More than £9 billion of growth-boosting railway upgrades across England and Wales – representing faster journey times, more reliable services and capacity for 140,000 extra daily commutes by train – have been announced.

The full £9.4bn programme of improvements to the rail network published today will meet the needs of intercity passengers, commuters and freight up to the end of this decade while the Government continues to work on High Speed 2 to deliver rail capacity for the British economy in the decades to come.

This “High Level Output Specification” programme for 2014-2019 will be discussed at today’s meeting of the Cabinet which the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister will hold outside London.

Crossrail, Thameslink, and electrification between London and Cardiff, Manchester to Liverpool and Preston, and across the Pennines, are among £5.2bn of projects already committed to during 2014-2019. New schemes totalling £4.2bn unveiled today include:

“Upgrades to stations and tracks creating enough capacity around cities for an additional 140,000 daily rail commutes at peak times. In addition to Crossrail and Thameslink, announced previously, today’s enhancements – such as the £350m lengthening of platforms at London Waterloo station – will provide capacity for 120,000 more daily commutes in and out of London and 20,100 extra daily commutes across Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and other cities.

“Faster journeys and more train capacity from £240m of improvements along the East Coast Main Line from the North East down through Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire to London.

“The creation of a high-capacity “electric spine” running from Yorkshire and the West Midlands to South Coast ports allowing more reliable electric trains to cut journey times and boost capacity for passengers and freight. This comprises: an £800m electrification and upgrade from Sheffield – through Nottingham, Derby and Leicester – to Bedford, completing the full electrification of the Midland Main Line out of London St Pancras; and electrification of the lines from Nuneaton and Bedford to Oxford, Reading, Basingstoke and Southampton.

“The landmark decision to take electric rail beyond Cardiff to Swansea, completing the full electrification of the Great Western Main Line out of London Paddington at a total cost of more than £600m, and electrifying the Welsh Valley lines, including Ebbw Vale, Maesteg and the Vale of Glamorgan. These will give two-thirds of the Welsh population access to new fleets of electric trains helping to generate Welsh jobs and growth by slashing journey times and boosting passenger and freight capacity.

“Completion in full of the “Northern Hub” cluster of rail enhancements with the approval of £322m of outstanding track and capacity upgrades across Manchester city centre, Manchester Airport and across to Liverpool. These are in addition to £477m of Northern Hub schemes already approved across the North of England such as electrification of the North Trans Pennine route between York and Manchester.

“A new £500m rail link between the Great Western Main Line and Heathrow allowing direct services to the airport for passengers from the West Country, the Thames Valley and Wales.

The HLOS package will be funded in part from fare rises already announced in 2010 and also from the substantial efficiency savings which projects like electrification will have on the long term operating costs of the railways.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:

“This is the biggest expansion in railways in over 150 years, with more than £9bn of investment across the country.

“Whilst we inherited a deficit greater than any in our nation’s peacetime history, we knew that we had to give the country the boost it needs, to build great railways and make journeys better for the millions of hard working people who use the train every day.

“The ‘Electric Spine’ will make a significant difference for passengers linking London, the Midlands and Yorkshire in a much more efficient rail line, connecting the South and North more effectively than ever before.

“As someone who cares deeply about the environment, the opportunity to dramatically expand rail, a greener form of transport than aviation or road is very exciting indeed. This investment will help people to choose trains over cars, reduce carbon emissions and provide a rail system that is faster, more reliable and greener.”

On 21 July, York’s residents and visitors will have a new place to visit as Goddards on Tadcaster Road opens its doors.

The story of the Terry family and their chocolate empire will be told, with a 1930s feel and a new tearoom. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/goddards/

This summer the family home of Noel Terry (yes, of Terry’s Chocolate Orange fame) will be open to visitors for the first time. Goddards is tucked away on the Tadcaster Road, a stone’s throw from York city centre.

The house is a Grade I listed building in the Arts & Crafts style. It was home to the Terry family from 1928 and was purchased by us in 1984. Since then it’s been home to our regional offices, with the gardens open to visitors since 2006.

