Hereford Voice

Ross-on-Wye Town Council will be moving offices at the beginning of March from the Corn Exchange on High Street to the new Town Hall at the former Old Chapel on Cantilupe Road, a building which is owned by the Town Council. It is hoped that the move will make the offices more accessible to members of the public with both location and facilities. The Council office opening times will remain the same, Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 1pm. The address of the new office is: Ross-On-Wye Town Council, Town Hall, Cantilupe Road, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7AN. Due to the impending renovation works at the Market House, Made in Ross will be moving into the former Town Council offices on High Street from March. Their opening hours will remain the same, Monday to Sunday 10am-4pm. The Tourist Information Point will remain at the Corn Exchange.

Photo courtesy of Saxon Hall Community Centre AMH HEALTHCARE LTD have submitted a planning application to Herefordshire Council for 'change of use from F2 to Ee for proposed 'dentist surgery' for part of Saxon Hall' Full details on planning application P240283/CD4 here

Hereford FC have confirmed that John Layton, who made over 200 playing appearances for The Bulls, as well as holding the positions of first team manager, assistant manager and youth team manager, has stepped into an ambassadorial role for the newly established Hereford United & Hereford FC Former Players’ Association. With a career deeply intertwined with the club’s rich history, Layton’s appointment aims to help bring together former players of both Hereford United and Hereford FC. c Photo courtesy of Hereford FC Layton, who still lives in the City, and whose father also played for Hereford United, expressed his enthusiasm for the position, “Hereford United holds a special place in my heart, and I am honoured to take on this role,” Layton said. “The history of Hereford United and Hereford FC is inextricably combined and both clubs’ legacies are not just about victories on the pitch, but about the bonds formed and the memories shared amongst players, staff and fans.” Layton is excited by the prospect of connecting past-players with the fans “It will be great to get former players involved with the supporters whenever possible” he said. Layton’s illustrious career at Hereford United spans decades, and is marked by stellar performances both as a player. His deep understanding of the club’s history, ethos and its impact on players’ lives uniquely positions him to spearhead the association’s initiatives. “I’ve experienced firsthand the impact this club can have on individuals,” Layton reflected. “It’s more than just a team; it’s a community. And I want every former player to know that they are an integral part of that community.” One of Layton’s primary objectives in his new role is to help establish a support network for former players, ensuring they have a warm welcome when returning to Edgar Street. “There’s nothing quite like the feeling of stepping onto the hallowed turf at Edgar Street,” Layton said. “It’s where dreams are born and memories are made. I look forward to sharing those moments with my fellow former players and reliving the glory days together.” Hereford FC General Manager, Jamie Griffiths said: “John has a fantastic association with The Bulls that stretches back over the decades, having played and managed Hereford United. “John has remained a regular attendee at Edgar Street over recent seasons and he was an obvious choice when we were looking to get someone on board. I have no doubt that his involvement will really help the Former Players’ Association to flourish and I’d like to thank him for agreeing to give his time and experience to the club once more.” Full story https://hfd.news/16piQ

Yesterday evening crews from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service called to a fire in South Hereford. A spokesperson from Hereford Fire Station said; "461 and 462 mobilised to a “shed” fire in close proximity to a house in Belmont, Hereford. Crews requested further assistance “make pumps four” due to a significant fire involving a wooden shed and garage, starting to affect the roof space of the property. Firefighters deployed 2 x hose reel jets and a 45mm main jet to tackle the fire, stopping the fire entering the roof space itself. Crews also responded from Ewyas Harold and Peterchurch. A further reinspection of the incident is scheduled to ensure no further hot spots" 📷 HWFRS

Emergency services were mobilised to the scene on the A465 between Pontrilas and Llangua at around 4.05pm yesterday (Saturday). 📸 HWFRS Emergency services included two air ambulances, four fire appliances land ambulances and police. A spokesperson for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said; "We were mobilised to a serious RTC on the A465 between Pontrilas and Llangua. Supported by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews from Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale. Two vehicles were involved, with one leaving the roadway and coming to a rest in the verge. Crews used Holmatro cutting equipment to deal with the entrapment and release the casualty. Working alongside Officialwmas (West Midlands Ambulance Service), the Midlands Air Ambulance and the Wales Air Ambulance multiple casualties were provided with trauma care before being conveyed to hospital. The incident was left with Gwent Police and West Mercia Police for collision investigation" The A465 remained closed for many hours following the incident.

