Hereford Voice

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Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews are currently at the scene in Eign Street. The street is currently closed from Steels Garage to Sainsbury's due to the on going fire at the building adjacent to the Old Eye Hospital location. Firefighters bravely entered the burning building initially to get the fire under control. The are 8 fire appliances currently on the scene as firefighters continue to deal with the blaze.

It looks like the Old Market shopping centre may have tenant soon for the 83,000 sq ft empty building formally occupied by Debenhams. The Old Market has 32 - retail and leisure units owned by British Land Company PLC. (Rumours are that is could possibly be Primark who are looking to expand their operation in the UK, but that is only a rumor) Who would you like to see occupy this building in such a prime location in Hereford ?

St Mary's C of E Primary School in Credenhill, Herefordshire forced to close due to increase in Covid-19 cases. The school will close from tomorrow (Tuesday 23rd Nov) until Monday (29th Nov).

West Mercia Police has reinforced its commitment to tackling heritage crime, including metal and rural thefts, at a recent event at Harvington Hall. T The event, attended by Chief Constable Pippa Mills, highlighted the use of SmartWater to help prevent metal thefts, and showcased some of the tactics utilised by the We Don’t Buy Crime team to prevent rural thefts, such as agricultural and plant machinery thefts. During the event, CC Mills discussed the force’s efforts with Lord Faulkner, who also attended, and identified the link between heritage crime and organised crime. Lord Faulkner sits on the Metal, Stone and Heritage Crime All-party parliamentary group. She said: “We have some vast and beautiful rural areas across the counties covered by West Mercia Police, many home to iconic heritage sites and it is vital we protect these. Understandably, rural crime has a huge impact on our local communities and I’m pleased with the work that goes on by teams right across the force. However, of course, there is always more we can do. “We know there is often a link between heritage crime and organised crime, those involved in heritage crime are often also involved in other organised criminality, including drugs and trafficking. Heritage crime doesn’t just have an impact locally, but further afield.” The event was led by Wyre Forest Safer Neighbourhood Team Inspector David King with support from the We Don’t Buy Crime. Insp King is also West Mercia Police’s heritage crime lead and regional lead for the West Midlands. Heritage England recently extended funding for the National Police Cadets “Solve It” initiative. The initiative gives Volunteer Police Cadet schemes the opportunity to propose projects in response to a Heritage Challenge, giving the opportunity for young volunteers to be directly involved in looking after and making the most of their historic environment. Heritage crime is any offence which harms the value of heritage assets and their settings, such as theft , criminal damage, arson and anti-social behaviour.

STATEMENT | "Yeomans Travel have made the difficult decision to withdraw most of their commercial bus services in the City of Hereford, the last day being New Year’s Eve, Friday 31st December 2021. Yeomans Travel has been family owned for over a century and currently provides bus and school services, contracts, private hire and holiday tours. In September 2015 we stepped in and kept the bus services running when First closed their Hereford depot citing that it was not viable to operate with such low passenger numbers. Most of the Hereford city bus services are run on a commercial basis without any Council subsidy. The Government had given financial support to all bus companies during the Covid crisis to keep some services operating but this finished at the end of September. Since then we have continued to operate these services without support but this is not sustainable. In recent years, and especially since the start of the Covid pandemic, the number of passengers carried has been in slow decline as more people have bought cars and traffic congestion in the city has got steadily worse. The rise of out-of-town shopping and employment centres has also reduced demand for travel into the city centre. There have been no discussions with local operators about bus priority or traffic issues until recently when the Government unveiled a package to local councils to assist bus travel. We are now carrying only 50% of the numbers of bus passengers that we were carrying in 2019 and this is unfortunately typical of bus services across the whole of England and like many others are also having to absorb the large increase in fuel costs. Whilst Yeomans Travel is aware that Herefordshire Council is working on a new Bus Strategy that will involve support for bus services across the County, we are having to act now to protect the future of the Company. We are upset that the Council have not even mentioned the reason we are stopping these services in their press release. When we informed them, with the reasons behind it, they offered no assistance or asked what they could do to help other than to ask us to carry on until April. If it is not financially viable, why would we continue until then? There was not even a thank you for stepping in with six weeks’ notice and solving the problems 6 years ago when First did the same thing only on a bigger scale. Therefore the following services will be affected from this date: City services 71 (Credenhill), 72 (Bobblestock), 74S (Bishops School), 77A (College Green and Bobblestock circular), 79A/88 (Putson and Redhill) will be withdrawn. Service 74 to Newton Farm will continue to operate but the route via Hunderton will be withdrawn. Service 78/78X to Rotherwas/Skylon Park will also continue to run. We had given Herefordshire Council the statutory notice required before withdrawing these bus services and they have already published a tender to operate emergency timetables on these routes, which they also failed to mention. These will now be financially supported, if we had been offered this we would have continued operating these services which would have meant no disruption to services at all and saved a lot of time and effort all round. There are no job losses created by these changes and we will still be operating our subsidised services throughout Herefordshire. We would like to thank our staff for their hard work and passengers for their custom and support over the years but we cannot continue to operate something that is not commercially viable"

