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Hereford Link Road


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2 Apr 2014 - 16 posts - ‎8 authors
This gentleman left Bristol City Council under some very dubious ... I wonder howPeter Robinson so impressed Herefordshire that they offered ...

 

I suspect this is one of those rhetorical questions. We all know that the Council makes a practice of recruiting corrupt and bullying officers at the senior level. See also its former heard of communications and recently departed council solicitor (both paid off handsomely of course).

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Cambo, thanks for the diagram. Is this a traffic island letting vehicles turn right or a triangle only letting left turns only. How does traffic carry on along Edgar Street? Seems madness if latter as trucks would have to go to Tesco/Debenhams island and all the way round to go back down Edgar Street, with the lights outside the Theater. Seems ludicrous to me.

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I was speaking to a Herefordshire Highways Inspector in the pub last Sunday. This City project is not in his personal geographic area but he thought the physical end result would end in tears. He said there were new traffic lights planned at the bottom of Aylestone Hill that he thought would just shift the traffic problem about. :-p

On looking at the whole road layout I cannot see why any part of this road should have any traffic lights.

What is so wrong in having roundabouts instead?

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Cambo, thanks for the diagram. Is this a traffic island letting vehicles turn right or a triangle only letting left turns only. How does traffic carry on along Edgar Street? Seems madness if latter as trucks would have to go to Tesco/Debenhams island and all the way round to go back down Edgar Street, with the lights outside the Theater. Seems ludicrous to me.

 

Left turn only into Edgar Street. Yes, ludicrous.

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AS I have said before, I am sure the whole proposal with the extra traffic having to go round Edgar St roundabout + extra traffic lights on Edgar Street at this new junction, should bring the A49 to a complete standstill in Hereford. The Council then say they have to build a "bypass" because of the congestion in the City - when in fact the Council have caused the whole problem. Mind you if ever there was an incentive for everyone to get on their bikes (you could then just get off at these traffic lights cross the road and then go up towards Holmer!) this junction design should make it happen. 

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Following on from my post 24 

 

Capital Programme 2015/16 represents funding allowance received to date commitments from previous years and new capital schemes.  The council's capital programme is funded by grants  borrowing and capital receipts. The following summarises the approved capital investment programme in Feb 2015

 

  Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 19772

                     Spend 15/16             £'000   7228

                     Total spend               £'000 27000

 

However in December 2015 council approved the Capital Programme for 2016/17 with the following figures:

 

  Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 10658

                     Spend 15/16             £'000   7513

                     Spend 16/17             £'000   5324      

                     Spend 17/18             £'000   3505

                     Total spend               £'000 27000

 

By the Council's own admission they pay the best salary to get the best.

 

How can we be assured that figures put out by the Council are accurate and not amended after being signed off?

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This is a road to nowhere and a complete waste of money it will not solve any traffic congestion you are just going to make matters worse elsewhere it is just an excuse to build homes to apease the housing associations yes build more homes in a city that cannot cope with the current traffic issues,no doubt those responsible for this will think they have done the city a justice well it is plain to see they are all educated beyond there intelligence. A modern city is a city with good planed infrastructure all i can say is we must still be living in the 17th cent Here in Hereford.

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They appear to have added a further two years to the construction period - how long is that now - 4 years? They built the M1 over 50 years ago at a mile every 8 days … Costs will inevitably rise because of the extended period. One mile of motorway costs £30m - half of mile of single carriageway in Hereford costs £27m - not hard to see we are once again being robbed blind by contractors and ill served by councillors and very highly paid Officers who appear to do little to prevent it.

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This is a road to nowhere and a complete waste of money it will not solve any traffic congestion you are just going to make matters worse elsewhere it is just an excuse to build homes to apease the housing associations yes build more homes in a city that cannot cope with the current traffic issues,no doubt those responsible for this will think they have done the city a justice well it is plain to see they are all educated beyond there intelligence. A modern city is a city with good planed infrastructure all i can say is we must still be living in the 17th cent Here in Hereford.

