York Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Councillors have hit out at Labour's plans to halve the number of litter bins in the City Centre. Under the plans, which were agreed at a meeting yesterday, Labour will remove 60 bins, replace another 40, and install 13 new larger solar-panelled bins with advertising space. Overall this means the total number of bins will fall from 100 to just 53. The scheme will cost an initial £75,000 with the new 'Big Belly' bins costing nearly £4,000 each.

In a letter to The Press Cllr Ian Cuthbertson, Liberal Democrat Member for Haxby and Wigginton and a Governor at Burnholme Community College, criticises Labour's decision to push ahead with closure of the school.

Dear Editor,

James Alexander's decision to close Burnholme Community College makes me angry and ashamed at the growing destruction of our city's fabric.

York's Liberal Democrat Group have said they cannot support Labour's plans to close Burnholme Community College while so many questions remain unanswered ahead of Tuesday's key Cabinet decision on the issue.

Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, Children & Young People, has today commented:

"After meeting parent representatives last week to study Labour's proposals we cannot support the plans for closure when there are still legitimate questions for the Cabinet to answer. These include the potential £2 million cost for closing the school and a lack of detail as to where the invaluable on-site Special Educational Needs provision will be moved. We also need to see a long-term strategic plan to deal with an increased demand for school places after closure and the rising pupil numbers across York in the next ten years.

Labour Cabinet Member Dafydd Williams has admitted that information he gave to Council on the closure of Beckfield Lane Waste and Recycling Centre was wrong.

Cllr Williams, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhood Services at the time, justified the controversial closure by claiming Beckfield Lane was less accessible than the two other sites in York, Towthorpe and Hazel Court. During last month's Council debate, he said the Towthorpe site only had steps leading to one skip, the landfill skip.

At its Annual General Meeting last night, City of York Council's Liberal Democrat Group reselected its leadership team unopposed. Huntington & New Earswick Councillor Carol Runciman will continue as Leader, with Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Councillor Ann Reid continuing as Deputy Leader.

Cllr Runciman commented:

In a letter to The Press Councillor Nigel Ayre, Liberal Democrat Member in Heworth Without, corrects Labour's misleading claims over the Beckfield Lane decision.

Dear Editor,

Coun Neil Barnes' claim that Labour listened carefully to public opinion over the closure of the Beckfield Lane site (Letters 30^th April) does not stack-up to proper scrutiny.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have highlighted fears that Labour's budget cuts worsened the disruption caused by heavy rainfall in York last month. The rain caused flooding and brought parts of the City to a standstill and Labour's 40% cut to the road gullies maintenance budget has been blamed for making the situation worse.

Concerns have been raised over planned bus changes affecting residents in Heworth and Heworth Without.

From the beginning of June, the changes will see the Yorkshire Coastliner's 844 route no longer run to Heworth but instead come through York and out to Heslington Hall. All of the through services running east of York will continue to run via East Parade, Heworth Road and Stockton Lane but it will mean that there will be no services operated by Coastliner on Ashley Park Road, Hempland Lane and Heworth Village and no bus services at all on Algarth Road.

At last night's Extraordinary Council the ruling Labour Group ignored public opinion again and decided to press ahead with their plans to close the Beckfield Lane Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

A petition against the closure, signed by over 3,000 local residents, was debated at the meeting alongside a Liberal Democrat motion that proposed keeping the site open. The motion was defeated 25-18.

York's Liberal Democrat Councillors have criticized the Labour Cabinet's refusal to answer questions relating to last year's disastrous Christmas Grotto in Exhibition Square.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion had asked at a meeting of the full council whether any rent had yet been collected from the event organisers.