Local bus operator Yeomans has provided notice that it intends to withdraw a large proportion of its commercial services in Hereford from 1 January 2022. The council has held discussions with Yeomans to request that they delay their withdrawal of services until April 2022. This would provide time for the council and local operators to plan and put in place alternatives to ensure continuity of service for people currently reliant on Yeomans bus services. Yeomans have declined this request. The council is holding discussions with other operators regarding replacing the withdrawn services, or putting in place alternatives on a commercial basis so that some continuity of service might be maintained. Due to the very limited timescales involved it is unclear if any operators will have sufficient time to put alternative services in place. The council recently submitted an £18.3m funding bid to Department for Transport as part of the national bus strategy and hopes to receive additional funding to invest in buses from April 2022. Following the announcement made by Yeomans, the council has decided to bring forward plans for improvements to bus services and is requesting formal proposals from operators for an improved bus service for Hereford City. Depending on proposals and confirmation of funding from government it is hoped that new services could commence as soon as April 2022. In the interim, the council will be seeking to tender some replacement services which will be in place from January 2022. This will guarantee the continuation of essential services, including school services, as the council progresses permanent proposals for the city network Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said: “The timing of the withdrawal of these commercially operated services is of great concern and does not appear to take into account the issues which will be faced by the people who use and rely on these services. “We have been meeting with all of our local operators regularly since the beginning of the pandemic and more recently to develop proposals for an improved county network and it is disappointing that only minimum notice has been given for these significant changes”. “There is great deal of work to do now to try and ensure that we put some temporary services in place but also to seek comprehensive proposals from operators which match our ambitions for a much improved service for the city. We have provided operators with an outline of the elements we think are important including better buses, increased service frequency and operating hours, a strong customer focus and a clear commitment to promote services and increase patronage. I think that that there are operators that share these ambitions and are keen to work in Hereford.” How will this affect my journey? The following routes are affected: 71/71A/71B – Credenhill - Hereford 71S – Credenhill – Whitecross School (School days) 72 – Bobblestock – Hereford 74 – Hereford – Newton Farm (Sunday service withdrawn) 74A – Hereford – Hunderton - Newton Farm 74S – Newton Farm - Hereford - Bishop's School (School days) 77A – Hereford - College Green - Holmer - Bobblestock circular 78A/78S – Skylon Park – Putson – Redhill (journeys serving Redhill withdrawn) 79A – Putson – Redhill – Hereford (peak hours) 88/88A – Hinton – Putson – The Pastures – Redhill (Saturday service withdrawn and all Monday-Friday journeys serving Redhill) The withdrawals include school services from Credenhill to Whitecross school, and the City to Bishops school. The council will be seeking to tender some replacement services which will be in place from January 2022. This will guarantee the continuation of essential services, including school services, as the council progresses permanent proposals for the city network An update on alternative arrangements for school services will be provided through schools in early December. Yeomans had already withdrawn the 75, 77, 81, and 81A services, and services to St Mary’s High school in September 2021. Yeomans has provided the statutory minimum notice of 4 weeks to the council after which time it will provide the Traffic Commissioner with a further 6 weeks’ notice. Further information can be found on the council website: http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/public.../bus-travel/3 How is Herefordshire Council supporting bus travel in the county? The covid pandemic has had a significant impact on bus patronage nationally. Herefordshire Council has supported local operators by funding them at 100% of their pre-covid rates for concessionary travel throughout 2020/21 and the current financial year. It has also facilitated direct grants from government which have aimed to supplement lost revenues (Covid Bus Services Support Grant). As part of the council’s covid recovery plan there is free weekend bus travel for all journeys within Herefordshire, funded through the government’s covid recovery fund. During 2021 the council has progressed development of the Bus Service Improvement Plan and submitted its proposals to Government with the aim of securing additional funds to support bus services from April 2022. Development of the plan has included public consultation and engagement with all of the local bus operators. The BSIP was submitted to government by the end of October 2021 as required by the national bus strategy and will be assessed and inform government funding for local buses for 2022/23 to 2024/25. Government has not confirmed when funding awards will be announced but it is hoped that this will be well before the end of the 2021/22 financial year to inform decision making about funding service improvements.

