Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 8th November 2014 at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont Hereford.

minutes 8.1.2015.pdf

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish Council, held on Thursday 4th December 2014 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Hereford.

Signed Minutes.Pdf

Come on Hereford,its election time.theirs only one way to vote this year.

YOU LIVE LOCAL

SO VOTE LOCAL

VOTE ITS OUR COUNTY

With less than four weeks to Polling Day, Council Leader Tony Johnson has come out fighting, announcing that he has personally vetoed the recruitement - at a cost to the taxpayer of over £36,000 - of three new Shire Hall bosses, due to head up the Directorates of Adult & Wellbeing and Resources.

On the eve of a knife-edge poll, Cllr Johnson's bold initiative is to appoint legendary Voice poster Bobby47 to all three key positions, at a combined annual salary of circa £300,000.

In an exclusive interview, Bobby47 told The Voice: "I ain't planning to spend much time at Shire Hall - what with the fishing being good down on the Wye, and my dear friend Sally promising me unfold delights in the brambles. But yes, 300K will certainly help with the baccy and booze."

I will be calling it a day come Election Day in May. I was first elected in 1992 for the old St. Martins Ward on the City Council, those were the days of Hereford & Worcester when Hereford Councillors made decisions for the city unlike now. As a member on Herefordshire Council and the City Parish Council I have found the last four years very frustrating to say the least. On Herefordshire Council unless you are in the ruling group you have almost no say in major work in the county and attempting to get items for constituents sorted is almost impossible. Yes there has been massive cuts in grants from the Goverment but could this money we did receive been spent on alternative projects. I have always attempted to leave politics out of the way I have voted over the years and did support items from all groups on the Council even when I stood as a Labour candidate.

Thanks for the votes over the years.

PS My wife Maureen is going to stand in South Wye for the City Council, as readers will know there are no allowances or expenses on this Parish Council.

PPS Colin can you please remove Councillor from my name on May 7th then I can join other writers but will use my name.

I'll tell you what the problem is within public service! Career advancement. Yes, that's the problem. In the private sector you tip up for a job that clearly says, 'we want a bloody welder'. You, being a bloody welder think, 'that's the job for me'. You tip up, they ask you some questions, they drag you off and say, 'weld that', you do it and they then say, 'you are a fine welder. The jobs bloody yours', and off you go welding two pieces of iron together for God knows how many years knowing that you will be welding that bloody metal together for as long as you can stand the drudgery of your role in life.

Course, that's not the case in the Council, the NHS, the Police or any other bloody public organisation. No Sir'ee! Beneath the umbrella of public service they set you on as the person who orders the stationary and they give you a job title that you can barely understand. Once in there, strapped behind your desk counting bloody paper clips, you learn that your position has several pay grades which mean that each time Human Resources review you and your job every twelve months, you can climb your pay scale if you manage to become outstanding at counting your paper clips and star binders.

But that ain't the end of it! Far bloody from it. Once you get to band bloody nine of your pay scale counting these bloody paper, you then become the Team Leader and that bloody position has nine pay grades that then lead you to becoming Supervisor, then Manager and then Regional Manager. And all the time, your business is the same, the counting of paper clips or ensuring the paper clips are counted or they are counted very well by a highly qualified and motivated much valued member of staff.

And what drives this relentless and bludgeoning Career Advancement? Bloody Human Resources and the ethos that everyone within the organisation can reach the top if they can climb their pay scale and please those that have created this business model of madness.

And how do you fuel this madness that sees some more qualified than others in the art of counting these bits of stationary? Bloody Courses and lots of them! And after you've been on the rotten Course? Well you shoot up another pay grade don't you and, because you are outstanding at what you do, Human Resources poach you, strap you behind a desk in their Department and off you go again appraising the employee who replaced you counting bloody paper clips.

And that's the problem with public service!

A former Hereford pub could be turned into a Tesco Express according to this article in the HT.

The supermarket giant has bought the lease of the former Buckingham Inn pub and has set the wheels in motion to turn it into a convenience store - creating up to 20 jobs.

The Buckingham on Whitecross Road will go the way of the Game Cock pub after the latter was converted into a Tesco Express on Holme Lacy Road in 2010.

I see the liar has emerged from his burrow! God only knows why Milliband has beckoned this tap dancing devil of a man with the Far Away Eyes to tip up at Sedgefield and tell us all why we should not even consider leaving the European Union and to place our waning trust in the runt of the Milliband litter. The bloody cheek of it!

Bloody man! Bloody Blair! Him and his Far Away Eyes that moreorless imply that he and only bloody he has had a blessed vision from the Almighty and only he can deliver us all from our bloody misery.

