Police want better powers to deal with beggars in Welsh city centre.

A public consultation has been launched on measures to tackle anti-social behaviour in Newport which could see a blanket ban on begging in its city centre. 

The city’s council is looking to update its Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which was put in place in 2015 to prevent individuals and groups from committing anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

The order sought to prohibit street drinking, touting for services and donations, aggressive begging, fly-posting and dogs not being kept on a lead. A breach of the order could result in a fine of up to £1,000.

But now Newport council is considering a blanket ban on begging in the city centre after Gwent Police said the wording of the current order had proved “ineffective”. 

Speaking at Newport council’s overview and scrutiny committee hearing on Monday, Gwent Police’s Newport city centre inspector John Davies said: “In regards to aggressive begging, there has been an enormous amount of interest. If you look at the PSPO, it’s how do you legally state that someone is acting aggressively.

“We’re reverting back to legislation from the 1800s when dealing with begging rather than having something which is a workable solution. To prove aggressive begging is something that is difficult.”

He added: “There are several strands to the begging issue. We have genuine homeless people. In the last count in November we had 18 rough sleepers and that increases coming up to Christmas.

“But when you start looking at the number of people who are begging who have homes but are using begging as a source of income, there’s a difference.

“I would say there’s a 50/50 split, 50% will be genuinely homeless and the other 50% will have addresses known to us in Newport.

“We’re working with the council and the Rough Sleepers group to give assistance to the people who are most vulnerable. The ones who don’t want to engage with us are using begging as a source of income and the PSPO will allow us to deal with that.”

Full article 

This is a difficult subject but I am aware that are more and more professional beggars. We have recently just come back from a trip to Bristol we had for a few days and we were approached twice by quite aggressive beggars asking for us money. We do give to charities but personally, it is quite intimidating being approached in the street, especially, when we rarely carry cash anyway. One of these guys was sat more or less under the ATM outside a shop.

Plans have been submitted for proposed hair salon (A1 use) that will occupy 30% of the building withan education and training centre (D3 use) for students of hairdressing to take up the remainder of the premises in the former Möben shop in Commercial Street Hereford.

Planning application P174605/F

Hopefully if these plans are passed it will encourage other businesses back to this forgotten area of our city.

The only negative here is that the rates are higher than the rent! 

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TENURE

The premises are available on a new effectively full repairing and insuring lease at £25,000 per annum exclusive, on terms to be agreed. Alternatively the freehold interest is also available for £245,000 plus VAT.

RATES

We are verbally advised by the Local Rating Authority that the whole premises are assessed for rating purposes as follows:

Rateable Value: £53,000 UBR (2017/18): 47.9p Rates Payable: £25,387 

Free Parking 

The council’s Plough Lane car parks will be open to the public and free to park in on Saturday 31 March, 7 and 21 April, if you’re heading into the city centre to shop or watch the football. Postcode for the car park is HR4 0LE

We are in the process of changing hosts and upgrading the whole website.

You may see some big changes taking place on the website over the next few days and the website may actually go offline for a short period of time while the transfer takes place. This will not actually happen until Friday or Saturday but we just need to give you notice incase you think something is wrong.

If you cannot login, please find us on Facebook and Twitter until everything is up and running again.

Thank you 

I would like to welcome the Glass Tandoori Restaurant as one of our latest forum sponsors. 

If you have not visited this restaurant yet, as a regular visitor myself, I would definitely recommend them!

Old Hereford Pics Closes Website

We are very sad to learn that Old Hereford Pics website has now come to an end. 

We have contributed many times and enjoyed all the wonderful photographs over the past 10 years, so thank you Chris for all of your hard work, we know all too well how difficult and time consuming running a busy website is and we appreciate all your hard work. 

We would like to wish our good friend Chris Adcocks good luck for the future.

Here is the statement from Chris:

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"Well as people say, all things must come to a end. Its been nearly 10 years since I had the idea of finding and posting old Hereford pictures. I must say I've enjoyed it for the biggest part and it has taken a lot of hours out of mine and my family's time over the years. So its time to call it a day and let the other excellent pages now available to have their turn. I must thank everyone who has contributed over the years and I must say I have made some lovely friends along the way. It has taken a while to come to this decision and due to family commitments and not having the hours to keep it up, that's me done. The page will remain for people to view, but I would like to kindly ask that people please now use the other great pages out there to post in future. A very big thank you from me to everybody that has helped over the years.

Chris Adcocks"

We have today created a NEW - Hereford Voice Projects forum.

This is a sub forum of the Open Forum.

Over many years Hereford Voice have kick-started various campaigns and initiated local projects as well as being actively involved in community events.

This forum highlights and promotes the discussion of all of these activities and will lay the foundations for future Hereford Voice Projects in Hereford.

This new sub forum is where all topics and discussions about previous/future projects and campaigns will reside (all in one place). We have also created a new 'Tag' called simply 'Hereford Voice Projects'

Advertise your business and reach thousands of people locally with Hereford Voice. 

