Lib Dem Executive Member secures Knights Stadium deal

York City Knights Rugby Club have today signed an agreement with City of York Council over a new Community Stadium partnership.

Directors from the club joined Liberal Democrat Cllr Nigel Ayre yesterday at West Offices to formalise the agreement. 

Huntington Stadium April 2014

Cllr Nigel Ayre, who is the Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said:

“This is a major step forward for the project and we’re delighted to stand together with the Knights’ Directors today to mark this occasion. Professional rugby has been a part of York’s sporting heritage for generations and today we’ve reached a new agreement that will give York a lasting legacy for the future of rugby. We’re sure sporting fans will join us in marking this significant moment, which will ensure the long-term viability of the club and enhance the success of their current community coaching and engagement programmes here in York.

“We have worked tirelessly since forming the new administration to bring the Knights back into the project and solve the issues we inherited from the failures of the outgoing Labour administration. We have positively engaged with the club and I would like to personally thank the Knights’ Directors and all council officers involved for their efforts in recent weeks.

“The Community Stadium was a Liberal Democrat policy that has suffered as a result of the flawed political leadership in York under Labour. As part of the Joint Executive, we are fully committed to delivering this exciting new facility and ensuring the benefit for all residents of York and a sustainable future for sport in our city.”

The York Community Stadium will provide a new 8,000 seat stadium for football and rugby league, a leisure facility which will include a gym, 25 metre, six-lane swimming pool, a fun pool and training pool, as well as a new sports hall and dance studio.

The Community Hub on site will provide bespoke facilities for project partners with a focus on promoting health and wellbeing for York residents and visitors. The development also includes a number of new retail units restaurants and a multi-screen cinema complex.

For more information visit: http://www.yorkcommunitystadium.co.uk/

New tennis league open to all

Tennis players in York have a smashing new opportunity to play friendly, competitive matches organised by the group Local Tennis Leagues in partnership with City of York Council.

The competition invites adult players of all standards to pick up their racquets and sign up to a local singles league. Participants are organised into groups and then liaise with their opponent to arrange a mutually convenient time to play, at a court in the city to suit them both. Each round runs for eight weeks and round one launches on Thursday 9 July during Wimbledon 2015.

The local league aims to open up competitive tennis to everyone, whether or not they are members of a club. It will make it easier to compete on public courts by matching interested partners of similar standards and will be a way of meeting new people through sport. The initiative is one of many opportunities across the city to encourage residents to play sport more often and exercise for the recommended 150 minutes a week.  

Top spin

Top spin

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism said: “Anyone who is inspired by Wimbledon will love this opportunity to play competitively against new opponents in the city. Sporting opportunities such as this are an enjoyable way to build friendships as well as keeping fit.”

The league gives a can of free tennis balls to every player who completes three matches by the half way point and there are prizes for the winners of each group. It is affiliated to the sport’s governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association.

To enter the league visit www.localtennisleagues.com/york and register by Monday 6 July. The entry fee is £15 and further information is available from Local Tennis Leagues members on 07503 281732 or email yorktennisleague@gmail.com

Fresh calls for Grand Departy Inquiry

Liberal Democrat Councillors will make fresh calls for a review into 2014 ‘Grand Departy’ concert when the issue is discussed on Monday.

grand-departy

Last November, Lib Dem Cllr Ian Cuthbertson submitted a request for a review into the “planning, promotion and delivery” of council organised events for the 2014 Tour De France in York.

These events included the £187,000 loss-making ‘Grand Departy’ concert at Huntington Stadium.

In January, Labour councillors led calls to delay the inquiry until after May’s local elections.

However, following the delay the issue is now back on the table and will be discussed at Monday’s cross-party Learning & Culture Policy and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Cllr Ian Cuthbertson, Lib Dem Councillor for Haxby and Wigginton, will attend the meeting to support an inquiry. He commented: 

“It was disappointing that councillors chose to delay the review into the Grand Departy concert in January. Besides a loss to taxpayers of £187,000 from the concert, there were serious issues raised about public safety at the event. The report on the overall economic impact of the Tour De France did not address these issues and there are still unanswered questions. A proper inquiry is needed to establish what happened and what lessons can be learnt for future events.”
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York residents face price hike for entry to museums and art gallery

Angry mob - museums

A report to a leisure committee meeting taking place on 22nd June confirms that residents will pay for admission to the Art Gallery, and local museums like Castle, in future.

The Museums Trust is launching its own YMT card which will cost £22 a year.

This will offer unlimited access to York Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum & Gardens and the newly refurbished York Art Gallery for a year. The YMT Card saves £5 compared to buying individual day tickets for the three YMT charging venues.

It is clear that, if the Council want free entry for York Card holders to these venues, they will have to increase their subsidy to the Trust.

The move by the Trust is being viewed as retaliation for the decision taken by the former Labour controlled Council to cut its grant from £1.6 million to £600,000 pa.

Admissions to the two museums have remained fairly steady over the last 3 years with between 162,000 and 170m000 visitors being recorded each year.

