a £28 million Economic Infrastructure Fund. The Fund was started early in 2012.

However, by that time. unemployment had fallen from a peak of 4134 to 3682; a trend that continued.

The only quick way for the public sector to create jobs quickly is – as Hitler and Mussolini demonstrated – by spending on public works (autobahns etc). Such a short term policy does increase the number of construction jobs for a time at least.

The only work of this kind announced by the Council is the so called “bridge to nowhere” at the York Central site. Work on this won’t start for another couple of years at least.

The rest has been squandered on a plethora of uncoordinated initiatives ranging from “free” public WiFi to arts barges and the like.

The only direct effect that the present Council could claim to have had on the local economy is the creation of around 100 apprentice posts at the Council. These post were more than outweighed by job losses incurred as public service standards were been slashed.

The legacy will of course be a huge increase in the debt burden of each resident living in the City.

Vince Cable launches York Business Survey

Vince Cable launching York Business survey

Vince Cable launching York Business survey

 

York born Business Secretary Vince Cable visited the city on Saturday to officially launch a major new business survey.

The Liberal Democrat survey looks at how local businesses can be supported and what more can be done to encourage employers to take on apprentices. It also asks businesses for their views on the Labour run Council’s decision to close Lendal Bridge and issues such as tax, barriers to taking on new staff and the impact of EU membership. The survey will initially be delivered to over 500 businesses across York in the coming weeks.

Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, commented:

“I am delighted to support this effort to engage with local businesses in York. It is crucial that we listen to what employers are saying and ensure that everything is being done to support businesses locally as well as understanding the impact on the ground of national issues.

Speaking on the efforts to encourage employers to take-on apprentices, Vince Cable commented:

“Apprenticeships are one of this Government’s top priorities. Practical, technical and vocational skills should be valued as equals to academic achievement. Since 2010 1.2 million new apprenticeships have helped young people into work including over 4,000 in York. We need to continue this progress by highlighting successful schemes and by understanding what more can be done to encourage local employers to take on apprentices.”

As part of the survey the York Lib Dems will be establishing a new Local Business Forum. This will give employers in York an opportunity to discuss the local economy and the impact of City of York Council policies.