I’ve been the Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Huntington and New Earswick ward in the city of York since 1999  and have recently taken over as Leader of the Council’s Liberal Democrat Group.

Between 2003 and 2011 I was on the Executive as the Councillor responsible for children and young people’s services and I am also  a member of  New Earswick Parish Council.

Together with my fellow Lib Dem ward councillors, Keith Hyman and Keith Orrell, I work hard to represent the residents of the ward. Local residents’ issues and concerns are important to me, so please do contact me if you need to, using the links on the left.

Updates and information will be added to this site at regular intervals so do check back to see the latest news.

Best Wishes

Carol

I went to one of the Lord Mayor’s breakfasts recently at which the Lord Mayor launched the celebrations for York 800.  King John gave York its first Charter so that it could have a council led by a mayor and be able to raise local taxes and trade without restrictions.  The day the charter was given was July 9th so York will be 800 years old this year.

I was pleased to hear that  Her Majesty the Queen will be visit York Minster on Maundy Thursday, April 5th, to take part in the Maundy Service during which 85 deserving pensioners will be given specially minted Maundy Money – one for each year of her age.   2012 will be a busy and memorable year for many as it will include the Mystery Plays, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics.

As you will be aware City of York Council has recently removed some street lighting from a number of roads in the ward on safety grounds. This work was carried out without warning, with no advance notice being given to either Ward Councillors or local residents, leaving many people unaware of what was happening.

This is clearly unacceptable and residents should have been told that the work was being carried out and why. The Liberal Democrat Council Group will be raising the issue with the Labour Cabinet and asking why they failed to tell residents that street lights would be removed.

A number of residents have contacted me to ask when the lights are likely to be replaced.  Around 500 street lights have been removed across the city, meaning the Council needs to find around £1000 per lamp post to pay for replacements. The Labour Cabinet did not identify any funding for replacing the lights before agreeing to their removal and so far the money has not yet been found. It is likely that, at the very earliest, funding to replace the lights will not be found until the new financial year. This means that the lights are unlikely to be replaced before the summer and residents will be left to manage through the remainder of the dark winter nights with reduced street lighting. 

The removal of the lights has left many residents concerned about possible safety issues. While the weather has been unusually mild so far this winter, if there is a cold spell the reduced lighting will make it harder to spot ice on the pavements and many elderly residents are concerned about not being able to go outside. Concerns have also been raised about the effect the removal of the lights will have on the risk of crime.

If you have specific concerns about the impact that the lost lighting will have on your street, or the effect it will have on you or your neighbours, please do contact me on the details above and I will ensure that the Council is made aware of the issue.  I will also push to ensure that the Council prioritises the replacement of lighting in areas with vulnerable residents.
If you have any other issues that you would like to raise, please do get in touch.

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Keith Hyman will be the next Lord Mayor of York it has been announced. Councillor Hyman, who has represented the Huntington and New Earswick Ward since 2003, will serve as Lord Mayor in an important year for the city as it celebrates 800 years of self governance. York will also take part in celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics during Councillor Hyman’s time in office.

Councillor Hyman said he was proud to have been chosen to represent the city as Lord Mayor. He said, “Having lived and worked in York for most of my life this is a great honour and I intend, along with the rest of the Civic Party, to do my best to promote the City in the best possible light.”

“York is the most marvellous place to live and I feel privileged to now play a major role in its history. With so many events taking place throughout the year such as the 800 year celebrations I am sure I will get the opportunity to learn even more about our place as the country’s second city and the jewel in the crown for the North of England.”

Haxby & Wigginton Councillor Paul Firth will also be part of the Civic Party, serving as Sheriff of York.

At this time of year I usually get a number of invitations to nativity plays in schools.  I can’t often  get to them but always try to do one or two.  The children are always sweet – there is always something unexpected that happens and when it is over, the tired teaches and delighted parents are always pleased and proud

This year I went to Elvington School, to see the story of The Hoity Toity Angel – who thought herself the best in the world and had to be taken down a peg or two before going into the humble stable to see the baby Jesus.  The children were great – they all knew their words and sang and danced with great enthusiasm.  Some the angels decided they needed a toilet break in the middle of the performance and so trotted off for a while – much to everyone’s surprise – and the donkey’s tail came off and proved to be an object of interest thereafter.

