Andy D'Agorne

THE BIG RECYCLE DAY & JUNK SWAP

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Posted by: andydag    in: Being Green

The University want to expand to cater for another 5000 students, plus more lecturers, technicians, cleaners etc This would be a massive expansion onto Green Belt land. www.york.ac.uk York is a very popular University, in the top 5 in the country after Oxbridge. But what effect will that have on the rest of the city? Although the site is well served by the A64 it is a busride away from the station and all the facilities in the city centre. Already there is a housing shortage, with those young people born and bread here unable to afford to buy the most humble of houses. So about 25% of the workforce in York travels in from outside the city, while 25% of those who live here have well paid jobs (needed to support the mortgage) in Leeds or further afield. Expanding the University will increase that pressure for more housing and make it even harder for locals to get onto the housing ladder.

Ironically even the former Vice Chancellor of the University is concerned that York might no longer be 'special' as development pressures sweep away the charm that so many tourists find to be a special quality of our city. Perhaps he might join those Parish councillors and reps such as Cllr Hill speaking at the Public Inquiry to say that the plan should not go ahead.  see the quote from him below.

Before this inquiry is concluded there will also be one into two big housing developments planned again on 'Green Belt' land surrounding York -Derwenthorpe and Germany Beck. Sadly, the way things are the chances are that they will get the go ahead, even though the location of Germany Beck next to the A64 means it is likely to be most attractive to people planning to drive to Leeds or West Yorkshire for work. Derwenthorpe has more included in terms of affordable housing (35%) and sustainable design - water butts for every house, but still only 5% are going to be 'Excellent' and 1% 'innovative' - a real missed opportunity to get 21st century design for sustainability.

Save our fair city

From the Evening Press, first published Wednesday 8th Dec 2004.

Yesterday, York Civic Trust warned against the turning York into a copy of New York. Today, former York University vice-chancellor Sir Ron Cooke  - argues that York is a special city and it needs to be looked after in a special way. STEPHEN LEWIS reports.

SIR RON Cooke likes to repeat a conversation once overheard in York's Guildhall. It went like this:

Developer: "There's no limit to what we could do if York didn't think it was special."

Councillor: "But York is special!"

Developer: "Why?"

It is an exchange to send a shiver down the spine of anyone who, like the former University of York vice-chancellor himself, happens to believe that York is actually quite a special place.

Because, while those of us who live and work here all know how special our city is, we also know how easy it would be for York to lose the qualities that make it so. So easy for it to become just one more middle-sized English city among so many. Those who have witnessed the rising tide of flats-building that at times seems set to engulf the city must sometimes fear that process has already started.

It must not be allowed to happen, believes Sir Ron. And, in an attempt to make sure it doesn't, he has issued a rousing call to arms; a personal statement of what he feels makes the city special that is intended to remind those "in charge" in York just where their responsibility lies.

"All towns are unique," he says in the introduction to his paper Why York Is Special. "Only a few are special. York is special, not for one reason, but for a multitude. The inner city is world famous; outside the city walls, York is distinctive.

The homeless hostel in Peasholme Green is due to be relocated to make way for new council offices. Two possible sites have been identified, the Monk Bar Garage or Fishergate Business Centre. The papers identifying these two options were released on May 19th and straight away leapt on by the local paper 'The Press' with a headline: 'Arc Two' sparks new row

When you actually read the article most of the 'row' is in the mind of the journalist, after approaching the landlord of the local pub, the two Fishergate councillors and a Guildhall councillor. Since the article on Saturday I have spoken to the landlord and offered to arrange a meeting with the relevant officers so that he can learn more about what might be proposed. I also explained that the hostel is not 'Arc 2' but a quite different type of  hostel that deals with homeless people who are ready to be re-housed in council or housing association accommodation. I suggested that he might speak to the landlord of the pub (Black Swan) that is next door to the present site of this hostel to find out what their experience has been.

The site may or may not be the best one, but if it does move to Fishergate I will want to make sure that both the centre management and those with homes or businesses nearby are in close discussion to make sure it does not adversly affect the local community.

On Thursday May 27th 2006 independent Cllr Janet Hopton was installed as Lord Mayor in the formal Annual council meeting, coincidentally being the third Lord Mayor in a row called Janet!  The combination of Janet becoming Lord Mayor and the new constitution has made for a 'behind the scenes' battle for who gets places on which committee. Labour have complained that they dont have their full entitlement and tried to grab extra places on key committees by denying us a place. Thankfully the ruling Lib Dems are not playing ball and have said we can keep our places. This will make for a busy year, but issues such as the Local Planning framework and the waste strategy will be decided in the coming year where we want to make our views on such issues clear.

Many of the committees have changed their names and fewer decisions will be made at public meetings, so it is all the more important that Greens are there to insist on democratic accountability of the council to the electorate.

The much acclaimed 'bus that likes to think its a tram' started running on the streets of York today. Sadly it is a diesel engined bendybus rather than an electric or biogas powered vehicle, and its size means it is not particularly suited to historic streets or mixing with bikes.

