jeanharris

Thanks James, I know I could have counted on your support as a councillor. I also know that you are totally against this ridiculous road and with the help of your partner you have a big voice there.  I am gutted that you did not get elected and totally shocked at the result all round. Don't be too disheartened - I can imagine how you feel having been a parish councillor for 25 yrs and not knowing which way the voters are going (if they go at all\0

The ratio of IOC's to Conservatives is much the same as prior to the election. Thanks Greenknight. I know you are all here to support until they can get things right.  The P.C have requested that the link road going through our garden be decoupled from the plan. Unless they withdraw the whole thing the council have plans to build a 5th link from the roundabout on the A465 which will mean double disruption. I may have said before that it was our Ward councillor suggestion that this road be built to improve the visibility on the junction.  I asked why cant they improve the junction - why waste so much rate payers money when there is a temporary solution.  Unless of course it can be thrown out altogether which was my hope yesterday - but not so sure today.

Sorry to keep repeating myself but I need to keep this in the limelight at this stage as the planning application is imminent.

Does anyone know if Liz Chave IOC stood for the ward in this election.  I haven't seen her name anywhere.

Cllr Andrews got in Widemarsh/Independent. Gutted for Amanda and James. I know Stephen Williams is a Tory but the previous Cllr was a watered down Tory,so no change there.

I have tried to keep a spreadsheet and it looks like we have:_ 29 Cons,11 IOC,9 Independent,2Green. How does this compare to pre_election 2015. What are our chances with the SLR now.

Thanks Denise,

Not to worry about the planning application I could not remember where I had seen it and couldn't find it again. It seems it was hidden away somewhere.

I will ask the PC for an extension They have a meeting on 21st May. At their last meeting they agreed to write to HC asking them to de-couple the extension link road from the plans. This road was only suggested because the junction where the B4349 meets the A465 is deemed to be dangerous for vehicles turning right and accessing the new roundabout leading to the A49.

We have suggested that it would be much cheaper, in this case, to improve the junction (maybe a new roundabout) than to build a road which serves no purpose whatsoever. Jean

Sorry, it worked out better than I thought. 2 identical letters from PB. You just need to lie down to read it

Please can someone tell me how to upload a copy of the letter I have received from Parson's Brinckerhoff.

I have clicked on the paperclip and then located the saved file but it doesn't seem to appear here. Thank you Jean

I am not sure how to put the letter on here so I will e.mail a snap shot to Colin and ask him to do it for me

That would be amazing

Hi Everyone.

Just to let you know that the planning application for the Southern Link Road from the A465 to A49 with associated links to the B4349 HAS been submitted as I posted on here a few days ago and Denise said I was getting confused with the city Link Road.  I have today received a letter from PB informing me and that we have 21 days to object. The council are obviously rushing this through before the election although the planning committee will discuss this in June but objections and support would have been submitted by then

I have been told that the proposed decision plans for the SLR have gone in as have the CPO plans for the city link road. Everything hinges now on next Thursday!!!

Has anyone been onto the electoral office. Religion and politics definitely do not go hand in hand and is totally illegal. I am not entirely sure about this but I believe Jonathan Johnson and his family are members of the FC

I have just found one of these leaflets, looks like they have some influence with their members on voting perhaps...

 

Hidden agenda?

 

Freedom Church.JPG

You have some great ideas Amanda. Let's hope you get on the Council on Thursday. Good luck

greenknight,   firstly I would hate Hereford to become the new Cotswolds or any other kind of chocolate box pastiche full of pleated skirts, labradors and retired brigadiers who have nothing better to do than pursue boundary disputes.   Actually York , Oxford or even Cardiff were more what I had in mind but on a smaller scale, or again any Dutch city you can name.   

 

There's nothing mutually exclusive about reducing car dependence and having a thriving, mixed economy and socio economic profile.  My point was that   if you make your urban spaces unappealing, the only people who will stay around are those who have no choice and that is a recipe for poverty and decline as Newport illustrates on a daily basis.  High quality architecture and street design,  green civil spaces and transport choices benefit everyone and attract visitors as well - that surely is common sense.  

