Agenda item

The team will continue their consultation and give you an update on your priorities from last time and information about what’s been happening in the ward. They will also ask for your ideas on where you think a good place would be for young people to meet.

Sgt. Colin Sutherland thanked residents for the comments and suggestions they made during the surgery. He thanked people for looking and commenting on the display the team had brought along. One of the issues highlighted was that if begging and he told the meeting that, while he couldn’t comment on specifics, he was confident that the problem would be dealt with soon. There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes about this complex issue. He mentioned that there isn’t a specific charge of begging but they are looking into getting a better solution to the process.

A resident asked what the difference is between a hawker and a beggar. Colin explained that hawkers and peddlers needed licences to operate. He told the meeting that buskers in the City needed to be licensed by the council.

He mentioned about the Summer Campaign to make the night-time economy safer. The team would look into anti-social behaviour in Museum Gardens and Duncombe Place. They are working with youth workers to try to alleviate the problem.

In Operation Beam the Safer Neighbourhood Team tackled graffiti in the Walmgate area. 2 People have been charged with over 40 offences. They worked with the Youth Offending team. At Rowntree Wharf the foliage has been cut back to reduce incidents and plans have been submitted for a fence to close off the area under the steps. Graffiti has moved up the list of priorities and there are schemes in place to try to solve the problem. There was a suggestions of a web site to tackle the problem to get the ’tags’ to as many people as possible and to try to get the public to tell the team who is responsible.

In conjunction with Micklegate and Clifton the three main routes into the city were covered in a high visibility campaign to tackle cycling offences like riding without lights and riding on the pavement. A resident asked if the school did cycling education. They had come to the school and had to walk around several bikes laid flat at the gates. No one was sure whether they did or not. It was mentioned that it was illegal for a bike to be ridden on the pavement and for a bike to be not properly equipped. Lights and a bell are essential.

It was mentioned that cars constantly came through the No Entry sign at the end of Park Grove. Last year the sign was repainted and the council had been approached to lower the sign. The street is often used as a route to the school and taxis and council vehicles also use it.  It was explained that the sign was put there as a deterrent and it wasn’t actually illegal to drive through it. It was put in as a traffic calming measure some time ago.  Sgt. Sunderland told the meeting that the team would do spot-checks to try to deter people driving through the No Entry sign and that maybe the school could tryo to do something about naming and shaming the parents seen going through it. He said he would speak to the traffic manager to check the by-laws to see what can be done.