Acomb councillor Keith Myers, Conservative Group spokesperson for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, reports that his take-away message from the 2016/17 budget is that although finances are tight, the council is in a better place than in the past due to more productive ongoing conversations between the council and it’s partners.
Cllr. Myers said “We all understand the financial constraints under which the council is operating, but with better relationships with our partners we have been able to sit down and work through our funding issues in a spirit of mutual trust. I would mention both the YMT and the Theatre Royal as two organisations with whom we have had particularly constructive conversations. Similarly, our relationship with Make it York has been absolutely candid and they have understood that they too must accept some financial reduction to their funding along with everyone else.
“That said, the Conservative-led administration remains committed to protecting the heritage of York and to working steadily with our partners to continue to maintain York’s position as one of the best loved and most visited cities in the country. There is much to be done in the coming year- we have a lot to do post- flooding to ensure the all visitors know that York is ‘Open for Business’, and as a party we have pledged to find ways to enhance some of our built heritage, specifically the city walls, and I look forward to progress on all fronts in the financial year ahead.”