Next on the list of cuts for the Labour Council looks likely to be Community Centres.
Management at the Burton Stone centre is being handed on to users
“Sherlock” star traces her family history at York Archives
York achivists have helped actress Una Stubbs discover that her grandmother once lived in the York workhouse – and can help others looking to trace ancestors.
Una Stubbs with Sherlock
The team, skilled in extracting data from some 800 years of documents conserved in the City Archive, helped Una identify that the woman she knew as strong-minded independent Annie Robinson, gave birth to an illegitimate son in the Huntington Road workhouse in 1903. At the time she was using the name Annie Horsfall. after the family that had informally adopted her as she, herself was born illegitimate.
Una uncovered the information during filming for an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? which airs today (24 July) on BBC 1. With the help of the archivists she was able to trace Annie back to her home in The Groves area of York using documents dating back over 150 years. They revealed a hidden family history of hard work, determination and difficulty.
Filming for the show took place at City of York Council’s Archives last November and the discoveries kept a secret until now. The Archives temporarily closed in February this year in preparation for the building phase of the £1.6m Heritage Lottery Funded ‘Gateway to History’ project. The project will see the Archives provided with a new state-of-the-art home at the York Explore Library Learning Centre, and give more people access to the city’s history than ever before.
People inspired by the programme or interested in genealogy can drop into York Explore seven days a week to talk to staff about where to get started with their own family history.
Bookings are also being taken for two free sessions in September which introduce beginners to tracing their family history using the internet. Contact archives@york.gov.uk for details.
Rubbish skips this month
Although the Council has cut back on the number of amenity skips it provides, several residents associations continue to run programmes aimed at making it easier for tenants to get rid of unwanted items.
The skips are only in place for a few minutes and residents must ensure that they put any rubbish into the skips and do not leave it on the path or highway.
Saturday 6.7.13
1 Ebor St 08:30 09:30
2 Paston Walk 10:30 11:30
4 Kingsway West 08:30 09:30 70-72
5 Stuart Rd 10:30 11:30
6 Windsor Garth 12:30 13:30
7 Hewley Ave 08:30 09:30
8 Rawdon Ave 10:30 11:30
9 Hadrian Ave 12:30 13:30
Saturday 13.7.13
1 Woodlea Ave 08:30 09:30
2 Spurr Court 10:30 11:30
3 Cambridge St 12:30 13:30 Catesby House
4 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Community Centre
5 Oldman Court 10:30 11:30
6 Bellhouse Way 12:30 13:30 Community Centre
Saturday 20.7.13
2 Ostman Rd 10:30 11:30
Saturday 27.7.13
2 Pottery lane 10:30 11:30 Garage Area
5 Fossway 10:30 11:30
8 St Paulinus Church 10:30 11:30
Saturday 3.8.13
1 Dringfield Close 08:30 09:30
2 Ganton Place 10:30 11:30
3 Jute Rd 12:30 13:30
4 Hebden Rise 08:30 09:30
5 Lindsey Ave 10:30 11:30 26-36
6 Fenwick St 12:30 13:30
Rubbish skip locations – Saturday 29th June
Although the Council has cut back on the number of amenity skips it provides, several residents associations continue to run programmes aimed at making it easier for tenants to get rid of unwanted items.
The skips are only in place for a few minutes and residents must ensure that they put any rubbish into the skips and do not leave it on the path or highway.
1 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Outside Community House
2 Saxon Place 10:30 11:30
3 North Lane 12:30 13:30
4 Barfield Rd 08:30 09:30
5 Fossway 10:30 11:30
6 Lindsey Ave 12:30 13:30 124-142
7 Don Ave 08:30 09:30
8 Bramham Rd 08:30 09:30 Grange Lane Junction
Students help to clear up and give back to the community
City of York Council is teaming up with the British Heart Foundation and students from both the city’s universities to help recycle and reuse household goods from students who are coming to the end of their academic year.
The council will be running two extra waste collections for students who are leaving before their designated collection day. The collections will be on June 15 and 29. Two crews will be circling the main student areas in The Groves and Haxby Road on both dates, and also in the Heslington Road and Hull Road areas on June 29.
Residents unhappy with York Council’s ice and snow clearance policies
30 days hath September, April, June and November all the rest have 31 save February which has 28 and January which has 80 (and rising)
Damaged salt bin Cornlands Road
Residents responding to a survey carried out in the Westfield ward, have criticised the York Councils winter maintenance performance.
57% were disappointed with icy weather arrangements.
An overwhelming 97% felt that the Council should top up all salt bins at the beginning of winter.
This winter – for the first time- the Council only filled some of the local salt bins and had to be forced by public opinion to fill the rest around the middle of January.
Unfortunately the bins had been left out over the summer period and many had been damaged. Lids were missing from some of them while many of the rest had become informal litter bins.
We believe that the Council should recover all the bins this summer and repair them.
Then they should make sure that they are out on the streets again, and full, before the icy winter weather starts.
Labour back down on Green Bin Tax – but second bins will cost £35 to empty!
The Liberal Democrat campaign to stop Labour introducing a charge for emptying green bins has been successful.
A report to the Councils Cabinet says that there will be no charge for emptying one bin at each property.
However the service will not be available between November and March (when less than 17% of green waste is collected). The Council hopes to save around £67,000 by discontinuing this part of the service.
A survey undertaken by the Council revealed that only 14.5% support a charge. That compares to 96% who responded to our survey in the Westfield area who were opposed to a charge.
There are over 5000 additional green bins in use at properties with large gardens. The Council hopes that around 3500 residents will pay £35 a year to have these second bins emptied.
The majority of respondents to the Councils survey supported having a combined food and green waste collection. In other parts of the country this has reduced landfill volumes by 15% and officers are to look further at how this could be introduced in York.
The Council is also to close the Towthorpe recycling centre on one day a week. It appears that they have still not learnt the lesson that closing the Beckfield Lane centre should have taught them (inconvenience means increased landfill volumes).
The Council claim that their online/telephone survey attracted about 1000 responses.
It was attacked as misleading as it failed to explain that changes to the current arrangements would have been unnecessary if the Council had decided to scrap some of its more extravagant plans like establishing an “arts barge” on the Ouse.
Labour cut road maintenance in York by 32%
Since taking office Labour Councillors have reduced investment in road and footpath maintenance in the City by 32%.
Newly released figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show the amount invested in each of the last 3 years.
2010 – £6,510,000 (LibDem leadership budget)
2011 – £6,388,000 (LibDem budget)
2012 – £4,428,000 (Labour budget).
The Council has listed the streets affected by road works in each of the 3 years (click to access individual years)
In their 2011 local election manifest Labour promised to spend more on road repairs!
Indecision grips York Council on Voluntary Sector and Manor School
One of the revealing things about the York Councils list of upcoming decisions relates to the number of issues which keep getting “put off”.
Current record goes to Manor school who have been seeking to lease an additional area of playing field from the Council.
The decision has now been delayed on 6 occasions!
Only slightly less worrying is a plan for developing a “thriving voluntary sector”.
The origins of this item are lost in the mists of time but it was due to be discussed last November then slipped to December and then March.
It is unlikely now to see the light of day before June.
Small wonder then that the Council for Voluntary Service chief in York has recently quit.
Complaints about blocked drainage gullies up by 43% in York
Blocked gulley complaints.
Click to enlarge
The Labour Councils decision to reduce the routine cleaning of gullies in much of the City has proved to be a false economy.
During 2012, 649 complaints were received by the Council from residents who were concerned about carriageway and footpath flooding.
Block gullies were blamed.
Special cleans had to be arranged on 201 occasions.