 

To answer your question directly : you seem almost to be saying that because you would find it infeasible to use alternatives to your vehicle, then it somehow isn't worth doing.  What I'm saying is that there will always be some journeys that most of us can make by other modes and that people should have a choice.  One thing is for sure:  if there is no alternative but to use a car, then people will use a car and the 30% who still don't have access  to one will continue to be disadvantaged.  

 

To make it less abstract,  I would like to see: 

 

1.  Every residential street turned into a Home Zone, with cyclist/pedestrian priority measures and speeds limited to 10mph with good street design;

2.  Every school with a Safe Routes to School scheme in place, identifying the principal routes the children take and re-engineering the streets to give them priority - this would encourage children to make the school independently and reduce the impact of the school run.  This has been immensely successful in Denmark and other places on the Continent;

3.  De -pedestrianisation of the city centre, opening it up to bikes and public transport with limited car access;

4.  De-regularisation of parking, to provide more on-street parking for specific purposes, perhaps with a meter scheme.  Cleverly configured parking bays actually make parked vehicles part of the traffic calming;  

5.  Network wide re-engineering of the roads, re-allocating road space away from motorised vehicles in favour of bikes and public transport to give these modes a time and convenience advantage. In particular I would like to see 50% of the road space in Edgar Street and Victoria Street re-allocated to cyclists and public transport.    In Holland you often see streets with two way access for bikes but one way for vehicles; at the moment it's impossible to travel east to west on a bike without having to venture onto the ring road or get off and walk;

6. Removal of street clutter and traffic lights and replacement of the Highways Agency's terrible pinch point schemes with Poynton style roundels to maximise traffic flow;

7.  Reduction of car park capacity overall (parking is the main determinant of whether people choose to use the car)  but an increase in parking provision for people with disabilities and those who need a permit for access to the city;

8. Park and ride at the main gateways to the city:  Ross Road, Ledbury Road, Holmer Road etc with a regular, cheap, efficient shuttle bus of light rapid transit vehicle;  

9. Much improved public transport including Colin's tram idea, possibly using hybrid vehicles that will run on road and rail;

10. Bike hire stops around the city, including electric bikes for those not fit enough to attempt the hills;

11.  Car clubs like the St James Car Club to liberate families from the need to buy and run second vehicles.

 

There's a huge amount that could be done very quickly and at much less cost than roadbuilding.  I appreciate that your cycling days might be over but we really do want to inculcate this habit in children instead of consigning them to a life of viewing the world through the rear window.  

 

If you travel out of Hereford frequently, you will be only too aware of how bleak and choked our road network is now, and that is after forty years of trying to tarmac our way out of the problem. It's a kind of madness.

 

Is this the same councillor that Had the planning application issue a while ago. Report it to the RSPCA and maybe they can help the owner of the dog.

Is this the same councillor that Had the planning application issue a while ago. Report it to the RSPCA and maybe they can help the owner of the dog.

Thanks Amanda, I really like what I see in the IOC and I wish you good luck next Thursday. I can understand the response you get on the doorsteps. I know it is very rude but people have lost faith with all the unkept promises by the present government and are not prepared to listen to anyone else.

Having said that it pays to canvas. I remember when I was canvassing for Parish Council some years ago I had a similar response but I carried on regardless. Out of the 12 candidates I actually had the highest number of votes. So chin up Amanda. You will be amazing!!!

Signed and passed on to all my fb friends. Could they put sensors on these lights after 7.00pm

I have heard some controversial comments that all wards apart from Leominster have a candidate from IOC and yet in the HT I thought it said there were 12 wards without any candidates one of these being my neighbouring parish of Callow. Can anyone put me right on this please.

Thanks Megilleland.

Very interesting reading. I have been to see Jesse Norman but I don't think it did a lot of good to be honest.  I know he did support the Eastern route but in the SWTP he states he is happy with the route selected as long as the land and property owners are treated with a degree a sensitivity.  I suppose you could call it that when the council don't even bother to contact you  and inform you that the road is going through your garden and they WILL be taking your land, even though the field which they are going through is 4 acres.

If anyone hasn't seen the video yet - log onto Hereford Visions "Out on a limb". Hope you will find this interesting.