A gross misconduct hearing, which concluded today (Thursday 8 February 2024), found that a former West Mercia Police officer would have been dismissed from the force had he not already resigned. The hearing upheld allegations that the conduct of former PC Richard Davis, 53, who was based in Herefordshire, breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour as set out in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020. An investigation by the anti-corruption unit (ACU) found that between December 2019 and January 2022, Davis had repeatedly been dishonest in communication with the vetting and ACU teams by knowingly providing false, misleading, or inaccurate verbal and written statements regarding his financial situation. He had seriously failed to manage his personal finances despite significant support from the force. Today’s hearing found that Davis’s actions breached the standards of honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, and discreditable conduct. Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Richard Cooper said: “Police officers and staff have a duty to disclose details of any financial difficulties to the force, both during initial vetting and throughout their career. This is essential to protect them from becoming vulnerable to blackmail or corruption, which can obviously have a detrimental impact on the public. “Richard Davis not only failed to follow the correct procedures, despite extensive support from the force, but actively and knowingly provided false information. This isn’t acceptable. “As a force we are realistic and compassionate and know that times are tough for many people at the moment. Support is readily available for officers who are open and honest about any financial difficulties they may be experiencing. “As illustrated by today’s outcome, we will not let individual officers undermine the credibility of the force by acting dishonestly and fraudulently.” Richard Davis will now be added to the College of Policing’s Barred List, banning him from working for a UK police service in the future. The outcome of the hearing is subject to the normal appeals process.

Here is some more fabulous images captured so brilliantly as usual by our friend and regular Hereford Voice Photo Studio member Just Jon Simpson Thanks Jon for showcasing our fabulous city in such a unique and positive way. #HerefordVoice | #Herefordshire | #PositiveHereford | #FabulousHereford | #EmbraceHereford | #Hereford | #VisitHereford

Plans to redevelop St.Nicholas House have been approved with conditions. The planning application was submitted to Herefordshire Council in September 2023 for St. Nicholas House, Berrington Street, Hereford for 'Proposed recladding envelope of existing building including new means of escape. New roof extension and boundary treatment' The building has been empty for a number of years and was previously used and was previously the Job Centre. We understand that St.Nicholas House was purchased by a local developer with plans to improve the aesthetics of the building as part of the redevelopment. Koda Architects were appointed to undertake this project and to develop and enhance the visual appearance of the building. 📸 Koda Architects | Oakfield Design

From 1 February 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless your dog has a valid Certificate of Exemption. The first stage of the XL Bully ban came into force on 31 December 2023 meaning the breed was added to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This means it is now an offence to: ❗ Sell an XL Bully dog ❗ Abandon an XL Bully dog or let it stray ❗ Give away an XL Bully dog ❗ Breed from an XL Bully dog ❗ Have an XL Bully in public without a lead or muzzle Since 31 December 2023, you can legally have your XL Bully in public provided that: 🔹 A muzzle is securely fitted, sufficient to prevent your dog from biting any person, and 🔹 The dog is on a lead being held securely by a person no less than sixteen years of age Find out more about the ban - Prepare for the ban on XL Bully dogs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Check if a dog is an XL Bully - Check if a dog is an XL Bully - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