Its not being built to relieve any traffic congestion,and why do people say a road to nowhere?It goes from Edgar St to Aylestone Hill

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  • 2 weeks later...

Following on from my post 24 

 

Capital Programme 2015/16 represents funding allowance received to date commitments from previous years and new capital schemes.  The council's capital programme is funded by grants  borrowing and capital receipts. The following summarises the approved capital investment programme in Feb 2015

 

  Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 19772

                     Spend 15/16             £'000   7228

                     Total spend               £'000 27000

 

However in December 2015 council approved the Capital Programme for 2016/17 with the following figures:

 

  Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 10658

                     Spend 15/16             £'000   7513

                     Spend 16/17             £'000   5324      

                     Spend 17/18             £'000   3505

                     Total spend               £'000 27000

 

By the Council's own admission they pay the best salary to get the best.

 

How can we be assured that figures put out by the Council are accurate and not amended after being signed off?

Funny how nobody has come on here to confirm or deny these figures - or is the public not entitled to know the true cost of this so called Link Road or there again perhaps members of the Council do not know the true cost because the figures are so inconsistent each and every time

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  • 2 weeks later...
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From HT dated 12th May 2016


http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14494085.Council_admit_money_error/


 


 


HEREFORDSHIRE Council's chief finance officer has admitted figures which went before councillors for approval were inaccurate.


Peter Robinson sent out a clarification email explaining why there was £9million missing from a table of figures outlining the amount of money spent prior to 2015 on Hereford's impending city link road.


In February 2015 the figure was listed in the council's Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as £19.7 million. But the figure put to councillors in later council meetings was just £10.6 million.


Mr Robinson has since responded in an email to county councillors saying all the figures in the 'previous years spend' column were incorrect.


"This arose because it incorrectly included forecast spend to 31.03.15," he wrote, adding he was sorry before confirming the correct figure as the £10.6 million.


He said he would refer the matter himself to external auditors.


Councillor Bob Mathews, leader of the county's Independent group, said he will await the auditors' response.


"The issue is now with the auditors," said Cllr Bob Matthews.


"When we get their response we will know exactly what the position is."


The council said in a statement: "There was an error with one table in the previous year’s MTFS which gave erroneous figures in one column. This has been corrected and a clarification published; the error had no impact at all on the budget or on the accuracy of accounts."


Meanwhile, Herefordshire Council has recommended Abergavenny-based Alun Griffiths (Contractors) be awarded the contract to build the city link road, which will connect Aylestone Hill with Edgar Street with the aim of taking traffic off Newmarket Street and Bluescool Street.


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Roger me and half this city have called it a road to nowhere and a waste of money it will not ease traffic, in fact it will make things worse.Also there will be a lot of parking spaces lost with the success of the football club putting this city on the map again it seems like a kick in the teeth to all concerned.The current directors of the club are drawing up plans to develop the blackfriers end which is at present a blot on the landscape.How can you expect them to invest when the facilities are taken from them 18,880 tickets sold for this sundays wembley final my husband has his ticket. There is a large write up in todays Sunday Mail on Hereford football club and how it has risen from the ashes.The police station and fire station should be located next to a new river bridge crossing not located in the worse bottleneck area which is what it will be.

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While I agree that the road will do nothing to the traffic and may make it worse as it will be dumping it directly onto Edgar street and I also agree that it will be taking car parking space away. I do not feel that it is the councils responsibility to provide parking space for Hereford FC, No other facility would expect this, the courtyard hasto have it's own carpark for instance.

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Denise, it was Cllr Matthews who brought the error to the attention of the chief executive, who then looked into the matter,Cllr Matthews have kept on about the error asking what the council is proposing to do about it, suggesting that an outside firm of auditors should be asked to look at the figures, not leaving it to Mr Robinson. I attended a meeting of the Herefordshire Independents a couple of months ago, where Mr Robinson and his assistant came to speak about the 2016 budget, I asked about additional money for social care as when I was a cllr the social care budget was never enough to carry through a 12 month period, as sitting on social care scrutiny for 15 years the budget was never enough in all that time, and we continually borrowed out of the next years budget . They both said it had balanced out for 2015. I told them it has never balanced out in 15 years, I am convinced they are not compedent do their jobs. Like Cllr Matthews I await to see what other mistakes come to light from the auditors investigation!!!.

