Changes to the Social Fund

They'll take your monthly subscriptions from your wage packet, they'll send you shiney glossy little booklets telling you that they are on your side. They'll even vow to fight your corner whenever you need help whilst your battling your employer and they've no problem in encouraging their membership to go on strike every so often because you've had no pay rise to keep up with the growing cost of living crisis that has impacted upon the working classes of our Country.

They'll do all these things. They'll even grasp your hand, shake it firmly, smile sympathetically and say, 'we feel your pain', but, when the going gets tough and the so called tough stand up and fight their corner, do the representatives of Unison really want to stand shoulder to shoulder with someone who ain't getting treated fairly in the public service sector?

Me? I've got serious doubts. I ain't so sure that our Trade Unions haven't gone the same way as our once great Labour Party, who, nowadays, thanks to the liar Blair, are a shadow of their former selves.

Me? I actually believe that Unison have lost their way. Swallowed up by the madness of New Labour and becoming increasingly isolated from their membership, I believe that Unison no longer care enough about the little guy. The little guy who's perhaps getting a kicking in the workplace.

It's easy to stand on a box and shout fiery rhetoric to the membership proclaiming, 'we'll fight your corner and we'll never forget our purpose', but are they really capable any longer of walking into a room full of 'suits' and defending one of their own and have the skills and the power of personality to trade blows with those who seek to demean, bully and undermine their staff.

I fear Unison have had their power and purpose diluted by past political events and I no longer believe that they are deserving of our faith. In short, for whatever reason they've lost their teeth, lost their way and lost their ability to properly fight the corner for the little guy.

As for more recent events within the public sector, namely the bullying issue that took place within Plough Lane, Id like to think that Unison fought the good fight and gave comfort to their membership, but realistically, I think they may have ducked it and left the bullied staff to fend for themselves.

With reference to this article that I know a number of you have read. 

"MORE than £3m of disputed items remain to be resolved over Herefordshire Councils service provision contract with Amey which ended last month."

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/local/10711892.More_than___3m_of____disputed_items____remain_unresolved_over_council___s_contract_with_Amey/

Am I to understand that Amey owes "us" £3million.... however..... they bailed the council out at a cost of 2 million previously so they will be paying back around £1million to the council? £885k + £166k

("The council currently expects some £885k of income from Amey - for which provision has been made in the previous years outturns - and additional expectation of £166k for the five months to August 31").

Does anyone else find it odd that so many roadworks are being carried out around the city at the moment?
I know the Council has just been bailed out to the tune of millions by Central Government allowing resurfacing works (which perversely instead of embarrassed about the Cabinet are taking all credit for) but there seems to be literally dozens of other road works (with little indication as to what they are for). Whitecross Rd this week has been a nightmare, especially eastbound, which is unusual. I found the culprit not far from the Tesco Express/Old Buckingham Pub.Can anyone tell me why the lights are still there? The only obvious reason is a stretch of tarmac 2 foot a foot (ish), see photo. I lifted the cone, nothing dramatic lurking under it. The paint is bone dry and the tarmac is solid (and will only benefit from impaction). So what is going on. Is there an agenda to deliberately screw up traffic in Hereford further than it already was?

Please welcome and support 'Play Nightclub' our latest advertiser at Hereford Voice!

There's no bloody end to it. Who'll step forward and burst this balloon of wealth and rid me of this beast of bloody burden!

The barstards! Utter barstards. The bloody Council! Fiscally knackered, bereft of hope and on the fast steep slope to oblivion, have kindly posted me a rotten Calendar.

God knows how much this little slice of joy will cost us. Bloody Hell!

The planning, the design, the bloody meetings, the printing and the distribution would most certainly have helped save a couple of front line public sector jobs that'd be of benefit to our communities and what do we all get? A bloody Calendar with the message, 'with the compliments of Herefordshire Council'.

There is no end to it. The recession is something that happened to everyone but them. To them, it was no more than a rumour. Good Lord!

