City of York
York is a nationally prominent city for a range of reasons, not least for its history, but also for being one of the UK’s most visited tourist centres, its rail links across the country, a centre of academic excellence, and its importance within the Church of England. It is a city where people have lived and worked for over two thousand years. This sense of permanence and national importance has a bearing on the present-day culture of the city and the council. But York is changing very rapidly. The council has been at the forefront of this change and we are keen to sustain and develop it further. We are working from a strong base and we are committed to a culture of continuous improvement, working with, and for, the people of York.
City of York Council area covers 105 square miles. Over 186,000 residents live in the boundaries, with some four million tourists visiting every year. York was declared ‘European Tourism City of the Year’ in June 2007 by independent judges from European Cities Marketing (ECM). This level of tourism poses challenges for the city in balancing the needs of our residents, who are our primary concern, with the economic strength and opportunity that tourism brings.
Sustainable Procurement Activities
The Future York Group has said “York's economy has been successful and competitive in comparison to other towns and cities in the region. The city has contributed significantly to the region's economy, and in the science and research and development sectors, to that of the nation. Employment has grown in the recent past by over 1,000 jobs per year and key policy decisions, for example in relation to Science City York, to public transport improvements and in supporting tourism, have clearly contributed to this success”.
City of York Council recognises its commitment to sustainable development through its recently published sustainable procurement policy. Sustainable development for York is about creating a better quality of life for York’s communities now and in the future. An excellent exemplar is York’s EcoDepot which has been constructed from straw bales held together by a timber frame. The key benefits of its construction are:
- Levels of insulation are three times greater than current regulations require;
- The EcoDepot has solar panels to generate some of it’s electricity;
- Rainwater is collected from the roofs of the workshops to wash vehicles;
- The main office building is 76% more energy efficient than a traditional building of its size and type;
- The different building materials used have saved 1,746 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions – that’s the equivalent of filling 174 rubbish trucks!
- The energy efficiency of the EcoDepot will save 176 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year - that’s the equivalent of saving 17 rubbish trucks of carbon every year!
