We have recently returned from Calella, which is a very busy and popular town on the Costa Brava.

While travelling around we could not help but notice that in most of the very busy streets particularly around the commercial centres that there were very few disabled parking bays (unlike the UK where there are far too many in my opinion) and where there were disabled bays they seemed to be always empty. It was the same in Barcelona. So am I to believe that there are less genuine disabled people in Spain or are there just more scammers here in the UK?

The local NHS, funded by yet another PFI arrangement, are about to rubber stamp the construction of a special purpose building, costed at around 18million, that'll be built upon the Railway Station Approach in near or close proximity to the new Road To Nowhere in the City centre.

The following general medical practices are in line to leave their current places of business that serve their patients and become a part of the new central hub for general medical care....Quay House, Moorfields, Sarum House & Greyfriars Surgeries.

It's my understanding that the medical practices that have already agreed to this will sell their existing premises, pocket the equity which they are perfectly entitled to do and pay the going rate to rent their space within this new community centralised medical treatment hub.

As to why this has happened and why it's happening? In years gone by qualified Doctors would be on the look out to buy their way into an established practice who owned their own premises. One old Doctor would retire, a new one would come in, the fifty thousand quid would be given to the retiring Doctor and so on and so on. That's the way it used to work.

Now, in these days of austerity, Doctor shortages, no money available to buy out the old retiring Doctor and a public service thirst for centralisation, privatisation and transformation, we've now reached a tipping point of no inward or outward investment and a model of care for the community that can be run from the centre with little or no sense of community or care about us the service users.

In short, slowly but surely every single public service, including our much cherished Health Service is being transformed toward privatisation through the backdoor and there seems no way we the people can halt this slide toward the surrender of everything we once held dear and took for granted.

***DRAMA WORKSHOP WEEK***
After a great response to my Drama Workshop Weeks throughout the summer holidays, I am now able to offer places for a Drama week in Hereford!
£70 per child for the week!

Monday 24th - Friday 28th October 2016! 9.30am - 3.30pm!

My name is Melissa and I'm a London based professional actor originally from Ledbury. I got into drama school in London when I was 19 and have lived there ever since. I've worked in both TV and theatre and In between acting jobs I run drama workshops for children and young people and will be running a drama workshop week in Hereford in the October half term Monday 24th -Friday 28th October at Hereford lads club.

The week will be full of drama games & warm ups, acting techniques, impro & comedy and a show for parents at the end of the week.

We welcome children and young people aged 7-16 (They will be put into one of 2 groups, 7-10 and 11-16)
It doesn't matter if this is their first drama experience or if they're a little pro! Drama really can be for everyone. It's about forming a group and finding out what their skills are and what they can bring to a theatre company. It's about building self esteem, friendships and HAVING FUN! The cost will be £70 per child for the week with a deposit of £10 by October 8th to secure a place :)

SUMMARY
What: Drama Workshop week
When: Mon 24th Fri 28th October
Where: Hereford Lads Club
Cost: £70 per child for the week
Deposit: £10 by October 8th
Contact: Melissa - 07500801337


Many Thanks,
Melissa Johns :)

Online plans have been submitted to Herefordshire Council to build a pub on the site of the former Sportsman pub on Widemarsh Common Hereford. 

Planning application number : P162165/O and details can be found here

I hope this project gets the green light, it would make a refreshing change to having a pub opening rather than closing.

Nothing surprises me anymore,we really are being run by a bunch of morons
http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14759355.Council_branding_refresh_approved/

Today, apparently, there were four very expensive microphones stationed around the city. They were in place to record ambient traffic noise levels at strategic points in relation to the developments taking place around the new access road and Merton Meadow car park.

They were positioned at 5.00 a.m. and are in place until midnight tonight.

The value is high enough to warrant a minder in a parked car in a hi-vis jacket with security emblazoned upon it sat watching each one permanently.

The security firm was sub contracted to Balfour Beatty. I do not know how much four security guards cost for nineteen hours, but I do know that the one "on duty" outside my workplace this afternoon was asleep for quite a while!!!!

Excellent value for money for us council tax payers!!!

Good Morning

Just a reminder that The South Wye Transport Package, travel improvements consultation is being previewed at the Three Counties Hotel today between 10 am and 8 pm.  Council and BBLP staff will be available to answer questions, you will be able to see the proposals and view a short video, highlighting possible changes.

You will also be asked to complete a questionnaire on the proposals.  It is certainly worth a look and getting your views put across.

Morning

Just a reminder that the Harvest Festival takes place on Saturday 17th September 2016 from 2 pm to 4 pm at Belmont Community Centre.  There will be songs, nibbles and good company!

In the spirit of Community we are not charging for this event but would ask people to "donate" items we can then distribute to the needy in our area.

Booking is essential so please reserve your place on 01432 263415

We hope to see you there.

Hi

The Parish Council will be holding a Community Action Day in Belmont on Saturday 15th October 2016 from 10.30 am. The aim is to get as many volunteers as possible to try and help with jobs around the parish, including Jubilee Field and public paths.  There was a similar event earlier in the year and I ended up spending a considerable amount of time helping to clear a large area of brook with another volunteer!!