During the early hours of Sunday morning these bikes were stolen from Wellington, Hereford. 1x GasGas 450 1x KTM 150 2x KX 80 If you any information please contact West Mercia Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be shared anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Mums-to-be are to benefit from an expansion and refurbishment of the maternity triage unit at Hereford County Hospital, which opened this week. Left to right: Anna Nash - midwife, Amie Symes - Associate Director of Midwifery and Annette Arnold - maternity inpatient matron at Wye Valley NHS Trust. During the last month, building work has been underway in the old maternity triage unit knocking down walls and creating a much larger new maternity triage area. The unit features a new entrance area, waiting area, reception, modern adjustable lighting, additional assessment beds, and new equipment. The unit also benefits from a separate entrance on the second floor, which means that women no longer need to enter the maternity ward to access the triage service. The maternity triage unit provides assessment and care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for women who have concerns regarding their pregnancy (from 18 weeks onwards) or their baby (up until they are 28 days old). Amie Symes, Associate Director of Midwifery at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to be able to open our new expanded maternity triage unit, which provides additional space with modern facilities enabling our midwifery team to assess more women during their pregnancy. As a team, we are focused on continuing to improve our maternity services in Herefordshire and the new unit will help to enhance the experience of the women using this service. “Our specialist team of midwives are on hand to provide expert care and offer advice both at the maternity triage unit and via the telephone helpline. It’s so important that women with pregnancy related concerns such as abdominal pain, leaking of fluid, or changes in their baby’s movements, seek the appropriate advice and follow up care as soon as possible. We recommend that women contact the maternity triage helpline on 07990 986517, available 24/7, before attending the hospital, so that our team can advise accordingly.” To access information on the maternity triage unit visit www.wyevalley.nhs.uk and search maternity triage.

All exciting stuff!

We were kindly invited to The Pavilion, Castle Green earlier and to see the progress being achieved by the wonderful team at Vision Building and Development. Also huge thanks to Katie. This superb Friends of Castle Green project is on schedule to be completed before the end of the Summer and we can't wait to share all the finer details with you. We are looking forward to getting our LIVE HD Camera back online and to showcase this fantastic venue on the beautiful Castle Green overlooking the River Wye and Victoria Bridge. There is so much going on but we can't tell you anymore at this stage, so be sure to 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 Hereford Voice 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀.

We are reassured and more than confident that this will go to full planning committee in the coming weeks, however, we predict that the latest Lidl planning application for the Three Counties Hotel site will be approved in the coming weeks from what we hear on the grapevine.. You can see our original 'Breaking News' article from March 2022 here 👉 https://hfd.news/Lidl3 The Local Highway Authority also submitted a memorandum on 20th December 2023 (attached) explaining that the had no objections (with conditions) Following the redesign of the central area of the car park the local highway authority has no objection to the application subject to the below conditions. Conditions: CAB (2.4m x 43m), CAD Gates/barriers (setback 7m), CAE, CAJ (car parking to be provided in full prior to store opening), CAP (as per dwg 05 rev G by Corun), CAT, CB3 Informatives: I11, I09, I45, I08, I05, I14, I49, I54, I52, I51, I47, I37, I36, I35 Hereford City Council submitted their comments one 12th January 2024 stating that they have no objections; Dear Heather Hereford City Council Planning Committee has no objection to planning application 231703 however have comments. Whilst Councillors regret the loss of this hotel and tourism facility, they appreciate the need for an economy food store and associated employment south of the river which will be popular with local residents. Councillors have considerable anxiety about another unregulated junction on an already busy road and feel the proposed design is not respectful of the local environment. Kind regards Becci O’Reilly Administration & Events Manager It is evident from the original application that the majority of objections on the planning portal is certainly not popular with local residents! Which is what this letter (attached) states.... We had a petition signed from over a thousand local people as well as over 228 objections, which like ourselves was down to the main concerns over traffic congestion and safety of people using the notorious A465 Belmont Road. There were just 12 letters submitted in support of the application. The original application was withdrawn and a new updated application was submitted in June 2023 (P231703/F). This next part is interesting, Did you know? ALL of the original letters of objection and support together with a petition with over 1,000 signatures against the application cannot be taken into account even though the overall application is more or less the same - 'Demolishing the Hotel and building a Lidl supermarket' (We appreciate that the drive-thru coffee shop was removed and a few other tweaks made to the new application). We are confident that planning consultants know how to work the system because now the letters of objection or support are clearly going to be hugely diluted, which is the case with 41 objections and 10 letters in support as of the time of this topic 20th January 2024. 🤔 The A465 Belmont Road is renowned for daily traffic congestion. There is also a speed enforcement camera located directly opposite the entrance to the hotel which was installed for a reason! It will be interesting to see how this develops and we will highlight these issues which are only going to become much much worse with this development. A more suitable location would have been at Rotherwas in our view. Local Highway Authority.pdf Hereford City Council Comments.pdf

