Community Meeting Notes
August 2024 Community Meeting Notes
Hello everyone
Firstly – I want to say a huge thank you to Simon for organising the meeting today. It was great to see so many people who are also concerned.
I have made detailed notes of the meeting if anyone wants to view them just let me know.
The takeaway information is as follows:
North Yorkshire Police
The police have only received 6 lots of 101 reports since January. Which was very different to the consensus of people who attended.
The police have advised that they work on statistics that they receive from the public. Every single report is counted. The more reports that they receive either via 101 or online will allow them to request extra support for the area. More police presence and more stop and search etc. So even if you know someone is reporting it, you should also report it if you have also seen it!
This can be done by calling 101 and ask for a ref number before ending the call.
If you are on hold for too long (they are aware of the issues if this happens) so please follow the below to report it online:
Complete the online form and you will automatically get a reference number.
Every call answered or logged online goes towards their statistics.
If ever you feel you are in danger you must call 999.
British Transport Police (they cover Scarborough Bridge and York Station).
They also have a number you can text 6106
The text will also give you a ref number and you will either receive a txt back asking for more information or they will call you back. They are also looking at liaising better with North Yorkshire Police with sharing intelligence.
Council Info:
It was highlighted that if you feel unsafe then Victim Support can help with providing support https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/. It was also mentioned that it might be possible to request a video doorbell https://www.northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk/protectyourhome/homesurveyform/
In attendance was a representative from 54North who manages the flats that had a recent raid where there have been issues. He advised that he doesn't get to know about issues from YCC (hopefully this will be rectified).. In order for him to take any action he needs to be aware of any issues/complaints of the tenants so he can start the internal investigation/process so please email any complaints or observations to hello@54northhomes.co.uk
Another meeting has kindly been organised by Simon in approx. 3 months.
Simon Boyle
November 2024 Community Meeting Notes
South Bootham Residents’ Association
(yet to be formally constituted)
Meeting at Clifton Methodist Church, 18/11/2024
Notes from meeting
Simon Boyle (SB) welcomed attendees. 42 members of the community attended. Councillors Myers (Clifton), Clarke, Melly and Merrett (Guildhall) were present.
Ryan Chapman (RC), recently appointed (September 2024) Chief Inspector for Neighbourhood Policing (NP) for York and Selby, introduced himself and gave a summary of the position of NP, and the review it is currently undertaking. There is a push to be more proactive around neighbourhood crime. He talked about the policing being more evidence led, with officers patrolling areas of greatest need. The area pertinent to this residents’ association falls into two different policing areas – York City Inner and York City Outer – but RC has overall responsibility for both. The area also falls into two different council wards – Guildhall and Clifton, the boundary being the railway line between Bootham Terrace and St Mary’s.
In relation to a recent incident locally where armoured police officers attended, RC said that there are always armoured police patrolling the area within 1 mile of the Minster, so if they are the closest to an incident, even if it is not very serious, they are likely to be the first on the scene, to be replaced by the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) as soon as they can get there.
RC quoted a statistic: between 15/08/24 and 17/11/2024 there had been 54 incidents recorded in this area, of which 14% were potentially related to drug dealing issues. This is apparently a relatively low figure. However, there has been no actual intelligence to say that there has definitely been drug dealing in the area, despite residents’ observations. There was discussion about the difference between intelligence (information gathered professionally) and evidence (reports by members of the public). The latter can take some time before it is assessed: RC could not be specific about how long.
There are no home-grown drug gangs in York, but there is organised crime in the form of gangs arriving from bigger cities such as Leeds and Manchester. There are 6 or 7 organised crime gangs operating across the whole of York currently, but none recorded in our area. NPTs work with British Transport Police on this matter.
Tim Kendall (TK) said that on both 09/10/24 and 16/10/24 he had reported seeing unambiguous drug dealing near Almery Terrace and had reported it, but had had no feedback. RC said that this is recorded as an occurrence, but not as evidence. When evidence is recorded, it is assessed by the Control Room and graded according to level of threat.
