West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin visits Leeds Beckett University’s Carnegie School of Sport to spotlight world-class facilities and community partnerships
Leeds Beckett University’s Carnegie School of Sport welcomed West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to a showcase of its world-class facilities and collaborative partnerships on Tuesday 29 October. Academics and students from the Carnegie School of Sport were joined by double Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee, Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Well School Partnership to showcase the impact…
LNER will be offering free return travel to serving military personnel and veterans who are attending Services of Remembrance across the country͏ ͏
LNER will be offering free return travel to serving military personnel and veterans who are attending Services of Remembrance across the country. Those who are attending the Submariners’ Remembrance Service in London on Sunday 3 November, can travel for free on LNER services to London King’s Cross, on either Saturday 2 or Sunday 3 November,…
Mansion House to undergo restoration works in the new year
To help protect and maintain an important cultural asset for the city, York Mansion House will undergo £1.2m maintenance, accessibility and safety improvements and will reopen in 2025, 300 years after its original construction began. One of the earliest civic buildings to be built in the classical style in England, the Mansion House is the…
Bradford BID and City Centre Beat strengthen crime-fighting alliance with new partnership
Bradford Business Improvement District (BID) is continuing to strengthen its approach to reducing business crime and related anti-social behaviour in the city centre by joining forces with the long-established City Centre Beat (CCB), which represents the nationally accredited city centre Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP). This collaboration builds on the BID’s recent initiatives, including the…
York welcomes national children’s leaders to celebrate success
Young people and social workers in York met national children’s leaders last week as part of a visit to find out more about City of York Council’s work to transform services for children and young people. The government minister for Children and Families, Minister Janet Daby; Frances Oram, Children’s Social Care Reform, DfE; and Isabelle…
Celebrating three years of transformative social action in York
A landmark anniversary is being celebrated this month, marking three years of social action work that has transformed lives across York, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a generous anonymous donor gave £1 million to city centre church St Michael le Belfrey (The Belfrey) to establish the Post Pandemic Fund (PPF) and…
Listening to feedback: changes to York’s sexual health service
A number of changes have now been agreed to the way sexual health services are provided in York, which follows a consultation on proposed changes and listening to respondents’ feedback. The consultation ran between July and September and saw over 100 people respond. The sexual health service in York is delivered through YorSexualHealth, provided by…
Baby Week comes to York
Baby Week is coming to York for the first time this November (14-20 November). The national initiative celebrates services working with young families and raises awareness of the importance of early childhood. As a host city, York will celebrate the work of local maternity and early years services, helping to give every baby the best…
Rick Witter’s namesake gritter unveiled!
City of York Council is introducing its new fleet of gritters ahead of the winter season, with one named as Rick Gritter (after Rick Witter, Shed Seven). The lead singer from the local band Shed Seven has been chosen in recognition of their achievements in the last year. Cllr Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader of City of York…
Introducing The York Clinic
The York Clinic was launched to address the growing need for menopause support in the workplace. Menopause will impact all women, yet it remains largely unaddressed. Their services are designed to bridge this gap by offering bespoke training that empowers businesses to better understand and support their employees, whilst also ensuring compliance with the latest…
Insulating solid walled homes has potential to cut energy bills by up to 30 per cent, major new research study finds
Insulating the UK’s eight million solid walled homes has the potential to cut energy bills by 30 per cent in some homes – and is essential to achieve the domestic energy efficiency targets, according to new research led by Leeds Beckett University. The research was carried out by the Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) at Leeds…
Top comedian highlights the work for foster carers in York
A top stand-up comedian highlighted the life-changing work that foster carers do in a gig in York last week (13 October). Kiri Pritchard McLean has spoken about her own experience as a foster carer for the first time during her current show, Peacock. Better known nationally as the Star of 8 out of 10 Cats…
York taxi passengers to get safer, greener rides
New requirements for York taxis and private hire vehicles are set to make them among the safest in the UK as a new policy incorporates national guidance, making them even safer, with fewer emissions and offering greater choice, especially for disabled passengers. An extensive consultation carried out this summer has helped shape a new Taxi…
Grant applications for Warm Places invited
Organisations running Warm Places in York to support local people through the coldest months are invited to apply for up to £5,000 funding from a £40,000 fund before 10 November. 28 Warm Places opened their doors to local residents last winter – ten more than the previous year – for a minimum two hours a…
City Campus ‘open for teaching’ communications
Leeds Trinity University City Campus opens its doors for teaching Leeds Trinity University has welcomed its first students to begin teaching at its new Leeds City Campus. Postgraduate students were first to step into the City Campus, based at 1 Trevelyan Square, on Wednesday 16 October. Foundation Year and undergraduate students will continue their programmes…
There’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ family, according to two thirds of Yorkshire folk
This year’s National Adoption Week highlights all kinds of adoption journeys. City of York Council and One Adoption North and Humber, the regional adoption agency for the York, North Yorkshire and the Humber, are supporting this year’s National Adoption Week (21-27 October). This year’s campaign hopes to increase understanding of modern adoption, the diversity of…