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet is to discuss approval of the awarding of a new waste collection contract at their next meeting on 25 January. Although this is a significant moment in the transformation of waste services in the county, there will be no immediate changes that residents or businesses need to be aware of. The existing Waste Collection contract with FCC will be extended to 31 August 2024, with the new contract to commence on 1 September. The new contract will last for an initial 8 years, with an option to extend by up to a further 12 years. Cllr Elissa Swinglehurst, Cabinet Member Environment, said: “The new waste collection service will help us to minimise waste and increase reuse, repair and recycling. It will also contribute to our investment in low carbon projects, and strengthen our stewardship of Herefordshire’s natural resources. “Environmental impact has been key to the development of the service specification, which will include extensive requirements to minimise waste, reduce energy and carbon emissions and enhance biodiversity. “As we have extended the existing contract until the end of August, residents and businesses will experience no changes to the current service, and we are committed to communicating clearly and in timely fashion with local people when any potential changes become clear.”

Thanks for the heads up

Friends of Castle Green (FoCG) has today (17th January 2024) taken over the lease of the former Bowling Club on Castle Green as a Community Asset Transfer from Herefordshire Council. Chair of FoCG Paddy Nugent receiving the keys to the Castle Green Bowling Club from Joe Long of Herefordshire Council Estates team. The former Bowling Club and bowling green, which was vacated in May 2023, will be rebranded The Club House at Castle Green and will be managed and refurbished by Friends of Castle Green CIC to provide a sustainable asset for the community. The asset transfer will allow the community group to apply for grant funding to improve the building and surrounding area, making more use of the park for today's community and improving and protecting it for future generations. The group has an excellent record of success in grant applications and is currently undertaking a total refurbishment of the Pavilion on Castle Green with Stronger Towns funding of £1.56million*. Paddy Nugent, Friends of Castle Green Chair, says, “We are excited to become custodians of the former Bowling Club on Castle Green. With the Pavilion and Club House stewarded by FoCG, all of Castle Green will be sympathetically connected, forming an inclusive campus of facilities for the community. FoCG recognises that great public spaces strengthen communities so we look forward to consulting with the local community to provide a building that is fit for a number of purposes. We are delighted that the Council has recognised the dedication of the local community and trusted us with the future of this building, the Pavilion and the surrounding area. We are now even further committed to realising some of the aspirations of the residents of Herefordshire for this beautiful park in the heart of the City.” Councillor Bramer, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Assets says: "We’re delighted to support the community asset transfer of the former bowling club on Castle Green to Friends of Castle Green. Community Asset Transfers allow local communities to manage facilities for the benefit of local people. The improvements planned by Friends of Castle Green promise to breathe new life into a building that has been unoccupied for some time, bringing it back into use for the benefit of the wider Hereford community." Chair of FoCG Paddy Nugent receiving the keys to the Castle Green Bowling Club from Joe Long of Herefordshire Council Estates team. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁!