However, all was well in the end and the final scene with everyone in it was lovely.  Such an event really marks the start of Christmas and reminds us what this season  is all about.

For those who serve in the Armed forces, support from family and friends back home is all important.  Many people will have seen on TV the Army wives choir that sang at the Albert Hall at the Remembrance Service this year and been moved by their skill and dedication.

Here in York, we have had an Army Garrison since AD71, so the military tradition is very strong.  Recently, representatives of al l three services, all the Group Leaders on the Council – including me on behalf of the LibDems – the Chief Executive of the city and representatives of ex-servicemen and the voluntary sector, signed York’s Community Covenant.   Several members of the LibDem group have strong military connections and we were well aware of the importance of the event.  We pledged to work closely with the services to help make sure that their families are well supported whilst they are serving abroad, as well as bringing service personnel and civilians closer together.

The ceremony was held in the presence of the Full Council and received wholehearted support from all sides.  I shall look forward to taking this important work forward.

I spent an enjoyable afternoon planting fruit trees recently near the Youth Centre (the old library building) along with a number of our young people.  It was part of an initiative called ‘Treemendous’ which is planning to make York greener and more sustainable.  Funded by donations from the Galtres Festival, where those attending are asked to give a donation to offset their carbon footprint, it was organised with Edible York and our local youth service.  

Everyone joined in to dig out the holes and plant the trees just behind Red Lodge, where residents should be able to watch them as they grow and – in the fullness of time – fruit, with hopefully plenty of apples, pears and plums to come.

It was a lovely day and we all joined in enthusiastically.  We’ll watch them as they grow and hope to see the fruit being picked and used in the youth centre in the not too distant future.

Salt bins have now been placed in a variety of locations across the ward for residents to use. The bins are free for all residents to use on footpaths and driveways throughout the winter months. They are inspected regularly, but if you find that your bin needs refilling, please phone (01904) 551551.

There is a list below of all the local salt bins. You can also see the exact locations of the salt bins by using the map on the City of York Council website. 

Salt Bins in Huntington & New Earswick

Garth Road
North Moor Road
Huntington Road outside Huntington School
Yearsley Grove
Whenby Grove
Haxby Road at the entrance to Joseph Rowntree School
Haxby at the entrance to Earswick Primary School
Hawthorne Terrace outside New Earswick Library
Church Lane outside the entrance to the Church grounds
Anthea Drive
Highthorn Road
The Old Village outside The Blacksmiths Arms
Woodland Way
Avon Drive
Greenacres

The new council HQ at West Offices, the old York Station building, has now reached the stage of ‘topping out’. It was good to be there and see how well the old building is being turned into new 20th Century offices; due to be opened in autumn 2013. Miller Construction held a ceremony for the opening based on ancient traditions.

In Saxon times, wine, oil, corn and salt were sprinkled on the roof of a new building and a tree planted to give shade and indicate long life. The wine symbolised wisdom, the oil – liberty and prosperity, the corn symbolised prosperity ripening into abundance, and the salt, purity and hospitality. On this occasion, wine, oil, salt, wheat and yew sprigs were poured into a concrete block which will now be allowed to set and will become a record of this special event.

The sun shone and everyone was pleased to see such good progress being made. Officers tell me that the project is still on budget and on time, which is just what is needed!

In these difficult economic times, educating young people to manage their money before they leave school is more important than it ever was. Young people can sometimes find it difficult to make ends meet and don’t really understand the complexity of their finances and the debts that they may incur.

I was pleased to meet Caroline Stephens, a maths teacher from Wiltshire, who is helping to drum up support for the petition along with the Personal Finanace Education Group, an independent charity which supports schools in teaching financial education.  She was passing through York recently and we talked about how essential it is to equip young people to plan and manage their finances.

Caroline has been encouraging councillors, teachers, parents and others from all over the country to sign the petition about Financial Education.  It has now reached the 100,000 signatures needed to get a debate in Parliament asking for Financial Education to become part of the school curriculum. 

It was good to meet her and to know that this important topic is being promoted so strongly – it is just the right time for this to be taught in all our schools.