Well they can get stuffed. I'll be damned if I even glance at it. Id sooner stab myself in the eye with a small fruit fork.

Good grief! To think, even now, after all that's happened to our Country, our economy and us, the people who fund and fuel this madness, still they spend our money without a thought for how it'll impact upon me, my fat face and this bloody eczema.

Bloody Hell!

Good evening all. Are there any Hereford Voice members out there willing to support our Herefordshire children by voting for them in this anti- bullying song competition? It's a national competition run by Internet Matters and The Anti-Bullying Alliance. Children at St. Paul's School have written the song and they've made it through to the finals which will be judged by Sophie Ellis-Bextor amongst other people. It is  out for public voting as I write, and at the moment the children have a very,very narrow lead. 

Please click on the following link and 'Like' St.Paul's School - Your votes would be very much appreciated (Don't forget to ask your friends and family to vote too)!

http://www.internetmatters.org/educate/schools/antibullying-song-competition.html

Many thanks and kind regards.

"Hereford Magistrates heard that the haul of non-duty paid, smuggled, and fake foreign labelled cigarettes seized at European Fresh Foods, Eign Gate, was worth around £13,000 at street value."

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/11572114.Thousands_of_illegal_cigarettes_found_secreted_in_a_Hereford_shop/

And, of course, I draw your attention to these threads; Here and this one Here

The Left Bank officially opens this weekend and I have invites from the manager for tomorrow night. If you would like to come to this invitation only first night, please reply to this post.

Winter Wonderland Christmas Ball

26 November 2014

As stated on two previous occasions (4 August and 29 October), the council’s General Overview and Scrutiny Committee will undertake a full and thorough review on the process through which Herefordshire Council and Hereford United Football Club (1939) Limited concluded the three leases and development agreement relating to the Edgar Street ground after all pending legal action against the club has been concluded.

For the avoidance of doubt, Herefordshire Council neither runs nor owns Hereford United Football Club (1939) Limited.

Councillor Sebastian Bowen
Chairman of Herefordshire Council’s General Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Statement Can Be Viewed HERE

I am going to fight the Council. Yes I am. Bereft of hope that these huge management tiers and their vast salaries will ever be cut, I've invited Alistair Neill, Bill Norman and Geoff Hughes to fight me in a boxing ring outside Plough Lane on a date of their choosing.

Yes, Im going to fight them and I'll fight them all at the same time or one after another. It's of concern to me. Why? Because I have no fear. I am a stranger to fear and I shall prevail. Oh they may think that they'll beat my fat face to a pulp but they're wrong. You see, when you consider, as I do, that you have a mission to represent the bewildered, the dispossessed, the possessed and the meek and the bloody mild who've no hand break to apply to restrain the mismanagement of our public funds, you become a very dangerous and highly motivated opponent.

And that's me. Highly motivated and in fear of nothing. If they were with me now as I tap out this rubbish, Id say to them, 'have you ever in your lives encountered a complete tw.at. A headbanger who's detached from reality. Well that's me. Im your nemesis and I will box you all in the ring'.

Course, when I announced this forthcoming bout to the lads in the Commercial, it wasn't met with the universal acclaim I expected. One of the lads whispered from the back, 'If during this fight they beat the living daylights out of you, will you try and negotiate with the 'management'.

I said, 'I haven't heard a blind word you've said. Speak up'. Again he whispered, 'If during this fight....!

I said, 'it's no better is it? I ask you to speak up so that the human ear, which is what I'm equipped with can understand you and you speak more softly. A strange response from a follower. A very strange response indeed'. Again he whispered, 'if during this fight.....! I said, 'yes we all got 'if during this fight.' We all got that thank you very much. What we want to know is 'if during this fight, 'what'. What during this fight. That's what we want to know. What during this fight'?