A mother and a man have been charged with manslaughter following the death of a four-month-old baby nearly four years ago in 2020 Melissa Wilband, 27, the child's mother, and 30-year-old Jack Wheeler have been charged with manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child, Gloucestershire Police have said. A force spokesman said: “Gloucestershire Police’s major crime investigation team led on the investigation and the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges.” The infant, from Newent in the Forest of Dean, was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in a serious condition on 12 April 2020. The child was later transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital but died six days later, on 18 April. Image Courtesy of Wikipedia - Bristol Royal Hospital For Children The force's full statement said: "Two people have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a four-month-old infant. Jack Wheeler, 30 and from Ledbury, and 27-year-old Melissa Wilband, the mother of the child, and from Newent" "The pair have been charged with manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child. The four-month-old from Newent, Forest of Dean had been admitted to hospital on 12 April 2020 and died on 18 April 2020. They both appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Friday 12 January and were released on conditional bail which bans them from having contact with any child under the age of 18. They must also not contact each other by any means. They will next appear at Bristol Crown Court on 19 February where it is expected that they will enter pleas to the charges.

A prolific shoplifter from Malvern has been given a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which bars him from all shops in the town. Mark Spragg, 41, of Madresfield, Malvern, is also banned from entering any retail premises with Natalie Cull, 29, who was handed a suspended sentence for shoplifting in November. Spragg’s order was granted on Thursday 4 January at Worcester Magistrates Court and has the following conditions applied to it: - Mark Spragg must not: - Enter any retail premises in Malvern, Worcestershire Enter Sainsburys on Windermere Drive, Worcester Enter Asda on Silver Street, Worcester Be in any retail premises in company with a named individual

Minister backs Children’s Commissioner’s recommendation Herefordshire Council will retain control of children’s services in the county as it continues to deliver a far-reaching improvement programme. Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, David Johnston OBE, has today approved a recommendation by Children’s Commissioner Eleanor Brazil for the service to remain under council control with no further consideration of any alternatives. Ms Brazil – who will continue to work alongside the council – made the recommendation in a progress report on improvements to the service since her original review was published in February this year. She said: “There have been positive developments that hopefully can form the basis for quicker and more sustained improvement. “I do not think that any further consideration of an alternative delivery model is required as it remains my view that supporting the council and its partners to deliver quicker and better improvements is the best way forward.” Ms Brazil’s report says that progress has been made or is under way against all the key recommendations she made in her original review, including a strengthening of the leadership team, increasing the number of permanent front-line team managers, reducing the levels of agency staff and finalising a new strategy for the SEND service. The council had formed a ‘well-received’ long-term working partnership with children’s services experts from Leeds who had identified some strengths to build on, and three monitoring visits by Ofsted had also highlighted areas of progress. But Ms Brazil said the pace of change continued to remain too slow and too many areas in the council’s improvement plan had not yet been addressed quickly enough. The quality of practice and assessment remained inconsistent, children were still experiencing too many changes of social worker, figures for statutory intervention remain high and 50 per cent of staff are still agency. Figures for the number of care leavers in work or education had also fallen and there were high rates of looked-after children and children with a child protection plan. Director for Children and Young People, Darryl Freeman, welcomed today’s decision and thanked Ms Brazil for her detailed report. “This is a significant moment for the council on our improvement journey. The Commissioner has recognised that improvements are being made and that the council, working with our partners, remains best placed to drive the progress outlined in our improvement plan. “This is a vote of confidence for both our workforce and the work we have done together to build the improvements the Commissioner has recognised. I am particularly pleased that she recognises that staff like working at Herefordshire Council and welcome the changes which are under way. “But we accept the Commissioner’s view that the pace of change needs to quicken and share her assessment of the work we still need to do to deliver the service that we all want to see. We have an ambitious three-year improvement plan in place and delivering a service which meets the needs of the whole county remains our number one priority.” Councillor Ivan Powell, Cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The Commissioner’s report is fair and balanced, and I thank her for all her work since her appointment. “It is also pleasing that she acknowledges that scrutiny meetings are now more focussed, and that the political leadership brings both knowledge and commitment to the improvement programme. “We know that there is much work still to do but I believe it is absolutely right that responsibility for delivering these improvements remains with the council.” Children’s Services were judged to be inadequate during an Ofsted Inspection last July. Eleanor Brazil was appointed in September 2022 to help the council deliver improvements. She will review progress again in another six months. You can read the Children’s Commissioner’s report in full on the Government’s website