Pause for thoughts..

Herefordshire recycling and waste collections may change for a greener future Changes to the way they provide the county’s recycling and waste collection and waste disposal services are set to be considered at a cabinet meeting to be held next week (Thursday 25 November). With tough new environmental standards on the horizon, keeping things as they are now is not an option, after the council received over 3600 responses to its consultation earlier in the year. In response, 86 per cent said ‘more needs to be done to reduce rubbish and increase recycling’; while 60 per cent accepted ‘the need to change the current rubbish and recycling system’. Over half (56 per cent) of residents favour a separate food waste collection. If agreed, from late 2023, the changes will see a new weekly food waste collection service and a fortnightly seasonal garden waste collection service. Currently 40 per cent of the contents of the county’s residual waste bins could be recycled and residents have told us more needs to be done. Herefordshire Council are therefore proposing an alternate three-weekly collection service of paper and card on week 1, plastic, cans and glass on week 2 and all other residual waste of week 3. Separating paper and card from other recyclables will lead to more being accepted by recycling companies for recycling into new products than is the case now. Overall, residents will have much more recycling capacity and, if successful, will be part of an ambitious attempt by the council to achieve some of the highest recycling rates in the country. Changes to the way they collect recycling and waste underpin ambitious environmental targets agreed by cabinet last July to reduce household waste by 36 per cent to less than 330kg a year and more than double the county’s reuse and recycling rates from 40 per cent to 85 per cent by 2035. Herefordshire Council hope to end sending any waste to landfill at all by 2035. All this is part of their commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 The contract with the current waste and recycling collection partner is due to end in 2023 and cannot be extended. Cabinet will be asked to agree to readvertise the service to the industry. Cabinet will also be asked to exercise an option to agree extending the present waste and recycling disposal contract for a further five years. If agreed, this will drive further savings for the council on the cost of the disposal contract to help pay for the new collection service. The extension would also secure immediate environmental benefits. These include a 95 per cent reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill from 20 per cent to just one per cent from April 2022 and steps to ensure all recycled materials can be audited and traced if being sent outside Europe. As is currently the case, they will work with managing agents, residents associations and people who live in flats to ensure they have a service that reflects their needs but provides maximum opportunities for them to recycle. For very large families, or for people with medical needs, the council will continue to offer additional waste capacity as they do now.

Hereford planners have approved a proposed new office and manufacturing building and associated development including external timber storage racking, car parking and landscaping for Taylor Made. Plans | Collins Designs & Build & Project Management Pontrilas Hereford The company have outgrown their current premises in Twyford Road, Rotherwas in Hereford where they employ over 30 staff however, this new facility located on the Skylon Enterprise Zone will give the firm much needed additional factory space for machinery, and enough yard space for extra storage as well as creating over 10 new jobs in the future. Plans | Collins Designs & Build & Project Management Pontrilas Hereford Tailor Made Designs Ltd specialise in the design and manufacture of Roof Trusses and Posi-Joists with a nationwide delivery service. Their customers include individual home owners, builders, developers and builder merchants.

