The next Belmont Rural Parish Council meeting will be held on Thursday 4 December 2014 at the Belmont Community Centre, starting at 7.00pm. It is hoped that Natalia Silver of Herefordshire District Council will attend and finalise HDC’s proposals for the Belmont Library for 2015-16.

Currently available information suggests that, if the Belmont Library is to continue as it is now, there will a £7,000 to £10,000 in HDC funding. Which agencies, if any, who might be willing to bridge this shortfall is not established. Notwithstanding South Wye Community Association, the charity which owns the Belmont Community Centre, has made it very clear that, though they would like to keep the Library on their premises in the public interest, they cannot afford to subsidize it. A £2,000 rent reduction was imposed on the Association this year, and any further rent reduction might threaten the financial viability of the Belmont Centre.  SWCA has clearly indicated that a rent of £7,950per annum is required from the Belmont Library. The reader should be aware that maintenance & repair, utility costs, cleaning, and freedom of access to kitchen and toilet facilities, to Library staff and visitors, are included in this rent. Furthermore compared to the hire charges requested from the Centre’s other users the Library rent is already substantially discounted.

Taken from the Belmont Community Centre Website:

Why not ban the traffic or is that too difficult. Maybe the council can get some consultants with clip boards to draw up a feasibility study. Don't let Bobby47 see this!

Question from Councillor WLS Bowen

Question 8

Accommodation Strategy

Can the Cabinet Member please confirm:

a) What is the total cost of refurbishing the Shire Hall for the use of Herefordshire Council?

b) What will be the total cost of refurbishing the Plough Lane site?

c) What is the expected receipt from the sale of Brockington?

d) How much has been spent on Hereford Town Hall?

e) If the Shire Hall received a new, energy efficient heating system.

Answer to question 8

a) The works are not fully complete, current forecast total scheme spend is to budget being £2.8m

b) The works are not fully complete, current forecast total scheme spend is to budget being £4m

c) £1.5m. It should also be noted that there will be significant revenue savings generated by moving operations from this building.

d) The Town Hall is not scheduled for refurbishment within the current accommodation strategy.

e) The refurbished area is now served by two new highly efficient condensing boilers. The rest of the Shire Hall remains serviced by existing boilers which will be upgraded in future phases.

It's the last weekend of our firearms surrender campaign. Please take this opportunity to hand in any unlicensed or unwanted firearms so we can safely destroy them.

372 firearms handed in so far across West Mercia and Warwickshire policing areas. 

http://www.westmercia.police.uk/…/final-weekend-of-firearms…

From the Planning Portal today;

"Combined Midlands authority proposed

A group of five West Midland and Black Country councils has written to Chancellor George Osborne announcing their intention to form a combined authority in line with the pioneering Greater Manchester initiative.

The five local authorities initially involved - Birmingham City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council City Council, Walsall Council and Wolverhampton City Council – have revealed they are in “ongoing discussions" with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Coventry City Council "as well as a number of the neighbouring district councils" .

They are hoping to build an alliance with "direct influence over the economic fortunes of more than 3.4 million people in the wider midlands area.

The councils said they hoped to agree the devolution of powers from central Government to the combined authority which was expected to "focus on strategic planning and delivery for economic development and transport"."

Its coming - Herefordshire will inevitably join with Shropshire and others - those in charge simply won't be able resist the lure of more power, more money, more expenses.

Saturday 29 November at The Jailhouse, Hereford

NMTBullocks presents GOD DAMN / Plane Crasher / Weathered Hands / Cassandra / Chew

The impressively loud 2 piece GOD DAMN will be headlining what may well be the last NMTBullocks gig night to be held at The Jailhouse on Saturday 29^th November, what with the very sad closure of the club on the horizon at the end of the year. They’ll be supported on the night by a host of excellent local bands. Loud, intense, brutal, raucous, dirty punk ‘n’ roll noisemongers Plane Crasher and emotive hardcore punk rock from Weathered Hands. Plus garage indie rockers Cassandra and alternative Chew.