Then, aided by one of the lads who was able to detect this inaudible whispering, I finally got the message which was, 'if during this fight Neill, Norman and Hughes kick the ever loving out of me will I try to negotiate with the management'

I said, 'lads Im fighting the management. Not negotiating with them. If it were my intention to negotiate with the management I'd have said Im going to negotiate with the management. I've said no such thing. I am going to fight the management. Not negotiate with them'.

Course, then it all gets out of hand doesn't it. Some of the lads start berating me, howling, 'he means to negotiate with the management. We'll be sold down the river'. 'Bloody hell', I yelled, 'I'm fighting the management. Not negotiating with them. I ain't selling you down the river lads. You'll not find me on a river, let alone selling you down it. I will never sell you down the river. If there's one thing I detest it's someone who sells the lads down the river'. And then, as the lads pull me pants down, throw me in a Morrisons trolley and wheel me away to be dunked in the Wye, the lads cry, 'Bobby come clean with us. Is there going to be a table in the ring upon which you'll be able to negotiate our rights to cover ourselves in our own excrement and gather outside Plough Lane protesting about God knows what'.

I said, 'lads, we've been covering ourselves in human shi.te for years and I'll be damned if I ever allow myself to negotiate away this simple but highly effective democratic right. I promise you lads you'll never regret it if you allow me to pull me pants back up and finish me ale in the Commercial.

And they did! The lads realised that I wanted to fight Neill, Norman and Hughes and not negotiate away our right to cover ourselves in sh.it and so, carrying me shoulder high, we all scrambled back inside the Ale House where I insisted we talked about women we'd like to cozy up to rather than bloody boxing the Council hierarchy.

It's that time of the year when the city is decended upon by the various seasonal street traders who take up position in the High Street (and nearby) selling 'tat' from a shopping trolley or store combi trolley.

Do you think its right that they are allowed to do this - bearing in mind they do not pay for a street traders licence from the council, pay no buisness rates to the county and are likely taking away trade from the various shops in and near the city centre?

I've asked the question of the council, who say that they have a pedlars licence and as long as they keep moving and don't cause an obstruction, its okay for them to trade.

Now my understanding of a pedlers licence (certificate) is that it is issued by the police and it allows an individual to travel from town to town - door to door on foot - selling goods.  2 'traders' have taken up a position at the junction of the High Street and Widemarsh Street and guess what - they don't move until they pack up for the day.

My point is unless they are paying a licence fee to the council - as the many do who run the market stalls in High Town - they should not be operating in the city taking trade away from the shops.  AND they are not allowed to trade in Gloucester, Cheltenham or Worcester and I would guess never in the Maylord Orchards or Old Livestock Market complexes.

So....

Tommy Agombar taunts a Hereford United supporter via voicemail by saying, 'We've got your club, you've got nothing'.

Also in the background a voice that appears to be that of Hereford United chairman Andrew Lonsdale says that they plan to build a casino on the Edgar Street ground. Here is the link to the article and the recording.

http://saveedgarstreet.com

https://audioboom.com/boos/2676940-we-ve-got-your-club

Council leaders of all parties plead for no more cuts

 Save Public Services retweeted

Shirley Burnham â€@ShirleyBurnham  3h3 hours ago

Council leaders of all parties plead for no more cuts http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/nov/30/letters-council-leaders-across-spectrum-plead-no-more-cuts â€¦ 40 Tory signatories listed, inc Swindon's @CllrDavidRenard

 

 

Unless I am very much mistaken HC have not put their name to this why?

 

Message I received from BBLP today.

Work to be carried out on pedestrian controlled lights at the Oval, Belmont road.

On 30th November there will be single lane traffic control through the working area facilitated by temporary two way traffic signals. Traffic entering Belmont road from Beattie Ave will be able to feed into this two way control. Traffic wishing to turn right into Beattie Ave from Belmont road will be diverted around the Tesco roundabout to prevent conflict. It is anticipated that this traffic control will only be required during the morning, with work that continues into the afternoon being carried out in such a way that two way flow of traffic can be reinstated.