At 12 noon today the A49 remains closed in both directions following a fatal accident early this morning. A force spokesman told Hereford Voice - "Officers from West Mercia Police were called to a single-vehicle collision on the A49 at Harewood End shortly after 7am this morning (Wednesday 17 November). The car has hit a wall. Ambulance crews also attended and treated the male driver of the vehicle but sadly he died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. Road closures are in place for investigation work but are expected to be removed shortly. Anyone who has any information is urged to call 101 or visit our website, quoting incident 063i of 17 November 2021 or report it online via our website www.westmerciapolice.uk/tua/tell-us-about/ Alternatively, if you have information but don’t feel comfortable speaking to police, you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers. It is 100 per cent anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call or IP address. You can contact them online or by calling 0800 555 111."

FREE PARKING, travel and late night shopping on offer in the run up to Christmas Free parking is available on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 December, when the council’s public car parks in Kington waive their fees. Herefordshire Council have been working with town councils, Hereford City Council and Hereford Business Improvement District to offer free parking in council car parks for the following events: Kington winter food and drink festival: Saturday 4 December (the event has hired the car parks for a second day of free parking on Friday 3 December) Ledbury Christmas lights switch on: Saturday 4 December Leominster Victorian Fair: Saturday 11 December Support Ross on Wye shopping: Saturday 11 December Hereford late night shopping: after 4pm in Hereford on Wednesdays 8, 15 and 22 December (including the Old Market). This includes all council public car parks and on-street pay and display bays. The free parking offered does not apply to any private car parks unless stated. As usual, it is free parking in the market towns every Sunday and after 6pm. More seasonal events across the county www.herefordshire.gov.uk/events. Cllr Harrington says: “We have liaised with the city and town councils and key stakeholders to offer some free parking in the run up to Christmas. “I encourage all those who can to visit your local shops and support them after what has been a challenging period. As well as the free parking on certain days and evenings, it’s worth reminding people to take advantage of our free weekend bus travel.”

Hereford Taxis are on the verge of strike action over flawed policies which Herefordshire Council licensing teams are trying to impose and are refusing to engage with the drivers and the Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association over these policies. Licences from next April could be refused for cars more than five years old. The age of the vehicle shall be determined by the date of its first registration, as shown on the registration document. The new proposals would also require existing drivers to complete a geographic knowledge and navigational skills test (also required for new applicants) which is proving to be extremely difficult and only has a 20% pass rate which potentially would result is losing 80% of existing drivers. In an email to the trade from Herefordshire Council they state the following sentence; “To make it clear you will not be able to discuss or argue any proposed changes you would like to see made to the policy” The consultation period has now been extended until the 6th of December however if things remain as they are, it is increasingly likely that the association will have to pay heed to its membership and organise strike action in the very near future and a strike could be in place this Christmas! The original draft policy is attached together with a revision copy below; EH_LIC_Draft_Taxi_Licensing_policy_with_Appendix.pdf Revision below Revised conditions 2021.docx

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Kingsland Fire Station were called to a house fire at Stoke Prior in Herefordshire just after 5pm yesterday evening they were needed to back up their colleagues from Leominster Fire Station who were already at the scene and tackling the blaze. Photo courtesy of Kingsland Fire Station 3 teams using breathing apparatus were used to fight the fire and cut away to stop it spreading further. Further assistance came from Bromyard Fire Station fire fighters.

