The met office has sent out an update on the severe weather  warning issued yesterday. Winds in excess of 70 to 80mph which could bring down trees and cause structual damage across England and Wales leading to power cuts and disruption to transport on Monday morning rush hour traffic.

Environment Agency warns of surface water flooding incidents across most of England with forecasters predicting 20 to 40mm rain fall Sunday within 6-9 hours.The met office has issued an Amber warning meaning "be prepared" this is a developing situation and they advise people to stay up to date with forecasts and warnings over this weekend, and be prepared to change their plans". They describe the storm as "not one you see every year" and said the expected wind strengths would be similar to storms in March 2008, January 2007 and October 2000. It has also said that people should have things in place to protect themselves and their property.

Coming to Comedy Club at the Hereford Courtyard Theatre? Then why not take advantage of our Curry Night and make a proper night of it? Whenever there’s a Comedy Club The Cafe Bar rustle up a delectable meat and veggie curry with rice or naan bread to ticket holders for £8. If you want to be sure you don’t miss out – people who like laughing seem to like their curry! – and you fancy a 25% discount then book in advance by calling the Box Office and get your curry at £6, either when you book your tickets, or just add it on after. The next one is November 4th when Andy Parsons is on stage, should be a great night.

Can any one out there tell me where aluminium foil, aluminium trays etc, can be recycled? I e-mailed the council a few months ago with this question and received a standard long winded reply which in a long winded way said, we don't do it and no real reply to the question why not, it seems criminal that in this day and age we are throwing valuable metals into landfill. I could take it down to Portsmouth, my home town where it can be recycled through a church charity but it is not often that I get down there.

I have been working on this for a long time folks and well today is the day to reveal my fantastic idea, it is so good that I am sure that Hereford Council will won't to buy it immediately because they are that STUPID! anyway this is my solution to the traffic in Hereford and in particular the junction at Asda, I am positive that Colin James will help me to promote it so what do you think?

Just in time for Christmas too 

I hold my monthly councillor's 'Surgery' on Friday, 25th October, at Challenge Community Church, Belmont Road, Hereford. If you have a problem I may be able to help or know someone who can.

No need to make an appointment, just turn up between 5pm - 6pm. You can of course, contact me at any time if you need assistance. Tel: 01432 355224 or 07720869172. or email; cchappell@herefordshire.gov.uk

Chris Chappell

St. Martins & Hinton Ward

A school has been forced to close because of an outbreak of Britain's most venomous spider.

The Dean Academy, in the Forest of Dean, said it "had identified an issue with false widow spiders" in its ICT block and other areas of the site.

A letter from vice principal Craig Burns to parents said the school would be shut on Wednesday to be fumigated.

Conservationists believe a change in the climate could be the cause of an increase in sightings of the species.

From the BBC website 

Posters, the week of 25th November is world week against domestic violence.

You may have read in the HT this week that of all crimes in the county are down, except Domestic Violence which has had an increase in the last 6 months in Herefordshire.

Domestic violence is one of the worst crimes to commit against another person. Women across Herefordshire are being treated with comptempt, physically and mentally. It effects children and others in the family. Domestic violence is happening in a house near you as you read this. So what are you doing about it?

Cllr Liz Chave and I want to take the opportunity in November, of highlighting the problem but we need your help. I am not an organiser but am sure that some posters are and can help to bring to this problem to the surface. 'The Wife' implies ownership, slavery, contempt. You can hear it said almost any where in the county, but who questions this phrase? I suspect most posters hate bullies as much as I do and those who commit domestic violence are bullies.

Have you got any ideas what we can do in Herefordshire to highlight the problem of domestic violence?

I have often raised the standard of grass cutting on our estates. It is aleady neglected to the point of being an eyesore and useless for recreation purposes. How much are the council going to save on their £200 million contract with Balfour Beatty over the next 10 years. Here is a reminder of the functions they are contracted to undertake. We should expect a reasonable service.

 

The ten-year contract which covers highways maintenance and improvement works, street lighting, street cleaning, as well as responsibility for public rights of way, and parks and open spaces is due to start on 1 September 2013.

 

Andrew McNaughton CEO of Balfour Beatty said: “This exciting opportunity to work with Herefordshire County Council further strengthens our position in the local authority services sector.

 

“We are dedicated to delivering an effective, efficient, sustainable and customer focused service for the county which we will achieve through flexible delivery, innovation, and staff development.â€

 

The full list of core services for which Balfour Beatty will be responsible include:

 

Highways management services

Highways maintenance and improvement work

Traffic controls systems maintenance

Street lighting

Street cleaning

Public rights of way

Parks and open spaces

Fleet management transformation services

Highways asset management

I would like to personally welcome Councillor Paul Rone and Councillor Chris Chappell to Hereford Voice. I sincerely look forward to your interaction with our members and to you hopefully joining in the various discussions. 

You will see that we have several other Councillors here some are more active than others but the more we have the better.

• 5.30pm Gates open
• 6.00pm Fire performers
• 7.00pm Children's lantern procession
• 7.30pm Fireworks display (No private fireworks or sparklers)
• Come for your supper;
• Pim's Thai Food
• Friends Café - hot dogs
• Barrels Beer Tent

Wristband entry only, available from;
Outback Records, Church Street or St James CE Primary School, Vicarage Rd, (1- 3pm, cash or chq only), tel 273961.
Adults £6 in advance (£8 on the night)
Children £4 in advance (£6 on the night)

A family friendly community event raising funds for St James CE Primary School PTFA building fund and Friends of Castle Green.

