Downloaded Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire joint vision for 2020. This document shows how councils are being encouraged by central governmnet to spend their time merging services across borders and greating new empires. All of this without, they say, affecting their local ratepayers.

I recommend that people read this and take in the thinking behind making these changes all part of the Government's Transformation Programme. Here are some snippets:

In other words you won't get your grass cut.

The government will bribe the councils to change. The money no doubt disappearing into the pockets of a chosen few.

The only way to screw more money out of us

What do people think of it? I can't stand this replacement for Hereford Matters (sort of) and I have told him so. Amazingly he has not deleted the conversation, yet, 11:00 4 Dec 13. We shall see. If he does, I'll whack it up here. What's a rest bite?

A POLICE officer appeared in court this morning, Friday, charged with having sex with two vulnerable women victims of crime while on duty.

 

PC Ian Langford, aged 46, of Church View, Tewkesbury, appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court charged with misconduct in a public office by engaging in sexual activity with the women.

 

The alleged offences are said to have taken place in Hereford between May 2012 and August 2013 while the officer was on duty.

Pc Langford, who entered no pleas, spoke only to confirm his name and address.

 

He was granted bail on condition he does not contact the alleged victims.

The case was committed to Gloucester Crown Court on May 23.

 

Stroud News And Journal

Hereford again! Can't believe the amount of negative publicity Hereford cops are generating for themselves! 

Early notice of an event

Just heard on radio Hereford Council is getting bailed out to the tune if 8.1 million to fix the Potholes

Ker ......Ching!!

Can someone (councillors?) explain to me why there's a lot of disruption to the roads so that the pavements can be replaced when the roads are in a much worst state?

I noticed the Police had cordoned off all of the entrances to the subway between Victoria Street and Eign Gate Hereford and also the pavement outside of the Cashino in Eign Gate.

So I went along and chatted to one of the Police officers and took these photographs, he clearly could not comment but it was obvious that a serious incident had happened in Eign Gate and forensics (SOCO) where examining for evidence in the underpass. (Rumour) While taking these photographs a member of the public came up and asked the police officer if they had found the gun, the police officer said he could not comment obviously, this lad then went on to say that it was his mother that was attacked and robbed by foreigners... 

I am hearing rumours that is was actually the Casino that was robbed but I will update you as soon as I receive the official police press release.

UPDATE

A 26 year old man named as Ionut Juganaru (which sounds Romanian to me)from Ryelands Street Hereford will appear at Hereford Magistrates Court this morning charged with possessing an imitation gun and or air weapon.

The raid happened at Cashino Gaming in the Eign Gate area of the city at about 06:00 GMT on Saturday.

Staff were threatened into handing a robber cash, which has since been recovered, West Mercia Police said.

All councillors for the Hereford City wards were invited to a meeting with Balfour Beatty between Monday & Wednesday this week. I attended yesterday afternoon to be told I was the only councillor that had turned up all day. The south of Herefordshire areas are being cut first two weeks in July. In regard to the Belmont ward I gave them a list of priorities as well as other areas in Newton Farm, Hunderton and Belmont to be cut i.e. Football pitches, play areas, grass verges and GWW. The following areas that has been brought to my attention are:

Newton Farm: the Oval, Treago Grove, Marcle Walk, Waterfield Rd, Ball Court, Pixley Walk, Shaw Walkway fields from the GWW to Belmont Pools.

Hunderton: Haylease Crescent play area and Football Pitch, play area and football pitch in Luard Walk and the Riverside walk between Hunderton bridge and New bridge.

Belmont: Grass verges, Sydwall Road, Glastonbury Close open space & Northolme Road football Pitch. 

These have all been entered on the map for these areas to be cut. BB have bought new flailing machines for this work to be done.

Yep I went down there today. Came back empty handed - partly my fault as it is a bank holiday and I thought more places would be open.(I had a lot to do in High Town)

It looks amazing, I love the big frontages - which, if you recall I have pointed out before (specifically Cardiff). In fact, size aside, you'd be forgiven for thinking that you were in somewhere like Cardiff, so the character has certainly gone.

The OLM was at least twice as busy as high town. I heard some people commenting about how many people where walking to and from the OLM - which got me thinking. I parked in Merton Meadow (and paid!!) - how much footfall in the OLM is people passing through? It certainly gives the impression that it's heaving with business, but a lot of these people are going to be heading elsewhere - to work or run errands in high town etc.

So yeah, looks amazing, I really like it. (This doesn't excuse the lies, deceit and underhandedness of the whole affair).