A group supporting women through domestic abuse has praised the way the service has been supported by Herefordshire Council Members of the council’s adult scrutiny body were given an update on Herefordshire’s Domestic Abuse Strategy in a report which highlighted that: ‘Domestic abuse is a complex and pervasive issue which cannot be addressed fully by any single organisation. The overall purpose of the strategy is to provide direction to partner organisations on how they can work collaboratively to prevent, identify and respond to domestic abuse.’ The strategy will also enable compliance with new legislation in this year’s Domestic Abuse Act. West Mercia Women's Aid has been involved in reviewing the Domestic Abuse Strategy. CEO, Sue Coleman, said: ‘Herefordshire Council has been supporting domestic abuse services for some time,’ adding that the services in the county were such that those escaping domestic abuse could be offered safe and secure accommodation. Over the past year support for services has significantly increased the capacity to support victims and their children in an enhanced safe accommodation offer, with specialist support for those with multiple complex needs. Referring to the new women’s refuge in Hereford Sue Coleman said that the refuge was: ‘As good as it gets across the country and we are very proud of it.’ She told the council’s Adult Scrutiny Committee that families who had used the refuge were very appreciative of the combined privacy and community support alongside the quality of service at a difficult time. West Mercia Women's Aid have also been working with Connexus and Herefordshire Council to develop satellite properties across the county that would allow greater flexibility and support for families escaping domestic abuse. Ms Coleman told councillors that any strategy must ensure that children are also considered as victims where domestic abuse has occurred and that the aid group was working with the council’s children’s department to ensure children got the right support when they needed it. The committee heard a first-hand account of how damaging emotional abuse can be, often with little evidence, and how counselling services must be made affordable as it was often through counselling that women were signposted to support services – and unaffordable counselling discriminated against the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

New attractive art displays promoting Ledbury’s Heritage now greet passengers at Ledbury Railway Station. The displays, in three sections, give a history of Ledbury’s heritage buildings in original calligraphic script, original artwork of the buildings surrounding a location map and a history of the coming of the railway. The whole display is the work of three local artists: Caroline Owen Thomas who is the calligrapher, Jeanette McCulloch and Cheryl Davies who shared the artwork. The displays are located in an attractive three bay glazed cabinet mounted in a landscaped planter. The project has been managed by Gareth Calan Davies of Rail & Bus for Herefordshire and funded by the West Midlands Railway ‘Your Community, Your Fund’ scheme with assistance from Ledbury Town Council and Ledbury Civic Society. Fay Easton, Head of Community & Stakeholder at West midlands Railway commented: "The Heritage Information Board for Ledbury is a triumph for the designers and organisers. The board itself is beautiful, way beyond the functional information boards at stations up and down the country, this is a work of art as are the contents. The quiet determination of the project leaders to 'get this done' has been impressive and from WMR perspective the community leads have been a joy to work with. Not only Lovely Ledbury brought to life on that stunning board, but Lucky Ledbury in its community champions." Project Leader Gareth commented ‘We have worked hard over the year as an art team to get this up and running and have received tremendous support from Fay Easton who is Head of Community and Stakeholder at West Midlands Railway. The result is a stunning display. We are also grateful for the assistance we have received from Ledbury Town Council, Ledbury Civic Society and Sustainable Ledbury. The project is part of a wider remit to promote Ledbury tourism and strengthen the link between town and railway. Brochures depicting the project are also being produced for distribution through the West Midlands’.

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses after two properties near to Longworth Lane, Bartestree in Herefordshire had pumpkins thrown at windows and doors at approximately 00:40am. This woke the occupants up, where laughing and giggling could be heard. The second property had two of its windows smashed. Anyone who can provide information please contact the police using reference - 00265_06112021

