Took a few photos of the Country Park this week enjoying the sunshine.

I was intrigued to see that those living in Belmont (Belmont Rural Parish Council) pay less than those in Newton Farm (Hereford City Parish Council). As the council tax is based on rental values, I would of thought these figures were the opposite way round. Have I read these right?

* Newton Farm in Hereford City Council Parish Council Band/£

#992.31 band A

*999.23 difference +6.92

#1157.68 band B

*1165.76 difference +7.88

#1323.07 band C

*1332.30 difference +9.23

#1488.45 band D

*1498.84 difference +10.39

#1819.23 band E

*1831.93 difference +12.70

#2150.00 band F

*2165.01 difference +15.01

#2480.76 band G

*2498.07 difference +17.31

#2976.90 band H

*2997.68 difference +20.78

I know it is only a few pounds a year, but it looks as if the less well off are paying more again.

Looking at last years council tax demand, when there was no council tax increase, and listening to David Cameron saying that councils should freeze the council tax, Hereford City Parish Council's proportion increased by 2.8%.

I have just read a response letter in the Hereford Journal to a 350 signature petition raised by Cllr Powell with regard to speed restrictions and traffic calming. I have to agree with D.K.Payne's letter on page 4, this is the first that I had heard of any petition? quite funny as the amount of traffic around here does not allow you to drive much faster than 5 mph!

For the past 4 years I have tried to get Herefordshire Council to cut back a tree which is behind my house and blocking sunlight reaching the garden. All I want is for some branches to be removed to limit the spread of the tree. I have raised this with my councillors and they have passed the matter to the parks department, but they are totally against taking any action. They have sent me two leaflets regarding their policy on trees which do not help.

This tree owned by the Council, the rest by Muir Housing

View of trees lopped by Muir Housing. Note the path separating land with bollards from highway verge.

The bizarre twist in this application is that this tree is one of twelve planted by Muir Housing Group when the houses were built, but because the Council say that this tree is on the highway verge they are responsible for it. There is actually a path between the land this tree is planted on and the highway verge - so I would say that it is not on the highway verge.

Muir Housing Group lopped their 11 trees in 2010 and their reason for this: "The reason that I (Susan Harris) requested tree work to be carried out on our trees was due to the fact that I felt the trees could become dangerous and therefore rather than an accident happening I had our contractors look at the trees who in turn contacted professional tree surgeons and they advised us on what they felt was the best way forward".

The work they carried out I thought was excellent. Not only were the trees thinned out, but the lower branches were removed to stop the children climbing the trees and reducing vandalism.

I believe the real reason that the council do not want to take any action on the tree behind me is one of cost, but I have offered to pay for the work myself by employing a tree surgeon. The council have refused this offer. I have posted this item because when you travel around the housing estates I have been appalled by the treatment some of the trees have received at the hands of Amey and Herefordshire Housing. Much of the work carried out resembles the after effects of a nuclear bomb.

Before Waterfield Road

After Waterfield Road. These must have been cut by the council as they are on the highway verge

Back of Kemble Court/Sherborne Close

Back of Kemble Court/Sherborne Close

The character of the tree has been destroyed and we are left with something that looks a very poor specimen. A lot of this work has been carried out on Herefordshire Housing trees due to the trees, in some cases, blocking light out of houses and blocking gutters, but the council do not seem to worried in pulling them up in the manner they have carried out the work.

So if you want to see a real tree visit the one behind Muir Close and we have another two council trees affecting properties further round in the street. I do not think I will be wasting any more of my time conversing with the council as they are totally unhelpful and not interested in the estates environment. No matter what you raise with them they couldn't care less using the recession as an excuse.

Please find attached parish council minutes from the meeting held on August 11 2011 at the Northolme Community Centre

August 11 Minutes.pdf

Please find attached minutes from November 3rd 2011 parish meeting held at the Northolme Community Centre

November 11 Minutes.pdf

Please find attached the minutes from the parish council meeting held on December 15th 2011

December 11 Minutes.pdf

From the Hereford Times 19th January 2012

County ward in Herefordshire among UK's worst child poverty spot

MORE than 4,000 children and young people in the county are now categorised as growing up within the worst indicators of child poverty in the UK.

A report for Herefordshire Council's health and wellbeing board says child poverty is a significant issue for many local communities.

One ward - Golden Post- Newton Farm in south Hereford is confirmed as among the worst in the UK for unemployment or limited opportunities for work.

And two of the worst wards for child poverty in the county are in Leominster.

The board was told of strategies being drawn up between the county's economic, health and education sectors to tackle issues raised within five years.

All told, about 4,500 children in the county & the majority of them under 16 & are said by the report to be growing up in poverty.

The worst ward for overall deprivation is Golden Post- Newton Farm, which is also in the UK top 10 for employment deprivation.

Hereford's South Wye wards as a whole are said to have the highest level of young people not in education, employment or training.

The city's Central ward has an under-18 pregnancy rate running at nearly three times the county average. Leominster's Ridgemoor and Gateway wards also feature in child poverty lists.

The report makes a direct link between child poverty, historically low wages in the county and the number of part-time workers, particularly women.

Poor housing conditions & especially in the private rented sector and rural communities are identified as an issue too, the latter particularly lacking mains service infrastructure such as water, gas, and drainage.