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What are the odds that the 'external' auditors are our old friends, the South West Audit Partnership, discussed here

http://www.herefordvoice.co.uk/topic/1213-cabinet-10-april/?p=10752

 

As I understand it SWAP perform the Council's internal audit function. The Council will have an external auditor, probably one of the big firms like PwC or Deloittes - they're perhaps a more likely candidate?. 

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Grant Thornton were the independent auditors used by HC in the past.

 

(As recently as 2014)

 

Whether this is still the case...

 

There is quite a bit on Mr Robinson, in the thread " Herefordshire Council has created a new £90,000 a year role."

 

The usual apologies for being unable to provide the handy link!

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Thanks so much, Trusty Two Wheels!

 

Hard to believe it's almost two years since Megilleland started that thread..... time flies when you're having fun..... or an alternative view point might be that when it comes to making disastrous decisions, which have far reaching consequences for our city and its residents when implemented by or esteemed council - nothing changes....

 

But I try hard not to be too cynical, so I'll stick with the first option!

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Council finances and audit - Herefordshire Council

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/.../council-finances

  1.  

 

5 Feb 2016 - The budget and medium term financial strategy to 2020 were agreed by full council on 5 February 2016. ... Statement of Accounts for previous years are available below. ... There was a minor error in a column of figures of previous spend in the Medium term financial strategy 2015/16 to 2016 ...

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Take your pick Dipppy

 

 
Search Results
Herefordshire Council creates new £90k a year role (From Hereford ...
www.herefordtimes.com/.../11306395.Herefordshire_Council_creates_new___90k_a...
  1.  
  2.  
27 Jun 2014 - The council says the post and its Â£90,000 salary reflects changes in the role and its responsibilities. Chief finance officer Peter Robinson and Director of Adults Well-Being Helen Coombes have had their interim contracts with the council extended to September next year.
Herefordshire Council creates new £90k a year role (From The Bolton ...
www.theboltonnews.co.uk/.../11306395.Herefordshire_Council_creates_new___90k_a_...
27 Jun 2014 - The council says the post and its £90,000 salary reflects changes in the role and ... Chief finance officer Peter Robinson and Director of Adults ...
Herefordshire Council has created a new £90,000 a year role - Open ...
www.herefordvoice.co.uk › General › Open Forum
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27 Jun 2014 - 30 posts - ‎12 authors
The council says the post and its £90,000 salary reflects changes in the role and ... Chief finance officer Peter Robinson and Director of Adults ...
Herefordshire Council has created a new £90,000 a year role - Page 3 ...
www.herefordvoice.co.uk › General › Open Forum
  1.  
3 Feb 2015 - 21 posts - ‎8 authors
Let's see how well that's worked http://thebristolian...peter-robinsonwirralleaks.wordpress.com/tag/ The huge salaries do not attract the ...
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Council finances and audit - Herefordshire Council

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/.../council-finances
  1.  
  2.  
5 Feb 2016 - The budget and medium term financial strategy to 2020 were agreed by full council on 5 February 2016. ... Statement of Accounts for previous years are available below. ... There was a minor error in a column of figures of previous spend in the Medium term financial strategy 2015/16 to 2016 ...

 

Denise do you know why both the City Link Road and the South Wye Transport Strategy  are both showing as costing £27Million. My friend says that the Southern Link Road is expected to cost £27million on its own. So where is the extra money for creating the tree lined "boulevard" down Belmont Road promoted by Councillor Phil Edwards.? Does this mean we have cuts in our bus services, library services, rubbish road surfaces and pavements, but they can build a brand new road that no one I know wants or will use. All my friends want more regular buses to get them into town and for their children not to have to stand on the school buses when their parents have paid for a ticket.

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