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    PC Minutes January 2016

    Colin James
    By Colin James,

    Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 14th January 2016 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford. 

     

    Minutes - 14.1.2016.pdf (Draft)


    PC Minutes December 2015

    Colin James
    By Colin James,

    Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 10th December 2015 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont Hereford. 

     

    Minutes - 10.12.2015.pdf


    PC Minutes November 2015

    Colin James
    By Colin James,

    Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 12th November 2015 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

     

    Minutes - 12.11.2015.pdf


    Attempted Murder in Whitecross

    Colin James
    By Colin James,

    A 46-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following an incident tonight in Westfaling Street.

     

    HT Article 


    New Homes Bonus for 2016 - 2017

    Denise Lloyd
    By Denise Lloyd,

    "Provisional allocations of the New Homes Bonus for 2016 to 2017 including a gross payment calculator and technical consultation.

    Full list of provisional allocations of the New Homes Bonus for the 2016 to 2017 financial year including a gross payment calculator and details of the technical consultation into reforming the New Homes Bonus in future years.

    Provisional year 6 allocations

    The New Homes Bonus is a grant paid by central government to local councils to reflect and incentivise housing growth in their areas.

    The New Homes Bonus is currently paid each year for 6 years. It is based on the amount of extra Council Tax revenue raised for new-build homes, conversions and long-term empty homes brought back into use. There is also an extra payment for providing affordable homes.

    Details for the provisional allocations for the year 2016 to 2017 are below. These allocations bring the total amount of New Homes Bonus allocated to local councils to over £4.8 billion. This rewards delivery of almost 1 million net additional dwellings, and over 100,000 long-term empty homes brought back into use and over 270,000 affordable homes.

    Councils can decide how to spend the New Homes Bonus. However, we expect councils to consult communities about how they will spend the money, especially communities where housing stock has increased.

    1. New Homes Bonus provisional allocations 2016 to 2017
      • 17 December 2015
      • Policy paper

    For Herefordshire CC 600 new homes will receive just under £5m. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486250/New_Homes_Bonus_-_provisional_allocations.xlsx"

     

    Whilst I knew Councils are paid to have new houses built I did not know about the last paragraph thus.  I know with 106 monies the Councils should consult with the parishes affected by new builds but not with the New Homes Bonus. 

     

    "Councils can decide how to spend the New Homes Bonus. However, we expect councils to consult communities about how they will spend the money, especially communities where housing stock has increased."

     

    Info taken from 

    New Homes Bonus: provisional allocations for 2016 to 2017 ...
    https://www.gov.uk/.../new-homes-bonus-provisional-allocations-for-20...
    •  
    17 Dec 2015 - The New Homes Bonus is a grant paid by central government to local councils to reflect and incentivise housing growth in their areas.

    Hereford Racecourse to reopen

    Ubique
    By Ubique,

    From BBC Sports .

     

    Hereford racecourse - controversially closed down by owners Arena Racing Company in December 2012 - is to reopen for business in October.

     

    Up to four fixtures are to be staged with more in 2017.

     

    Hereford was shut in 2012 after 241 years of racing - the first recorded meeting there was in August 1771.

     

    However, ARC said at the time the venue was no longer viable, citing the recession and the rise of internet betting on other sports.


    Three Counties Hotel Sold

    Colin James
    By Colin James,

    I have heard from several sources over the past week that The Three Counties Hotel on Belmont Road may have been sold. 

     

    Three Counties Hotel.jpg

     

    Back in the middle of the summer I had heard that it had been sold to a local person who has care homes in and around Hereford but apparently that all fell through.

     

    This latest news is only a rumour at this stage but it came from a good source. Has anyone heard the same thing? I may give Daniel a call and ask the question.


    Hereford council survey

    DILLIGAF
    By DILLIGAF,

    Please do take the time to fill this in. I was unaware of this until today, whereas only 0.02% of the 56000 people in Hereford have filled it in.

    It's our county and what needs to be done. Don't complain if you don't fill it in. It even mentions a bypass!!

    https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=144620162827

     

    Please tell everyone you know to complete it.


    Fire at Coutyard

    ragwert
    By ragwert,

    Fire brigade are at the Courtyard in Edgar St,anyone know anything?


    Hereford times strikes again

    DILLIGAF
    By DILLIGAF,

    Yet more great journalism from HT!! http://m.herefordtimes.com/news/14206880.Elderly_man_dies_45_minutes_after__difficult__hospital_operation/

    At a time when our great hospital is at breaking point and already in the media for all the wrong reasons.

    This story has no reflection on anything related to the current media coverage. The NHS did what it could for this gravely ill elderly patient in MAY, why HT felt the need to report it now is beyond me.

    Many people have tragically lost their lives daily in the hospital, after all they are there for palliative care, some will make it some won't.

    Are HT going to report on every one? It disgusts me.

    Report on something significant that concerns us, BILL WIGGIN extra curricular activities, not this tripe. But no you pull that one! Why?