The assessment determines how quickly officers should attend. All reports add to the overall intelligence picture, so RC encouraged residents to report sightings of suspicious activity. The NPT looks at intelligence weekly so that they can direct their limited resources to the right areas.
SB observed that after police have attended an incident they do not follow up with patrolling the area, and the drug dealers return within about 3 weeks. There is a high level of anger about the lack of action.
Residents reporting incidents have been frustrated by the system. When calling 101 (for non-urgent reporting such as drug dealing) there is an automated response, and then there can be a delay of several hours before any follow up call is received. RC urged residents to call 999 for urgent reporting, but there was a comment from the floor that even that can entail a wait of around half an hour.
Councillor Myers thanked RC on behalf of the council, which has been working with the police for the past 18 months to try to see more police officers and build confidence in the city. He mentioned the ‘Connecting Clifton’ project, in which the police are involved with the community in aiming to drive out crime and make Clifton a safer place.
DM will include the streets in the South Bootham area in the next community safety meeting, and problems can then be followed up by the council. As a balance, there were thanks to the council for attending to matters such as tree cutting and street light repairs in order to increase safety.
A question was posed to RC about the statistics for burglaries locally. Whilst RC did not have the figures to hand, he did admit that York has issues around burglary, and said that after several years of the police not doing enough to combat burglary, over the past couple of years there has been much improvement.
There was a question from the floor about how many Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) cover York. RC said that there is a larger number of PCSOs in York than in any other area, but that the balance will change, and there will be more police officers than PCSOs in the future. All PCSOs are managed by their area police sergeant. There is an aim to ensure that every resident has a named PCSO who they can contact.
A question was asked from the floor regarding taking photos when observing suspected incidents, which could then be used as evidence. RC advised that people should only take photos if it is absolutely safe to do so: it does help to identify people. He added that the person who has reported the incident with a photo does not have to be a witness in court.
When the question of discarded syringes came up, Councillor Myers said that the council would remove them within two hours of receiving a report. Call 01904 551511 to reported discarded syringes.
SB suggested to RC that using texts to report incidents may be more efficient, and RC responded that the police force is looking into making that a possibility in the future.
The South Bootham Residents’ Association would like to set up a website once formally constituted. Councillor Myers will follow that up with the Communities Team, which could facilitate. Councillor Myers also mentioned that a future agenda item would be to look at improving the underpass between the bottom of Bootham Terrace and Marygate car park, possibly with an artist’s mural.
Finally, there was a call for more residents to join the Association’s committee, which will have about 4 meetings a year. Including those who responded to the call, current committee members are Simon Boyle, Hester Cashdan, Peter Conchie, Liyana Hay, Anita Hilton, Tim Kendall, Lydia Showan, Ru Smith and Lesley Schatzberger.
Bootham South Residents' Association
Meeting at St Olave's Church Hall, 07/07/2025
Notes from meeting
Simon Boyle chaired the meeting and welcomed attendees to the first meeting since the Bootham South Residents Association was formally constituted. Over 30 members of the community attended. Councillors for the area had been invited but were not in attendance.
Website
Our new website was approved as being good for purpose. Bootham South Residents Association is the only one in York to have an active website:
https://www.bootham-south-residents-association.org/
Traffic lights at the St Mary's/Bootham junction
All residents present would like to see this junction changed. Currently the yellow box is ignored and it can be very difficult to drive out of St. Mary's and onto Bootham. It is dangerous, and there is a strong opinion that the traffic lights (and pedestrian crossing) should be moved to the actual intersection of St Mary's and Bootham, doing away with the yellow box. One of the residents sent an objection to the council when the lights were first put in place, but received a reply stating all the reasons that the lights would not be relocated. Anita Hilton has been in contact with the council and as a result the council is monitoring some yellow box junctions with camers, but not on our side of York. All agreed that the Residents Association should lobby strongly to have the junction changed.