On the 6th December the traffic will be controlled more locally using " stop and go" boards as required

Locality manager (Belmont)

BBLP.

What's the worst thing the bloody Council could do to you? That's the question I put to the tapping gathering as we huddled together in the Commercial.

I said, 'we've done women we'd like to kiss, women we'd never wish to kiss and what we'd do for a million quid. Tonight I want you all to allow your imaginations to run wild and come up with the worst thing that the Council could do to you'.

First up was Megilleland who said,'I'm riding me bike minding me own business when all of a sudden me and me bike disappear into a vast pothole. As I'm scrambling out John Jarvis and Roger Phillips emerge from a small privet hedgerow and urinate on me head'.

Then the Gridknocker said, 'they abandon High Town, build another unwanted retail zone, demolish Rockfield Road and deliver us all near on two hundred million pound of debt.' ' Course, I said, 'yours is a strange response to my question. A very strange response. I ask what's the worst bloody thing the Council could do to you, with a strong emphasis on the word 'could', and you tell us something that they've already done.'

Next up was Ubique. 'Im stood at the bus stop minding me own business when Jonathon Bretherton drives past, pulls up, quickly assembles a small hand held rocket launcher and dispatches me amongst a huge explosion'.

Then it was Dippy's turn.'Right. Im at home. I'm feeling anxious. Thoughts of impending gloom overwhelm me. Aimless threads of thoughts race through my mind as it suddenly dawns on me that something unimaginably evil was about to happen. As I climb the stairs and open the bedroom door intent upon hiding beneath the duvet the whole room becomes engulfed in an unearthly chill. I think to myself, 'hi up. Something unimaginably evil and fiendishly satanic is about to happen'. Cognisant that I can hear voices chanting downstairs, 'we want to kill everyone. Satan is good. Satan is me pal', I dive into bed and tremble fitfully beneath the comfort of me duvet. And then it happened. Tap, tap tap on the window'.

I said, 'who is it Dippy. Who comes tapping near the Witching hour?' 'We don't know Bobby. We're in bed hiding beneath the duvet and unless you stop interrupting I wont be able to get out of the bloody bed, open the curtains and report who it is that's outside tapping at the window. Anyway, Dippy continued, 'I finally emerge from beneath the duvet and I gingerly glance at me toothbrush and notice that it's hairs are all stood on end and there was now no doubt in my mind that the Council were about to do the worst bloody thing that they could do to me. I get out of bed and despite my fear that's frozen the ends of me bloody toes, I stagger to the window, open the curtains and the window and I howl into the night, 'who comes bloody tapping. Im a diligent recycler of rubbish and I dont appreciate being disturbed thank you very much'.

'Is it the Council Dippy. Have they come for you?' 'Yes, Bobby, it's Bill Norman and forty one Herefordshire Council Directors who burst in and empty all me rubbish from me recycling bin on top of my head, howling, 'we've come for you Dippy. You've tapped your last vowel and consonant and we've devised the worst bloody thing that we could do to you'. And then they dragged me downstairs where I saw the entire Council cabinet stood around a salt pentangle chanting, 'we want to kill everyone. Satan is good. Satan is our pal'.

'Good grief', I howl, 'bloody Satan worshipper's. That explains it all. What do they do to you Dippy?'. I'll tell you what fiendishly evil and devilish thing they do to me Bobby. Pat MORGAN is holding a sack and it contains a load of human flesh eating ferrets and these ferrets are ravenous screaming, 'get in the sack we want to eat you'. I ask, 'the ferrets can talk then Dippy?'. 'Yes Bobby they're human flesh eating ferrets that can talk. A variety of ferret rarely found within the British Isles. Anyway, they throw me in the sack and the ferrets eat me slowly over a period of several hours and that's the worst thing that the bloody Council could do. It's pretty bad isn't it? You'd be hard pressed to imagine anything worse than that.'