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John Harrington

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No Aylestone, can't do that yet. With the Core Strategy 4 years overdue and affordable housing provision not large enough in our opinion, these are the very first issues we will tackle in May (hopefully). We will tell the government are priority is ensuring adequate housing for all people already living in the county. If they don't like that, they don't like that. Our housing strategy will not be led by developers, although we recognise their role to play in the process. It will be led by the Council.

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Thank's John appreciated mate.  :Thumbs-Up:

 

Please read and give us feedback guys.

 

(Colin will be happy because we have committed to asking the Highways Agency to trial traffic light removal where appropriate, i.e./ Belmont/Asda and Steels/Tesco).

 

http://www.itsourcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IOC-Manifesto.pdf

 

This is what I wanted to read!!

 

 

  • Explore increasing the existing network capacity with road re-design, including trialing (with the Highways Agency) the possible removal of traffic signals in the city and market towns 

 

Thanks John really appreciated mate  :Thumbs-Up:  :Thumbs-Up:

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And so, as there is no confusion here, let me tell you that I'm voting for Its Our County. Yes! Not withstanding the warmth, respect and high regard I hold for our Glenda Vaughan Powell and Chris Chappell, I'm going into that Polling Booth and placing my 'Cross' alongside the IOC Candidate that represents my locality within our once fine City.

Nothing will stop me. Nothing! On the day of the local election I intend to remain sober, I'll abstain from administering myself my two medically prescribed single dose units of Diazepam, I'll not chew away on any Psylocybin that 'may' be dried, shredded and prepared for consumption and secreted beneath my mattress and for once, just once in my life that's become a pointless excercise in waking up, breathing in and out, staggering into the Ale House, getting blasted and returning home only to collapse upon my bed and thus end the regular cycle of my day that says, 'he's still alive', I'm going to vote for Its Our County.

I'll be damned if I don't and I ain't for changing my mind. Never! They can send a gaggle of other party candidates around to my hovel of a home, bang on my window and demand I read their manifesto and at least listen to what they have to say, and I'll tell them, 'clear off. Go bother someone else. I'm an IOC man'.

Yes! And that's loyalty! Loyalty to a noble cause of change that we in Hereford so desperately need. Mind, loyalty only stretches so far. If ever John Harrington and Amanda Martin ever creep round my dwelling in the dead of night, climb up my drainpipe, open the window, burst in and empty the contents of my recycling bin all over me whilst I'm in bed trying to get some sleep, I'm going to seriously consider not voting for Its Our County.

Why? There's nothing worse than having vast bags of rubbish tipped all over you while your in your bed minding your own business and if ever IOC start doing that I will not vote for them. Other than that, and being violated in me own bloody bed, I'm voting for Its Our County and I'll be damned if I change my mind!

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Thank you Bobby. If I crept up your drainpipe it wouldn't stay attached to your wall for very long. Rest assured and without fear of tin foil and yoghurt pots on your pillow.

It's not a perfect document, it's very hard for it to be but I hope it shows our intent. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

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It will come as no surprise  to many, that I am IOC all the way!

 

To my mind the only party cohesive enough to lead our county forwards. Thanks for posting the manifesto on here, John. I read it the other week, and feel very positive about what your aims for Herefordshire are.

 

There's not long to go now..... let's hope that come May, the changes we are all so desperate to see will happen. We can wave goodbye to all the deceit, lies, closed door meetings and complete lack of accountability, and welcome in honesty, transparency and integrity.

 

It will be a much needed breath of fresh air!

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John - thank you.

If as you say the affordable housing provision in the Core Strategy is not large enough then presumably you have a ball park figure of what it should be?

If you are only intending to provide for the needs of Herefordshire residents then presumably you will be discouraging inward migration? In simple terms the more houses there are then the cheaper they will be. So with limited new build the only people who will be able to move here will be those with significant money available - generally those wishing to retire? What about those who wish to move here to work - how will they compete in the high priced local market

Also is it not the developers who when building open market housing also "cross subsidise" the building of affordable housing?

Are you pulling up the drawbridge?

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Well you have my support John though sadly arguments over future housing development will be difficult to win against mother government particularly without the lobbying abilities of Herefordshire IOC Members of Parliament! With a coalition likely what better hand to play for getting the right results for Herefordshire people. It might just be that another election could be less than twelve months away if there proves to be such a divide. Think about that and the possible influence the individual members might have!

I agree about a new Eastern river crossing however whatever we think locally, traffic will continue to grow in this County as obligatory housing and new commerce gains momentum and it would be a very blinkered approach if IOC did not also consider external factors of increased traffic from HGV,s and all those keen to avoid the major motorway network which is close to overcapacity. This North/South traffic will continue to rise and I have seen this myself over the last year. So the Southern Relief Road should be scrapped in favour of an Eastern bypass A49 link because at least it will support all those travelling to Cheltenham,Gloucester,Worcester and the like because trust me there are more doing this than heading out to Abergavenny or Brecon!

Most other aspects of your manifesto I wholeheartedly support chap.

One final thing..as not to irritate the electorate I am slightly mystified why Mark chose to resign and make the song and dance about the antics of the planning department. He was after all stepping down as a Councillor anyway. He's done great as an individual supporting local people but this has irritated a few after all we all know what's been going on and he has witnessed this for some time before making the grand gesture.

 

Good Luck!

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Aylestone, our ball park is for all housing in the county up to 2031 is under 14200, which is in line with the lastest government downwards revision for the county (which is down by 2200 from the figure the Council is still aiming for,depsite the revision). Of that we would want at least 35% to be affordable housing. We hope this will help people already living in the county get onto the property ladder and will encourage inward migration to the county for the economically active. No drawbridge. We value our retired population as highly as new entrants. It is simply that we will concentrate encouraging housing matched to jobs and not build houses first and then hope the jobs follow.