Our first HD Webcam has already been LIVE Streaming for a month! Sponsored by Hereford Voice - Hereford's first 'Hereford LIVE' HD Webcam started streaming at the beginning of October. A few weeks later we began LIVE Streaming from the heart of our fabulous city centre and WOW what a success it has been! Combined we have had over 51,000 unique visitors viewing, how is that for promoting our beautiful city!! Check out the bird's-eye view of The Victoria Bridge and the River Wye hosted by our good friends at The Pavilion, Castle Green in Hereford LIVE FEED https://hfd.news/k17 A superb panoramic view of High Town and the The Black and White House Museum hosted by our good friends at WorkHere: Community Workspace, Hereford LIVE FEED https://hfd.news/q7a Hereford Voice is now part of the Skyline network of high definition panoramic webcams scattered around the world with the sole goal of promoting tourism, art and culture! Statistics | You will be able to see how many people are online as well as how many visitors there have been viewing our fantastic city. Web | www.herefordlive.uk River Wye Hosts | https://www.castlegreenpavilion.co.uk High Town Hosts | https://www.workhereford.co.uk If you have a great view in Herefordshire that you would like to share and are interested in having a LIVE webcam sponsored by Hereford Voice please get in touch. Premium | If you would like to view any of the cameras on the network it is completely FREE but there is just one 5-10 second advert however, for a small fee of €9.50 per year you can go Premium. The Premium option allows access to features and services that will render your navigation experience on SkylineWebcams more exciting. (These small fees are nothing to do with Hereford Voice and a purely an optional service which is provided by Skyline Webcams) With Premium you can explore the site without ads, view webcams in Full Screen mode, quickly access your favourite webcams, take pictures and share them on the site, communicate with other users thanks to the chat, travel from one corner of the globe to another in just a few seconds with the interactive map and the search engine. More exciting news coming soon!

Good atmosphere and plenty of people tonight at the Central Tupsley Community Group Firework Display at Tupsley Quarry Hereford.

Guilty plea after Herefordshire Council enforcement officers investigate fly tipping in the countryside Nicola Sheehan pleaded guilty to a breach of the Environmental Protection Act at a hearing held at Hereford Magistrates Court in October. Sheehan was fined £120 and ordered to pay costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £34 for dumping waste in Herefordshire. Magistrates learned by video link how the former Hereford resident had unlawfully tipped domestic waste in woodland in Aconbury. During the investigation by the council’s community protection team, Sheehan denied the charges and refused to cooperate with the enforcement officers. However, evidence was shown that led to this successful prosecution last month. David Hough, Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards service manager, said: “Unlawful waste disposal and fly tipping costs council tax payers tens of thousands of pounds each year. Residents and businesses should ensure they are transferring the waste to an authorised person who will dispose of the waste legally. Anyone found fly tipping will be prosecuted.” Herefordshire Council’s community protection team regularly carry out spot checks on waste carriers. They investigate unlawful waste disposal and fly tipping cases reported via the council’s website or by calling 01432 261761.

Hereford Mayor Cllr. Paul Stevens did the honours by cutting the ribbon earlier this week. They have so many beautiful, original gifts on sale, handmade by their wonderful team of artists. Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 8pm 📸 The Courtyard Hereford

Mindless individuals have vandalised the newly refurbished public toilets in the Maylord Shopping Centre in Hereford City Centre. If anyone has any information about who was responsible for this senseless act please contact Hereford Police, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers UK if you prefer to remain anonymous.

Gwent Police are investigating the possibility of illegal poaching this morning in our neighbouring county of Monmouthshire, sadly one dog was found deceased on the grounds. Investigations are being conducted by the Police rural team to find the perpetrators. Please contact the Police on 101 if you have any information.