Parking
Parking remains an issue and a number of people were suggesting trying to remove the 10min/1hour parking permission in our streets, and having them purely as residents' parking (with residents' guest permits still available). There was some concern about loading for those without residents' permits, but loading and unloading are, in fact, allowed even when there is no option for 10 minute parking. Changing the restrictions would probably have to go through a complete application process and could take years, but it was agreed that we should lobby for this.
It was noted that it was easier to monitor rogue parkers when physical permits were required, but that with digital permits there is no visible evidence of people parking legally. At one point the council had said that they would be adding the facility to look up a car registration number if we suspect that it is parking without a permit, but this has not been implemented. It was agreed that the Residents Association should push for it.
It was also mentioned that people (non-residents) are driving much too fast down our streets, and that trucks are causing considerable damage. The situation has been exacerbated since the works around the station have been hindering drop-offs: a lot of people come down our streets to drop off or meet people from trains, sometimes even taking a chance and parking there to catch a train. Parents dropping off children at St Peter's School are also a problem. The 'Access Only' signs appear to be completely ignored.
Railway underpass
Tim Kendall led the discussion about a potential mural in the underpass. He noted several steps to go through in the first instance.
• We would need permission from both the council (which has been encouraging) and from Network Rail.
• We would need to source funding
• Potential artists are to be identified – there are currently about 7 who have expressed an interest.
• We would need proposals and costings from the artists
• Any funders would be likely to want recognition.
Bootham School has shown an interest in the scheme, whilst St Peter's has not.
Simon felt that the fact that this is on the site of part of the oldest Roman road in the city should be reflected in the design, and there seemed to be general agreement that, in any case, the artwork should reflect the heritage of the city. There would be a clear brief for potential artists, and it was suggested that once we have proposals there would be an exhibition so that residents could see the designs and a judgement could be reached. It is unlikely that the council would be able to offer financial support, so we would have to seek elsewhere, and perhaps approach some of the businesses on Bootham. The residents association will work on making this initiative happen.
Street-sweeping
This was added to the agenda because it had been many months since the streets were cleaned, the last time being just after the last residents association meeting. However, the streets have now just been cleaned – was it because the council knew we had scheduled this meeting? It was agreed that we will push for monthly cleaning, which had apparently already been agreed, but not implemented, by the council.
Phone box
Tim had raised the question of whether we could use the disused phone box on Bootham either to house a defribrillator or as a book exchange. As we do not own the land, only the council could 'adopt' the phone box from BT. This would cost just £1, and the residents association would commit to looking after it. If there is still power in place,
Tim believed that BT would continue to supply the power, whilst a defibrillator company would install and maintain the equipment. There was a question of who would fund the equipment, and though Tim believed it would be the supplier, he will check on it. A defibrillator would be very well placed there, but if it isn't possible, the phone box could be used as a book exchange.
Social gathering
Simon had ascertained that the Old Grey Mare, on Clifton Green, could give us a dedicated area for a gathering. He will put out some date options.
As the meeting closed, Simon was deservedly thanked for being an excellent member of the community, as were Tim and Anita.
For contact and comment on the NYP, please scan the above code.
Bootham South Residents’ Association
Meeting at Clifton Methodist Church, 08/09/2025
Chair: Simon Boyle
Present: Chief Inspector Ryan Chapman; Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) Inspector
Nick Plumb; Councillors Tony Clarke (Guildhall Ward) and Danny Myers (Clifton Ward).
The meeting was attended by more than 30 residents.
Update from Chief Inspector Chapman (RC)
RC introduced NPT Inspector Nick Plumb (NP), who covers York Outer, defined as the whole area of the city outside the city walls. NP encouraged residents to contact him when appropriate, saying that he really cares what people think. RC also told us that a new NPT Officer had been appointed for York Inner: Jen Stockwell, who has come up from working at the Met.
1. Operation Titan
Operation Titan was set up to tackle issues around drugs in the city. RC said that the police are conscious that there has been an increase in violent crimes in the city, some of which have led to stabbings, and some to murders. There have been a number of arrests and weapons have been seized. Last week there were four
arrests: those arrested were in possession of weapons. Most offenders come from West Yorkshire to supply drugs in the city.
