During the Illuminating York Festival 2012, a short film capturing the stories of York-based or linked armed forces personnel, their families and local communities will be screened in St Helen’s Square.

The film has been produced as part of the York Stories 2012 project which celebrates York 800 by recording and sharing local people’ stories, and has been funded by the Community Covenant Grant and City of York Council with the aim of building bridges between the armed forces and local communities.

The film will be screened every night from October 31 – November 3 between 6:30pm and 9:30pm on a mobile screen.

The award-winning leisure centre “Energise” located on Cornlands Road has doubled the size of its gym.

The gym now accommodates 95 users – previously 56 – at any one time, and has extra space to improve access for disabled users.

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Dringhouses Library

There is mounting speculation that York’s library service will be outsourced and removed from council ownership after a recent review of council management jobs did not include any discussion on the future role of the ‘Head of Libraries’.

In a related development, the Labour Cabinet Member in charge of libraries has confirmed that current staffing levels can not be guaranteed after planned reforms are completed.

Last month the Lib Dems revealed that Labour was drawing up proposals to take libraries out of council control and ownership. The plans have seen a City of York Council ‘project board’ set-up which is working on how assets could be transferred and how alternative ownership models could work. Despite promising a “full and frank” discussion, the six-week public consultation launched by Labour on the city’s library service, has been criticised as it does not include any questions on future ownership or management changes.

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Council Officers are processing requests for cold calling controlled zones on Grassholme. Residents need to respond positively to the consultation in order for the zone to be granted.

The Willow tree on Woodthorpe Green has been Crown lifted where it overhung the footpath.

The Grassholme road sign on Moor Lane has been moved across the road to the same side as the junction to avoid the problem of it being obscured by vegetation. The Kinbrace Drive sign on Girvan Close has been replaced.

A request for dropped kerbs to be provided on Moorcroft Rd at the Moor Lane junction has been added to the Council’s list.

The next Ward Committee will take place at Woodthorpe School, Summerfield Rd on 29th November.

On the agenda will be the plans for the 20 mph speed limit that Labour want to introduce across the whole of the City—including all of Dringhouses—at a cost of £500,000.

Liberal Democrats support a targeted approach to speed limits based on accident records and residents views.

Cllr Ann Reid said
“Labour want to implement a blanket 20mph speed limit although they have said that they will listen to residents views. Most residents say to me that they would like to see current speed limits enforced rather than reduced.
Come along to the Ward Committee and have your say on this important issue.”

20 MPH – THE MEETING THAT THEY’D RATHER YOU DIDN’T ATTEND!

Ann Reid helps out at the Woodthorpe shops clean up

Improvements are slowly being made at Woodthorpe Shops

The front canopy has been replaced and the car park resurfaced.

Some of the walls around the flower beds have been repaired and the Coop has re-laid some paving slabs.

Following Westhorpe Scouts planting of the flower beds in the summer pupils from Woodthorpe School and local residents have been weeding the beds.

Ann says “Working with Woodthorpe School we are hoping to establish “Woodthorpe Weeders” next Spring to maintain and improve the flowerbeds.

Keep an eye on the notice board for weeding sessions if you want to get involved.”

Workers, pupils and residents in York have spent the last three weeks walking enough miles to take them from Land’s End to John O’Groats 19.4 times as part of City of York Council’s i-Travel initiative.

The York Walking Challenge results are in and participants to this popular annual event clocked up an impressive 16,962 miles on foot. This is the equivalent of burning off 2950 muffins and saving 2934 kg of CO2

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The City of York Council has issued a media release saying that it “is asking traders, shoppers and visitors for their initial thoughts on plans to secure a flourishing future for the historic Newgate Market and its contribution to the city’s retail offering.

This preliminary consultation will involve all traders, including businesses inside and adjacent to the market, working groups and shoppers both local and visiting. It also links to city-wide projects such as Reinvigorate York and Smarter York which are focussing on the appearance and quality of the city.