Leeds College of Building joins low carbon heat network
Leeds College of Building’s North Street Campus is set to benefit from the latest expansion of the Leeds PIPES district heating network. The network uses heat recovered from non-recyclable domestic waste to provide warmth and hot water to buildings in the city. The project is helping businesses and residents to move away from costly fossil-fuel…
Aire Valley environment project launches company’s net zero pledge
North Yorkshire-based business, Airedale Group, has launched its journey towards net zero by 2045 with a major new project to support its local environment. The chemical specialist has pledged 200 hours of volunteer time to help the Aire Rivers Trust in its work to improve the Aire Valley rivers, reducing flooding and encouraging nature in…
Queen Street to close for 5 nights in November
City of York Council has published information to support residents and visitors as a key road near York Station closes over 5 nights in November. As an essential part of works to transform the area to the front of York Station, the new Queen Street diversion road will be closed for five consecutive weeknights. The…
Council works with regulator to further housing standards
On 1 April 2024, the Social Housing (Regulations) Act 2023 came into force. Its new regulatory standards require tenant safety and engagement, decent homes and transparency, and landlords to inform the regulator of any non-compliance. The Regulator of Social Housing also requires more frequent surveys of homes and consideration of tenants’ diverse needs and any…
Azets responds to September 2024 company insolvency statistics
Richard Oddy, a restructuring and insolvency partner in Yorkshire for Azets, the UK top 10 accountancy and advisory firm, comments on the September 2024 company insolvency statistics for England and Wales: “There were 1,973 registered company insolvencies in England and Wales last month [September], slightly up by 2% on August but down 7% compared to…
City of York Council named most productive council in country
City of York Council has topped a new list of the most productive English councils, meaning that we achieve the highest value for residents per pound of council spending. Independent consultancy, IMPOWER, analysed 149 councils across eight core areas using their index. These are the areas where councils spend the most money and include: housing…
Innovative start-up cooks up a storm with council support
City of York Council has supported a pioneering food delivery business to get established in York, with the company now looking to launch in cities across the UK. School Kitchen works in partnership with schools, taking over their kitchen facilities during the evenings and over the weekends. From their bases in schools, they run home delivery…
Report reveals UKREiiF hits £5m social value milestone
The UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) has announced that £5 million in social value has been created by its events in just three years, with the findings detailed in a report by economists at social value organisation Loop. Intended to connect people, places and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformation…
Help us make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring
To help us achieve our aim of making homelessness and rough sleeping rare, brief and non-recurring, we’re asking everyone interested to comment on our new draft strategy. Our five-year Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy aims to build on the work of our highly-effective Housing Navigators and our partners. Through it, we plan to offer people…
Vital new monitor part of ‘revolutionary MRI process’ for newborn babies
£45,000 has been donated to Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) as part of the J9 Advisory £100,000 Charity Challenge to enable the purchase of life-saving MRI monitoring equipment. The monitor is part of a revolutionary MRI process at the Leeds Children’s Hospital, unique to Europe, which is transforming the care of newborn babies with heart…
‘People-powered archaeology’ boosts residents’ wellbeing
A partnership between City of York Council and York Archaeology is helping the city’s residents uncover the hidden history of Walmgate, while improving their health and wellbeing, making social connections and gaining new skills and interests. The award-winning Archaeology on Prescription project is one of the first in the world to apply the social prescribing model to…
Renovated campus facilities officially open after major refurb
An impressive £750k refurbishment project has transformed Leeds College of Building’s North Street Campus following an eight-week renovation programme. Award-winning fit-out specialists Lodestone Projects managed the extensive summer works that rejuvenated the site and created contemporary and accessible facilities for construction students. Building work took place over four floors, incorporating the transformation of the former…
York Opportunities Event for young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities
Approximately 30 employers, education providers and support services from across the region will be exhibiting at the SEND Opportunities Event at Askham Bryan College on Wednesday (16 October) from 3.30-6.30pm. The event is for young people in Year 9 or above, with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities who live in York, Leeds and North Yorkshire, as…
Over £1million extra support secured for York residents
Financial support to help residents cope with the cost of living crisis is being extended until the end of end of March 2025. The Council has been allocated £1,037,906 for the next six months and residents are urged to make sure they claim all benefits that they are eligible for. This Household Support Funding (HSF)…
Major milestone achieved in £5m H2Boost project with opening of biohydrogen production facility
The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) and its consortium partners have successfully launched a demonstration-scale biohydrogen production and carbon capture facility at The Maltings, a food waste processing facility near Selby, North Yorkshire. This facility is part of the H2Boost project, which secured £5 million in Phase 2 funding last year through the Department for Energy…
Machines to be removed as most of council parking goes cashless