2. Neighbourhood Policing has received an uplift from government, so that further Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) will be recruited, with the first due in December this year. There will also be two additional police constables. There are currently 7 PCSOs, with 2 or 3 more due to be recruited. Unfortunately, it will not be
possible to reach the numbers we had 4 or 5 years ago. NP has recently been joined by Jen Stockwell in the management team.
3. Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs)
The organisation of PSPOs in the city will be under review. The police have requested controls around street drinking, as in all the other cities in the region. Danny Myers (DM) responded to this later in the meeting, saying that the council want to strengthen PSPOs. Residents will be invited to contribute to a consultation – website address to be publicised in due course.
4. Homelessness/begging/rough sleeping
One of the consequences of not having sufficient PSPOs in place whilst other cities do have them is that people know that they will not be moved on in York, so they come to beg on our streets, often arriving on the train from Leeds or Doncaster, returning to those cities at night. DM responded to the question of rough sleepers later in the meeting: the council policy is to respond within 4 hours if they receive a report of rough sleepers. Street Navigators will move them on and aim to keep them safe.
There are enough emergency beds in the city to accommodate rough sleepers.
For more information, or to report on rough sleepers, go to
https://www.york.gov.uk/RoughSleepingInYork.
5. Flags
RC acknowledged the appearance of a large number of flags in the city and stated that it is a country-wide police policy not to remove flags unless they are associated with criminal activity. If they receive a report of criminal damage concerning flags they will investigate, but otherwise they do not get involved. The police accept that
there is a potential for protest, and they remain alert to this.
6. Safer Streets Project
This is intended to keep residents safe, and focusses on dealing with:
- Antisocial behaviour (ASB)
- Shop theft
- Night-time economy
RC said that there had been some incidents at York races earlier in the season which the police could have handled better, and that they have met with local residents and reviewed practises, and are confident that the issues are sorted out. Police officers are now being issued with a device which gives them detailed information about local issues including ASB, and which enable more efficient policing. Year on year crime and incidents of ASB in the city are down.
7. Responses to questions from the floor
With so few new PCSOs being appointed, there was a question as to which areas of the city they will cover. NP told us that there are ‘soft’ borders between inner and outer York and between wards, and that staff will be moved to where issues are, regardless of which NPT they are in. The single point of contact for any issues or
queries regarding neighbourhood policing is Nick Plumb, at Nicholas.Plumb@northyorkshire.police.uk
The question of flags was raised again, and RC accepted that some residents are feeling fearful as a result of them appearing in areas of the city.
Though the police will not remove flags, they are working closely with communities around the issue
and will take robust action against anyone committing a racially motivated offence.
Simon Boyle raised the subject of stag and hen parties, asserting that the problem was much bigger ten years ago than it is now, largely as a result of a muliti-agency approach. RC said that dispersal orders are now in place to manage these issues, and the police aim to have their resources in the right place at the right times. He is
well aware of the situation, and admitted that he wouldn’t want his young daughters to be in town on a Saturday afternoon: this is why PSPOs are so important.
There was a discussion about the traffic lights at the end of St Mary’s: this has become a serious road safety problem, and it was felt that it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident there, with loss of life: there are frequent ‘near-misses’. Even the emergency services are not aware that there are cars progressing
onto Bootham when the lights on St Mary’s (which cannot be seen from Bootham) are green. The yellow boxes are constantly ignored, increasing the danger. RC said that the police will take note and observe the junction. Councillor Tony Clarke (TC) said that residents’ complaints about this should help to make a change, but that it is
important to gather evidence, eg. from dashcams, CCTV, photos. Residents should email the council, police, and highways agency every time there is an incident or near-miss. Email addresses:
Cllr.tClarke@york.gov.uk
Nicholas.Plumb@northyorkshire.police.uk
highway.maintenance@york.gov.uk
RC confirmed that it is illegal for cyclists to ride on pavements, and also to ride without lights at night. NP said that even though it is illegal, the police have to be cautious about controlling this: there would be the potential for cyclists to race off if approached, which could endanger life. In response to a question about whether
cyclists can legally ride in the middle of the road even when there is a cycle lane, RC said that they can, and reminded us that the new Highway Code gives bikes priority over cars. Cycles are prohibited from cycling the wrong way down one way streets UNLESS there is signage to the contrary.
