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Chairman & Other Councillors Invited To BV

Colin James

By Colin James
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Colin James Newbie

Colin James

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Several weeks ago, I took it upon myself to contact the Chairman Cllr Phil Edwards and invite him to join Belmont Voice.

 

I personally believe that Mr Edwards as well as your other elected Councillors should be here for their constituents.

 

He told me that "he likes to get out and about on his bike and meet the residents of the parish", I explained that the website would assist him as it is immediate! you can ask questions and post replies without the need to go out on your bike. He told me he likes to be known as the "man on the bike"...Mr Edwards said that he would consider registering for the site, I also informed him that other councillors were active members and that I would post his reply here.

 

I also invited Andy Myatt who has registered I am pleased to say.

 

I personally spoke with our new Councillor Dawn Killeen and John Newman when I visited the Oval Office, they were all keen to register, but as yet Andy Myatt is the only other councillor besides Cllr Powell to be registered.

 

Now as elected Councillors I am both suprised and disappointed that no councillors have joined! This is not through lack of computer skills either as several councillors including the chairman were quite active on the old BR website before it closed.

It could just be that Mr Edwards does not approve of the LIVE forum debates and prefers to have constituents posts edited to suit like on the old BR site, well, this site is open, live and fair and represents the TRUE feelings of the local people. As a Councillor you should be open to criticism as well as praise unless there is an alternative agenda for not joining?

 

Council motto;

"Working in partnership for the people of Herefordshire"

 

I have also distributed some flyers about the Belmont Voice website in the council offices, Tesco's and the newsagents at the Oval.

 

Lets hope that your elected Councillors register in the near future to support you all.

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Glenda Powell Newbie

Glenda Powell

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If you are asking who to contact in the Belmont parish council your councillors details are on the BR website under 'your councillors' when a resident ask for their details to be put on the parish notice boards the request was refused.

 

There are three of the original councillors who started the parish council five years ago, which includes the chairman who was also elected. four have been co-opted onto the council two including the new councillor was elected.

 

I am your elected county councillor for Belmont so you can continue to contact me here, and I will answer your posts.

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Glenda Powell Newbie

Glenda Powell

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So why are they not on here helping and advising us! they get paid don't they.

 

Parish councillors are not paid they do the work voluntary. County councillors are paid an allowance to cover their expences i.e. phone bills, broadband, travel to meetings, stationary etc.

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BRPC Newbie

BRPC

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As Clerk to Belmont Rural Parish Council could I please correct this post. Belmont Rural Parish Council is just one of two parishes working within the Belmont Ward of Herefordshire Council; the other being Hereford City Council which is also a parish council.

 

BRPC covers the area which is broadly known as the "Belmont Estate" and has Waterfield Road, the River Wye, the brook alongside the Three Counties Hotel and Haywood Lane as it's boundaries. Councillor Edwards is a Herefordshire (District) Councillor and also Chair of Belmont Rural Parish Council and a parish councillor for Hereford City Council. Parish Councillors are entirely voluntary and receive no payment for carrying out their duties as parish councillors.

 

BRPC Parish Councillor contact details can be found on all six notice boards within the parish. Parish Councils can only work through duly convened parish council meetings in accordance with strict legislative guidelines, so any items for consideration by the parish council should be forwarded to myself as parish clerk at the following address: Belmont Rural Parish Council, c/o 5 Deerhurst Drive, Belmnt, Hereford HR27XX. Telephone 07722 872 180, E-mail: belmontrural@yahoo.co.uk.

 

The next meeting of BRPC will take place on Thursday 29th July at 7.15pm at Northolme Community Centre, Northolme Road, Belmont. All residents of the Belmont Rural Parish are very welcome to attend.

 

Liz Kelso

Clerk

Belmont Rural Parish Council

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several weeks ago, I took it upon myself to contact the Chairman Cllr ards and invite him to join Belmont Voice.

 

I personally believe that Mr Edwards as well as your other elected Councillors should be here for their constituents.

 

He told me that "he likes to get out and about on his bike and meet the residents of the parish", I explained that the website would assist him as it is immediate! you can ask questions and post replies without the need to go out on your bike. He told me he likes to be known as the "man on the bike"...Mr Edwards said that he would consider registering for the site, I also informed him that other councillors were active members and that I would post his reply here.

 

I also invited Andy Myatt who has registered I am pleased to say.

 

I personally spoke with our new Councillor Dawn Killeen and John Newman when I visited the Oval Office, they were all keen to register, but as yet Andy Myatt is the only other councillor besides Cllr Powell to be registered.

 

Now as elected Councillors I am both suprised and disappointed that no councillors have joined! This is not through lack of computer skills either as several councillors including the chairman were quite active on the old BR website before it closed.

It could just be that Mr Edwards does not approve of the LIVE forum debates and prefers to have constituents posts edited to suit like on the old BR site, well, this site is open, live and fair and represents the TRUE feelings of the local people. As a Councillor you should be open to criticism as well as praise unless there is an alternative agenda for not joining?

 

Council motto;

"Working in partnership for the people of Herefordshire"

 

I have also distributed some flyers about the Belmont Voice website in the council offices, Tesco's and the newsagents at the Oval.

 

Lets hope that your elected Councillors register in the near future to support you all.

