Agenda item

This report provides an update to the committee on the City Centre Access Action Plan.

The Director of Transport, Environment and Planning introduced the report which provided an update on the City Centre Access Action Plan.  He noted that the Executive had received an action plan update in July 2022.  Members were informed that the appointment of an access officer was very close to being finalised, and that an access consultant had been appointed to progress some of the actions in the absence of an access officer.

The following stakeholders, who had attended the scrutiny meetings in October 2021, had been invited to provide their views at this meeting:

Flick Williams, from the York Disability Rights Forum, stated that there had been no sense of urgency to improve the situation for those for whom various mitigations were not effective.  She also identified that the café pavement licenses had increased access problems and made it very difficult to get around the city in a wheelchair.

Scott Jobson, Chief Executive of MySight York, stated his disappointment for the blind and partially sighted residents of York.  He highlighted the co-production of Street Charters as an example of best practice but stated it was difficult to put these into practice with the existing measures in place. Members were informed that the Blue Badge parking ban had impacted immeasurably on the community.  He confirmed his willingness work with the new access officer.

Jim Cannon, Chair of York Older People’s Assembly (YOPA), emphasised the effects of a lack of city centre access on older people and explained that it had increased social isolation and prevented them from attending drop-in centres such as St Sampsons Centre.  He gave credit for reopening Castlegate parking but highlighted the difficulties in walking round the city due to the café pavement licences.

Jane Burton, from York Accessibility Action, explained that mitigations such as benches and dropped curbs did not address the main issue of providing parking close enough to the city centre.  She highlighted the social isolation experienced by those affected by the Blue Badge ban and urged consultation with other cities, to find a solution that kept people safe and did not discriminate against older people.    She urged Members to open the footstreets to enable disabled people access to the city centre.

All four stakeholders noted that the Martin Higgate access report contained recommendations that would, in their opinion, improve city centre access.

Officers responded to questions from Members covering access officer recruitment, the access consultants (MIMA), the number and cost of benches, vehicles accessing the city centre, the shuttle bus trial and pavement café licences.

Following extensive debate, Members agreed the following actions / recommendations:

·        To request that Pavement Café Licencing is added to the City Centre Access Action Plan.

·        To receive a further update to the Action Plan in three months’ time.

·        To recommend to Executive that the Action Plan is amended to include those with sensory, physical and hidden disabilities.

·        For the Chair and Vice-Chair to discuss at the next scrutiny work planning meeting if a Counter Terrorism item should be examined at a future Customer and Corporate Services Scrutiny Management Committee or alternative Scrutiny Committee.

·        For the Chair of the Housing and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee to consider any outcomes from the Manchester bombing enquiry and to consider the timings of Executive Member security briefings.

·        To request that the Monitoring Officer considers the legal advice received last year regarding city centre access for blue badge holders and satisfies himself that, from a legal perspective, CYC is in a safe, robust position considering the recent Westminster Council High Court judgement.

·        That the advice from the Monitoring Officer be circulated to Members of the Committee in due course.

·        To request that a detailed report which addresses the issues raised within the Reverse the Ban petition and considers them against the City Centre Access Action Plan be taken to a future Executive meeting.

Resolved:

                                             i.        That the update to the City Centre Access Action Plan be noted and that the recommendations relating to the Action Plan, listed above, are actioned accordingly.

                                            ii.        That the above recommendations relating to the Reverse the Ban petition be actioned accordingly.

Reason:

To provide ongoing scrutiny of the implementation of mitigation measures agreed by Executive and consider petitions presented to Council as required by the Constitution.