Dependent on the outcome of the consultation, a bid could be made to the council’s Economic Infrastructure Fund (EIF) which aims to kick-start critical economic infrastructure projects that may not otherwise receive external funding support. If successful, and subject to further consultation on a more refined vision, the visibility and overall appearance of the market could be enhanced in line with an ambitious improvement plan.

This consultation outlines the council’s aims and objectives for the market which includes creating extra jobs from increased footfall and contributing to the evening economy with evening markets and extended trading hours. To do so, consultation respondents will be asked about the appearance of the existing market place and how it might be made more inviting and attract a wider range of businesses”.

The consultation launches on Monday 22 October. To take part, people can visit a mobile exhibition unit at Newgate Market everyday until Sunday 28 October from 9.00 until 4.30pm daily. People can also participate online at www.york.gov.uk or by email at york-markets@york.gov.uk or write to Darren Lovatt, City of York Council, 5 Silver Street, York YO1 8RY. All responses must be received by 31 October 2012

The Council have already announced that they intend to make changes to the market so really the consultation is about what should be done, not whether major change is needed. Stand by for a deluge of reponses asking for the market to return to parliament Street!

Details of the answers given by a Cabinet member to questions about bus service reliability in York have been released by the Council.

Independent checks – undertaken by “mystery travellers” – have been a valuable source of information over the years as they reflect the actual experience of passengers in the city. Suspicion is growing that the Labour Cabinet may have discontinued the checks when they took office – this seems to be the only explanation for their reluctance to publish the results.

The Council was told though that, in future, reliability statistics on “contracted services” (those subsidised by Council taxpayers) might in future be published. No timescale has been given for the release of this information.

Clearly the Council is also embarrassed by the low take up of their much vaunted “all York” ticket which allows travel on any bus in the City irrespective of operator. Information on ticket sales is not forthcoming although a Freedom of Information request is outstanding.

The Council had expected 5% of passengers to take up this option but it now seems that the actual use is much lower.

Hence the Council is thinking up all sorts of reasons for not releasing the information. The ticket enjoys a £20,000 subsidy from taxpayers and was a stop gap pending the introduction of a cashless “smartcard” payment option.

The secrecy is in marked contrast to the call for openness supported by the Coalition governments Transport Minister Norman Baker (see http://tinyurl.com/York-secrecy-criticised)

The answers to questions tabled at the council meeting on 6th October published by the Council include the following.

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The York Council has ordered 2405 brand new seats and seating units for its new HQ.

Around 1000 staff will be accommodated at the new Toft Green building when it opens next March.

A Freedom of information request has revealed that the Council will spend £2.4 million on furnishings and services of which £917,000 will go on new computers and information technology.

Items already ordered, and being supplied by “Flexiform”, include:

• 2405 seating units
• 1096 desks
• 381 tables
• 551 monitors

Of the seating units, 1186 are “operator chairs”, 148 “ visitor chairs”, 98 café chairs, 678 are described as meeting chairs, 197 as “armchairs” while the rest are made up of modular soft seating & “high stools”.

19 “poser” tables are planned together with 63 coffee tables.

Concerns had been raised earlier in the year about a lack of transparency over decisions on the office move. While the expectation had been that – to make best use of modern open plan office working methods – some new furniture would be required, no Council Cabinet member has publicly authorised the specifications issued to contractors, nor has any scrutiny committee reviewed the plans.

There was an expectation when the project business case was signed off in 2008 that, where possible, existing items of equipment, fixtures and fittings would be reused.

This more cautious approach now seems to have been abandoned.

The Council has not yet tendered for the supply of “white goods”, internal signage or audio visual equipment.

The revelation comes 3 months after the Council Leader refused to answer questions about the management of the move to the new accommodation.

At the Council meeting held on 12th July the Council Leader was asked:

“Would the Council Leader please indicate how – and by whom – the specification for the fittings, fixtures and furnishings required at the new Council HQ is being drawn up and what is the agreed budget is for each service/activity area? Would he explain how he intends to monitor the prudent use of the budgets that have been provided for this part of the HQ project and how he intends to update Council members and residents on the progress being made?”

The Council Leader responded that it did not fall within his area of responsibility.