Police are urgently appealing for witnesses following a robbery outside HSBC bank on York Road in Acomb.

Four men wearing balaclavas assaulted a cash delivery man who was taking money to the bank at around 9.45am today.

It is not believed a weapon was used in the incident.

The men then left the scene in a black Vauxhall Zafira which was abandoned at the junction with Celtic Close and Jorvic Close near Beckfield Lane a short time later and set on fire.

The cash box was abandoned on Carr Lane.

Officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident, saw the black Zafira travelling between York Road and Beckfield Lane and anyone running away from the vehicle to contact them as soon as possible.

Police would also like to hear from anyone who knows who was responsible for the robbery.

The cash delivery man was uninjured in the incident.

Anyone who can help officers with their enquiries should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Explore York Library Learning Centre has been selected for a special visit by children’s author Julia Donaldson (16 October) as part of her national Children’s Laureate library tour.

Explore York Library Learning Centre has been picked from hundreds of applications to be one of only 24 libraries on the English and Welsh leg of the Children’s Laureate Libraries Tour this autumn. As part of her Children’s Laureateship, Julia Donaldson – bestselling author of over 150 books including The Gruffalo (http://www.gruffalo.com/index.html), What the Ladybird Heard and Zog – will tour libraries in England, Wales and Scotland, from John O’Groats to Lands End, over six weeks.

Children from 16 York schools will be attending the invitation-only event, which will see Julia bringing some of her hugely popular stories to life through special dramatisations. They will also be invited to show off their acting skills during a short performance inspired by Julia’s poems which they will present at the event.

Julia Donaldson said: “Libraries are very close to my heart, and so is performance. This tour is my way of bringing the two together, by visiting fantastic libraries all over the country, enjoying children acting and singing, and sharing my own stories with them. I want it to be a huge celebration of libraries and of the benefits they offer to communities and especially to children.”

Following our story earlier in the week, residents have asked us to list which salt bin locations the Council intends to abandon this winter. Although the bins will remain in place they will not be filled with salt.

So far the Council has refused to publish this list on its web site.

It is clear from the list that whole estates will be left without bins while one ward (Heslington) will have all its bins filled.

Opposition Councillors are planning to raise the issue at tonight’s Council meeting. If they are unsuccessful, then a detailed review will be conducted at a meeting which is taking place next Monday. Details of Monday’s meeting agenda can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/Salt-bin-review.

Residents wishing to speak at Monday’s meeting must register in advance by telephoning 01904 552061.

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City of York Council is launching tomorrow (11 October 2012) a consultation on a single Designated Public Place Order (DPPO) which will widen the area in which the police are able to seize alcohol. There are currently 19 DPPOs in operation across the city at locations where anti-social behaviour is linked to alcohol and which have proved to be a successful means of tackling the problem.

However, designating an area as a DPPO often has the effect of displacing the problem to where the legislation does not apply and this results in agencies simply chasing the issues from one area to another.

Last year Safer York Partnership carried out some detailed analysis of the displacement effect of DPPOs and put forward proposals to create a single order covering a wider area of the city. Last year, City of York Council’s cabinet member for Crime and Community Safety approved a proposal to consult on options for the creation of a single DPPO for the city. These options included extending the number of DPPOs on an ad hoc basis when requested, creating a single DPPO within the Bar Walls or creating a single DPPO within either the inner or outer ring road. These options were designed to minimise the likelihood of displacement of anti-social behaviour, particularly into residential areas.
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The Coalition government has allocated £123,000 to York for a scheme to trial insulation for solid walls as part of its commitment to tackling fuel poverty and climate change.

The three main target areas for the pilot will be around Leeman Road, Lawrence Street and Tang Hall in traditional solid brick terraced homes and former council-owned properties in a variety of construction types, known to be difficult and costly to insulate and expensive to heat.

Householders in these areas will be approached, given expert advice in conjunction with Yorkshire Energy Partnership and other agencies, and up to 50 properties will be fitted with solid wall insulation for the pilot.

Initial estimates reckon that the householder will pay for 70% of the insulation through grants provided by from utility companies, while the remainder will be paid for using an interest-free energy efficiency loan, funded by the bid, to the customer. Offering this type of loan will help to maximise the uptake of the pilot project and allow the council to learn about the installation itself from a technical point of view, and the take-up of these loans by residents.

