greenknight

Hi Rich I don't disagree with most of what you say however I do believe there are more comfortably retired in Herefordfordshire than you think or at least until the point comes when care is required and then things can change.Care home costs are now running on average about £34,000 per year and as many of those retire leaving family behind when help is required it can come as a shock to see the kids inheritance wash away. An early diagnosis of dementia and a potential placement in a appropriate care home and after three years you are sitting at that 23K point you mentioned that's if of course preventative measures have been taken to move your ability to pay. A friend of mine was able to sell his home in the South East and move to South Shropshire with a bigger house and money in the bank. Again for this same reason he is paying less council tax on a bigger property than he ever did in Tunbridge Wells so he loves it over here! I actually think there should be more council tax bands because personally I don't think there is much difference in rates per size of property so a national review of the banding system should be an option and a reassessment of rateable values which would not please some.

A good piece Richard but you missed something...what about the ever increasing number of people retiring to the County complete with money in bank and probably a damn fine pension be it public or private?The last Herefordshire Village I lived at with around 100 soles (nearly two thirds were retired and over half of those moved into the County as comfortable retired people's) Now perhaps in our beautiful black and whites we should evaluate the provision of services based on the ability to pay??? Now there's controversial so donning my heavier plated suit!!

I'm sure this will be only temporary the way things are with this Trust. With an imminent visit from the CQC which last time picked up on staff shortages so this is a redeployment of staff for the County to make things look better than they actually are....well that's the cynic in me.

Yes agreed Roger but we have a huge diverse topic mix and as soon as it was visible that I was looking at the guest list all FC readers disappeared leaving just me Google and 14 others. Just found this intriguing.

Ok so here we are it's 11.30 Tuesday night and I'm on my jacksey as a member with twenty or so guests! So keen to see what the guests are reading and Bob's your Uncle we have 5 just looking through the FC thread. How many topics are available on this site?

It's a huge set up Maggie so as senior management and legal are always kept close I sent a little email to corporate responsibility within Heineken.....you never know!

This is good and perhaps our current weather will aid in their analysis. With regard to SLR Denise the clock still moves forward!

Ok so we have completed the form made similar suggestions so will the Council ponder on what's disclosed after all they suggest that a 5% increase across the board would make a big difference. Will they put it to the local electorate...a suggested additional voluntary contribution? Personally I would prefer more bobbies on the beat and not others sat chairs behind a mass of TV screens though this is another budget altogether.

Good Luck Bill .....Do we know when Bobby starts?

Yes funny that Roger. If my memory serves me right I remember the Conservative party floundering a bit and I'm sure that David Cameron was pictured everywhere on his bicycle.Oh how his green credentials have been thrown out the window or perhaps lost like so many papers dropping out the back of his rucksack.. However to be fare there has been some changes after all the relationship between the Home Secretary and the national police forces have changed. In times gone by they walked the streets hand in hand but today it's as remote a relationship as policing and the use of ANPR and video cameras.

I don't disagree with either of you and who knows what's in store for the next financial year. Up to 5% I'm willing to help more than that well I will think of some other way of directing my contribution.

I believe you and I have discussed this before Dippy. Personally I will follow a similar approach when completing the form in that I would agree ( hopefully Mrs Knight would to ) to pay an AVC of 5% on my council tax which as a ring fenced contribution would go towards supporting a named list of organisations in need such as no1. Ledbury Road and also a percentage to my Councillors Ward for locally based projects. This won't sit right with the majority of the electorate but it would be a reviewed on a yearly basis and of course the suggested benefactors for the funding could change.

It would be good to see whether members of Hereford Voice are prepared to put suggestions on this site as to where the savings should be made. I just had a quick look but Adult Wellbeing is taking a hit.

A lot of us know our own mind long before we ever get to college or university but a fare number don't. It's a time expand our knowledge, crossing over the boundaries of the must have requirements of basic education which is why we have places of learning that offer choice and its also the reason why we educate at this time as the mind is open to receiving! There are at least two universities that have expressed concerns about their presence on campus and that speaks for itself because here we have "places of learning" failing to acknowledge the presence of another organisation who in theory are merely wishing to educate? Why would that be unless they genuinely thought there was an ulterior motive.

Sorry AV your wrong..They are a target audience and having worked at the Singleton Hospital in Swansea I can assure you that the university down there has had major concerns.

Well I never thought I'd see Katie Hopkins on HV Paul. ...could you have pitched it without her in it

Well whatever your viewpoint it was a clever move because now they have a big site right smack bang in the centre of town close to the college's, the station and of course the potential university project. Once the branding is complete and their gatekeepers are readied, please don't be surprised to see them on the front steps of the cinema especially at " chucking out time".....that's when the college's close for the day and the young walk the walk to town etc and not when the commercial crew are thrown out in the small hours!

Often local homeowners fight losing battles over planning applications however it might just be that the need for clean water from a major employer in the County will carry quite a lot of weight Maggie if suddenly it's source is restricted and quality reduced because ultimately this will cost to put right.

Forgive me troops but in the past I have lived in many a county where normally the procedure is to extract the mineral benefits, then fill the hole with rubbish cover with soil and then build houses on it. Of course the other option is to build houses and then watch them flood unless of course there is a plan to fill the otherside of said new bypass with lots of balancing ponds(very popular these days). The western bypass carries a lot of argument but packaging these houses here well I don't think it's a clever plan at all! It's all about hydrology,minerals and aquifers and there's a reason for why the three work well together...apparently!

I applaud this Dan as there is no doubt that the good work needs to continue through the daylight hours. To be honest I feel guilty that I can do nothing at this time whilst committed to full time employment to help with this project. On other threads running currently a lot is spoken of some of the unsavoury goings on in the city at night however I often go into town between 7 and 9 in the morning when you can clearly identify certain individuals who are drunk or on drugs and I do wonder how many souls there are dumped out of the care system and left to cope with a mental health issue. Sadly I don't believe that a mother taking her child to the dentist should have to explain why four men are coming out of one toilet in Gaol Street at a shade before 9am. It is great work that the street pastors are doing Dan and I for one would support any cause that gets them out there during the day. So much voluntary work is done in this County I'm not really sure where my council tax goes anymore...Well I do in fact and so does this site...Certain big salaries and pensions.

Ah apologies it won't be old Roger because he,s just posted that he goes into town once a month!

Hang on Dippy.. Steve's got a point.I'm not one for taking on something hot and spicy these days but should it be that I'm chewing through a massive lump of Tikka Masala only to peer out the window to see a naked Roger being chased down the road by Bobby absolutely smashed out of his face swearing in Polish and carrying what appeared to be Rog,s torn trousers, well I may have cause to miss the sweet and possibly request the Heimlich Manoeuvre. There's possibly a health and safety issue here!

You know what Dan your not wrong...instantly I had an image of old Arkwright in brown overcoat and broom in hand...open all hours! Something of course we would all love to see but not commercially viable for most.

Why I love Hereford Voice....at this moment the three top threads litter,flyposting and immigration! To be honest I will pick other people's litter up and flyposting could be worse than it is..after all the mural has been up outside the bomb site for months now and no one has defaced it ..except gulls. I think this is impressive and a credit to most of those that occupy the town centre particularly late at night. If this Council gave me the opportunity of deciding who gets £50,000 of funding then individuals employed to enforce illegal flyposting would be last on the list and litter picking is a job for community service orders if we bothered to enforce those. Coming soon probable council tax rises which of course can be adjusted upwards if we feel that these issues are an absolute need.

Well done Mark and IOC.....make a difference!