Police announce programme of free online sessions for Safeguarding Week 2022

Partners from Safeguarding Adults Boards, Children’s Safeguarding Partnerships, Community Safety Partnerships across North Yorkshire, the City of York and East Riding have come together and developed an extensive programme of learning events, seminars and interactive sessions which all underpin this year’s Safeguarding Week theme – ‘Safeguarding is everybody’s business’.

Spurred on by the success of last year’s event, the safeguarding partners have worked to extend the range of topics being covered this year. While a number of the sessions are open only to professionals working in the safeguarding sector, the majority of the sessions are also open to the public. The week-long programme of over 50 sessions caters for members of the public who want to learn more about safeguarding.

Covering topics such as support for children and young people impacted by Domestic Abuse, signs of radicalisation, keeping children safe on-line, fraud awareness and protection, the power of the bystander amongst many other safeguarding areas. The sessions have been designed to stimulate discussion, spark innovation and share best practice. Each session will be delivered by inspirational and motivational speakers, all of whom are experts in their field.

The full programme of events is open for viewing and booking, and early registration is recommended to avoid disappointment.

 Book now via EventBrite

All the agencies involved will be sharing information across their social media channels and website in the run up to Safeguarding week and throughout the week. To follow along look for the hashtag #safeguardingweek2022

T/Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, Chair of the North Yorkshire Community Safety Partnership, said:

“It is a real privilege to represent the work of the North Yorkshire Community Safety Partnership as we stride towards Safeguarding Week running from 20 to 24 June.
“Our strength is in our values and objectives delivered collectively by our partnership, who have come together to deliver a real depth and spread of events that span Community Safety, Hate Crime, Prevent and Domestic Abuse.
“We have a number of sessions covering domestic abuse with our focus on the key themes to support professionals and public alike understand the journey the impact of domestic abuse on adult victims and survivors and their children and our approach to challenging and pursuing perpetrators of abuse.
“This is an incredible opportunity for all to gain knowledge, confidence and skills in managing this key area that affects so many within our community. I encourage everyone to have a look at the programme, there really is something there for everyone who has an interest in safeguarding their family, friends and community.”

Coronavirus York updates: 25th May 2022

Hospitals and deaths

Four more deaths have been announced today. However they date back to March and April. There has only been one fatality at the York Hospital Trust during the last week. The cumulative toll is now 949.

The number of COVID+ positive patients being cared for by the York Hospital Trust has fallen to 72,

Test results

The number of cases in the City has fallen by 16 to 168

The infection rate has fallen to 79.61. It is expected to slowly reduce over the rest of the week.

Vaccinations

17 third dose booster jabs were completed yesterday

Tests

• 496 “lateral flow” tests were conducted on 24th May 2022

Neighbourhoods

Haxby railway station consultation results

Following a consultation with local residents and businesses, over 1,000 responses have been received following consultation on the proposed railway station in Haxby.

The scheme has attracted criticism because of its high costs and the decision of the Council to part fund it from monies which had been set aside for road repairs..

Over 80% of respondents supported a station and 83% said they would use it. 

This follows a decision made at Executive in December 2021 which selected a site on Towthorpe Road as the proposed location of the new station.

Over recent weeks the council has been asking residents for their views on the initial plans, designs and use of the new station ahead of the funding bid being submitted to government. In addition to the online survey, the council also facilitated in-person drop-in events in Haxby and Strensall, gave updates to parish council meetings and provided paper copies of the consultation to get as wide a range of views as possible.

The responses will help shape the design of the station and also the funding bid to government, which will be submitted later this year.