Part of Minster East Window

The York Glaziers Trust report that they are about halfway through conserving the Apocalypse panels on the Minsters Great East Window. More details can be found on their web site http://tinyurl.com/York-Glaziers

As part of the Minster’s York Minster Revealed project http://www.yorkminster.org/visiting/york-minster-revealed/ , over the next five years the Apocalypse scenes from this extraordinary window will be studied, conserved and returned with the protective glazing that will secure its future for many generations to come.

Visitors can follow the progress of this work in Bedern Glaziers Studio http://tinyurl.com/Bedern

Only the receipt of a new home bonus of £714,000 prevented the York Council from outurning with a budget deficit during the last financial year. The windfall contribution turned a £365k loss into a £349k surplus.

The new homes bonus, which is intended to encourage local authorities to promote now house building and reduce the number of vacant properties, is calculated each October.

In York the Council Tax base at October 2011 showed an increase of 751 occupied properties compared to the previous years figure.

These included 266 affordable units.

This brought the total number of occupied properties in the City to 85,526.

Only 180 empty homes were recorded.

The Council will continue to receive £714K in annual bonus for the next 6 years. In addition, £1.1m in additional bonus for the current and successive financial years will be payable.

Whatever the present Council may claim, it made little or no contribution towards qualification for the new homes bonus.

Without the bail out, and the benefit of lower borrowing costs, the Council could have been is serious financial difficulty.

The draft accounts also show a massive £1.5 million overspend on care services.

NB. The government web site http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingsupply/newhomesbonus/ describes the New Homes Bonus as “a powerful, simple and transparent incentive that means that those local authorities which promote and welcome growth can share in the economic benefits, and build the communities in which people want to live and work.
The Government provides additional funding or a ‘bonus’ for new homes by match funding the additional council tax raised for new homes and empty properties brought back into use, with an additional amount for affordable homes, for the following six years. The New Homes Bonus is based on past increases in housing supply”

City of York Council’s library service is celebrating this week by opening the UK’s first library reading café.

Set in award-winning Rowntree Park, the library will form part of the new reading cafe, an extension of the citywide Explore brand, which places emphasis on providing high quality food, a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere and flexible spaces to host different activities and events. The reading café will be staffed with a small team and the council will recruit two apprentices to work there. Income generated by café sales will fund the facility.

The council’s library services are bucking the national trend by opening a new facility when funding cuts are forcing closures elsewhere. Situated in a newly-renovated Edwardian tea shop in the city’s award-wining Rowntree Park, the 21st century, self-funded reading café with free wi-fi will open on the day the park celebrates its 91st birthday on 14 July 2012 with a traditional party and community fair.

Visitors can choose from an exciting selection of books and can take advantage of a running programme of events and learning opportunities including author events, story sessions and art classes. Spaces in the reading café will be available for hire for birthday parties or family celebrations.

Cath Mortimer from the Friends of Rowntree Park said: “Rowntree Park is a wonderful park and it now has a great café to go with the other facilities. We look forward to continuing to work with the council, in developing the library and community facilities which are the cherries on the cake!”

Rowntree Park was a gift to the city by Messrs Rowntree & Co in 1921 as a memorial to the Cocoa Works staff who served in World War I. Mr Fred Rowntree, the park’s architect, worked with Joseph Rowntree to plan the park with the aim of promoting the health and enjoyment of York citizens.

The lake was not initially included in the plans but was added to give immediate interest when it opened as many of the trees would not be fully grown. A set of listed gates on Terry Avenue were added to the park in memory of those who fell in World War II.

The park keeper’s building included a café on the ground floor, with accommodation in the lodge above. The present Park Keeper Dave Brown has been in residence for over 20 years.

City of York Council is celebrating Rowntree Park’s 91st Birthday on Saturday 14 July with a party in the park that promises to be a great day out for all the family.

The Rowntree Company gave Rowntree Park as a gift to the people of the city 91 years ago on 16 July 1921 in memory of workers who fell during the war. Every summer a ‘birthday party’ is held to remember this event, and a cake will be cut during the celebrations in honour of the park and its origins.

Attractions at the event will include a climbing wall, birds of prey display, live music, face painting, community stalls, food and drinks, ice creams, bouncy castle, street sports, story telling, willow weaving and – new for this year – a fun dog show.