There was a question about licensing laws. The police are working with pub door staff on not allowing people who are already drunk into pubs. The law is clear on this, and the police should be more robust about it. Drinking alcohol on the streets should not be allowed, and this is another reason there should be a PSPO in place. RC and NP left the meeting, as scheduled, just after 7pm.
RC and NP left the meeting, as scheduled, just after 7pm.
Update from Councillor Danny Myers
1. There had been some confusion regarding the consultation regarding PSPOs due to
inaccurate reporting by York Press. As mentioned above, there will be a public consultation, and details, with a website link, will be shared with residents in due course.
2. DM mentioned the nighttime economy, acknowledging that improvements had been necessary. He had attended a multi-agency meeting around this, and was confident that it is getting back on track. York is a Purple Flag city (definition: Purple Flag status recognises destinations that demonstrate exceptional standards in their
evening and late-night offerings.) The Purple Flag project is now under the stewardship of York Bid, which has also taken over the pub watch service.
3. Underpass between Bootham Terrace and St Mary’s Car Park
The council do want to see the underpass better looked after. They are in touch with Network Rail about it, who want to meet with residents and the council. The underpass would have to be closed during the process of creating a mural. Network Rail have asked for a report, which would have to be funded by the council at a cost
of around £100. The council is committed to finding the funds for the project. Should the project go ahead, the mural can be protected from graffiti by either a kind of plastic film or by some special covering painted on, which would enable graffiti to be removed without destroying the artwork.
4. There was a discussion around wheelie bins/black bin bags. Almost all residents now have black wheelie bins. DM acknowledged that the bin collections need improvement, and that they are in contact with the service providers. He also said that we should let the council know if we want a green bin, and that if we have black
wheelie bins we should, in theory, be entitled to green bins (paying an annual subscription). There are some surplus bins in St Mary’s which need collection. TC will get these removed:
email Cllr.tClarke@york.gov.uk.
Marygate phone box
There has been no progress on plans to adopt Marygate phone box as it is not clear who
owns the land on which it stands – it is not CYC property. Only the owner of the land can
adopt a phone box.
Residents Association Social Event
After the lack of uptake for the event proposed in August, there was the question as to
whether there is an appetite to try again. It was agreed that we should send out a date poll
for a social in October or November, and meet even if there are only a few people.
AOB
The following message, from Angus Skelton - 54 North Homes, was not included in the
meeting.
‘The flats at Marygate have been very quiet, and we have some nice individuals living there,
who I believe have integrated well and not caused any issues within the community.
We still do not have possession of No.10 St. Olave's Flats as the tenant is in custody, which
is causing a bit of a hindrance.
I cannot comment further on that as I don't have legal knowledge, however I have a
meeting with my manager tomorrow and this is the only topic on the agenda, so may have a
clearer Idea by then.’
Bootham South Residents' Association Meeting
at St Olave's Church Hall, 19/01/2026
Chair: Simon Boyle Vice-chair: Tim Kendall Present: Councillors Tony Clarke (Guildhall Ward) Rachel Melly (Guildhall Ward). Apologies received from Clifton Ward councillors.
The meeting was attended by about 20 residents.
Updates on matters arising from previous meeting.
1. Network Rail has given permission to go ahead with a mural in the underpass between the bottom of Bootham Terrace and Marygate car park. They have specified that it should be light in colour, and covered in a protective coating. Tim will review proposals and take this forward.
2. There is no further update on a change of use for the phone box at the top of Marygate. As an association we are not able to adopt it, and until the ownership of the land can be established, it is not possible for the council to adopt it. Cllr Tony Clarke will look into the land ownership.
