Westfield Liberal Democrats have welcomed the decision to scrap planned cuts to Tax Credits.

Figures highlighted by the Lib Dems in October showed that 8,000 low-income families in York were set to lose out under Conservative plans. Lib Dems opposed the move saying it undermined the work of the Coalition Government to make sure it always pays more to be in work than on benefits.

The dramatic U-turn was announced yesterday by the Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement.

Cllr Sue Hunter, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Westfield who has been campaigning against the cuts, said:

“I am pleased that the Chancellor has been forced into this U-Turn and the planed changes have been scrapped. The cuts threatened to hammer 8,000 working families in York.

“Locally, we have campaigned against these cuts which were also opposed by Lib Dems in the House of Lords. We need to make sure that work always pays more than choosing to remain on benefits. These changes threatened to completely undermine this important principle.

“We now need to look carefully at what George Osborne is proposing and how the wider welfare changes and move to Universal Credit will impact on people. As ever, the devil will be in the detail when it comes to the effect on residents in York.”

The Westfield Councillors attended the annual service at the City Memorial Gardens today to mark Remembrance Sunday. Each year the attendance grows and now there are crowds not only in Memorial Gardens but lining the route along Lendal Bridge, and a large number of residents and visitors to the city applauded the Parade in St Helen’s Square where a special platform was placed for the Lord Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, and the Lord Mayor to review the proceedings (as the steps of the Mansion House are out of action due to the refurbishment of the building).

Liberal Democrat Executive Councillor Carol Runciman has pushed for a review of the support for people on council tax benefit and this has been supported by the council’s Executive for a consultation between 2^nd November and 29^th November. People on the lowest incomes have had to pay 30% of their council tax since York, under Labour control in 2013, decided to be one of just 9 councils in the country to limit support to 70% of council tax. A scheme to help people in dire circumstances has been underspent as so few people have applied. Therefore the council’s consultation, which has also come as a result of a campaign by ‘Advice York’ is asking residents for their views in time for the next budget to come into effect on 1^st April 2016.

Residents can comment on the council’s website https://www.york.gov.uk/counciltaxsupport

Your local Westfield Liberal Democrat councillors are supporting the reduction so that the people in most need get the support that they would get automatically if they lived in other council areas.

Westfield residents can get information on this (and check if they can get more support with council tax benefit) at Acomb Explore on 17^th November 2pm-7:30pm

Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of City of York Council, said: “Independent research has raised significant concerns about the current council tax support system. In August, the Executive agreed to review the scheme to see if we could offer more support to residents who are struggling financially. This consultation gives residents the chance to have their say on how we do this. I would encourage everyone to send in their thoughts or attend one of the drop-in sessions to find out more.”

Gateway Centre 13th November 10am-1pm

Severus Social Club, Milner Street, 30th November 1pm-3pm

Property Marking and an opportunity to raise issues with the local policing team.

Dot peen property marking

York Police have invested in the top-of-the-range “dot peen” property marking machines, and are offering the service free to York residents.

Every year, police recover hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stolen property from the hands of criminals, but all too often there is no way of identifying its rightful owners. Being able to trace the ownership of the property not only helps people get the property back, but it can also provide evidence that is vital in securing convictions.

Dot peen marking involves using a tungsten carbide-tipped pin to indent an object with dots to create a visible, permanent unique number. The unique number will be entered onto the national Immobilise property register database, vastly increasing the chances that it will be reunited with its owner if it is lost or stolen.

The new machines in York can mark at a speed of two characters per second, to an accuracy of 0.006mm, and can be used on everything from steel and aluminium to plastic.

They have been funded by North Yorkshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, and Safer York Partnership.

While other methods of property marking, such as UV marker pens or forensically-coded liquid, can also be very effective in reuniting property with its rightful owners, the visual deterrent of a permanently marked serial number alone could be enough to deter would-be thieves.

Dot peen marking is suitable for everything from bikes and garden tools to PlayStations and laptop computers (however mobile phones are likely to be too delicate)

The Westfield Lib Dem team has been pressing council officers to have the road resurfaced at the Cornlands Road/Gale Lane roundabout and this is now happening on 9th November. There has been some delay to the timescale that the team had been first told about, and we are investigating what has gone one in this case. However, the issue, which  had also been raised by the local Cornlands and Lowfields Residents Association looks like coming to a conclusion, and the surface made safe for car users, and in particular cyclists.

On the day of the road repairs traffic will be diverted along Gale Lane and Askham Lane.

The resurfacing will extend beyond the roundabout in areas where road leveling is needed.

Streelights in Westfield are being replaced with LED lights to improve energy efficiency and making sure that light is going where it is needed at street level and not being wasted upwards into the sky. Nearly 5,000 streetlights are being replaced on this programme which was developed as part of the 2008 plans by the then Lib Dem led council to reduce Carbon Emissions.

There will be annual energy savings of over £214,000 each year which means that with borrowing costs being factored in means a saving of around £150,000 a year to council tax payers. There will be reduced ‘light pollution’ and better controls on the operation of the lights.

If there are any issues that have come out of the switch over then please get in touch with your Westfield Lib Dem Team.

At approximately 0710 hours on 19th September 2015 there has been a vehicle window smashed and items taken from a vehicle parked on Milner Street, York.

Between 2300 hours on 17th September 2015 and 0130 hours on 18th September 2015 there has been a shed burglary and items taken at Sanderson Court, Chapelfields, York.

Overnight on the 17th/18th September 2015 there has been a burglary where items have been taken at an address on Green Lane, York.

Police would like to hear from anyone who has sighted anyone acting in suspicious circumstances in these area.

Please contact the Police by telephoning 101 or in an emergency on 999 if you witness any behaviour you believe is suspicious.

(From North Yorkshire Police http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/15764)

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about an assault that occurred on Front Street in Acomb York on Sunday 2nd August at around 1530hours

It happened on Front Street in Acomb, York at around 1530hours on Sunday 2nd August and involved a 70 year old male who was assaulted by another male. The male responsible for the assault was wearing a red t-shirt, dark coloured shorts and trainers, he was also wearing glasses.

We are conducting enquiries and are requesting the public’s assistance to help determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

In particular, we are appealing for information from anyone who may have witnessed the incident

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact us on 101, select option 2, and ask for James Mills. You can also email James.Mills@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12150134134

INCIDENT REFERENCE: 12150134134