Parking is limited to disabled badge holders only, so other visitors are asked to walk or take public transport. Please note the car park will be closed all day.

The annual summer fair will take place on Saturday 14 July 2012 from 2-5pm.

At a council meeting last night, Labour blocked a Liberal Democrat attempt to restore litter bins recently removed in York.

The Liberal Democrat Group on City of York Council proposed a motion at the Full Council meeting, asking for the 349 litter and dog bins recently cut by the authority to be returned. The motion suggested that the £40,000 cost be funded by reducing the Labour Cabinet from 8 members to 6 members. All opposition Lib Dem, Conservative, Green and Independent councillors voted in favour, but it was voted down by Labour councillors.

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environmental Services who moved the motion, commented:

“It is disappointing that Labour prioritised their own pay packets over frontline services. Across the city people have been annoyed and concerned by the removal of 349 litter and dog bins without any consultation. Our motion simply asked Labour to recognise this and put back all bins where there was demand to do so.

“It was astonishing that Labour did not even try to defend or justify their decision. These cuts are not about government funding reductions; they are about the spending decisions that Labour are making on the ground here in York and their attempt to blame the government is just not correct. It is not a matter of enforced cuts just Labour’s spending priorities. Frontline services have been axed in favour of pay increases for councillors.

“Removing bins will lead to more litter and a general deterioration in the look and feel of our streets. We believe these cuts are wrong and unnecessary and we have now launched a city-wide petition to try to get Labour to listen to residents and get the bins back.”

The Liberal Democrat petition on litter bin cuts can be found at: http://yorklibdems.org.uk

City of York Council is calling all children to sign up to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, which launches at Rowntree Park on 14 July at 2pm.

The library service will be at the park’s 91st birthday party, signing people up to the annual challenge, which this year has the Storylab theme.

The Storylab theme aims to be a celebration of story and the imagination, with all books, including joke books and poetry books, counting as part of the challenge.

The Summer Reading Challenge sets out to challenge children to read up to six books over the summer holidays. For each book read they will receive prizes and incentives, and those who complete the challenge will receive a medal and certificate.

The challenge coincides with the launch of York’s first ever Children’s Book Awards, where children under the age of 14 are being invited to vote for their favourite book of all time, with both ending on 16 September. For ideas on books to read, children can look at the shortlist for the awards.

Children can sign up at any of York’s 14 libraries and Explore Centres or at the launch at Rowntree Park. For more information visit: www.york.gov.uk/leisure/Libraries/

The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Keith Hyman will take part in the parade and ceremony when 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment exercise their Freedom of Entry to the city on Friday 13 July

The Lord Mayor will welcome the regiment and grant them permission to exercise their right of freedom of entry to the city. He will review the parade with The Sheriff, Councillor Paul Firth.

The Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Keith Hyman said: “I am looking forward to taking part in this parade, and joining residents and tourists in celebrating the service that they provide.”

The regiment will be formed up on Duncombe Place from 11.30am, for the arrival of the civic party, before marching through the city centre on Blake Street, Davygate, Parliament Street, High Ousegate, and Coney Street. The Lord Mayor will then take the salute from the steps of The Mansion House.

Freedom of entry to the city, gives the regiment the right, privilege, honour and distinction to march through the streets on all ceremonial occasions with colours flying, swords drawn and bayonets fixed, drums beating, bugles sounding and bands playing.

Join Harry’s Game author and former TV journalist Gerald Seymour as he chats about his extraordinary life and work at 7pm on Wednesday 18 July at York Explore Library Learning Centre.

Gerald Seymour was a reporter at ITN for fifteen years where his first assignment was covering the Great Train Robbery in 1963. He later moved on to reporting international events in Vietnam, Borneo, Aden, the Munich Olympics, Israel and Northern Ireland.

A full-time writer since 1978, Seymour’s first novel was the acclaimed thriller Harry’s Game, set in Belfast and which became an instant bestseller and later a television series. Six of his thrillers have now been adapted and filmed for television in the UK and United States.

On 18 July, he will be in conversation with Gillian Holmes about his life, his work and his latest novel, The Outsiders, a pacy thriller set in the Costa Del Sol.

Tickets are priced £5 and can be collected from York Explore or ordered on (01904) 552828.