    CCTV surveillance on Edgar street / white cross roundabout?

    EleriLou
    By EleriLou,

    I was just wondering if there is CCTV surveillance on Edgar street / white cross roundabout as I had an accident there 2 days ago with someone who is black mailing me for money and need to prove my case.

    Kind regards,

    Eleri


    Car park charges increase


    Historic Hereford Pub To Be Back Open Soon

    Glenda Powell
    By Glenda Powell,

    HEREFORD TIMES 12 MINUTES AGO.

     

    One of Hereford's oldest pubs will be back open before Christmas.
    The Booth Hall closed shortly after the High Town blaze 5 years ago, access from St Peter's Square was closed off after the fire which impacted on the pubs trade.
    However, a statement posted on Facebook this weekend states the pub will be back open on December 18. The post explains that the historic pub will focus on live music and entertainment when it reopens.

     


    Asset transfer and stripping for the public good?

    megilleland
    By megilleland,
    As we head towards the next council and general elections in May 2015, the current administartive bodies are rushing to get the cash into their tills. Having passed the majority of public services over to their private friends the assets of these public bodies entrusted to us are now in the forefront of a fire sale to get the last coppers from us. 
     
    The latest deals involve the relocation of the fire station
     

    Deal for new Hereford fire station is close

     
    2:37pm Friday 21st February 2014 in News By Bill Tanner
     
    A DEAL that seals the site for a new fire station in Hereford could be done by next month.
     
    Forward plans prepared for Herefordshire Council show that a decision to dispose of the council's Bath Street - or County - offices rests with Councillor Harry Bramer, cabinet member for contracts and assets.
     
    Coun Bramer  will consider the decision after next Friday (Feb 27).
     
    The forward plan specifically outlines the disposal of land and buildings at the County Offices site as being for Hereford to the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS)  to enable a new fire station for Hereford.
     
    Earlier this month, heritage campaigners failed to get the offices, formerly the Hereford Working Boys Home, listed by English Heritage.
     
    Alternatives to a fire station include a campus site for the county’s proposed university , an “innovation" or retaining the sites features as a frontage for flats.
     
    The cash-strapped council  is keen on selling the site to HWFRS for a much-needed new fire station for Hereford.

     

    and the Queenswood Country Park and Bodenham Lake nature reserve
     

    Council considers transfer of top natural attractions

     
    10:25am Friday 21st February 2014 in News By Bill Tanner
     
    HEREFORDSHIRE Council is in talks with a “community group†looking to take over two of the county’s top natural attractions.
     
    Queenswood Country Park and Bodenham Lake nature reserve could both be transferred out of council control.
     
    The council confirmed this morning (Friday) that it had been approached by an  as  yet un-named community group over assuming responsibility for both sites.
     
    In a statement, the council said: “As part of our community asset transfer process, we have asked the group to complete a business case which outlines how it would operate the locations and how this would benefit the public, along with providing various assurances around competency and financial viability.â€
     
    The council will consider the proposed transfer once a copy of the business case has been received.
     
    In June last year, the council faced calls for “clarity†over its proposals for the future of Queenswood Country Park.
     
    Opposition councillors wanted a guarantee from the local authority that the site on Dinmore Hill called one of county’s “most precious public assets†would not be sold off.
     
    Then, the council said no decisions had been made on the overall future for its parks and countryside service ahead of a related savings plan.
     
    The 170- acre Queenswood is managed by the council and the Queenswood Coronation Fund.
     
    Forty-seven acres are made up of more than 1,200 rare and exotic trees from all over the world. Another 123 acres is spread over semi-natural woodland designated as a site of special scientific interest and a local nature reserve.
     
    Queenswood survived a privatisation scare in 1988 when the then Hereford and Worcester County Council was forced into a denial of any plan to privatise its country parks after reports suggested it could happen.
     
    Originally part of the Hampton Court estate, Queenswood has a history of public access dating from 1935 when it was bought by public subscription through an appeal organised by the then Council for the Preservation of Rural England.
     
    It was handed over to the then county council “to look after for the people all the time†and prevent development that planning law at the time did not protect it from.
     
    Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve is 44.5 hectares (110 acres) of varied habitat including riverside meadows, veteran orchard, newly planted orchard, a 'gravel' area and wet woodland. The lake itself is the largest area of open water in the county.

     

     
     

    Hereford Train Services

    megilleland
    By megilleland,
    Monday 12 January 2015 in Hereford Times News by Bill Tanner

     
    Service now handling 3.5 million passenger journeys faces review
     
    WITH over 3.5 million journeys now taken on the rail link between Hereford and Shrewsbury, a users group is long overdue.
     
    Now, such a group has arrived in the guise of the Marches Rail Users Alliance (MRUA).
     
    And MRUA has wasted little time in signalling its intentions.
     
    This week, ahead of a review of Arriva Trains Wales as the operating franchise, MRUA has identified four key issues with the line that it is “keen to discuss†with Arriva, the Department for Transport and the Welsh Assembly.
     