 

Royal Mail soared by more than £1 billion in value during a storming first day of trading, netting big profits for investors but prompting accusations that the Government sold it too cheaply.

 

Nearly 700,000 small investors saw their stakes increase by around £280 as the price closed up more than a third at 455p, while around 150,000 postal workers could be sitting on stakes worth more than £3,000.

 

But amid the flotation fever in the City, ministers were facing accusations that financiers have been allowed to profit from public assets being sold off cheaply.

By undervaluing Royal Mail by more than £1 billion this government is as inept as our local council when it comes to dealing with finances. How much money and land have they handed over to developers over the last years?

 

From the BBC H&W radio:

 

Developers want to tell the story of the SAS

 

Developers have applied for a multi-million pound grant to create the first special forces heritage centre in Britain.

 

The team behind Hereford's Enterprise Zone want to turn a former shell factory into a visitor attraction.

 

The factory was built in 1916 to provide artillery for World War One.

 

The structure is 40,000 sq ft and has an unsupported span, meaning there are no pillars or supports inside.

 

The SAS headquarters are in Herefordshire.

 

'Sense of reverence'

Neil Kerr, chairman of the Enterprise Zone board, said the factory building is as strong as ever, even though the walls are not overly robust.

 

"The walls were very thin because they were designed to blow out if the factory exploded," he said.

 

Mr Kerr said he wanted the centre to become a national attraction which would tell the story of the SAS in a sensitive way: "We will establish a real sense of reverence.

 

"Hereford is famous around the world for two things; beef cattle and our friends at the regiment."

 

The project also includes plans for exhibitions of women at war and Herefordshire's relationship with conflict.

 

Mr Kerr said he did not know how much money would be needed to set up the centre, but he hoped some would come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

I thought the aim of the Enterprise Zone was to attract businesses which will create thousands of jobs. 

Amey need to sort out the drainage on Great Western Way just past Barton Road bridge on the left hand bend. The drain under the mud is completely blocked and the last lot of rain completely blocked the path and people had great difficulty in passing this point for a couple of days.

mail from Cllr Johnson 2 Oct 2013

​Posted in the Hereford Times

Dear Mr. *****
Cllr. Hamiltons’ complaints were about Councillors in other (non Conservative administration groups) The behaviour of those Councillors is a matter for the leaders of those groups. You may wish to enquire of those leaders what actions they propose to moderate the behaviour of their members bearing in mind that, at this stage, these are still allegations. Where staff make complaints about their treatment by Councillors, those complaints are dealt with by an established formal procedure and, where appropriate, sanctions are applied to the offender.
People seeking to make political capital from unsubstantiated rumour which could result in damaging an innocent person should be treated with the contempt they deserve. This comment is not directed at you Mr. ***** since you had the courage at least to identify yourself when making direct contact with me with your opinion.
I was elected leader only last May and you will gather from this e-mail that I have no intention whatsoever of resigning. This administration was elected by the majority of voters to enact its’ manifesto for the benefit of the whole County. It is on track to do just that. Given the dire financial position of all Councils (and particularly small ones like ours) and the problems of managing rising demand with drastically reduced funding, it would be interesting to know what alternatives are proposed by anyone. I can assure you that despite lots of general moans, none has been forthcoming so far.
If I can be of help in any future matters I would be very pleased to do so.
Regards

Tony Johnson
Leader Herefordshire Council
ajohnson@herefordshi
re.gov.uk

 

From Hereford Times website today:

 

Local policing changes in Herefordshire

 

THE delivery of local policing services in Herefordshire changed this week.

 

All areas of the county now have a dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) comprising of police officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special police constables.

 

Each SNT is managed by a police sergeant, while PCSOs will now have more powers when executing their duty and be able to work later.

 

The SNTs in Herefordshire are:

 

• Hereford City, Southside and Rural

This includes St Martins and Hinton, rural areas to the south of Hereford and Hereford city centre

 

• Belmont Southside

 

• Hereford City Northside

This includes Three Elms, St Nicholas, Tupsley and Aylestone

 

• Hereford Rural North - This includes rural areas to the north and east of Hereford

• Kington and Weobley

• Leominster

• Bromyard

• Ledbury

• Golden Valley

• Ross-on-Wye

 

Response officers operating from patrol bases in Hereford, Ledbury and Leominster will support SNTs.

 

And in SNTs in areas of high demand, which includes Hereford City, Southside and Rural, there will be two police officers and four PCSOs (one of which is based at Hereford Academy). 

 

“People told me during my election campaign that local policing is an important way of maintaining or increasing public reassurance and it is high on my agenda,†said West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner Bill Longmore.

 

“These changes to the teams, alongside better use of technology and extended powers and hours of PCSOs, will ensure that officers are visible and easily accessible within communities, despite the significant reduction in police funding.â€

I've highlighted the City links for information.

Councillor Chris Chappell representing Hinton and St Martins ward in South Wye, after over twenty years as a Labour councillor crossed the political floor of Herefordshire Council to join the Herefordshire Independents group this week.

I was thinking today...

Colin has the drive, many people here love to dig through paperwork and research and I'm a dab hand with digital media....

Anyone fancy a fortnightly/monthly digital magazine that covers all of the news that the Horrorford Times refuses to and highlights the points and information that others can't be assed with?

If people send me the content, I'm happy to compile it :)