Atomic drum and guitar duo God Damn are pure attack: molten pop hooks galvanized in a blaze of bludgeoning riffs and furiously propulsive percussion. Hailing from the heart of the Black Country, God Damn fuse ‘Bleach’ era Nirvana, Jesus Lizard, ‘Surfer Rosa’ era Pixies and At The Drive In influences whilst swearing allegiance to the ‘Seven J’s’ of their Holy Bible: Hendrix, Homme, Cash, White, Page, Bonham and Jesse ‘The Devil’ Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal).

….what the press say:

“A heads-down, hair-in-your-eyes, ****-your-instruments-as-hard-as-humanly-possible riff riot.” – The Guardian

A rip-rollicking thrash, brutally mixing grunge and the regions finest export, heavy metal." – NME

A testifying blues grunge prog rock pop metal thrashup... if that sounds like a pretty awesome combination, you’d be right. It is." – Brum Notes

“Fantastic: loud, louder, and ******* loud, PA testing Motorhead style volume. Times two.” Uberrock

….and finally in their own words when recently talked to Kerrang about their forthcoming One Little Indian release and upcoming tour:

“We can’t wait to take this new material out on the road! We are known for being one of the rawest on the circuit using heavy dynamics with a quiet/loud/jet-engine decibel range… A sing-along nosebleed kinda vibration,” laughs vocalist and guitarist, Thom Edward. “We’ve made a very textured, visceral and angry record with those pop barbed hooks. We’re fully intent on making layered studio albums with depth and then gloves off, knuckle dusters on for the shows!”

So check out GOD DAMN on Saturday November 29th, a band definitely on the rise. With multiple plays of their latest single Horus on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show and a UK Download tour with Turbowolf just days after this Jailhouse show they are an act to watch. Also make the most of The Jailhouse, a venue so supportive of the NMTBullocks shows and live music in general over the last 7 years here in Hereford while it’s still around.

Live: 7.30 – 11.30pm /// £5 on the door.

(Includes entry into 80s & 90s Anthems club night after bands till 3am)

nevermindthebullocks.co.uk

facebook.com/nmtbullocks

I have been reluctantly forced to lock and remove a recent topic. Hereford Voice is a community for open discussion and debates and generally these are really great in depth discussions covering a wide range of topics. 

We have some really fantastic members here from a variety of backgrounds, lets please occasionally agree to disagree on heated debates, I do not like it when they start to become personal. There is no need to be unpleasant and I would encourage everyone to think about how the comments that they write may effect others. 

Please all take a moment to read through the forum rules and lets get back to discussing and some classic poems! 

So we're 3 days in. Mine has't been collected and I've been told it won't be for another 2 weeks. Despite the scheme starting AFTER my standard collection time.

A mother has posted this to the council facebook page...

"Never had a bin delivered and dustbin man said today there wouldn't be any point in having one as they can't take it down a step and out my gate . He also said he could only take 4 bags , really ? For a family of 5 with babies ? So this is the result , bags left with rotten meat in that have been sat there for 2 weeks and all torn by cats . Already have a rat problem and this is just adding to it. And we pay council tax for what exactly? So well done , your bright idea as clearly worked . All this will do is attract rats which can spread disease , make our homes stink and encourage fly tipping ."

Can be found on the council's page here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=903448389667606&set=o.168998463236435&type=1

and

Council apologises for bin mix up as new collection system starts

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/11581623.Council_apologises_for_bin_mix_up_as_new_collection_system_starts/?ref=mc
 

Crews working *LONGER* as new bin collections bed in

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/11595720.Crews_working_longer_as_new_bin_collections_bed_in/

Wagamama Japanese Restaurant & Noodle Bar Now Open In Hereford.

restaurant details

I was out walking the other day and could not help but notice how many people do not wash the items that they put into their recycle bins. I thought that this was required, also how many people put the wrong items in their bins, such as polythene and tin foil which they do not want. So I have created this poll and thread for discussion

I always clean bottles cartons etc before I place them in the recycle bin.

No Polythene!

No Bottle Tops!

No Silver Foil!

No Black Plastic!

Herefordshire History Website

We have new Twitter followers most days but this person stood out this morning..

Welcome Andy McNab 

I went to the Old Market Hereford last evening around 6.20pm to find half the shops closed? Joules, Vodafone, Fat Face and Pandora all closed, I thought this centre was supposed to be open until 8pm every week night?

No words required..