A car has been broken into on Rogers Court ; Message from the local police team
“Please be aware, there have been items stolen from an unattended vehicle on Rodgers Court at approximately 0200 on the 24/08/2018. If you have any information in relation to this incident please phone 101 quoting NYP-24082018-0061.
When leaving your vehicle we would urge residents to remove valuables from vehicles and ensure that all doors are locked and windows closed.”
Residents have been in touch with the Westfield Councillor Team about the appalling smell coming from the ring road covering Westfield Ward and even extending into the city centre. We have been in touch with the council’s enforcement officers in Public Protection who have been to the farm near Rufforth and Abatement Notices have been served on Whitkirk Waste Solutions. It is stated it would take a week to empty the lagoon so they must comply by Friday 24th – hopefully the smell will abate as quickly as the lagoon shrinks.
The Environment Agency have stated that because it is not actually classed as waste (It is a PAS 110 certified digestant) they do not have powers.
We have asked that action is taken to prevent a repeat as there have been smell issues in recent weeks at times when the weather has been so hot that people have had to leave windows open. Some residents will recall when this was last an issue in 2007 when there was a similar strong smell from the same area.
Following pressure from Westfield and Dringhouses&Woodthorpe Councillors Talk Talk have been issuing tables of when they are working and returning to repair concrete driveways and verges (although difficult in the current drought conditions to do the latter).
Ward councillors will be checking out the roads which Talk Talk say have been completed to ensure that the work is what residents have been asking us to make sure is done before they leave our area.
Issues have been raised with Talk Talk about the way in which construction has prevented the emptying of bins, and now they have linked in better with the council’s communication team, however, there are still reports of bin crews having to adjust barriers in order to access bins for emptying.
Returning to replace concrete in driveways and replacing temporary tarmac
Construction work
Grass Verge repairs
Grass Verge repairs
Following the volume of complaints received by Westfield Ward Lib Dem Councillors to the situation created by Talk Talk an additional FOCUS newsletter has been produced for those areas which have been impacted the most. More messages have been received and we hope that Talk Talk will respond on Thursday with a plan on how our roads can be brought back into condition.
Whilst we would welcome the high speed broadband, there have been issues about the speed with which work has been undertaken and the lack of information to residents. Whilst there has been some visible action on the streets to improve the appearance of some problems since our meeting, we have still to receive the action plan on how residents will see all the work completed. We will keep local residents informed.
In the latest community message from the Police Team
“Between 2200 hours 15th May 2018 and 0545 hours on the 16th May 2018 , a Black Rattan L Shaped garden sofa was stolen from an address on Bellhouse Way, Foxwood. If you have any information regarding this or CCTV please contact Police via 101 quoting incident number NYP-16052018-0051.”
“Between 2230 hours on the 15th May 2018 and 0700 hours on the 16th May 2018 and shed has been broken into on Houndsway, Foxwood. Two bikes have been stolen from within the shed 1) Women’s Cannondale Synapse road bike mainly in black with a light blue bottle cage 2) Men’s Carrera road bike in white. If you have any information relating to this offence or any sighting of the stolen bikes please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting incident number NYP-16052018-0061”
A meeting with Talk Talk, councillors and officers has taken place on 8th May following a letter sent by Cllr Andrew Waller to Talk on 25/04/18 expressing concerns received from residents with respect to the work being conducted in the streets of Westfield Ward as part of the Talk Talk UFO roll out to which information from Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward were added (tabled at the meeting). The agreement to meet was welcomed by councillors and was encouraged by Talk Talk as part of ongoing engagement.
Kingsway West close to junction with Danesfort Avenue
The summary of residents issues were;
a) Verge conditions – stones and gravel would prevent grass growing or safe cutting by machines
b) Tarmac on concrete driveways – there had been promised to come back but residents were uncertain when that would happen
c) Courtesy to residents
d) Cutting of other cables in the highway
e) Bus routes blocked
f) Pedestrians put onto the road due to closed footpaths
The weather had been particularly difficult due to the duration of the low temperatures.
The first top soil on verges had started on Saturday (5th May) with raking to remove stones and seeding after that with photos take of each verge. This needs to be done with all verges which have been left in poor condition.
Communications – a new leafelt has been developed to warn people to call the careline if there are issues and to reinforce the message that the crews will be returning to streets after the initial engineering works.
