Elderly in York deserve much better.

Windsor House

Windsor House

The Councils Labour leadership are apparently visiting the Windsor House Elderly Persons Home (EPH) this week. The Home is trialling some new techniques aimed at helping people with dementia.

The Councillors will no doubt also be seeking to persuade staff that the ill fated social care modernisation programme has overcome the chronic delays that have dogged it since Labour took office in 2011.

The consolidated EPH programme was conceived by the LibDems in 2010.

In July 2011 Labour embarked on another, ultimately fruitless, consultation. This was to appease UNISON who had funded their election campaign.

The consultation results were reported to a Council committee on 1st November 2011

A further reports was made on 10th Jan 2012 when the opening date for the Lowfields Care village was confirmed as April 2014. At that stage, Labour had already lost 6 months compared to the LibDem programme.

An update was given on 15th May 2012

The Cabinet finally admitted on 4th June 2013 that they could not complete the project until 2016.

That is nearly 3 years later than originally envisaged (The planned Fordlands replacement was abandoned and eventually replaced by a Burnholme school site alternative).

The meeting resolved to “proceed to tender (in a single procurement for both sites) to procure an external provider that will Design, Build, Operate and Maintain the Burnholme care home and the Lowfield Community Village for Older People”.

They agreed to spend £500,000 on the procurement exercise

Tenders are scheduled to be received in May, nearly a year after the new Care Village at Lowfields had actually been due to open.

It now looks like any project completion will be in the winter of 2016/17.

The scheme is estimated to cost between £25 and £30 million. Its day to day funding will depend on the economies being made at other homes like Windsor Garth which will close.

The Council have got themselves in a major fix on a project which was expected to help control escalating social care costs. They have been forced to add another £2.5 million to their budget next year.

The budget being considered today however makes no reference – or provision for – the EPH scheme.

The lack of an update since last June is even more surprising given that it is one of the three highest value changes which will have been implemented by the Council during the last 25 years.

Flooding in York – Dredge the Ouse?

River Ouse web cam Click to access latest information River Ouse web cam Click to access latest information

A flood warning has been issued by the Environment Agency. River levels are not expected to increase to those encountered in 2012.

Detailed river levels can be found on the EA web site http://tinyurl.com/Ouse-catchment

The best indicator remains the real time CCTV camera which records river levels on Kings Staith.

There is a significant risk If the top of the no entry sign disappears under water!

The devastation caused by flooding in other parts of the country is likely to reopen the debate about whether the river Ouse should be dredged.

Although dredging might increase the river capacity (and speed) where the work could be completed there would be other implications. Not least amongst these are the fact that more water would arrive in greater volumes at vulnerable downstream locations.

Potentially this could mean more, rather than fewer, homes being flooded. There are also concerns about the impact that dredging can have on the foundations of bridges. on river banks and on wildlife habitats.

The policy introduced a few years ago – of planting near the upper reaches of rivers to help control the speed that water runs off the land – has merit, while the York Council is rightly making provision, in its forward budgets, for the improvement and maintenance of water courses.

Nevertheless the dredging arguments do now need to be revisited and we would like to see a committee set up to publicly consider all the issues involved.

More invisible policemen coming to York? “Big Brother” fears!

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ANPR camera use to be extended

The Council has announced that it will use camera cars to enforce zig zag parking restrictions outside schools.

This is likely to be of limited value at some schools where some parents park on yellow lines, verges and block access driveways.

Use of such camera cars has been controversial in other towns and cities but the vehicle may give some comfort to schools and their immediate neighbours.

Ironically the DfT is just completing its public consultation on car parking. One of the options being considered is to limit the use of CCTV cameras near schools!

More significantly in York, Labour Councillors are now proposing to extend the use of number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in the City.

ANPR cameras have been responsible for identifying over 50,000 drivers on Coppergate and Lendal Bridge, with fines totalling around £1 million already issued.

Clearly this potential cash cow has proved to be attractive to the Council.

It will decide later today to introduce camera enforcement of more bus lanes later this year with a target income of £50,000.

It is also budgeting to receive an additional £100,000 in 2015 from the “Further introduction of ANPR enforcement measures across the City where network congestion can be improved”.

The budget papers published by the Council make no mention of how much revenue they except to raise from the continued use of the Coppergate (or Lendal Bridge) cameras during the next financial year.

Waterworld sinking?

It looks like the delays on the Community Stadium project are now beginning to hit other parts of the City’s leisure services.

The Councils Labour Cabinet are set to hand an additional £450,000 to the contractors running Waterworld next year to keep it going.

The delay in letting a comprehensive contract – to run all building based leisure facilities in the City – means that Energise will be asked to find an additional £20,000 in income while it looks like the Yearsley Pool will be required to fund savings of £100,000!

Users will be eagerly awaiting news of how these economies will be achieved.

Increased admission charges have already been announced

Latest Planning applications Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward

 

 Below are the latest planning applications received by the York Council for the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward.

Full details can be found by clicking the application reference

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Location:       May Gurney Limited 312 Tadcaster Road York YO24 1HF

Proposal:       Change of use from financial and professional service (Use class A2) to private day nursery (use class D1) (resubmission)

Ref No: 14/00285/FUL

Applicant:      Mrs Vanessa Warn        Contact Mr Andrew Neal  Consultation Expiry Date        3 March 2014 Case Officer:   Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed)       Expected Decision Level DEL

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Location:       Weldon House,  Ainsty Grove York

Proposal:       Fell Conifer in grounds of Weldon House, Tree in the Conservation Area

Ref No: 14/00292/TCA

Applicant:      Mr Timothy Weeks       Contact Mr Timothy Weeks        Consultation Expiry Date        3 March 2014 Case Officer:   Esther Priestley        Expected Decision Level DEL

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Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.  http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.

 

 

House Fire – Askham Lane, York

Fire appliances from Acomb and York have dealt with a fire in a semi detached house on Askham Lane in York early this morning.

Crews arrived on scene to discover a first floor bedroom well alight.

The fire was extinguished using 4 breathing apparatus, 2 hosereel jets, a positive pressure ventilation fan and a thermal imaging camera.

A first floor bedroom suffered severe fire, heat and smoke damage. The remainder of the first floor suffered severe smoke damage and the ground floor suffered moderate smoke damage.

4 occupants (2 adults and 2 teenagers) in the property at the time of the fire managed to escape prior to the arrival of fire crews. They have been taken to hospital with possible smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is believed to be an overheated electrical appliance.

Witness appeal after serious Acomb accident

Police are appealing for a vital witness to come forward after a road traffic collision in York, which left a pedestrian with serious injuries.

It occurred at around 12.15am on Saturday 8 February 2014, at the junction of Boroughbridge Road and Carr Lane.

The collision involved a silver Skoda Octavia taxi, travelling along Boroughbridge Road towards the city, and a 31-year-old York man, crossing the road from Carr Lane towards Ouse Acres.

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£300,000 for Rougier Street flat

Roman House

The prices, of the flats being converted from the bus shelter office block on Rougier Street, have been announced.

The penthouse will cost a whopping £300,000 which is a lot given the somewhat noisy neighbourhood.

There is no parking with the flats but theya re being sold with the latest electrnic gadgets including an iPad mini that is interfaced

“to allow you to control your home, mood and style in seconds. keep cosy or cool with the ability to pre-set thermostats and adjust heating, make your space light and bright or dark and homely with dimmable LeD lights, and enjoy your favourite music or TV on demand with a cutting edge aV system featuring built-in speakers and cabling for wall mounted LeD TVs”.

The development will have a 24 hour concierge service.

More details can be found by clicking here