In social media it's not the number of followers you have, but the quality that counts. If you can focus on building a high-quality network comprised of users that will help you meet your business objectives, you will start seeing better results from your social media efforts. If you’re looking at the size of your following to gauge your business’s social media success, you’re not getting the full picture. While it’s easy to fall into this trap because it is a seemingly objective and verifiable number, as a metric it doesn’t really tell you much. As Jayson DeMers outlines in a guest post for Forbes, “the truth is, the number of followers you have is nowhere near as important as the type of followers.” It’s the same as any other type of messaging, marketing or advertising — you want to get it seen by the right people. And, as organic reach on social media declines, the quality of your followers will be much more important than the quantity.

We have started this topic to highlight that having a large amount of followers does not always mean you have a bigger audience reach, so do not be fooled to think it does. There are other factors to take into account, including interaction from local people. Here is a good example. We REGULARLY advertise the fabulous St Martin's FoodShare and are proud to have supported this project since its inception back in 2020 at the start of the pandemic (It actually began at Leominster FoodShare). This is a really wonderful local community initiative, which has grown and grown but this popularity has now attracted other local pages jump on the bandwagon for want of a better word. We have scheduled topics to run EVERY WEEK, the latest was last Monday 8th January 2024. Let's have a look at Your Herefordshire, they got their post out this week before ours... 🤔 at 07:38, you can see that screenshot we took today below; (Screenshot 2024-01-12 at 11.36.51) 44 LIKES - 2 COMMENTS - 53 SHARES Our usual scheduled advert went out at 09:16 you can also see our screenshot we took today below; (Screenshot 2024-01-12 at 11.34.13) 258 LIKES - 57 COMMENTS - 186 SHARES But wait! Once these numbers were noticed YH swiftly added a MUCH BIGGER BOLD ADVERT at 09:43, see that screenshot we took today below; (Screenshot 2024-01-12 at 11.37.11) 46 LIKES - 19 COMMENTS - 93 SHARES Your Herefordshire often brag how many followers they have, over 90k (which is incredible) however, if you combines both of their posts above you will have a total of 90 LIKES - 21 COMMENTS - 146 SHARES which is really good. Hereford Voice, now if you add our totals for just the one advert 258 LIKES - 56 COMMENTS - 186 SHARES, that speaks volumes.

StrongerHereford has voted to support Herefordshire Council’s proposal to relocate the Hereford Library & Learning Centre to Shirehall. The decision effectively gives the go ahead for £3,000,000 from the city’s Stronger Towns Fund (totalling £22.4m) to be invested in creating a vibrant, modern and innovative library within the Shirehall, rather than at Maylord Orchards, now subject only to acceptance by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The decision follows a thorough assessment of the project plans, as explained by Abigail Appleton, Chair of Stronger Hereford and Principal of Hereford College of Arts, "The Library is a flagship project for our city and vitally important for residents of all ages so we needed to explore and understand all the implications of the relocation. We have worked extremely closely with the project team at Herefordshire Council to dig into the details of the new proposal and consider its benefits, risks and mitigation. I am proud of the rigour and quality of the Board’s discussion and the diversity of perspectives heard. We will continue to work collaboratively and closely with the Council team as the project develops, to monitor progress and ensure all is done to make the library the flagship destination for Hereford that we expect - a place of creativity, learning, culture, connection and community we can all be proud of. ” Cllr Harry Bramer, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member, Community Services and Assets said, “I am delighted that Stronger Hereford has voted in favour of the relocation of the Library to Shirehall and that we can begin work on this vitally important project for Hereford and the wider county. I have always been clear that ambition for a world class library and learning space should be at the heart of this project and I now look forward to working with the Council Officers to deliver a library and learning space in an iconic Herefordshire building that we can all be proud of”.