We’re working to fully analyse all the comments and responses to the consultation. An initial summary of the findings shows:

• 1,200 people participated in the consultation
• 81% of participants support the station proposal (67% strongly support), 14% are opposed, with 5% neutral
• 83% of respondents say that they would use Haxby station, to one extent or another
• 78% said that they would use the station for leisure travel (for example, shopping; visiting families etc), 66% would use it as part of longer distance journeys (such as for journeys to London and Manchester Airport), 33% would use the station as part of their daily commute
• 57% said that they would likely walk to the new station, 47% said that they may use a bus service, 30% said that they would likely cycle and 29% said that they would use private motor vehicle
• 65% of respondents said that opening a station in Haxby meant that they would not need to use their car as much; 53% said that they would be able to access Manchester Airport via rail and 32% said that it would allow them to travel to work or study for their commute
• 70% said that they would be more likely to visit Leeds due to a new station in Haxby, 64% said York city centre and 63% said that they’d be more likely to visit Scarborough

There were also a number of comments throughout the consultation with people asking questions, raising concerns or making general comments. The themes of these responses were:

• the number of potential car parking spaces
• the need for a walking route and a cycle route from Strensall and/or Towthorpe
• concerns over on-street parking and potential increases in traffic on nearby residential streets
• road safety concerns
• questions over Towthorpe Road as the location
• general supportive statements of the project

More information on the project is available at: www.york.gov.uk/HaxbyStation

£950k funding boosts puts new families’ hubs at the heart of services in York

Families in York will be able to access services, support and advice from a wide range of child and health professionals in new Family Hubs in the future thanks to a £950k transformation fund.

City of York Council is one of seven areas in the UK to be awarded the funding to develop a Family Hub model by the Department for Education. The new hubs will deliver support services for the whole family, from conception, through a child’s early years, until they are 19 years of age (or 25 if they have special educational needs and disabilities).

The hubs will enable services such as midwifery, health visitors, mental health support and services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to be provided in one place for the first time.  The aim is to ensure that everyone is able to access the help and support they need at an early stage, tackling any issues before they escalate, reducing disadvantage and achieving better outcomes for all children and young people.

Detailed proposals for the hubs will be developed in conjunction with local children, young people and families, but the council has committed to the Family Hubs being up and running by March 2024, as well as ensuring that they will involve partners from organisations across the city.

The council’s vision for the new Family Hubs is that they will:

• Be both a physical and virtual ‘single point of access’ offer of help and meaningful support that makes a positive difference in children’s lives.
• Provide services and support that take the strengths of the city’s services and voluntary sector and pulls them together into seamless support for families; and is governed in a way that sees families and young people continually represented
• Prioritise the crucial first days of children’s lives – delivering the strategic ambition of York’s Health and Wellbeing Board to reduce inequalities, building strong trusting relationships as a platform from which 0 – 25 support can be built.
• Provide a citywide focus for services and support around:
  • Early language development / home learning environment
  • Teenagers and adolescence
  • Mental health

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Coronavirus York updates: 24th May 2022

Hospitals and deaths

There have been two further hospital deaths. One occurred on 17th May and one on 22nd May. They bring the cumulative toll up to 945

The number of hospital patients has fallen to 75

Test results

The number of cases in the City has fallen by 6 to 184. Third is the lowest number recorded since 15th June 2021

The infection rate has fallen to 87.2. A further fall is expected when tomorrows figures are confirmed.

Vaccinations

14 third dose booster jabs were administered yesterday

Tests

• 518 PCR tests were conducted during the week ending 18th May 2022.
• Of these, 5.6% were positive. This compares to a positivity rate of 4.7% found during the previous week
• In addition, 735 “lateral flow” tests were completed on 23rd May 2022

the proportion of people who have tested positive for COVID has show a small increase recently

Neighbourhoods

So how is York’s house building programme going?

Figures on increased rent levels in the City have prompted a flurry of political comment.

The comments come in the wake of figures produced by Zoopla which claims that average York rents are now around £945 a month; meaning that 35% of a York residents income would be eaten up by housing costs.

The company quotes Leeds as a comparator where rents average £792. In reality rents in places like Harrogate are higher than those found in York.

Predictably Labour politicians have pointed the figure of blame at the LibDem/Green run council for not building enough homes. The local MP has joined in, though her grasp of housing facts still seems to rely on exaggeration

The phrase “people in glass houses etc”. springs to mind.

The lowest house building numbers of modern times coincided with the period when Labour last had control of the York Council.