Thanks for all the support we are getting, please continue to support and hopefully May 7th will see a change.

Thanks Megilleland.

Very interesting reading. I have been to see Jesse Norman but I don't think it did a lot of good to be honest.  I know he did support the Eastern route but in the SWTP he states he is happy with the route selected as long as the land and property owners are treated with a degree a sensitivity.  I suppose you could call it that when the council don't even bother to contact you  and inform you that the road is going through your garden and they WILL be taking your land, even though the field which they are going through is 4 acres.

If anyone hasn't seen the video yet - log onto Hereford Visions "Out on a limb". Hope you will find this interesting.

Thanks for all the support we are getting, please continue to support and hopefully May 7th will see a change.

I read with interest Amanda, that Cllr Sinclair Knipe didn't mention the road going through our garden. Would you expect it from a Tory. They are probably rubbing their hands together waiting for the ~£27500 they will be getting from each house built on the SLR. They should have enough money in the coffers to cover their bottled water and biscuits at this rate.  Sorry to tell you but you are going to have to fight hard for your seats this time around.

Amanda this is absolutely disgraceful.  My husband was in the Hereford Police force many years ago and I don't recall this sort of thing going on at all. I hope your husband is making an official complaint and make sure the officers concerned are reprimanded - yes and an apology would be nice. Doubt you will get it - I am still waiting for one from HC.  Hope your poor dog was ok after this trauma.

 

It was around midnight when my partner, Julian,  was driving up Berrington Street on his way home after a hard day's carpentry at our Rotherwas workshop, and was stopped by a patrol car. It surprised him: there was nothing wrong with the car and he was well within the speed limit. Two officers approached. The first was officious and discourteous, greeting him with "What's your name?" and asking for vehicle documents.  Those who know Julian will know that he is always calm and composed  and he told me that this was the manner with which he suggested to the officers that before giving his name,  they could give him theirs, along with an explanation for why he had been stopped; he told me that he would have been more than happy to provide details had he been given an explanation and treated with some civility.  The lead officer told Julian that he had full power to stop him and that it was unnecessary for him to give a reason. He did eventually give his name but when Julian reached forward for a pen and paper the officer leaned in, handcuffed him,  ordered him out of the car  and took him to Bath Street police station, ignoring Julian's concerns about leaving our dog in the car in Berrington Street where he remained, initially without an open window and surrounded by drunks and addicts, for around four hours without water. 

At the police station Julian said he saw, for himself, what the ugly underbelly of our police force looks like. On arrival, he was interviewed by the abusive, foul mouthed custody sergeant who responded to Julian's attempt to express concern about the way he was being treated with "I don't give a ****" and he told me he witnessed this same response to others; a lad in the waiting room who was sobbing, distressed and in need of support  was told to keep quiet or he would be put into a cell and would stay there all night. 

 

Julian's possessions were confiscated and bagged up and he was asked to validate the list with a signature.  He declined to do so as he had no clear idea of how much money he had arrived with or what other possessions he had been carrying.   This, and his other observations that the way he was being dealt with was abusive and unprofessional, appeared to infuriate and frustrate the custody sergeant who directed that he be taken to a cell for a strip search for being unco-operative.  The arresting officer was, in fact,  asked by the custody sergeant to give a reason why Julian had been stopped and replied that he had been "out of place" and had had a misted windscreen, in spite of Julian already having driven from Rotherwas with the heater on when he was stopped.  Julian attempted to interject and was told aggressively to be quiet and "stay out of it. "

 