A few other observations;

Eastern Europeans drinking alcohol around Costa.

I saw a women with a dust pan and brush constantly cleaning the walkways (she had an OLM top on). So that's a shame that they aren't so active elsewhere in town.

Waitrose was smaller than expected - it just seem's the same as downstairs in Marks and Spencer. And more costly, a basil plant the same size as in Asda was £2 - twice that of Asda. A 4pt of milk was £1.39 - but £1 if you joined the Waitrose club, I thought that was a bit off, having to pay an extra 40% just for not being in their club.

Next was a big disappointment. That was the only place I had a purpose to go (with my gift card). They have at least 5 units of space on the ground level full of womens clothes. Men's is a tiny room that has been over stocked up stairs and has a small home and living section tacked on. So that was a shame.

Debenhams, probably had as many people in as the whole of high town. What was very clear was the "shared space" aspect in there. It's not really Debenhams, it's a unit full of other shops, Burton, DP, Wallis and about 5 others.

Outfit was ok.

Fat Face smelt like the Old Market. I don't know if that's intentional or a by product of all of the wood used inside. Customers did comment on the musty/straw smell.

Not as many bins as you'd expect, but the ones they do have have recycling sections so that's good. However they are small so will need emptying frequently.

Traffic, again, was fantastic, but, again, this is largely down to the timings on the lights being on green for about 40 seconds! (I'm sure someone will actually time it).

They had parking marshalls around the exit because of parking issues, I guess people not paying enough and getting stuck?

Several spots still under clear construction. Some shop frontages where board up with black panels, half of which have fallen off.

On the whole;

It looks amazing, it's great to shop in if you can find something that you want - Next men's section is cramped.

But it's been built on lies and deceit and will have a majority share of shops we already have. It looks great, but it does look and feel exactly like everywhere else now.

Feel free to add your own experiences

Yesterday while driving back from Bristol i was listening to the Adrian Goldberg slot on radio 5 live and he was talking to somebody from the 'food bank' and also somebody from the council ( the name has slipped my mind) about a grant that ALL COUNCILS ACROSS BRITAIN had to help with the needed,

Now, most councils across Britain have already spent about half of what they were given since April apart from two, who were one council in the north east and the other (yes you've guessed it) ....Herefordshire council who had only paid out just over 1% of the money to the needed??

You think that's bad enough 'this money' which was supposed to be for the needed has now been moved into another 'pot'??

The woman from the food bank said that she has asked about it and also asked the people she helps whether they have been offered it ....nothing??

The councillor who they interviewed just said they are keeping it for more important things (I'm sure that's what he said but I might be wrong) and it was a lot better for whoever offer help to be transferred to a charity who could help them

Now, I'm doing this mostly by memory as I was driving and busy up to now but I was fuming to say the least!!!

Can anybody 'fill in the gaps' and give me more information about this please.

One of the most impressive statistics about Birmingham's new City Library is its weekly opening hours: 73.  Open seven days a week.  By contrast, Hereford's forlorn, down-at-heel 1897 City Library & Art Gallery in Broad Street, now only opens its doors to visitors for 37 hours each week.  In its first four months, Birmingham's gleaming new cultural centre had more than one million visitors!

Why is this a prerequisite. Is it about planning or finance?

Are the Council just trying to off load it or will there be a requirement to restore it as previously planned? Could work well if a co-operative took it over.

I have just read the tragic story in the HT

 

The TRAGIC death of a young father from Golden Post in Hereford has stunned the South Wye community.

Tributes have flooded in for Craig Hurcombe, 34, who is believed to have died in his sleep last Thursday, leaving behind a loving fiancé, Reda Butkute, and young daughter, Jessica.

“He lived life to the full,†said Mr Hurcombe’s father, Graham.

“I want to say how very proud we are, and how much we loved him.

“We are going to miss him deeply and dearly.â€

Friends have been quick to celebrate the “energy and enthusiasm†and “infectious smile†by which he will be remembered.

Taken from this story

Is going on there? There are orange barriers all over the road, HC's yearly quota of traffic cones, lanes have been reduced to 1 and now have temporary traffic control with short changes.

One sign said "for 4 weeks", I'm not kidding, if that is there tomorrow morning, there are going to be some SERIOUS traffic problems. 8.30pm tonight and it's backed up to the bridge and past the Broadleys.

And, to be quite honest, I'm starting to get really sick of having to take long detours to get to where I need to be just to avoid sitting in traffic.

Go take a drive down there now, I dare you!