Neighbourhood enforcement action

We are pleased to report that the council’s Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers have been actively pursuing issues across Dringhouses &Woodthorpe ward.

The team has received complaints about worsening litter problems in the area around York College, and in response have been patrolling the area and advising students that littering is an offence.

Previous litter picks in the area near the College have yielded a bumper haul of litter

Previous litter picks in the area near the College have yielded a bumper haul of litter

Whilst on patrol, the team has witnessed littering offences, and have issued:

  • Two litter Fixed Penalty Notices (one relating to College students)
  • Three litter warnings (all related to College students)
  • Two littering offences pending further investigation (both relating to College students)

There are also plans to install a ‘No flytipping’ sign on Moor Lane.

One fixed penalty notice has been issued for cars advertised for sale on the highway.

The team has been dealing with an ongoing noise complaint for dog barking, and has successfully served a noise abatement notice on the residents.

First York announce changes to bus services

Number 4 to loop through Skeldergate – direct link between Acomb and York University broken

First buses have responded to complaints about unreliability and lack of capacity on some bus services.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

A major change to the number 4 – the best used bus service in the City – means that it will no longer travel to the University. Instead it will loop through Skeldergate and over Skeldergate Bridge to reach its new terminus on Clifford Street. There are frequent buses from there to the University.

The last change to the route of the number 4  -which took the service on a meandering journey through Tang Hall before reaching Heslington – was heavily criticised by passengers. On occasions 3 or 4 buses would arrive in Acomb in convoy. We hope that the new service – which retains a 10 minute frequency during the day – will prove to more reliable when it is introduced on 22nd November.  The Sunday frequency will be 20 minutes while buses will continue to run every 30 minutes in the evening.

An additional morning service will be provided between Dunnington and York College on Tadcaster Road

Other changes affect service 6 (which gets a direct link to York University) and service 10 which will run via Battlefields Way with an early morning service between Bishopthorpe and the railway station also being introduced. 

Some minor timetable changes are promised on the number 1 service which links Chapelfields to Wigginton. A twelve minute frequency is promised at peak times between Monday and Friday.

MEP delighted by record increase in apprentices

Yorkshire MEP Edward McMillan-Scott is ‘delighted’ with the increase in people in apprenticeships in York and North Yorkshire, he said during a recent visit to York College.

Megan Geyerhosz, Hannah Smith, Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Denise Morrison, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid at York College

Megan Geyerhosz, Hannah Smith, Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Denise Morrison, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid at York College

Edward visited York College following the announcement that almost 860,000 people were on apprenticeships in the UK in 2012/13. This means that more people than ever before are in apprenticeships and that the government has created over 1.5 million new apprentice places since 2010.

 

Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, Cllr Keith Aspden and Cllr Ann Reid visited York College, one of Yorkshire’s major apprentice providers, on Friday to learn more about their efforts to increase the number of people in York and North Yorkshire who are in apprenticeships.

 

During the visit they met with Denise Morrison, assistant principal for employer engagement at York College and Finance Assistants, Megan Geyerhosz (aged 20) and Hannah Smith (aged 18). Both Megan and Hannah studied an apprenticeship in Level 3 Business Administration and are about to embark on a course in Book Keeping and Accounts to help them in their roles in the Finance office.

 

Edward McMillan-Scott, Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and Humber and Vince-President of the European Parliament, commented: “I am delighted that over 25,000 apprenticeships have been created in York and North Yorkshire since 2010. Apprenticeships are a crucial part of the Liberal Democrat strategy to build a stronger economy. I congratulate York College for their efforts towards increasing the number of apprentices in our region. I hope that many more businesses in York and across North Yorkshire will be encouraged to employ apprentices as a result of the success that both employers and trainees locally are achieving.”

 
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