Still handcuffed,  Julian was escorted to a cell where his belt and shoes were then removed. He told me he was careful to offer no resistance because of the threatening dynamic and the sense that one or more officers were looking for an excuse to assault him.  After being shown in, Julian was interviewed by the custody sergeant and three other officers including the two who had stopped him.  He describes the atmosphere as "menacing" and the custody sergeant as "out of control" and deploying classic bullying behaviour to compel him to use submissive language.   He told me he was surrounded by the four booted, black clad officers with weapons fully on show and the sergeant clearly in charge. The other officers looked less certain but were taking their lead from him,  although the officer who had originally accompanied the arresting officer was civil and Julian felt he was uncomfortable with the situation.   At the sergeant's direction, the officers began to make a display of gloving-up with jokes and sarcasm accompanying threats to do the strip search. There was nothing in the cell except a mat and no other equipment except the gloves.  At no point did he suggest that he would resist the search but was still telling them calmly that they  were abusing their powers and that their behaviour was unprofessional and unacceptable. The response was:   "How do you want to do this: the hard way or the easy way?".  Julian is quietly articulate and this clearly annoyed them.  He said he felt the sergeant  was wanting him to step over the line.  The intimidation continued as they indicated that he should remove his clothes an article of clothing at a time.  There was no record of offending, no offence to investigate and no purpose to the exercise: the threatened strip search was clearly intended as a punishment for his earlier lack of compliance.  The objective seemed to be to humiliate Julian by compelling him to repeat words or answer as the sergeant directed. By the time he was standing in his vest, trousers and socks, the sergeant had decided that he had shown sufficient compliance to satisfy the purpose of what can only be described as a "beasting".  

 

After the strip search incident, Julian was taken back to the desk and subjected to further questioning including:  "Would you describe yourself as White British?" Julian responded that he would not. He said the sergeant replied "Let me give you a clue; I would describe myself as White British". Julian said that he replied "Well that is up to you" which annoyed the sergeant further.  Other questions included:  "Do you take drugs?"; "Do you consider yourself an addict?"  "Do you have any mental disorders?"  Julian did not decline to answer the questions but also continued to protest at his treatment.

 

Julian had, since his arrival,  been remonstrating with officers about the abandonment of our dog and he continued to do so after he had been put back into the cell.   He pointed out that leaving a dog in a locked unventilated car was itself an offence and at some point, an officer went to Berrington St to open a window, making him vulnerable to theft from passers by, many of whom were drunk, anti-social and out of control.  

 

Julian remain in the cell for around three hours during which he asked for, but was not given, a chance to call me.  Despite having no criminal record and having committed no offence, he was offered a caution. Rejecting the admission of guilt implied in this, he declined and was photographed, DNA sampled charged, refused a chance to see a senior officer to make a complaint and then escorted out and left to walk back to Berrington Street at 4.00am where  the dog was still in the car.  In spite of an officer having visited me with a partial account of events, no mention of the dog was made and it did not occur to me that he would have been abandoned at the site of Julian's arrest. 

Julian will appear before Hereford Magistrates on 23rd April charged with obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty; 

 

This has been a wake up call for both of us. I'm starting to realise just how naive and complacent the white middle classes can be about these things.  Just asking questions or questioning the right to elicit information can lead you into confrontation with authority and, in this scenario, power is undoubtedly being abused through a lack of proper training, a lack of monitoring, a reluctance to reject unsuitable candidates and a determination by the courts to back prosecutions however spurious and unreasonable. These weren't officers acting professionally in the course of their duty: these were men  using the props of public office to abuse power and dominate. Julian may have done nothing wrong but his non compliance was a challenge and it didn't go unpunished. 

I doubt if Julian's treatment is an isolated case and we would like it fully investigated,  ideally culminating in a full apology, charges dropped,  the expulsion of the custody sergeant involved from West Mercia Police and disciplinary action with follow up training for the other officers involved.  I am inviting others in Hereford with independent accounts that can be corroborated, to come forward. 

Meanwhile,  out canvassing yesterday, I got chatting to a former police officer who told me he'd left the police because prominent, influential men were avoiding prosecution for serious offences due to their Freemasonry connections. 

 

I think we have some work to do here.  

 

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Following a meeting with HC officials and PB I asked why the link road from the B4349 to A465 is necessary as they claim it is to make the junction safer at the junction k.a the Lousey Oak. Surely it would be far better at this stage, as they don't know where they are going after this, to make that junction safer by building a roundabout. Think how much of the ratepayers money could be saved and used for other things. We must keep this topic alive at the moment as the PA is imminent. There are so many flaws in the way this has been handled so let's hope the Planning committee will see some sense and listen to us and all the other bodies that are so strongly against this until a river bridge crossing is in place.