Ragwert, we'd keep it in the pot if we are allowed to and look to incorporate it into our transport plan.

Greenknight, Mark has seen it all before but he said these last two applications, passed against the officers' advice and with the use of the casting vote was just too much to bear. Obviously he may have really wanted to stress this point now so it was fresh in the mind of the electorate. As I understand it, behind the scenes, this is not the end of the matter.

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Nor should it be, John. This was absolutely disgraceful, I would hope serious questions are being asked, from all parties.

 

Green Knight also mentioned IOC and members of parliament......I did once suggest that Mark should consider standing as MP.....do you envisage that IOC may go this way, at some point in the future???

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John - it looks like a party trying to do the right thing for its communities.  Perhaps I could suggest a couple of areas that could be added and also a couple of questions.

 

Question on housing:  It seems that new housing is very rarely "supported by local communities" - you will be a hostage to fortune if you say that locals who already own a house have to agree to new ones being built nearby.   A radical approach would be to say that housing will be placed proportionately where possible in the city, towns and villages.   You could also use as much council owned land as possible for affordable housing thereby removing the land cost from the overall cost.   Developers are often demonised but who else is going to build houses?  And can you impose the maximum multiple of council tax on empty and holiday homes and use the revenue for provision of housing?

 

A quote:   " Developers - people who want to build houses in the countryside - opposed by conservationists.  Conservationists - people who already own a house in the countryside."

 

 

And what seems to be an omission.

 

There is a large number of nurseries and childminders and also the children's centres that have been neglected through insufficient funding and the machinations of various senior officers over the last few years ( the recent inspection reports on childrens centres were inevitable and no surprise to anyone except, it seems, the cabinet member responsible).  A drive to support work with vulnerable very young children and their parents would pay long term dividends.  There is a wealth of evidence that money spent in early interventions in education, health and social/family wellbeing is repaid many times over through not having to pay large sums later on to try to repair damaged lives.  You could make early intervention both an ethical and a financially sensible part of the education/social care part of the manifesto.  

 

And another:  The number of children with special educational needs is increasing in the county and has been for several years.  These young people can be seen as individuals with charm, personality and soul - or they can be seen as a financial liability.   Make the first of these views the one that explicitly drives your policy.  One way to do this, again financially sensibly, is to provide local residential care and education for those who need it and support for parents who have to come to terms with their children's conditions and then cope with it for many years.   

 

Hope these things can be thrown into the mix but I realise everyone will have their own opinions.  But the fact you've opened up your draft manifesto for public comment deserves a lot of credit.

 

GDJ

 

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GDJ makes some very good points.

 

Interestingly my wife and I know a young family who made the conscious decision to move to this County because they felt that it offered a better quality of life for their son with Downs Syndrome. I don't think they are an isolated case.

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Some years ago, Green Knight, this was indeed the case.... and we do still have very good schools.

 

But with respite provision cut, and as Gdj mentioned, a complete decimation of the early years service, things have changed drastically.

 

When these youngsters grow up, the provision is atrocious. Parents who have opted to keep their off spring at home, now have very little in the way of support. Funding reduced, day centres closed.... the onward march to make folks use personal budgets.... the list goes on. For those parents who are still caring for a child in their thirties or forties, and who themselves are on their sixties or seventies.... life is bleak.They have no choice but to continue.

 

Early intervention for young people with mental health issues also needs flagging up as a priority. This is one area which desperately needs to be looked at. In Hereford, it really is a hidden - but growing - crisis.

 

It seriously needs to be addressed.

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Let's hope Dippy that we can at least vote for an organisation that will offer some form of stand against the central government cuts that are sure to come once this election is cast. Sadly I feel sure that irrespective of who gets in we will expect an above 2% increase in Council tax just to protect existing services.

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I have said previously that if an increase in council tax was ring fenced to pay for services such as these, I would pay it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to, and I'd have to  tighten my belt another notch.... but I would pay, if it benefitted the most vulnerable members of our community.

 

Difficult choices are ahead.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I don't really do politics, but I just wanted to say what a superb job Charles Nicholls, IOC, has done for the Three Elms Ward and I fervently hope that with the new Ward demographics, that he continues in the Bobblestock Ward. His drive and energy with the community based Bobblestock & Westfields group has been fantastic. Also, I believe, if he is re-elected, he becomes Mayor!

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Good on you, Slim, for posting your thoughts on your local councillor!

 

This is what people want..... action, not just hollow words and empty promises!

 

Cllr Nicholls sounds like he's done a great job for the community he serves!

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Psst. John over here!

It's definitely a runner ...and not something you will lose votes on.

IOC & Indi,s for me and just in case we have to go back to the polls months down the road you need to start thinking about candidates for MP,s both North & South!

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I don't really do politics, but I just wanted to say what a superb job Charles Nicholls, IOC, has done for the Three Elms Ward and I fervently hope that with the new Ward demographics, that he continues in the Bobblestock Ward. His drive and energy with the community based Bobblestock & Westfields group has been fantastic. Also, I believe, if he is re-elected, he becomes Mayor!

Re Cllr Charles Nicholls , he is not my Ward Cllr but I have met him on many occasions when both he and I have " turned out " to support and collect for the present Mayors Charities , one of which is SSAFA . I have found him to be a very hard working , knowledgable person , Hereford born and breed and very proud of it . As you said , if he gets relected in May he should become the Citys Mayor - he will be so proud and do a super job .

 

As an aside but relevant , the Mayor's Charity will be collecting at Sainsburys tomorrow , Saturday from 10 to about 4pm .

I will be there 10 -12 . Would be great to meet some of you.

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