An evening with mother and daughter crime novelists Pauline Kirk and Jo Summers, who write as PJ Quinn.

Pauline and Jo will read from ‘Foul Play’ and forthcoming novel ‘Poison Pen’, and give tips on getting published. There will be a question and answer session at the end.

To book your free place contact Dringhouses Library on tel. (01904) 552674 or email dringhouses.library@york.gov.uk

The Council is likely today to decide to reduce the number of litter bins on our streets by about 20%.

At the same time it has announced that it will follow the lead of other Councils in introducing a new design of “intelligent” litter bin. The bins use solar power to “compact” waste and are capable of sending an “empty me” Email when they are full.

The Council is right to trial technology like this.

However, they are talking of putting them in the City centre and removing 5 of the old style bins at the same time. This they think will reduce both emptying costs and the street clutter which some find intrusive in the historic core.

There is a limit to how far some people will walk to use a litter bin and a well dispersed network of bins is the best way of ensuring that street litter does not ruin the environment.

The decision to reduce the amount of litter picking by barrowmen in residential areas is another example of short sighted thinking.

Whether the Council will adopt the type of bin which segregates recyclable waste (bottles, cans, papers etc) remains to be seen. The 3 bin suite is larger than anything we have had in the city before but Labour were insistent that we should offer the recycling option when they were in opposition, so we will have to wait and see whether they are consistent now that they are making the decisions.

The key question though for “dusty bin” is whether it proves to be reliable and whether the extra costs can be justified.

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 22 and Tuesday 28 February 2012.

Those being checked in the York area include:

•A64 east-bound carriageway Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 west-bound carriageway, Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York
•Beckfield Lane, York
•Green lane, Acomb, York
•Ryecroft Avenue, Woodthorpe, York
•Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe, York
•A1036 Tadcaster Road, York
•A1237 Monks Cross, York
•Strensall Road, Huntington, York
•The Village, Stockton-on-the-Forest, York
•A1036 Malton Road, York
•A171 Jugger Howe opposite Springhill Farm

The mobile safety cameras will be in operation at the above sites at various times during the dates stated. Cameras will not be in use on the above routes all day, every day.

64% of residents, responding to a Liberal Democrat Focus survey, have backed a proposal to freeze Council Tax levels in the City for a further year.

The survey was carried out in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward together with parts of Westfield, Acomb and Micklegate.

The option is being considered on Thursday and is expected to get the backing of both Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors.

The option is available as the Coalition government has offered a £1.8 million subsidy to the city if it keeps tax levels down.

Labour are proposing a 2.9% increase with a minimum 2% more to come the following year. This option drew the support of only 14% of respondents.

A third option – to hold a referendum to see whether residents would support an increase of over 3.5% – won the support of 22% of respondents.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have announced their plans to amend the ruling Labour Cabinet’s budget plans at the Budget council Meeting on Thursday 23rd Feb. The plans would see over £2m of the cuts Labour have planned for frontline services reversed, paid for by cutting the Labour leader’s planned £1m ‘Delivery and Innovation Fund’ and reducing council borrowing.

Just some of the plans included in the Liberal Democrat Amendment are:
– Reversing Labour’s planned cuts to voluntary sector organisations (including York CVS and the Salvation Army)
– Reversing Labour’s £50,000 cuts to Youth Services
– Cutting the planned £1m ‘Delivery and Innovation’ fund
– Introducing living wage of £6.83ph for council workers
– Freezing council tax
– Reversing £895k of road maintenance cuts
– Reducing borrowing by £1.5m this year (which saves £135k in interest payments this year alone)
– Reversing local Ward Committee funding cuts
– Cutting two cabinet members
– Reversing cuts to the target hardening fund to combats anti-social behaviour
– Keeping Beckfield Lane Recycling Centre open

Councillor Carol Runciman, who is proposing the amendment, said “Our amendment would make the proposed budget fairer for York’s residents, in particular the most vulnerable.”
“We think that local council services are more important that a fund for the Council Leader to spend at will. That’s why we are planning to cut the ‘Delivery and Innovation’ fund and put the £1m back into frontline services for residents. Our plans would see funding restored for projects that benefit residents all over the city.”

She added: “I very much hope that backing from all parties can be found for reversing cuts to vital services and support for the most vulnerable in our city.”

The problems surrounding this area of public open space look as if they might be nearing some kind of resolution at last. The recent Ward Committee heard from Council Officers about the recent history of the site and the action that is being taken to finally resolve the issues.

As previously reported in Focus, Taylor Wimpey have carried out remedial works, particularly to the trees and have made it clear to the interested parties that sale of the small area of land at the rear of Hob Moor Terrace needs to be rescinded so that it can all be included in the public open space. The aim is for the land to be transferred to the Council who will lease it to an appropriate organisation to manage.

A report is due to go to the Cabinet Member for City Strategy at the beginning of March which will outline how it is proposed to achieve those aims.

The Chase Resident Association gave a presentation about the consultation work they are undertaking to establish the kind of uses that are made of the area now and what kind of things people would like to see happening in the future.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Carol Runciman has announced that two cabinet posts will be cut as part of the Liberal Democrat plans for the City of York Council’s budget, to be debated on Thursday 23rd February.

The posts, which are held by Labour Councillors, come with an additional allowance of £14,700 on top of the standard allowance given to all Councillors.

Cllr Runciman says that in these difficult times, there should be less members of the cabinet. It is right given changes within the council organisation that these now be trimmed down to size. She said “When Labour took control of the Council in May last year they immediately added an additional cabinet member to give one of their own councillors more pay. We were opposed to that move.”

Liberal Democrats are now proposing that the Council should cut not only the taxpayer-funded cabinet allowance that Labour added, but another cabinet post too. This latest proposal from the Liberal Democrat Group on the City of York Council is just one of a raft of proposals being announced and set to be debated at the Budget Council meeting on Thursday.

Councillor Runciman said “The council has been going through an internal reorganisation which has seen the number of departments whittled down. We think it is only right that the number of cabinet members paid extra out of the public purse are dealt with in the same way. When we are reforming the council, it’s only right we reform the cabinet too.”

Planning application list

Several new planning applications have been submitted in the Dringhouses area over the last few weeks.

The most significant is the proposal to erect 12 houses on the former Turf Tavern site. The deadline for objections has now passed and the Council has until April to determine the application.

Turf Tavern now demolished

Reuban Mayne at the Beckfield Lane recycling centre

A petition is circulating in Acomb calling on the Council to reprieve the Beckfield Lane recycling centre. The Centre is due to close after Easter as part of the Labour Council’s cuts programme.

An alternative Salvage and Re-use centre, which was to have been provided at Harewood Whin, has also been axed.

Funding to continue the Beckfield Lane facility would be found by halting the “free” roll out of WiFi access in the City centre.

The petition has been organised by local Acomb resident Reuban Mayne who can be contacted on York 781589

The petition should be available to sign “on line” shortly.