In the coming weeks a number of parking machines will be removed as the council moves to cashless parking. In February it was agreed at a decision session that the majority of the council’s car parking would go cashless as the council looked to save money by removing the costs of maintaining machines and also…
Night-time road closures planned as Station Gateway project progresses
As work on the Station Gateway project progresses to the next stage, the council is providing an update on upcoming works in the area in October and November. To help them plan ahead, the council is forewarning residents, businesses and commuters that – as part of work to transform the entrance to York Station – contractors…
New energy efficiency grants for homes not heated by mains gas
Eligible households not heated by mains gas in York are being given free energy-efficiency boosts by the Council for greater comfort, lower bills and less carbon output. During this month of environmental action in York (14 September-12 October), residents are being urged to check their eligibility and grab a grant for measures suitable for their…
Blue Badge holders notified of arrangements for York’s Christmas Market
Blue Badge holders are being notified that the two routes into York city centre will temporarily close from 10:30am-7pm daily during the Christmas market period of 14 November to 22 December. This will be the first such closure since the routes reopened, and access will remain open 7pm-10:30am daily. It was agreed when these routes…
Free courses to support parents and carers in York
Parents and carers in York are being reminded that there is a wide range of free courses to help support them and their children, many of which are available online. The courses are run by both national and local providers and cover a wide range of topics from pregnancy and newborns, to teenagers or children…
York walls in bloom
Residents and visitors will be able to experience areas of the city walls from a fresh perspective next spring, as this unique and historic space blooms into life. Volunteers and businesses from across the city are coming together this week to help transform the City Walls embankments, for the first phase of the York Walls in…
Be Bright, Be Seen, Be Safe
Be Bright, Be Seen, Be Safe is the key message from City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council during Cycle to School Week [23-27 September]. Getting to school safely, especially as the nights are now getting darker is one of the most important things taught in schools, through the Bikeability and pedestrian training sessions, which…
Night works to make improvements to A1079 Hull Road, B1228 Elvington Lane and York Road, Dunnington
City of York Council is carrying out road maintenance works on the A1079 Hull Road and B1228 Elvington Lane, and York Road, Dunnington starting next week. From Monday 23 September the council will be resurfacing the A1079 Hull Road and B1228 Elvington Lane. This is expected to be completed by the morning of Thursday 10…
Residents supported to apply for all benefits they’re eligible for
A report indicating financial pressures among York residents reveals the level of need facing the council’s welfare benefit resources and how it plans to support those households. In July 2024, 2,700 households, including 1,844 children were shown to be in relative poverty. A range of local welfare support for residents includes the York Financial Assistance…
Front Street improvements shaped by local community go for approval
Exciting plans to make a number of improvements to Front Street will be taken to a meeting next week (24 September). In October 2023, the council’s Executive approved £570,000 of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) money for phase 2 improvements to Front Street in Acomb. Earlier this year, residents, visitors, businesses and other stakeholders were invited to share…
Scrutiny discussion to set a new direction of travel for York
York’s long term Local Transport Strategy will take another step forward next week (24 September) as a draft Implementation Plan is discussed at City of York Council’s Economy, Place, Access and Transport Scrutiny Committee. The Local Transport Strategy, which was adopted in July 2024, has been shaped by residents, businesses and commuters following extensive engagement….
YorHome’s fees for landlords found to be the city’s lowest!
Research by City of York Council reveals its not-for-profit letting agency YorHome charges between 6-7% less than eight other local agents. YorHome’s letting fee of 9% for homes in York is the city’s lowest management fee with no extra charges. Market research carried out this summer shows it could save landlords between about £700-£1,930 a…
York celebrates environment weeks with free bus travel from BetterPoints
Residents of York are being invited to celebrate Environment Weeks by walking or taking the bus around town – and be in with the chance to win free bus travel. If you haven’t already signed up to BetterPoints, there’s no better time to join thousands of York residents who are being rewarded for walking, cycling,…
New housing for disabled people agreed
To meet the increasing need for specialist housing for disabled adults or adults with learning disabilities in the community, senior Councillors have agreed to build approximately 14 new homes in Acomb. The one-bedroomed apartments with communal areas and support facilities will be built on one of the two undeveloped plots on the popular Lowfield Green…
Plans to create a dedicated hub for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in York get the go ahead
Proposals to create a specialist hub for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families have been approved by City of York Council’s Executive [Thursday 12 September]. Reflecting the ethos of the city’s other Raise York Family Hubs, the plans will bring services to support children and young people…
Recycle your coffee pods at York’s Household Waste Recycling Centres
Coffee lovers can now dispose of their used pods in an environmentally friendly way as part of a new service aimed at reducing waste. City of York Council is working with Podback, a coffee pod recycling service, to offer the containers at our household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). Used coffee pods, as well as tea,…
City of York Council launches search for new Director of City Development
City of York Council has announced an exciting opportunity for a dynamic leader to join its team as the new Director of City Development. This pivotal role comes at a crucial time as the city embarks on an ambitious journey of growth and development, aiming to reinforce York’s position as one of the leading economies…