January 2009 Archives

I am delighted to report that at the City Council Meeting on Thursday evening I was nominated and elected to hold the office of The Lord Mayor of York for the year starting 21st May. This is a great honour both for me and my wife. Not only will I strive to represent the City to the very best of my ability but I hope also to bring some benefit to Bishopthorpe and Acaster Malbis.

If there are any organisations that think the involvement of the Lord Mayor in whatever capacity will help them please don't hesitate to contact me.

Yes I am very proud to have been elected to hold the office and I will probably burst with pride when I am installed,  I am also very proud to represent Bishopthorpe and Acaster Malbis on the City Council.

I offer the services of the Lord Mayor I hope you will use them. 

Many words have been written and spoken, in the run up to and since the decision on the "Wheel" It is my opinion that York has lost a real opportunity for an additional attraction to the City.

In any difference of opinion either side will clutch at any arguments that may help in expressing those opinions and of course this certainly happened in the debate about the siting of the wheel on North Street. The only true argument (in my opinion) revolved around it's nearness to the City Centre, which of course was the major attraction for this location. Had this gone ahead it would probably have been for little more than 4 years, it was never going to be a permanent feature in the City, unlike a number of very poorly designed buildings which will grace or disgrace our City for years to come (depending on your point of view) .

The reasons why the wheel moved from the Railway Museum was that it was not envisaged  the site would be used was for more than 3 to 4 years and secondly the income had dropped quite dramatically in the last year. Yes of course it is about money but as we have seen of late and to quote a well known hackneyed phrase "it is money that makes the world go round".

If we are to maintain our position as a top tourist City we must continue to offer improving attractions to encourage tourists to visit and share with us, some of their hard earned cash. A major part of the economy of our fine and attractive City is Tourism, we have to keep ahead of the game, we have in this instance failed.

The wheel would have put new life into what is really a bit of a "tatty" corner and brought useful revenue into the City Coffers.

As I look out of my window on the first day of 2009 I sincerely hope that the gloomy outlook is not a foretaste of what is to come in the Ward in 2009. I know that many difficult decisions will have to be taken by the City Council no doubt affecting us all. For my part I wish to continue representing the ward well on the City Council and to ensure that the ward is not neglected by the Council

It is quite likely that the Terry's Site will again be in the public eye during 2009 and I will work tirelessly to ensure that the quality of life in the village will not be put at risk, for it is my hope that a link road between Bishopthorpe Road and Sim Balk Lane will be agreed in 2009.

I will continue to try and improve the village both in terms of cleanliness and appearance.

Wouldn't it be good to enter the village in the UK "Village in Bloom Competition" or is that asking too much?

Attempts are being made to get a Youth Club up and running , money has been put into the project by the Ward Committee from previous year's under spend, I also understand that the Parish Council has offered the use of a room in the Village Hall free of charge so let us hope for its success in 2009.

Finally I will work with the Police to ensure that anti social behaviour and vandalism is a thing of the past.  I hope that either the miscreants will see the error of their ways in this New Year or that they will be arrested, brought to court and punished, there is absolutely no excuse for the kind of behaviour we have seen in the village over the past months.

Each and every one of these youths responsible for this behaviour are known to the Police, so if they continue with their yobbish behaviour they will be caught and suffer the consequences.

So enough of my musings and thoughts, how about yours dear reader? Your comments will be most welcome.

Have a happy, a safe, a healthy and a prosperous NEW YEAR.