Contact us to discuss our low rate options

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone, good news to report is that Bob Gallier has been found dafe and well.

There are concerns for the safety and whereabouts of Hereford motorcycle legend and businessman Bob Gallier. 

Tonight there are growing concerns for Mr Gallier, at 19:00 Bob Gallier walked out of Hereford hospital with no phone, possibly no wallet. He is in a distressed mental state.

If anyone knows of his whereabouts or has seen him this evening please contact Hereford Police.

Bob Gallier speaking last week said he is “cut to pieces” following a court order recently that his business has to close.

Mr Gallier has been forced to sell his property in Berrington Street as well as the vast stock of bikes and accessories as part of a divorce settlement.

Mr Gallier said the decision has caused him great distress. Last weekend he was treated in Hereford County Hospital’s trauma unit, and Mr Gallier admitted he had been on “suicide watch”.

He opened his motorbike shop in Bastion Mews in 1968 before moving to East Street and finally to the current location in Berrington Street in 1976.

Walking past the Merton Hotel this morning and saw a sign which clearly stated " Merton has not been sold "

Any updates ? 

River and Mountain Rescue are on site at The Riverside pub in Aymestrey looking for a reported missing person

Ooops...

This photograph has just been sent into us taken at 'Bunch of Carrots' this afternoon (thankfully nobody was hurt).

Thank you Nathan James Russell for the photograph.

Huge congratulations to Herefordshire rower Kiko Matthews who has broken the 'World record' to become the fastest female to solo row across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kiko set off from the Canary Islands in January.

She's raising money for the King's College Hospital Trust to build a new Intensive Care Unit. The same hospital which saved her life when she was diagnosed with a rare medical condition.

Please visit her justgiving page

The £3 million pound renovation of the £1 million pound land and building at Blackfriars that the council handed over is continuing - it should look good but to spend this much money on so few children (20 to 30 at the moment) - is questionable.

As mentioned on previous threads, the Principal (headteacher) resigned in January after one term in charge and an interim from Manchester was put in charge.  They advertised for a new Principal and now have announced who has been selected.

It is a Mr Andrew Hubble.

Coincidentally, a Mr Andrew Hubble resigned as principal of an academy in West Walsall earlier this year after it was found by ofsted to be inadequate in nearly all respects including leadership and management.  I wonder if this is the same Mr Andrew Hubble.  And, if so, what the kids at the school have done to deserve someone with that track record. 

Still,  the nearby Barrs Court School appointed a principal with a very dodgy reputation and track record and has had to suspend her so it seems that some schools for vulnerable kids who can't fit into mainstream education can provide a dumping ground for failed leaders.  I say `some' because I know that other special schools and Pupil Referral units have excellent leaders and they and their staff do a great job that should continue. 

Normally the HT would trumpet any development at the ROVS - they have been strangely quiet on the new appointment.

West Mercia Police are desperately appealing to the public for help identifying a man who was found wandering in the Credenhill area of Hereford on Saturday evening, 7th November.

The man, who has given his name as Roger Curry, was found by two members of the public and taken to Hereford County Hospital. He is displaying signs that he may have dementia and has not been able to give any more information about who he is. He is saying very little but he speaks with either an American or Canadian accent.

He is white, tall and of slim build. He has grey hair, blue eyes and grey stubble. He squints slighty and so may normally wear glasses. When he was found he was wearing a black hooded top, black jogging trousers, grey and black socks and lace up trainers.

West Mercia Police haven't received any missing person reports a man matching his description or going by the name Roger Curry, but enquiries are ongoing to establish if he has been reported missing by family or friends nationally or internationally.

Officers are eager to hear from anyone who can identify him from his photo. If you have information about his identity please contact West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 309s of November 8.

https://www.westmercia.police.uk/article/14360/Appeal-to-public-to-help-identify-man

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The Weeping Window at Hereford Cathedral is looking fantastic.

This magnificent waterfall of thousands of individual ceramic poppies will be on show from 14 March 2018 until 29 April 2018 as part of the final year of 14-18 NOW’s UK-wide tour of the iconic poppies.

This is a must visit and we are looking forward to supporting this beautiful display in our stunning Cathedral.
(Photo courtesy of Herefordshire Council).

WIN a taster climbing session gift voucher for 6 participants
 

We have teamed up with our good friends over at 'Green Spider Climbing' in Hereford to offer this fantastic PRIZE for the WINNER of our latest competition:

The winning package includes a gift voucher for a full taster climbing session with an instructor for 6 people! 
(at least one adult) - Prize value £105 

To enter simply head over to Facebook:
1. LIKE Hereford Voice and Green Spider Climbing Facebook pages AND this topic. ✴️
2. SHARE this post. ✴️
A winner will be selected at random from all valid entries on Sunday 25th March. Good luck! #hvcomps