The highest number (1629) was achieved when the Council was under LibDem control in 2008. The lowest (321) was under Labour in 2012.

Labour’s record is somewhat better on “affordable” home building, but they still trail the LibDem performance. (Full figures for the last financial year are not yet available.) .

The truth of the matter is, that local authorities have relatively little influence on overall house building numbers. The state of the economy and central government policies are the main drivers.

The 654 homes built in the City last year represented a sound performance against a background of the pandemic together with labour and materials shortages.

The provision of more affordable homes to rent will depend on the willingness of the Council to fully embrace municipal housing That is the way ahead and will offer more to renters than any number of risky common ownership projects, some of which have not produced a single new home despite allocated sites lying empty for over 4 years,.

Online applications open for Council Tax rebates

Having successfully processed more than 50,000 Council Tax rebate payments to residents who pay by Direct Debit, the Council has today launched its new online application form for all other residents.

The rebates are being issued after the Government announced in the Spring statement that households paying Council Tax in bands A to D would receive a one-off £150 Council Tax energy rebate to support families as food and energy prices rise.

Customers who pay their Council Tax by Direct Debit but have not received their rebate yet, are also asked to submit an online application to confirm their correct details. This is to ensure that names between Direct Debits, bank accounts or council tax accounts match and so payments can be made. These payments will be processed in the coming weeks and nobody eligible will be missed.

Support is available for anyone unable to use or access the digital application form. Please phone the dedicated council freephone number: 0300 373 0727 where a member of staff can complete the form on your behalf – please make sure you have all the information required to hand.  The Explore Libraries across the city can provide access to the digital form through their publicly-accessible computers. The council’s Local Area Coordinators who working in the community can also assist with making an application. Other voluntary sector organisations across the city, including the Trussel food bank, can help too.

A Discretionary Energy Payment Scheme will be run in June for residents who are responsible for energy payments but were not eligible for the mandatory scheme. This will include those living in Council Tax bands E-H.

The new application form is at: www.york.gov.uk/form/CouncilTaxRebateScheme

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Coronavirus York updates: 23rd May 2022

Hospitals and deaths

There have been no further hospital deaths

The number of COVID+ patients being cared for by the York Hospital Trust has risen by one to 79

Test results

The number of cases in the City has edged up by one to 190

The infection rate has remained stable at 90.4.

The rate remains above the regional and national averages. It is also higher than the rate that was seen at this time last year

The rate in York is expected to decline slowly during this week.

Vaccinations

33 third dose booster jabs were completed yesterday

Tests

• 385 “Lateral Flow” tests were completed yesterday. The number of LFTs being undertaken continues to decline

Neighbourhoods

Quite a large spread of infection rate differences across the City. Highest is 161.6 in Huntington (11 cases) with the lowest being 17.2 in New Earswick (1 case).

What’s on in York: Crafts at Acomb Explore on Saturday

York – Selby cycle path update

Most of the York – Selby cycle path has now reopened following resurfacing work.

New bridge near Riccall

Much improved surface

Shelter near Riccall has gone but picnic table has arrived

The section between Naburn (Vicarage Lane) and Riccall is now available for use.

The path is much smoother now with tree root damage virtually eliminated. Hopefully root shields will have been installed to prevent damage in the future

The section between Vicarage Lane and the B1222 junction has now been closed to allow resurfacing work to be completed. There is a relatively easy, on road, diversion available for this section through Naburn Village. There are, however, currently some road works taking place in the village.

Route now closed between Vicarage Lane and the B1222

The section, between the B1222 and the bridge over the Ouse, will be the final section to be resurfaced. This is likely to be the most awkward for cyclists as there is no local alternative route. It is also the most heavily used section of the track

NB. A sign advertising a cafe has now appeared on the new White Rose football clubhouse which is located at the Tadcaster Road end of the cycle track. This may irritate some cycle track users as – contrary to the conditions attached to the planning consent for the building – no improvements have yet been made to the adjacent cycle/footpath. Indeed the spiral access at London Bridge has already become overgrown with the obstruction representing a hazard for users.