The Trust supports people with visual and other disabilities and has a variety of accommodation services across York and in Tadcaster. Their staff and volunteers place great emphasis on working with service users to maximise their independence as much as possible.

Rachel is currently running courses to help people with a visual impairment to find employment. The Trust is also taking part in the York 800 celebrations this summer. More information about this programme can be found on their website.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Heworth Without asked the Labour Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, Cllr Sonja Crisp:

“Will the Cabinet Member confirm that all salt bins currently funded by Ward Committees will now be filled and refilled from the core budget?”

Cllr Crisp answered:

“Certainly, all the salt bins required across all wards will be refilled from the core budget.”

Cllr Ayre said “There has been a lot of concern across York that these salt bins would be lost. In wintry weather they are a lifeline for residents and their removal would be extremely unpopular.

“I am pleased that the Labour Cabinet, after Liberal Democrat pressure, has offered a commitment to funded salt bins and this news has been positively received by local residents I have talked to.

“I hope that Labour will stick to this commitment in the long-term and that their use of the word ‘required ‘ is not an attempt to wriggle out of their commitment to maintaining all salt bins.”

The Council have finally announced the timetable for replacing the lampposts which were removed last year. Following the lack of communication with residents, we have been keeping up the pressure on council officers to ensure street lights in Haxby & Wigginton were replaced and switched on as soon as possible. 

For the full street light programme in Haxby & Wigginton click HERE.

Ian is their Honorary Treasurer and gave his report at the North Yorkshire CU’s recent well-attended AGM.  He was able to update members with a report of the activities of the CU during the last year and then answered questions from the floor.    He also talked to members afterwards to respond to individual queries.

Ian said ‘The work of the Credit Union is even more important now than it ever was and it is good to know that people can get help when they really need it and when it may not be available to them in any other way’. 

If you’d like more information – go to www.nycu.org.uk

Some of the young people who had reached Gold described what had happened on their expeditions.  Ian said ‘Having been to the awards evenings before, I know that this can be very interesting and revealing – things do not always go as planned!  This year was no exception and the trials and tribulations of kayaking, camping and tramping round the countryside were well described’.

They had all worked hard and it was good to see their achievements recognised in this way.

An interactive map showing salt bin locations and a schedule of gritting operations can be found at www.york.gov.uk/transport/roads/gritting.

If you know of a salt bin that needs refilling please let one of us know and do take care on the ice!

Although they are all now in their late 80s or 90s, the veterans wore their many medals proudly and accepted their individual copies of the Freedom Scroll from the Lord Mayor.

He was able to announce that Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York Minster on April 5th , Maundy Thursday,  and will present 85 deserving pensioners with specially minted Maundy Money  –  one person for each year of her age. As celebration in 2012 will include the Mystery Plays, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics; it looks as if it will be year to remember.

This is clearly unacceptable and residents should have been told that the work was being carried out and why. The Liberal Democrat Council Group will be raising the issue with the Labour Cabinet and asking why they failed to tell residents that street lights would be removed.

A number of residents have contacted us to ask when the lights are likely to be replaced.  Around 500 street lights have been removed across the city, meaning the Council needs to find around £1000 per lamp post to pay for replacements. The Labour Cabinet did not identify any funding for replacing the lights before agreeing to their removal and so far the money has not yet been found. It is likely that, at the very earliest, funding to replace the lights will not be found until the new financial year. This means that the lights are unlikely to be replaced before the summer and residents will be left to manage through the remainder of the dark winter nights with reduced street lighting. 

The removal of the lights has left many residents concerned about possible safety issues. While the weather has been unusually mild so far this winter, if there is a cold spell the reduced lighting will make it harder to spot ice on the pavements and many elderly residents are concerned about not being able to go outside. Concerns have also been raised about the effect the removal of the lights will have on the risk of crime.

If you have specific concerns about the impact that the lost lighting will have on your street, or the effect it will have on you or your neighbours, please do contact us on the details above and we will ensure that the Council is made aware of the issue. We will also push to ensure that the Council prioritises the replacement of lighting in areas with vulnerable residents.

If you have any other issues that you would like to raise, please do get in touch.

We wish both Keith and Paul the best of luck for their year in office and we will bring you updates about their activities on our website throughout the year.