The report cites the county's most recent housing condition survey that, in 2006, showed more than nine per cent of homes had serious hazards and more than 40 per cent failed the decent homes standard.

The waiting list for social housing in the county now tops 5,000.

In schools, the report finds a 30 per cent attainment gap emerging between pupils eligible for free school meals and those who aren't while one in 10 children in reception classes is categorised as obese.

Anyone got any idea why this is? Have these estates been neglected by the authorities for too many years? Many of the cities estates built over 40/50 years ago have had little in the way of facilities to improve the quality of life ie Youth club closed, church closed, and threat of loss of open space.

I had a two hour meeting at South Wye police station with Inspector Nick Semper this morning, during our discussions I ask him why the front desk at South Wye police station is CLOSED! I received the following short statement from Inspector Semper which he asked me to pass onto the public.

Due to staffing shortages in the main Public Service Counter at Bath Street, Hereford, the clerk from South Wye Police Station has been temporarily redeployed to the main Police Station, i.e. Bath Street.

This decision has been based on operational needs.

Council & NHSH Budget Consultation meeting will be held at the Kindle Centre Asda Supermarket, Belmont Road Hereford HR2 7JE
on December 2nd 2011 between 6.30 and 8.30pm

Flyer attached

BUDGET CONSULTATION A5 Flyer Kindle copy.pdf

Please find attached the minutes from the September PC Meeting.

September 11 Minutes.pdf

Report from initial meeting of the Website Working Party. (Taken from Sept 2011 minutes)

Members have been provided with a copy of the initial report from the Website Working Party which recommended:

that the parish council pursue the option of creating its own website, rather than use another community site

that a .gov domain be obtained to confirm that the site is a formal site for Belmont Rural Parish Council

that the initial site be kept as an informational site only but with an option to develop into a more interactive site at a later date and that consideration be given to ensuring that maintenance of the site is sufficiently user friendly to keep the time required for updating to a minimum.

Members noted comments from a member of the public in attendance at the meeting that a community website managed by Mr. Colin James could be used for parish council purposes, and Mr. James comments that parish councillors could use the website forum as a means of communicating with members of the public, which he felt was more appropriate than the electronic noticeboard being proposed by members of the working party.

After a brief discussion, and noting in particular the recommendations of the National Association of Local Councils on this subject, it was agreed that the recommendations of the website working party be accepted and that the working party be authorised to progress this by obtaining a .gov domain name and setting up a draft site for Members approval at a later date. It was further agreed that a provisional budget of £100.00 be agreed to support this activity.

I would like to advise all residents within Newton Farm that I have been working with Martin Gilleland in proposing - Argyll Rise, Waterfield Road, Newton Farm, Herefordshire HR2 7BN to be formally nominated as one of the Queens Dianmond Jubillee (Fields in Trust) nominations

This means that if we are successful then the open space to the rear of Argyll Rise will be secured for future generations to enjoy and will protect this lovely open space from being built or even developed on.

Even though it has now been formally accepted as one of the nominations and is only the second open space in Herefordshire, the real hard work is soon to start. We will need as much support and everyone to vote on line so that the more we get the better chance we will have in keeping this for ever.

I am extremily proud to be supporting this fantastic initiative.

All that is known currently is voting will commence sometime in October 2011.

When I know more on how the voting process is to be conducted I will personally visit all the homes surrounding the area to try and get as much support as is possible.

I have just received the following email from James Blissett:

Just to advise you that Amey Herefordshire intend to start work on repairs/remodelling of the spillway and the foundations for the footbridge tomorrow.

 

They don't have a timescale as this will depend upon weather etc, but should be all completed in two weeks.

 

Areas will be fenced off and inaccessible during this time.

This is the ideal time for work, minimising wildlife disturbance.

 

If anything changes I will advise.

 

James

 

James Blissett

Principal Countryside Officer.

I took my dogs for a walk up to Belmont lake and was shocked to see they have removed the logs out of the water.Where are the ducks and the turtles suppose to sit now.They have removed all of them.Even the one the turtles used to sit on.Who ever did it do not know the lakes very well,as many children used to go up there to look at the turtles on the log. Also there are not as many ducks and the ones which were there have no where to sit.
And what is happening with the sewage it still smells and this has been a problem for a few years now is nothing being done.A couple of weeks ago one of my dogs paddled in the water.The next day she came out in a rash,so there must be something in the water.Did anyone see Country File last night, there could be the same thing in the lakes.So anyone with dogs or children BEWARE.   And wash your hands after touching the water.I am going to contact the environment agency about the sewage as it should have been sorted out by now.

What a pleasant suprise to see Amey pull up this morning and start cutting back the tree's and brambles on the green at the bottom of Glastonbury Close.

I am sorry to be negative here, but how vile is the colour paint that they have used around The Oval? it's like a cheap yellow! Could they not of come up with just a pale cream or something, anyway besides that,, I thought that it was all being knocked down?? so why are they wasting more of our money on this pointless scheme, I mean it's been okay for the past 20 years or more so why decide to paint it now?

Congratulations to Colin, Belmont Voice has today gone over 100,000 website hits, now that is incredible in less than 2 years! fantastic.