My recent survey asked:
If you’re a resident, what do you see as the most important issues in York at the moment?
And here are the answers left in response:
Make interesting reading, don’t they.
I’ve pulled out a few of the comments I found most striking.
… Creating a connection between people and their city, a sense of ownership – York doesn’t belong to those easily-labelled groups that dominate the news and the political agenda (‘motorists’, ‘tourists’ etc) but to everyone.
… would prefer redevelopment of existing sites to further expansion of York’s boundaries, and a long-term vision for York rather than short-sighted political opportunism.
… I know tourism is a major revenue earner for the city (especially in the context of government cuts and loss of traditional industries) – but there is a risk of the city being changed to meet the requirements of visitors rather than to serve its residents.
I think there needs to be a strong “understood” and public connection between York residents and the general public. There have been many decisions that have made York residents angry. The way York is at the moment is somehow wrong, it seems that the center of York is becoming more of a place for Tourists and those with money, and the York residents seem to be getting pushed further onto the outskirts.