Venues across York are preparing to welcome filmgoers from 8 – 11 November when the Aesthetica Short Film Festival takes place as part of the York 800 celebrations.

The festival, supported by City of York Council to celebrate excellence and public involvement in this, the 800th year of self government, will take place in 15 locations which range from Mansion House and the Guildhall to bustling boutique cinemas in bars and shops across the city. The inspiring settings are set to delight visitors who attend this event.

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Sunday 28 October will see the final chapter of City of York Council’s first Children’s Book Awards, when the overall winners will be announced in the company of two leading authors at a Grand Ceremony at York Explore Library Learning Centre.

The awards were launched in March when children under the age of 14 were invited to nominate their favourite story and picture books of all time. Following the nominations, a short list of five in each category was announced, and children had until 16 September to vote for their favourite.

The short-list was:

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A statement from the local Party on the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections says,

Liberal Democrats have long supported the need for greater transparency and accountability within the police. We believe that policing should have the support of the entire community and be responsive to the communities’ priorities and concerns.

While we believe that the Police Authority membership could have been subject to refinement, we also believe that the PCC elections are an unnecessary diversion for a service that has been generally successful in promoting safe and secure neighbourhoods.

King Lear a production by The Royal Shakespeare Company at York High School on Cornlands Road

Evening performances are open to all and will take place on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st of November, doors open at 6.45pm and the play starts at 7.30pm. There will be a licensed bar and an interval, after which there will be an opportunity for Q&A and also to meet the cast.

In this new edited version, King Lear is brought vibrantly to life. Stripped down to 75 minutes, the production is a thrilling introduction to one of the greatest plays ever written. These performances are an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with the actors, away from the traditional theatre setting.

£7 Adults, £3 Concession. Tickets are available by contacting York Theatre Royal Box Office on 01904 623568.

Investing in York’s future and a UK first for unearthing York’s past

One of the largest single investments in York’s transport infrastructure has taken a major step forward this week, and for the first time in the UK residents are invited to join archaeologists to unearth any secrets that one of the sites may hold.

A selected list of contractors have been asked to provide their best value offer to construct the £21.9m Access York (Phase 1) scheme which will help deliver the enhanced Park & Ride service for the city.

click to enlarge

Following receipt of the tenders in December and an evaluation by the council final approval for the scheme will be sought from the Department of Transport (DfT) in early 2013. The new sites should be open by April 2014.

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TWO hundred of York’s young music pupils will get the chance to hear the masters at York Guildhall Orchestra’s York 800 concert at the Barbican this Saturday 20 October – free of charge!

York Guildhall Orchestra had donated 200 tickets to City of York Council for the special York 800 event which will feature a specially composed piece entitled ‘Fanfare For York’ by local composer Dick Blackford.

The 200 tickets are being offered to young people taking music and performing arts sessions with the authority. Classical orchestral concerts can be expensive and inaccessible to young people and it is hoped the free tickets will encourage a new generation of classical music enthusiasts in the city and help them towards attaining their Arts Awards.

The Orchestra has a long association with the city and the concert on Saturday will celebrate its connections with music, composers and performers all based in the York area. More information is available at www.yorkguildhallorchestra.com

Latest government figures show that crime in North Yorkshire and the City of York has been reduced by 10% – with 4,334 fewer victims – in the past year.

Public confidence in North Yorkshire Police and local authorities’ ability to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour has also risen markedly.

Released today (Thursday 18 October 2012) by the Office of National Statistics, the Crime Statistics in England and Wales for the 12 month period up to June 2012, outline the following results for the North Yorkshire Police area:

•Overall crime reduced by 10% with a total of 37,287 crimes – this equates to 4,334 fewer victims of crime in comparison to the same period last year.

•Violence against the person reduced by 12% – total 7,042 – 945 fewer victims

•Sexual offences reduced by 12% – total 529 – 53 fewer victims

•Robbery reduced by 27% – total 152 – 48 fewer victims

•Burglary reduced by 12% – total 4,787 – 673 fewer victims

•Offences against vehicles reduced by 3% – total 3,251 – 22 fewer victims

•Other theft offences reduced by 11% – total 11,305 – 1,508 fewer victims

•Criminal damage reduced by 12% – total 6,542 – 900 fewer victims

•Other offences reduced by 12% – total 499 -113 fewer victims

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Meanwhile according to The Press a Labour Councillor has said that many salt bins were not used last year.

Maybe so, given that we had a mild winter, but memories are short.

The City virtually came to a halt as recently as January 2010 when many salt bins were emptied as soon as they could be filled.

Christmas 2009

Some even became inaccessible for several days because of the depth of the snow and ice.

Big freeze 2010

Meanwhile the furore over abandoned salt bins has forced a Labour Councillor to promise “a decision will be taken quickly to ensure residents’ safety is given top priority, with action taken on the ground by the time sustained and heavy snowfall arrives”.

Ridiculous, of course, given that many of the bins are now damaged and freezing rain is often the main cause of icy paths.

Acomb Explore Library

The Council are consulting on the future of York’s Libraries. It seems that they may be taken out of direct council control possibly using a similar model to those employed when the Museums and Theatre Royal became independent in the past.

There is bound to be anxiety about the future of a service which has gone from strength to strength over recent years. User numbers have increased in the wake of the “Explore” library modernisation programme.

It would be wrong to put that progress at risk.

York Libraries are one of the few Council services to actually publish performance statistics on their web site. As such they already set a benchmark for others to seek to emulate.

There is a feeling in some quarters that the Council just want to reduce expenditure on this service. For example, short term library closures – because of “staffing issues” – have been introduced this week.

Residents can respond to the Councils consultation at the following web site http://www.york.gov.uk/leisure/Libraries/whatson/consultation/

NB. There is a Craft Fayre at the York Explore Library on Saturday 17th November. Contact them if you want a stall.

Around fifty members of the Special Constabulary worked alongside their regular colleagues in a variety of roles, providing an additional 320 hours of policing.

The Special Constables made five arrests, carried out a range of duties which included foot patrol in the city centre, checks on licensed premises, taking witness statements, searching suspects and carrying out road traffic enforcement patrols.

A highlight of the weekend was when a special constable and traffic officer assisted a new mum after she delivered a baby. SC Chris Hartley and TC Alison Travis were on duty on Fulford Road when a man taking his wife, who was already in labour, to hospital asked for help. They escorted the couple through traffic. However, the mother gave birth in the car as they travelled across the city. Following the birth the officers made sure that both mother and child were safe and well before closing a stretch of the road to give them some privacy when the ambulance arrived.

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