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Snapshot of progress on the Council Plan

Affordability progress snapshot

Our Equalities and Human Rights 'snapshot of progress' will be updated every 6 months to provide details of our activity, as we work to deliver the Council Plan; One City, for all.

Council Plan affordability icon, blue illustration of a pound symbol.

For our core commitment to Affordability and tackling the cost-of-living crisis, we'll find new ways so everyone who lives here benefits from the success of the city, targeting our support at those who need it most, supporting communities to build on their own strengths and those of the people around them.

Priority actions

Find out more about progress on each priority action relating to affordability:

Priority action: Start the journey towards becoming an anti-poverty city within a decade, including supporting young people and families, reducing food insecurity and exploring the benefits of free school meals for all primary school children.

Progress by September 2025:

  • We were delighted to achieve the milestone of 50,000 free school meals served as part of the York Hungry Minds initiative in July 2025. This scheme has seen three schools in York, first as a pilot and more recently as part of a planned rollout, offering free school meals to children who really benefit from a nutritious start to their day.
  • The Free School Meals campaign group (York Hungry Minds) has continued to strengthen the fundraising capacity for Free School Meals and support schools keen to widen provision in this area.
  • A draft 10-year anti-poverty strategy - 'Tackling Poverty Today and Turning the Tide to Create Lasting Change: A Strategy and Strategic Action Plan for addressing Poverty in York 2025-2035', was released for public consultation. The development of the strategy has been informed through significant engagement with partners and a resulting action plan will be agreed later this year.
  • Low awareness means over £3.7 million in Pension Credit goes unclaimed each year in York. Together, the Income Services and Communities Teams came together to launch a pension credit campaign, to maximise income for vulnerable residents and to make sure they were accessing entitlement to the right adult care support. Since the campaign's launch in Autumn 2024, 246 pensioners claimed £1.7 million in Pension Credit and other benefits up to end March 2025.

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Priority action: Create pathways to learning and skills development leading to good quality jobs and improved life chances.

Progress by September 2025:

  • We've worked with partners, including the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, securing £1 million for the development of the Get Britain Working Trailblazer programme, including a Work and Skills Interchange. The Interchange will offer advice and make connections for people seeking work or trying to stay in work. The focus is on supporting people who have significant health conditions and are economically inactive.
  • The David Forbes-Nixon Charitable Foundation's Project Search internships for young people with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) at Aviva, York College and the City of York Council saw 4 out of 5 interns progressing on to employment.
  • York Learning was awarded a 'Good' rating in their latest Ofsted inspection, which took place in December 2024. The report highlighted how tutors appreciate the barriers that many learners and apprentices face in their lives and are proactive in providing support while promoting high expectations.
  • We have seen an increase in participation in careers information, advice and guidance by users of our York Learning offer, (in 2023/24 this was at 45% and has increased to 53% in 2024/25) meaning that more people are accessing information on options to improve their personal economic opportunities.
  • We continue to work with York Central developers and the wider Construction Skills Partnership on the potential for a Construction Skills Centre in the city, taking into account the findings of a feasibility study (funded by UK Government) that was completed earlier this year.
  • Our aim to increase knowledge of transferable skills has been embedded right across York adult learning, 16 to 18 year olds and our SEND offer. This is about learners understanding how their skills and experiences transfer into different jobs. When asked, "What are your transferable skills?", 71% of learners can now articulate this.
  • We continue to promote routes into social care and raise awareness around the skills needed to enter this workforce. We offer Level 2 and 3 fully funded (where eligible) programmes in adult social care and around 15% of these learners also go on to a Level 4 or 5 qualification in adult social care.

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Priority action: Realise the economic opportunity provided by devolution, York Central and the bioeconomy.

Progress by September 2025:

  • York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority was established in January 2024, with the mayoral elections taking place in May 2024, unlocking at least £540 million of investment for the region. Over the past year, the council has had over £34 million funding committed by the Combined Authority to deliver a range of programmes covering affordable housing, transport, economy, net zero and culture.
  • The combined authority awarded the council £604,000 UKSPF and £1,038,250 Trailblazers funding to help improve economic opportunities across the city. UKSPF focuses on business growth and support, whilst Trailblazers focuses on supporting people into work or to remain in work.
  • The Economic Framework for York and North Yorkshire was approved at the Joint Committee and discussed at Scrutiny. See: Agenda for York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, 18 March 2024 with the Local Growth Plan for the region approved in July 2025.
  • Over the past year, York has strengthened its position as a national leader in the rail sector through a coordinated programme of support and engagement. The York Rail Innovation Community (YoRIC) was successfully re-established, providing a platform for collaboration and innovation, while a dedicated rail sector focus group was convened to shape the vision for the York Central Innovation Hub. Partnership working with Network Rail and the Eastern Region Partnership has facilitated the presence of major national rail companies in York, further embedding the city's role in the industry.
  • Our team provides 1-to-1 support to businesses looking to relocate to York and are currently refreshing online presence and materials, which aim to attract interest in York as well as signposting useful avenues of support. These businesses bring valuable employment into the city as well as other economic benefits. We also continue to facilitate a Flexible Workspace Group to support York's flexible workspace offer to existing and incoming business and we support this with media and PR to increase visibility.