3. Request to place planters in St Mary's with the aim of controlling parking had received no response. Cllr Clarke informed the meeting that the pavement must be 1.5m wide, so planters can not be accommodated. However, it is possible that bollards could be erected. Cllr Clarke will investigate this.
Ward boundary changes
There is currently a consultation about upcoming changes to the ward boundaries. There was a discussion about the merits of our residents' association covering the two wards (part of Guildhall and Clifton), or being combined, with the part of the Guildhall ward which is represented in this association joining the Clifton ward. We are currently in two policing areas: would it be preferable to be in one, should the boundaries move to combine the two parts of the community? Number of residents in a ward decide on the number of councillors, with approximately 1 councillor for 3,300 residents. There are 5 councillors across the two wards.
Ward boundaries are usually determined by the Boundary Commission according to physical features such as the railway line and the river, but our views will be considered. All views need to be submitted by 2nd February. The association will submit a response, for which Tim is asking for residents' thoughts. Please respond either on the residents association WhatsApp chat (where there is a brief questionnaire), or via boothamsouthra@hotmail.com. Individual residents are also welcome to respond to the consultation directly. https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/york
Tim has emailed all members and a poll has been posted to the WhatsApp Group, please respond be Friday 30th January
St Olave's Church Hall flats
The problematic tenant is now serving a custody sentence and we have been reassured that he will not be returning to the flats.
St Mary's/Bootham intersection
This remains a bone of contention. There are now cameras mounted on top of the traffic lights, so there must be many instances caught on them. The question of who monitors the incidents was asked, and it was assumed that it is the police, but what action is taken? One resident was recently stopped by police when she entered Bootham from St Mary's and had to progress from the yellow box through the pedestrian crossing after the lights had turned to red. This situation arises frequently, and we were informed by Chief Inspector Ryan Chapman at the last meeting of the association that the correct procedure is to go through the red lights rather than wait on the yellow box. In effect, one is forced to break the law, legitimately. It was clear that the police in general do not understand the junction, and the resident involved received a caution. Cllr Clarke suggested that a meeting at the intersection with people from the council's transport department would be useful.
St Mary's burst water main
After several weeks of fast water leakage, the burst water main in St Mary's has a works permit to cover the repair between 20th and 26th January.
Closure of Lendal Bridge
Lendal Bridge is due to be closed for two weeks just after Easter. The timing of this causes concern, as it is at the beginning of the main tourist season. Even after the work on Lendal Bridge is completed there will be disruption for more than 30 weeks whilst major roadworks take place on Rougier Street and continuing work is hampering traffic past the railway station. This is likely to lead to much heavier traffic in our area.
Cllr Clarke will try to get more clarity on how the area will be affected and what measures will be in place to limit the impact. There is concern that closure of the bridge will also lead to even more abuse of St Mary's and Bootham and Longfield Terraces as drivers park in the streets to drop off or pick up people using the station. Uber taxis are particularly guilty of this. There are 'Access only' signs at the top of the streets: the question of whether councils can do anything to enforce this was raised, as was the problem of people parking illegally generally. Cllr Rachel Melly said that we should call parking enforcement to report these incidents. (Parking hotline: 0800 1381119)
It was noted that when people had to display parking permits in their cars it was quite easy for residents to monitor illegal parking and report it. Now that there is no visual evidence of permits having been obtained it is impossible. It was agreed that we would like to be able to look up registration numbers online to check if cars have permits, possibly using the same platform as the parking officers. This has been raised before, and Cllr Clarke will look into what, if any, progress has been made.
Road sweeping
The infrequency of road sweeping was raised again. This should happen on a monthly basis, but is actually only implemented about twice a year, resulting in drains which become blocked. Representations to the council do not seem to have had an effect.
Gritting
There was a request for salt/grit bins to be installed in the area: it only a matter of time until there is a nasty accident when it is icy. It is particularly hazardous currently, as there are water leaks in St Mary's and in Almery Terrace.
St Peter's School
Apparently there has been a planning application for a multi-use games area, but this is not available to view on the council website. There are obvious implications regarding volume of traffic in our streets, so we should have access to the application details