The Barstard! Mark my words, this evangelical bloodstained souless preacher who's private letters to George bloody Bush we shall never read, prays nightly to the God that slew Kane and Able that he can be gifted the Stigmata.

He'd bloody love that wouldn't he. The deaths of thousands on his hands and the prostitution of all things that we all hold dear gifted the bloody marks of the Stigmata. My God! Imagine Blair with his Far Away Eyes gazing lovingly into the camera as we all sit back and watch in awe as he takes on the sins of the world and before our watching eyes he bleeds before us.

The mans mad! Yes! Completely detached from reality and digested by his own egotistical thoughts that he and Bush were right to launch their shock and awe attack upon a bunch of people that never ever bothered me.

There's only one outcome for this former Right Honourable Member of Parliament and it's the Courts of Justice at The Hague. I just hope that I live to see the day this false prophet is made to face the enormity of his crimes against humanity. The Barstard!

http://www.bastionradio.com/

Discussion starts at 31:00.

More fool me, I went into town today.

Nothings changed, I need some ink for my printer, WHSmith was sold out, Cartridge World has moved to Holmer and the other places have closed. So I did the usual walk all over town looking for a basic product while being consistently hassled by the clipboard people* and finally picked up the very last 1 in Argos.

While in town hunting for such a simple item (do you know Tesco doesn't sell pastry/cake cutters/shapes at all?), I noticed bins full to the brim, some with nappies stuffed in the tops, cigarette (phag is censored?) buts EVERYWHERE outside Tesco/Cash Machines and Chadds.... the only words to describe what I saw there is "f*** me". There are (penises) drawn in the dirt on the unbelievably filthy windows and the door ways are FULL of pi*% and vomit.

Which basically brings me to ask - Does anyone EVER clean the streets?

While I often drive through between 2am-5am, I haven't pulled an all nighter for a long time. I know I haven't seen a street cleaner out for over 10 years.

If you can stomach it, I'd urge you all to just have a glance into the Chadds doorways next time you're in town.

* Something needs to be done about them. Why can't they stick to a plot like the Sky salesmen?

I have received many complaints again about the recent topic create by smartieno1 and after taking into account all the comments made within, that the best course of action was in my opinion to remove the topic altogether, which I have now done. If smartieno1 has an issue with this decision then he needs to take that up with me.

Another sign of a downward spiral.

HEREFORD LOCALITY WEEKLY BRIEFING WEEK ENDING 27^th MARCH 2015

Dear Councillors and Parish Clerks,

During the last week we are pleased to report that the reactive team in the locality completed the following works:

• 119 square metres of carriageway patching (potholes and other surface deterioration)
• 53 square metres of footway patching
• 11 gully’s cleared
• 4 fly tips removed
• 3 litter picks carried out
• 14 kerb defects rectified
• 24 loose footway blocks/slabs re-bedded.

Please see below a summary of our key activities within the Hereford Locality over the last week.

Update from Shane (City South Belmont, St Martins & Hinton, and Tupsley Wards; Rural Backbury and Hollington Wards)

The above mentioned reactive works included

Belmont Ward

• Carriageway patching (potholes) in Kilvert Road and Charles Witts Avenue
• Kerb repairs in Westholme Road
• Hedge cutting in Haylease Crescent Footway and Glastonbury Close
• Fly-tip removed in Dorchester Way

St Martins & Hinton Ward

• Pothole repair on Ross Road Service Road
• Footway patching in Holme Lacy Road
• Kerb repair in Norton Avenue
• Litter pick in Staddlestone Circle

Tupsley Ward

• Pothole repairs in Old Eign Hill, Quarry Road and Hampton Park Road
• Gully cleansing in Hampton Street and Harold Street
• Hedge cutting in Litchfield Avenue and Brookside.

Planned works in April - Hollington Ward Greenway, Holme Lacy (cycleway works) scheduled for 1^st and 2^nd April.

Some of the issues I have addressed this week

• Work order raised for a pothole in Eign Road
• PROW inspection on HB1A
• Work order raised for 3 x potholes in Old Eign Hill
• Work order raised in respect of line markings in Haugh Road
• Order raised for litter pick along Gatehouse Road
• Order raised for 3 potholes in Haywood Lane
• Approved dropped crossing application in Goodwin Way and in Carr Lane
• Order raised for carriageway patching on B4399 just outside of Holme Lacy village
• Order raised for edge defect repairs in Witherstone Lane, Bolstone
• Meetings with two residents in Gorsty Lane with regards to hedge cutting in vicinity of pedestrian crossing
• Liaised with BT over defective inspection cover in Ridgeway Avenue
• Order raised for kerb damage in Wigmore Grove
• Order raised for 2 x potholes in Golden Post
• Order raised for carriageway patching adjacent to bus shelter in Hampton Bishop
• Orders raised for gully repairs in Holme Lacy Road and Netherwood Road
• Carried out 8 NRSWA (street works) inspections
• I have also been involved in PROW training, and recruitment interviews for a Locality Steward.