    They are:
     
    1. Provision of an hourly stopping train between Hereford and Shrewsbury
     
    At present, says MRUA, the pattern is irregular with a “considerable imbalance†at certain times of the day.
     
    Examples are cited as a gap from Church Stretton to Shrewsbury between 1504 and 1655 and another between 0938 and 1138 southbound from Craven Arms to Hereford. 
     
    MRUA wants an hourly stopping train interspersed with faster limited stop services.
     
    2. Capacity Management
     
    Members of MRUA’s constituent groups find increasing overcrowding on certain trains.
     
    MRUA wants most trains to be made up of three cars with additional capacity to meet the heavier passenger flows.
     
    3. Connections
     
    MRUA has picked up on frustration at apparent poor connections at Hereford (for the Worcester line), Shrewsbury (for Wolverhampton and Birmingham) and Newport (for London and the West).
     
    Passengers at smaller stations are said to face waiting areas that are “very basic†and a cafe at Hereford that closes at 18.00 when the station is still busy.
     
    4. Integration for onward travel
     
    MRUA says this could be improved at most stations at modest cost and in some cases may be deterring travel.
     
    Cited as examples of scope for improvement are: pedestrian approaches at Hereford and Ludlow, car parking at Leominster and  bus service information generally.
     
    MRUA represents an alliance of the Rail User groups along the high capacity rail link between Hereford and Shrewsbury, which has a population of 200,000 living within easy distance of six stations.
     
    Current rail use is high with over 3.5 million trips made into or out of Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury and passenger numbers have increased because of  early improvements by Arriva Trains Wales.
     
    But MRUA says the service provided has not kept up with this growth.
     
    MRUA chairman Professor Leslie Lumsdon said: "Given the continued annual fare rises, we deserve better. It is important for passengers to make their views known to the train operating company and others responsible for delivering our rail service. These views can be fed through to the companies interested in bidding for the Wales and Borders franchise in 2018."
     
    Responses to the issues raised by MRUA can be put to its secretary Ian Slater, at mrua@slateri17.freeserve.co.uk or Prof Lumsdon at leslumsdon@hotmail.com or 01584 877588.

     

    Are the lifts operating yet on the station. I was last told they would be working by the end of June 2014, but the scaffold bridge is still in place.


    Hereford Times website down?

    K.Butt
    By K.Butt,

    HT website is down, anyone else got the same thing?


    Whistleblowing!

    bobby47
    By bobby47,

    Two things bother me more than anything about the care we show for The Whistleblower. Is there ever a good outcome for the Whistleblower and why, more than anything else, is the reaction from the hirearchy toward the Whistleblower, moreoften than not always a negative and aggressive one.

    Take for example the recent revelations by the Paramedic for Worcestershire NHS. This chap, a Mr Stuart Gardner told it the way he saw it and what happens? The leader, a Mr Stewart Messer hurtles out of his office and bans the whistleblower from ever setting foot on their premises again. It's an odd trait that seems to affect a huge number of public service leaders.

    Why this strange reaction? What is it that makes people like Mr Messer react so aggressively toward someone who clearly cares a great deal about outcomes once a patient gets out of the ambulance and gets wheeled into the A&E ward. God only knows!

    And as for the outcome of those who decide to blow the whistle, I've read and read up on the stories of other whistleblowers, more notably Nigel Hobro, James Griffiths, Martin Moreton and our own Paul Cardin, and I can't find one example where the outcome and conclusion have had a happy ending for the whistleblower. In fact, as far as I can find, the ending for the poor soul is they become near on unemployable, they lose money fighting their corner, their health is badly affected and their home and family lives are forever blighted by the battle they were forced to fight because the hirearchy turned nasty like Mr Messer and created a theatre of open hostility and corporate warfare.

    And what of the Hereford Council whistleblower? Here in Hereford, we haven't got a John Brace blog, a Wirral Leaks of a Wirral in it Together who actively support the whistleblower and help fight the corner. Our whistleblower only has Hereford Voice to support them and it's this lack of visible and written support which must make the Hereford Council whistleblower feel so isolated. I would imagine that this 'one of our own', must rue the day he ever decided to step forward and say, 'this ain't right'.

    Whatsmore, Id guess that their health is in decline, they've become isolated, they feel friendless and they only have their catastrophising imagination to keep them going during these long winter days of wondering what will happen next.

    Yep! Im convinced that blowing the whistle and expecting a fair measure of kindness from the Council is a foolish idea and the only outcome one can expect is a war of words, a battle within that lays the blame at your doorstep and the absolute final conclusion that you should have kept your mouth shut and turned a blind eye to bullying.


    The Leaning Tree Of Belmont

    Colin James
    By Colin James,

    We have had some very strong winds hit our county recently and I noticed this tree leaning over in Belmont. It will not take much more for it to collapse, so they will need to be quick if they want to save it.

     

    Can BB upright this tree and put some kind of support in place or is it already doomed?

     

    Tree.jpg


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