As York residents prepare to vote on Thursday, Political Reporter GAVIN AITCHISON reflects on some council issues that have hit the headlines over the past four years.

IT was the end of one era, and the dawn of another.

Four years ago this week, almost two decades of Labour dominance in York were ended, as the Liberal Democrats took control of the city for the first time.

"We are absolutely delighted," said incoming council leader Steve Galloway, after the result became clear.

"We recognise that a lot of people in York have given us their confidence," said the new council leader.

"We must not let them down."

So four years on, how have they done? It has certainly been a tumultuous time, with controversy and debate never far from the surface.


Fireworks blast

There was uproar in November 2005, after York's much-vaunted fireworks display went with a whimper rather than a bang. Thousands of people lined the streets to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot.

But the council refused to divulge the location of the display, and many people could not see them when they were set off from the grounds of St Peter's School.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act later showed that police had warned of the potential for trouble days before the event took place.


Wedding day woe

The council's transport boss Ann Reid hit headlines around the world when she arranged for all the traffic lights to go green for her daughter's wedding convoy.

She said she was trialling a system designed for emergency vehicles, but was forced to apologise for the "misjudgement".

Opposition councillors were outraged and called for her head. Her boss, Steve Galloway, said she did nothing wrong, and she retained her job.


Battle on capping

The council, The Press and local businesses teamed up in the spring and summer of 2006, after the Government unfairly threatened to cap the city's council tax.

They said the rise was too high - but re-billing would have ended up saving every householder just 7p.

The campaign was ultimately won, and York's tax increase allowed to remain. But the authority was instead "nominated", meaning that the 2007/08 increase was pre-set to a maximum of 4.5 per cent.


Housing subsidy

The council and their housing tenants cried foul, after it emerged that the city was losing tens of millions of pounds in rent, through a Government redistribution system.

Rather than going towards local improvements, £27 million of local rent-payers' money this year went to less well-off authorities such as Liverpool.


In Pride of place

The Lib Dems vowed to make cleaning up the city a priority when they came to power, and the council has taken a firm stand against offences such as litter and fly-tipping.

A raft of Neighbourhood Pride campaigns were launched last year to tackle specific issues, such as dog-fouling or graffiti.

More controversially, the council introduced a CCTV camera to catch people putting out their bin bags too early, and later gave officers the power to rummage through bin bags to catch offenders.


School rebuilding

THE council has overseen a massive rebuilding programme in York's schools.

Joseph Rowntree School is being completely rebuilt, Manor CE is moving to a completely new site, Oaklands and Lowfields are merging into the new and improved York High, while there has also been a new building completed at Huntington.

Several children's centres have been established, with eight set to be up by next year.


Home care help

THE council overhauled its home care service system at the end of last year, but the changes led to a flurry of complaints from customers. Many complained that calls had been missed, or mishandled.

Bill Hodson, the council's director of housing and adult social services, said the changes were needed to meet increasing demand, and the number of complaints gradually tailed off.


Charge dropped

THE Press revealed earlier this year that Clifton councillor Alan Jones had been brought before the city's magistrates, charged with assault against former York Labour chairwoman Jane Overhill. The charge was withdrawn.

Coun Jones is not seeking re-election, but said his decision was not based on the court case.


Battle of the bins

More than 7,500 people signed a petition of protest, after the council changed 60,000 households' bin collections from weekly to fortnightly.

Our Bin It! drive won support from residents, who feared the changes would lead to over-flowing bins, bad smells, and a rise in rat and insect problems.

Rat complaints have risen slightly, but council bosses claim the move has been vindicated by recycling rates, which have soared to nearly 40 per cent.


Car park battle

THE Press led a campaign against evening parking charges, after business and residents claimed they were damaging the city. Our Stop The Highway Robbery initiative achieved success in September 2004, when the council agreed to slash the evening charges.

Steady increases in parking revenue have continued to irritate many motorists though. In 2005, we revealed that parking was worth a staggering £20,000 a day to City of York Council.


Fury over Arc Light

Clifton residents erupted in fury after discovering the council wanted to relocate the Arc Light homeless hostel to the old Shipton Street school site.

A massive backlash eventually led to the matter being fully reviewed, but not before local councillor Ken King claimed he had been gagged from telling his constituents about the scheme, and Steve Galloway had accused protesters of swallowing "bigoted lies".

A new home for the hostel was eventually found in Union Terrace.


Alleygating fight

Back-alley crime and antisocial behaviour has been a concern for many, but the council has worked with police to close off the alleys to non-residents.

Within the past month, a massive alley-gating programme has begun in Clifton, with 50 gates set to be put up.

Crime-plagued residents in South Bank and The Groves areas of the city are also benefitting from the scheme.


£35m new HQ

WORK has progressed on the massive new Hungate development in the east of the city.

The site will include homes, shops, and a new council HQ - the cost of which soared to £35 million without a brick being laid.

The council is to sell its current properties, including in St Leonard's Place, paving the way for regeneration in the St Mary's Quarter of the city.


Eco-depot a hit

THE Hazel court eco-depot, which is the new HQ of the council's neighbourhood services team, has been hailed as a beacon of environmentally-friendly building.

The ground-breaking ecoDepot, off Hazel Court, adopted a timber frame to support straw bale walls encased in lime render - avoiding standard steel and brickwork practises.


Barbican plagued

THE Barbican Centre has been plagued by controversy over much of the past four years.

The swimming pool closed down almost three years ago, with the council planning to provide a replacement nearby. The auditorium closed in late 2004, and has only re-opened intermittently ever since.

Following lengthy delays in selling land around the centre, the council announced last year that the sale would no longer raise enough money to pay for the pool.


ftr passenger fury

Rarely can a bus have caused such consternation, as when First York's new ftr vehicles rolled into the city's streets.

The new vehicles were blighted by a series of problems relating to time-keeping, ticket machines, and awkward stretches of road.

Within days of its launch, The Press had been inundated with complaints from angry passengers.

We spoke to transport secretary Douglas Alexander about their gripes, when he visited the city soon after the launch. The problems are now mostly over.