Moment of truth on Grand Departy costs probe?

Angry mob - money back

After many delays, it looks like a decision will now be made on how to investigate the £187,000 loss that the last Council made on the Grand Departy concert.

There were also safety concerns raised about the event by an independent committee

The event took place in June 2014 but Labour Councillors – many of whom lost their seats in the May elections – tried every manoeuvre possible to avoid being held to account for the failures.

A similar situation exists on money waste on the Lendal bridge/Coppergate closures and the failed wide area 20 mph project.

An all party scrutiny Committee will consider what type of inquiry to conduct into the budget and project management of the York Councils Tour de France responsibilities.

The issue remains a live one as similar events may be suggested in the future. A Tour De Yorkshire event held at the beginning of May produced a mixed reaction form City Centre shopkeepers several of whom blamed the event for untypically low Bank Holiday takings.

The report into the option available for the scrutiny of the issue can be read by clicking here. The meeting, which will be open to the public, takes place on 22nd June

In total the Tour de Yorkshire event cost local taxpayers £1.3 million.

New athletics track completed

Over 100 members of the City of York Athletic Club (CYAC) took to the track last night for their first training session at York’s brand new athletics track.

The track has been developed by a partnership of University of York and City of York Council, who have worked together over the past 12 months. The track has been awarded a Class A certificate for a regional centre by UK Athletics.
Athletics track June 2015

The track, built at the University’s Heslington West campus, cost £2 million and was funded by both the council and university. The facility includes an 8 lane synthetic running track, a grass infield for field disciplines like javelin, hammer, discus and shot put and other synthetic areas for pole vault, highjump, long and triple jump. In autumn 2015 additional work will start on a new sports pavilion and covered seating for 500 spectators. In the meantime a temporary pavilion and stand are in place for the summer season. These first class facilities now provide York’s athletes the best possible opportunities to improve their sporting performances.

The facility is the new home for City of York Athletic Club and is also available for use by regional schools, local groups and athletes of all abilities.

Ayre to reconsider role as athletics coach

Ayre to reconsider role as athletics coach

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism who was at the track for the session said: “The opening of this brand new track will greatly improve athletics facilities in York. It has been made possible through strong local partnership work between the council, the University of York and City of York Athletic Club. I originally brought forward plans to fund and build a top-class athletics track at the University as the Executive Member in July 2010. I am therefore pleased that this vision has now been realised and athletes of all abilities can start to enjoy the new facilities.”
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Chapman’s pond fish deaths – Latest update

Chapmans Pond 2

The Enviroment Agency has issued the following statement

Fish deaths force Chapman’s Pond, Moor Lane, pond closure.

Chapmans Pond in York has been closed to anglers following reports of several fish deaths.

The mortalities, which have occurred over the last two or three weeks are thought to be predominantly carp.

The alarm was raised by The Friends of Chapmans Pond, who were concerned that the number of deaths had exceeded what might be normally expected for natural causes.

Environment Agency officers advised the precautionary closure of the pond while samples of the water are tested and live fish are taken to the Environment Agency’s fish health laboratory at Brampton and analysed. These tests will aim to establish whether there are water quality issues affecting the fish, or the likelihood of disease or parasites being the cause of mortalities.

Laura Hogg, fisheries and biodiversity officer at the Environment Agency said: “While we carry out our investigations it is important not to stress the remaining fish further, and that is why we have recommended the pond is closed to anglers at this time.

“Until the cause of the deaths is known we are advising anglers to remain vigilant, honour the closure notice and follow the three simple biosecurity steps of check, clean and dry as always to reduce the risk of spreading any potential diseases.”

Check check equipment and clothing including soles of footwear

Clean on leaving the watercourse all mud and dirt must be washed off boots and equipment. If possible with clean hot water and sterilise with disinfectant

Dry dry all kit for 48 hours prior to reuse, preferably in sunlight

If you see fish in distress, please call the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Yearsley pool may get gym extension

Yearsley Pool

Yearsley Pool

Council papers, being considered at a meeting being held on 7th June, suggest that a gym may be constructed next to the Yearsley swimming pool.

The pool had been under threat following an announcement by the last Labour administration that it planned to switch swimming provision to a new location at the Community Stadium. A new pool there would have replaced both “Waterworld” (which has already closed) and Yearsley.

Now a scrutiny committee report has revealed that Nestle – who own the car park and land next to the Yearsley pool – may construct a fitness facility there for use by its employees.

It was the lack of an additional – non swimming – income stream which led to Yearsley requiring a £300,000 a year taxpayers subsidy to keep operating.

What impact the gym plan may have on the viability of the stadium pool and fitness facility remains to be seen.

The scrutiny committee, set up to look into ways of reducing the Yearsley subsidy, will have to be reconstituted if it is to continue. Several of its original members were not re-elected at the recent Council elections.

The coalition agreement, on the policies that will be pursued by the Council during the next 4 years, guarantees the future of the Yearsley Pool.