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Posted by: andydag    in: Being Green

Well didnt we do well? 19 more Green councillors -we had better book a bigger venue for our Association of Green Councillors conference in July!

Thursday found me venturing to Sheffield with my bike on a Virgin train to help the Sheffield party in its bid to move from a lone councillor to a group of two. Apart from discovering you have the 'hang the bike up' (after first removing the panniers) getting on the train was fine. As someone who helped the Green vote in a Sheffield ward to a heady 9% some ten years ago I wanted to do my bit especially as Bernard Little has been an activist in the Green Party since its early days as the Ecology Party and a longstanding friend  .

Anyway, cycling up to the University reminded me how much fitter I must have been as a cyclist in Sheffield. The sun shone and soon I was joining Rob at the Green party stall on the University concourse next to a Christian group enticing students with fruit and doughnuts into doing vox pops interviews on a couch. No sign of any other party activity until suddenly at lunchtime  the Lib Dem candidate and the LibDem local party leader with other party workers arrived to mass leaflet passing students. Although somewhat outnumbered, this prompted me to more proactively leaflet, making sure that anyone taking a yellow leaflet was also offered a Green Party one! Several students enquired where their polling station was and could they vote without a poll card, so it was well worthwhile being there. Some even took details of the Young Greens and where pleased to find us there.

My return journey was not to be as smooth as planned. Even though a seasoned rail commuter from a few years back when I made the trip daily, the bike was a more serious incumberance. Coping manfully with a last minute platform change, I was nevertheless thwarted in getting on the train which I was booked on. The carriage with the bike spaces was empty and the doors didnt open. Following everyone to the next set of doors I encountered the guard who informed me no bike allowed - the carriage had to be locked for health and safety reasons. He wouldnt buy my suggestion that the bike could go in the carriage on its own! SO - back to the booking office to enquire about spaces on the next train- 'Sorry our system isnt working so we cant tell you about today' Fine... Identify the next Virgin train to York (slower one via Leeds) and hope that it isnt already full of bikes. One other chap with a bike waiting to board. Relief to find two cyclists emerging with their cycles, so should at least get to Leeds. Decide best not to say anything to the guard and hope that there aren't more cyclists booked to board at Wakefield or Leeds. I was lucky, but think perhaps not too good an idea to plan a cycle holiday using Virgin trains. No wonderthe guide to taking your bike by train is sponsored by Brompton folding cycles!

Election results are really exciting: 19 more councillors including Bernard - WHO JUST GOT IN AFTER A RECOUNT! Norwich has now become the largest Green group with 9 councillors holding the balance of power, with only 3 fewer councillors than the Lib Dems. Now they have their sights on the Parliamentary constituency- perhaps they will beat Brighton to elect the first Green MP!

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Posted by: andydag    in: Latest news

The next edition of Greenlight, the local party newsletter is slowly making its way towards publication. Democracy at work! - how many ways are there to say that the Barbican deal is c**p and that local Greens are doing all sorts of wonderful things to help improve the local area? Well, eventually, a version that we can live with will emerge, and make its way to a letter box near you.

Hopefully you will read it and be inspired to think well of us, and perhaps even pick up the phone or send a letter or email to us in response. What would be even nicer would be if you felt moved to tick one of the boxes saying you want to know more, want to help deliver said newsletter or even help pay for it! No big trade unions of nice Mr Sainsbury's for us, and no mobile hairdressers either - it all depends on hard earned cash from supporters or money raised from fund raising events. Which reminds me, when are we having a fund raising social, to pay for all these leaflets??

Andy

We now have a tree survey completed for New Walk proposing a lot of work that is needed to reduce the risk of losing yet more of the big mature trees that give the riverside walk its character. However the head of Parks and Open Spaces is 'too busy' to meet for some time on this.

The specially selected light grey bins on the walk have just been repainted, having been put out of service just before the busy Easter weekend! The are now half finished in undercoat, minus their trim while a certain local person who is no longer on the Friends committee wrangles about what shade of grey they should be painted. In their present state they are already attracting the graffiti brigade, so they will probably be repainted standard black and gold by this time next year.

Meanwhile the one set of benches that we managed to agree on locating near the allotments have proved popular with Charlotte and her friends (how do I know her name? well she has signed it of course, along with all her mates.) Still, at least they were playing cards and eating crisps rather than drinking cider and lager which seems to be the boys favourite pastime.

Cant wait for the goalposts- the nearest thing we have been able to get agreed to provision for young people in the area. Cant have play equipment outside a park, because someone might sue and it needs to be safety checked every week.... Perhaps I should suggest the riverbank or railway line instead, just as long as the council isnt liable, we dont care what they get up to do we! 

PS 21/5/06 Goalpost (one set!) now in place at last, although I did have to ask for it be turned round so that those using it were less likely to be diving in the river to retrieve lost footballs! Only one call about it so far, complaining that the wild flowers will have less space to grow in... Well you can't please everybody so I hope some youngsters appreciate it.