There have been instances of other utilities having cables in the ground where they are not meant to be and this has resulted in some residents having telecoms cut (there is a BT Openreach worker with the teams at all times)
Accept that there needs to be a clearer communication of plans to residents and ward councillors with respect to ;
1. Replace temporary tarmac in concrete driveways with concrete (on like for like basis)
2. Restoration of verges with re-soiling (replacing the rubble) and grass seed (within the timeframe when it is not too warm/dry for seed to successfully germinate)
3. Step up tool box talks to gangs to reinforce customer service requirements
4. Review pinch points where there are so many crews and vehicles that it starts to impact on transport in an area (e.g 24 bus route in Windsor Garth)
5. Review locations where pedestrians needed to go onto the road due to the works
There will be a new inspection regime to respond to the 5km per week of digging that the UFO roll out has achieved.
Sharing of spreadsheets of inspection with ward councillors for response to check against resident complaints before final sign off.
Review with the council communications team to have a page for updates, and Frequently Asked Questions, and a summary of the position with roads which have been completed through the process. This would need to be kept -up to date to ensure public confidence.
In addition to the base level of information on the council website some ward councillors will want to support communications through different media with residents and therefore would appreciate being kept up to date.
It was suggestion that ‘T’ or ‘Temp’ being sprayed on temporary tarmac going forward this would reinforce the message to the public that there really would be ‘like for like’ replacement.
Concrete driveways Dijon Avenue
ACTION Following up;
1. Within 2 weeks to have timetable for;
a) Concrete replacement of temporary tarmac (with the aim to complete this within the next two months)
b) Detailed programme for reinstatement of verges
2. Attendance at the June 5th joint Ward Committee meeting of Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield Wards (to be held at Indoor Bowls Club Thanet Road, drop in at 6:30pm with formal meeting 7pm to 8:30pm)
3. Sharing of inspection sheets with ward councillors to ensure all points raised are followed up
4. Agree with York Council Communications Team a web page to contain Frequently asked questions, source documents, contact points, and updates on completed streets.
5. Plans for an improved inspection process
We will post an update when these arrive so that residents are clear what is happening to restore the streets
North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about a burglary at a property in Foxwood, York.
Between 11.50am and 3.15pm on Tuesday 1 May 2018 Offenders have entered a property on Foxwood Lane, York after the occupants left their home for a hospital appointment.
A rear window was smashed, and numerous items of jewellery were stolen along with a safe which was forcibly removed from its wall mountings.
The offenders are believed to have left the scene, secreting stolen property within a distinctive black and white ‘zebra print’ throw that they have removed from the house.
Anyone who witnessed anything or who has information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 445 Saggers. You can also email 000445@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 12180075037.
Contact details:
Alexander Saggers – #0445
000445@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk | 30445
Incident reference:
12180075037
The First York Website is reporting that;
From Tuesday 24th until Thursday 26th April, Chapelfields will become inaccessible for buses due to TalkTalk cabling works. Service 1 will be diverted.
Towards Chapelfields – Instead of turning left onto Bramham Avenue, the bus will continue along Ridgeway, turn at Wetherby Road roundabout and return along Ridgeway waiting at the bus stop opposite St Aidan’s Church.
Towards Wiggington, via York city centre – Board outside St Aidan’s Church, the bus will then continue along Ridgeway to normal route.
This is more organised than the problems that were faced by residents in Kingsway West who received no warning that the number 24 was being cut off and ward councillors had to intervene.
Stuart Road repairs
Residents have received an apology from the council for the duration of scaffolding around their homes as a contractor was found to make repairs on the roof soffit and fascias. Scaffolding was erected on 15th January and residents contacted Cllr Waller after it had been up for seven weeks without activity taking place. He contacted the council to express concern, but had to chase up a response which was received today explaining what had happened.
The initial roofing contractor had let the council down resulting in a second one, Inner City Roofing being brought in to renew all asbestos gutters and fascias to the block with the work being completed in the week once the re-procurement have been done. Residents complemented the team on their professionalism and tidy working.
Council officers have apologised saying that “I can only apologise about the length of time the scaffold was erected before the job commenced but hopefully with the provisions in place this should never happen in the future.”
Improved communications with residents is being pressed by councillors.
Westfield Ward Committee has joined up with Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward Committee to commission activities for young people. In partnership with York City Knights Foundation there will be a number of activities in the area in the poster below. These are free events and are being funded via the Ward Committee Budgets. Please spread the word.