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Priority action: Provide affordable transport for residents to access education, jobs, health and wellbeing support. Delivering fare concessions identified in the Bus Services Improvement Plan.

Progress by September 2025:

  • In June 2025 we celebrated a major milestone, with the news that over one million £1 fares have been sold to young people since September 2023. The fare subsidy aims to improve access to education, work and leisure for York's under 19-year-olds by reducing the cost of travel. The scheme was launched as part of the city's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funded by central government
  • We recently completed a public consultation around proposed improvements to our Park and Ride sites around the City and we are now progressing the improvements, which will include provision of overnight parking, EV charging points and various upgrades to facilities such as toilets and ticket office areas. Visitors to the Park and ride sites will also see improved signage, pathways and lighting with a more modern design. We have, with the support of First Group, also extended the hours of operation for the Park and Ride to 5.30am to 10.30pm Monday to Saturday across all sites.
  • Residents and visitors can now enjoy safer, greener journeys into York via the newly opened routes through York Central. Hudson Boulevard offers a standout walking and cycling route, complete with high-quality materials, seating, and a striking central rain garden.

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Priority action: Increase the percentage of affordable homes (exploring opportunities through planning, travellers’ sites, community led projects, social housing, etc.) and seeking to exceed Planning policy on affordable homes.

Progress by September 2025:

  • City of York Council adopted the City of York Local Plan at an extraordinary Full Council meeting on Thursday 27 February 2025. The adopted Local Plan is the city's statutory development plan and sets out the vision and strategy for York until 2033 and provides the basis for decisions on planning applications.
  • Executive approved the proposal to secure 100% affordable homes on council land. See: Agenda for Executive on Thursday, 16 November 2023 (Item 12)
  • Supporting the council's ambitions for more affordable housing across the city, the York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has provided £4.5m, split across three key programmes, of brownfield funding to unlock more sites.
  • The Council's first affordable Passivhaus Homes at Duncombe Square have been launched. Duncombe Square is City of York Council's first Passivhaus development of 34 high quality, zero carbon-in-use homes, built to an award-winning design. It is part of one of the largest Passivhaus schemes in the country that includes 78 homes at Burnholme Green - 60% of these houses will be a range of affordable home types and 101 homes set to be built at Ordnance Lane - 100% of which will be affordable.
  • We have been progressing work on Lowfield Phase Two, sites A and B. Lowfield A, which will consist of approximately 15 homes for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism, is in the design stage with a Planning submission expected in early 2026 and we have held some very positive and useful engagement events for local people, key stakeholders and those with lived experience of learning difficulties and autism.
  • 153 new affordable homes were delivered in York in 2024/5, which was up from 122 last year and 109 in 2022/23.

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Priority action: Reduce energy consumption and generate more local sources of renewable energy.

Progress by September 2025:

  • The Council retained A - rating for climate leadership and action for the third year running from the global independent disclosure non-profit, CDP, and we have seen a reduction in direct Greenhouse Gas emissions across the city of 16% (148ktCO2e) between 2021 and 2023 (the latest year for which data is available).
  • We completed the upgrade of over 1,000 street-lamps to LED with funding from the Mayor's Net Zero Fund.
  • We were delighted to be highly commended at the Community Energy Awards 2024 for the Supportive Local Authority award.
  • We completed a Heat Network Zoning Market Prospectus to identify areas of the city where a heat network would be the lowest cost solution for decarbonisation.
  • We secured funding from the Combined Authority to install rooftop solar at Yearsley Pool, Joseph Rowntree School and Acomb Explore Library. We have also installed rooftop solar on an additional 4 schools in York through our partnership with Solar for Schools and York Community Energy
  • We have provided decarbonisation plans for 63 businesses in York and launched a £1.3 million grant programme with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and North Yorkshire Council to support businesses in delivering environmental and financial benefits.
  • Funding has been secured from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to develop a proposal for a Green Energy Park at Harewood Whin (£243,500) with the potential to power over 10,000 homes.

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Priority action: Target a range of funding sources and service delivery to where they are most needed.

Progress by September 2025:

  • Launched in July 2024, the York Community Fund started with a £100,000 contribution from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), followed by a £150,000 donation from York Central Ltd to be distributed over a three-year period. It has since grown with support from local businesses, donors and community partners. Applications for the next round of the Fund opened in Summer 2025, with at least £200,000 available for distribution.
  • A new Grants and Investments Manager role has been created to support the identification of external funding sources, against Council Plan Priorities and securing this where possible.
  • After successful bids from our officers, the Mayoral Combined Authority has committed £34 million for projects led by City of York Council, which will benefit our city and our residents.
  • An internal review of grants and investments across the authority has taken place to identify successes, challenges and opportunities.
  • A 'Tap and Donate' scheme has been launched, initially at Bootham Bar, to help generate funds to support the conservation of York's city walls.

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Coloured icons from the council plan representing equalities, affordability, climate and health.

The Council Plan 2023 to 2027 sets out our vision and our priorities to establish conditions that make York a healthier, fairer, more affordable, more sustainable and more accessible city where everyone feels valued.

The Council Plan; One City, for all