Anyone interested in being part of the trial can contact the Yorkshire Energy Partnership on 01904 554406 to arrange for their home to be considered. Final assessments of properties and the effect of the insulation will be carried out between December and March 2013 after which the final report will be published.

At tomorrow’s Full Council meeting Liberal Democrat Councillors will push Labour for answers over their plans for the library service in York.

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 Labour launched last week on the city’s library service, does not include any questions on future ownership or management changes. Liberal Democrats are asking Labour to withdraw the consultation and start a “proper debate”. They are also seeking guarantees that any move away from council control would not see a reduction in staff or services.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Cultural Services, commented:

“It is typical of this Labour administration that they draw-up plans in secret to sell-off libraries, but then don’t ask residents for their views on it in their public consultation. We need a proper debate about who the public wants to run the city’s library service and if they want libraries kept in council ownership. Labour should be honest about their plans and actually start asking and listening to residents.

“Given the importance of libraries, I would be extremely anxious about any move away from public ownership, but we need to see what Labour are proposing. I will be asking for guarantees that if they push-on with their ideas then staff and service levels will be maintained. We need to see all the details of the alternative vision for libraries that we know Labour are working on.”

Councillor Ayre will ask Labour Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture, Councillor Sonja Crisp, at Thursday’s Full Council meeting:

• Can the Cabinet Member guarantee that whatever the future ownership model of libraries, current staffing levels will be maintained?

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 10 October and Tuesday 16 October 2012.

•A64 west-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•Skipwith Road, Escrick
•A63 Hull Road, Hemingbrough
•Church Lane, Wheldrake
•A64 Malton by-pass Malton east and west-bound
•A64 Seamer by-pass Scarborough
•A64 Seamer Road, Scarborough
•A64 Between Whitwell Hill and Barton Hill
•A64 Between Barton-le-Willows and Jinnah
•A64 Between Barton Hill and Whitwell Hill
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The new Autumn leaflets for City of York Council’s guided walks, part of the i-Travel programme, are now available to view online or from pick-up points around the city.

Volunteer led walks will take place across York on a regular basis, with walks ranging from 30 minutes to two hours offering up a suitable walk for everyone.

Tasters in Nordic Walking – which uses special poles to enhance walking style, with an upper body technique similar to that of cross country ski-ing – courses and groups are also available. Details can be found in the led walks information leaflets from local libraries, leisure centres, doctor’s surgeries and the Visit York office on the corner of Lendal and Blake Street.

More details about the walks and rides can be found by contacting Sarah Prescott by email on sarah.prescott@york.gov.uk by phone on 01904 553377 or by going to www.york.gov.uk/healthwalks

North Yorkshire Police is urging residents to be vigilant and follow basic home security advice after a series of burglary incidents in the York and Selby areas in recent days.

Homes have been targeted while people are away on holiday, property has been stolen while the owners were at home but have left doors insecure, and an elderly man was targeted by suspected offenders who tricked their way into his house.

As part of Operation Haven, the force’s ongoing burglary reduction campaign which has seen an 18% drop in houses being targeted between April and September 2012 (168 fewer crimes – from 937 incidents in the same period in 2011 to 769 in 2012), police are emphasising the importance for residents to play their part by taking extra measures to secure their homes.

In York, officers are urging residents to lock-up after three burglaries in the city in the past two days.

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City of York Council has teamed up with York St John University and Sport England to offer young people across the city new, subsidised football sessions this autumn.

This new programme will kick off on Thursday 18 October at York St John’s all-weather pitch in Heworth, from 6-7pm. Aimed at young people aged 14 – 25 years old, it includes both boys and girls of all abilities and costs just 30p per session. Run by City of York Council, volunteer coaches are a much-valued part of the sessions.

The council has been able to subsidise the programme using Sport England’s Sportivate fund. This funding can also give participants – who attend over a certain number of sessions – a discount on the cost of sports training such as tuition to gain a coaching qualification.

Football has many health benefits; it’s a great aerobic workout as it involves running and sprinting which can improve cardiovascular health; it helps build strength, flexibility and endurance; it teaches team work and can help build self-esteem and increase confidence.

For further information contact Robin Lavin, City of York Council, robin.lavin@york.gov.uk or call 01904 553377.