I am sure the Parish Council will be putting up posters with more detail in the near future, but I wanted to give people advance warning, to save the date :)

I think it is a really good opportunity for the community to come together and improve/make a difference to some of our public areas. 

If you know an area with Belmont Rural that you think might benefit from some work, (please remember it will be for a few hours and will be worked by volunteers), please let me know and I can pass on the information to the Parish Council.

It would be fantastic to see lots of volunteers and I believe there is even a free BBQ for those that help.

See you there.

Picked this up off Tracy's Facebook Page:

"Went out last night on patrol with West Mercia Police Officers in Hereford. Part of my role as a County Councillor is being a representative on the Licensing and Regulatory Committee so I saw first hand some of the checks carried out by licensed premises staff, met Street Pastors who do an amazing job tending to vulnerable people, to ensure they are safe and looked after and seeing how Hereford night time economy operates.

Also, did some taxi enforcement and went out with a police officer in an unmarked and very fast vehicle. It has to be said the officer was a hell of a good driver !! As well as explaining to me what she was doing and why, she dealt with members of the public very professionally and courteously, even in sometimes difficult situations. She gave me a real insight into the workings of the police on a Friday and Saturday night it a city centre!

I also met lots of licensees, door staff and members of the public. The door staff were very good, explained issues and answered the numerous questions I asked of them, all with a smile on their face! They all agreed the city has been transformed in an evening and is completely different to how it operated just a few years ago.

I have to say it was a very worthwhile exercise and I think all councillors, especially those in licensing should go out there and see how things really work.

Last night was memorable for lots of reasons and I hope I have a little more understanding of how the city and the people working in it operate."

Nice work, Tracy.

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 9th June 2016 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 9.6.2016.compressed.pdf

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 12th May 2016 at Northholme Community Centre, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes - 12.5.2016.compressed.pdf

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Thursday 28th April 2016 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting - 28.4.2016.pdf

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 14th April 2016 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford.

Approved Minutes - 14.4.2016.pdf

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 14th March 2016 at Northholme Community Centre, Belmont Hereford.

Another empire in the making. Not so long ago the great and the good decided quite rightly that the walk in Asda Surgery was a huge drain upon the resources of the City GP Practices. Every single time a patient walks inside the Asda surgery the Practice that the patient is registered with gets the bill. It's hugely costly, its a huge drain upon the NHS resources and as far as Im concerned getting rid of Asda would make financial sense.

But what do they do to rid themselves of this problem? They create Taurus. They grab a hold of Berrows House, get a pile of funding from all the Doctors Surgeries and its decided that their brief will be to take on the responsibility of examining patients who might have an orthopaedic injury. The idea I guess is to get the patient referred from their local doctor, decide whether or not there is a need for a referral to a Consultant and away we go saving us all millions.

Trouble is, they quickly decided that it wasn't working, it was a money loss making machine and so they changed the rules and began carrying out general work dressing it up as taking away the strain and still saving us millions.

Course, to make it all function, you need an empire and that is now whats been done. They've decided that the Asda walk in centre ain't never going to go anytime soon so they've conveniently forgot the original grand and noble cause and simply begun to build their empire by paying the best to get the best. Every day and night of the week the place is staffed by a Doctor who's on two hundred quid an hour, two nurses on eighteen quid an hour, Health Care workers who are on a lump of money and nobody knows where they are. That's right! Nobody knows where the premises are.They are actually to be found in Wargrave House and the staff who are there sit there bored for hours on end because very few patients ever come through the doors. They ain't doing anything. There's little or nothing to do because few people know where they are and the local GP Surgeries can't be bothered to send their patients there because they'd pretty much decided its a huge waste of time and a waste of money.

But that's only the start of it. They are building big. They are recruiting staff at a fast rate of speed and albeit the contracts are for only nine months, they are paying way over the going rate and telling the staff that this little gravey train ain't for stopping and the employment will go on beyond the end of the nine months.

Staff who are working within local Surgeries have signed up on the Taurus recruitment data base so that they can get some evening work doing nothing and getting paid a great deal more than they get normally get paid. The fact that few people ever get through the door to see them is something that seems to be of little concern. They've got their grand titles, their huge hourly rate and pretty soon now, they'll be able to produce you and I a graph that'll show how they are saving us all millions and how they've taken the strain away from all the overwhelmed surgeries who can't cope because there are far to many people registered for care.

It's madness! If you ask any public servant or health care professional how to go about building an empire they'll say build, build quick, pay the best, create pointless tiers of bureaucracy and do it so quickly that it'll be near on impossible to dismantle the madness.

This is the way it is. This is the way of things. You can take some really good and capable Doctors and other Health Care professionals, seduce them with the idea of power and increased wealth and before you know it you've created another slice of pointless rubbish that'll eventually end up filed under, 'Another Expensive Bad Idea' that didnt save us money, didnt reduce the strain on GP Surgeries but made a lot of people a great deal of money doing next to buggar all.