Please note that due to some annual leave and other commitments I will be unavailable until 9^th April.

Update from Mike (City North – Aylestone, Central, St Nicholas, and Three Elms Wards; Rural Credenhill and Hagley Wards)

This week I have

·         Completed the City Centre monthly walked safety inspection

·         Reported a dangerous lamp/col  to street lighting Staniers Way

·         Had a meeting with Aylestone Park Association and walkabout the park to discuss  future maintenance works

·         Raised 8 x  ad hoc c/way pothole repairs for Sheridan Road and Moor Farm Lane

·         Addressed overgrown hedge issues in Three Elms Road and Tillington Road

·         Inspected a Cat 1 emergency for slippery surface in Yazor Road

·         Supported a volunteering day for the Brandon Trust

·         Approved a dropped crossing request (Kingsway)

·         Raised ad hoc c/way pothole defects for C1129 and Withies Road

·         Attended a site meeting with Breinton Parish Council, Ramblers assn. and Cllr Powers on the BT1 PROW route

Hereford Rural Locality Steward 

I pleased to update you that following a selection process this week an offer will be made to one of the candidates to fill the vacancy left when Steve Churchill moved to another role. All being well the new steward will be in post from early May. I will confirm details when the offer has been formally made and accepted.

Herefordshire Council website is the one-stop-shop for up to date information

Maps for pot holes are available on the Councils website

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/transport-and-highways/maintenance/potholes

We hope the above is of interest.

Kind regards

Shane, Mike & Phil.

Shane Hancock | Senior Locality Steward (Hereford City South)

Balfour Beatty Living Places | Unit 3, Thorn Business Park | Rotherwas | Hereford | HR2 6JT

Sirius store closed this weekend in Hereford, will this end up being another empty shop for our city?

Yes,I know this is Hereford Voice but I thought people in the city might like to know about a new place for a day out in Bromyard, which we tried today. It is called Ralph Court Gardens, which has statues, follies and water features based on themes from around the world e.g. Italianate, African, Japanese, but also has Alice in Wonderland, Toad of Toad Hall, the Green Man, a dragon, and all sorts. It's really good fun.

I have to say, the café is not cheap if you want a savoury main course but is really terrific value. If you're on a budget, eat before you go! A cream tea costs £6.95 but we did not try that.

They have obviously put a lot of time and money into this so it's worth supporting.

www.ralphcourtgardens.co.uk
 

For those of you who ain't interested and I for one can't blame you, the new shopping development has salt all over its brickwork. Putting aside the fact that this means the bricks are substandard and we have damp in the brickwork before a single shop has begun to trade, we are now blighted by another problem.

It's an all to predictable problem that often emerges when you've salt deposits all over the bloody walls. It allways happens. Simulacra, or as its better known, bloody apparitions.

I staggered past the East facing wall this afternoon and they were there. They allways are. Bloody pilgrims, staring up in wonder at the salty brickwork screaming hysterically, 'Halleluzah', they shouted, 'Lordy, Lordy be praised. A sign!'

I told them, ' well who in Gods name is this salty image supposed to be?', 'we ain't certain, but we reckon its either the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mary Magdalena. Our monies on it being a gift from Jehovah.'

'Rubbish', I said, 'I know rubbish when I see it and this is rubbish'. Mind, I can understand the fools seeing this as a sign. It's clearly a woman and to be fair it does look like a biblical Icon but I told them, 'I've read the New Testament from front to cover and not once has the good book mentioned that either of these two women were keen participants in athletics'.

This salty image clearly depicts a woman pole vaulting over a horizontal bar, wearing a sports bra and clutching a vaulters pole and her skirts, and whilst I accept it could be a genuine apparition, I'd need to hear some seriously compelling evidence to convince me that Mary Magdalene or The Virgin Mary were ever active competitors in Judean sporting events.

We don't want lepers, people with headlice and Ricketts tipping up here and draining our already overwhelmed public services, so I say, lets get this salt off the walls before our local economy takes another hit and we become the latest place for these bloody pilgrims to visit.