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BRPC Newbie

BRPC

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With respect Liz, you make it sound like Councillors such as Cllr Phil Edwards work for FREE? and in your words "receive no payment", when in actual fact if I take Mr Edwards as an example, his total allowances for the periods;

April 1st 2007 - 31st March 2008 were £18,952.96

April 1st 2008 - 31st March 2009 were £18941.22

April 1st 2009 - 31 March 2010 were £19827.28

 

Totalling £57721.46 in just three years!

Which is over five times what I can earn for the same period! so he hardly works for FREE, of course he doesn't!!

Its labelled allowances I guess. :Winking_32:

 

Oh yes, I must correct myself, these allowances must be for his role as District Councillor because of course, he works voluntary as Parish Councillor or does he receive allowances for that role too?

 

 

Full Councillor allowances can be downloaded from here

 

 

Rebecca, the allowances you are referring to are paid by Herefordshire Council to District Councillors.

 

Belmont Rural Parish Council is a completely separate entity from Herefordshire Council. It came into being some 10 years ago (not 5 as stated in Councillor Powell's post), having been formally part of Clehonger Parish. Parish Councillors are elected every four years with the next full parish council elections (when all parish councillors will step down and, if they wish, seek re-election) will be in May 2011. BRPC meets approximately every six weeks and details of meetings can be found on parish notice boards.

 

None of the individuals who are Parish Councillors, whether they have separate paid employment or not, received any payment of any kind for the work they do as Parish Councillors.

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Glenda Powell Newbie

Glenda Powell

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Rebecca, the allowances you are referring to are paid by Herefordshire Council to District Councillors.

 

Belmont Rural Parish Council is a completely separate entity from Herefordshire Council. It came into being some 10 years ago (not 5 as stated in Councillor Powell's post), having been formally part of Clehonger Parish. Parish Councillors are elected every four years with the next full parish council elections (when all parish councillors will step down and, if they wish, seek re-election) will be in May 2011. BRPC meets approximately every six weeks and details of meetings can be found on parish notice boards.

 

None of the individuals who are Parish Councillors, whether they have separate paid employment or not, received any payment of any kind for the work they do as Parish Councillors.

 

It was my understanding the BRPC so I was advised came into being 5 years ago up till then they were part of the Clehonger parish council. Time flies when you are working hard for the people you represent as I do as your elected county and Hereford City parish councillor.

I must correct Mrs Kelso in her statement that ALL Belmont parish councillors are elected every 4 years that is only when there is a general election,as will be the case in May 2011, if a vacancy occures in Belmont parish within that period of time people can and have been co-opted on to the council, unless the residents wish for an election which is their right to ask for one.

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nikki Newbie

nikki

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With respect Liz, you make it sound like Councillors such as Cllr Phil Edwards work for FREE? and in your words "receive no payment", when in actual fact if I take Mr Edwards as an example, his total allowances for the periods;

April 1st 2007 - 31st March 2008 were £18,952.96

April 1st 2008 - 31st March 2009 were £18941.22

April 1st 2009 - 31 March 2010 were £19827.28

 

Totalling £57721.46 in just three years!

Which is over five times what I can earn for the same period! so he hardly works for FREE, of course he doesn't!!

Its labelled allowances I guess. :Winking_32:

 

Oh yes, I must correct myself, these allowances must be for his role as District Councillor because of course, he works voluntary as Parish Councillor or does he receive allowances for that role too?

 

 

Full Councillor allowances can be downloaded from here

Thanks for the info Rebecca,.Just had a look at the download for allowances, which makes interesting reading. If we do take cllr Edwards as an example, his 'Travel expenses' for 09/10 states £758.20=£63.18 each month.....hmmm...for the man who wants to be known as 'the cllr on a bike' seems to me that pedal power has suddenly become very expensive!?

Also can anyone shed light on what 'Special responsibility allowance'is?

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Adrian Pitt Rookie

Adrian Pitt

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Thanks for the info Rebecca,.Just had a look at the download for allowances, which makes interesting reading. If we do take cllr Edwards as an example, his 'Travel expenses' for 09/10 states £758.20=£63.18 each month.....hmmm...for the man who wants to be known as 'the cllr on a bike' seems to me that pedal power has suddenly become very expensive!?

Also can anyone shed light on what 'Special responsibility allowance is?

But all this money is for his role as district councillor, not parish, so he must use other transport then (bigger area)?

 

I personally think that it's a poor show that he has not even registered here, speaks volumes to me that does.

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Glenda Powell Newbie

Glenda Powell

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Thanks for the info Rebecca,.Just had a look at the download for allowances, which makes interesting reading. If we do take cllr Edwards as an example, his 'Travel expenses' for 09/10 states £758.20=£63.18 each month.....hmmm...for the man who wants to be known as 'the cllr on a bike' seems to me that pedal power has suddenly become very expensive!?

Also can anyone shed light on what 'Special responsibility allowance'is?

 

Nikki - The special allowances are for being chairman for Overview and Scrutiny Committee,as chairman he attends all scrutiny committee meetings of the council to see that they are run properly, they all have a work program throughout the year and a budget his committee makes sure that the budget is being used correctly and work done is value for money, he then takes his report to cabinet. and the final report he delivers to full council at the Shire Hall,so that members of the public who attends Herefordshire Council meetings will hear him give a comprehensive report.

To be fair the job holds a lot of responsibility, is very time consuming and sometimes take him out of Hereford where he has to use a car.

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