On the 8th of March 2019 activists and campaigners, including many young people of Herefordshire, put pressure on elected politicians and marched on the Shire Hall demanding the council declare a climate emergency and act on climate and ecological breakdown. Code Red for Humanity – Herefordshire’s Red Rebels and climate activists head for COP26 to urge world leaders for decisive action on climate change. Ellie Chowns, former green MEP for the West Midlands, a lecturer in international development and the cabinet portfolio holder for environment and economy and skills for Herefordshire Council, told a meeting of Friends of the Earth that moment was pivotal in Herefordshire’s journey towards net zero carbon. ‘Initially I was sceptical about a declaration, but I admit to being a convert because it gives us a framework to operate within and that framing makes all the action happen. As a council we have to continually ask ourselves: ‘how does that align with our climate emergency declaration?’ That would not have happened had it just been left with politicians – it took activists to push us to that point.’ ‘We need to look at all the opportunities available to lay the foundations for this new, net zero, world. We have to be able to say as a council that we are building climate and ecological considerations into everything we do.’ Coun Chowns said: ‘The covid recovery plan of more than £6 million has been supporting employment, health and well-being and supporting people to get into the towns to help rejuvenate the high street while giving people confidence to get out and about. A lot of councils have made parking free and that was one of the proposals that came forward. We said: ‘that doesn't really compute with our commitment to sustainable transport’, we shouldn't be subsidising car parking – we should be putting that money into buses and bikes to achieve the same thing and that is why we can now support free Beryl bikes over the weekends and during Cop26 and why we can put on free buses at weekends. We can change the way money is spent from changing support for something that doesn't work towards a net-zero world to something that does.’ As leaders gather for the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, Coun Chowns believes Herefordshire is making really good progress, saying: ‘This is a tribute to officers, activists and our coalition of Independents and Greens - we have a fully shared agenda. There is a really strong bedrock of cross-party support for action on climate change which is really important. It is exciting that we are working cooperatively in Herefordshire. There is so much to do and of course the urgency is enormous and we are not getting any of it done quickly enough’. ‘We have a really strong team of active officers on climate and sustainability in the county,’ said Coun Chowns, adding: ‘who, despite the challenges of austerity have made good progress towards reducing our carbon footprint over the years. We are on course to reduce the council’s carbon footprint by 75% by 2024/25. But there is much to do to reduce the county’s emissions as a whole, particularly in building and transport.’ ‘As a council we recognise the long-term cost of not tackling action on climate change and we have to make some decisions that will imply slightly increased short-term costs in order to do the right thing long-term.’ Actions the council has taken since 2019 include a standard on net-zero, affordable, social housing, a climate and ecology checklist for planning, described as soft pressure until a supplementary planning document on sustainable buildings is agreed. ‘Within planning law we can't just say you all need to conform to net zero now but we can lift the bar in our local plan and that is what we intend to do with the Core Strategy review, and as we revise the local plan we can build true sustainability into the Core Strategy where transport and housing have such a bearing on spatial planning.’ Coun Chowns said that there are two big challenges for reducing the collective footprint in the Herefordshire – buildings and transport. ‘It’s all very well saying we will build our own net zero housing, but there are 85,000 existing homes in Herefordshire that provide an excellent backdrop for a potential Retrofit scheme in Herefordshire. Along with free weekend buses through the Covid Recovery Fund, Herefordshire Council leaders have instigated funding for three new county carpools – including electric vehicles. ‘Electric vehicles are part of the solution but they still involve tonnes of stuff, metal etcetera, to move around 70 kg of person and it's a wasteful way to move a person around. A review is taking place of the network of cycle and walking paths around the city. While Hereford’s Greenway is fantastic, anyone who tries to cycle through the city knows that you just need to come across one car parked in a bike lane and you are stuffed, so new cycle lane guidance which says that lanes need to be physically separated from traffic is really good practice, even if it means that we have had to take current plans for a cycle lane in St Owen Street back to the drawing board,’ Coun Chowns said. Electric hopper buses is a project Herefordshire City Council put forward for support by the Town’s Fund. Electric buses will circuit the town and enable people to hop on and off. ‘It's a brilliant idea, said Coun Chowns: ‘The data collected in the western bypass review was that the vast majority of journeys are done inside Hereford city or people coming into the city from outside and trying to find ways of getting around the city.’ ‘Cancelling the bypass was a really big decision supported by nearly 500 pages of reports. A proper review had to be done because we were a new administration and we were serious about acting on the climate emergency declaration. We said that the criteria used in assessing different options needs to take climate and environmental considerations in to account - they had to be properly weighted in the decision-making because they had not been previously. I see this as the translation of a broad declaration of a climate emergency into a set of specific references for the review of a project that was going to cost around £200 million just to build a bypass and that review showed very clearly, with really strong evidence, that you could get as much congestion reduction at about a third of the price and far less environmental damage. The challenge we have now is delivering on all the other really good measures because it's still £70 million that is not floating around. The government have made a lot of noise about bus and cycling strategies but is yet to back that up with funding.’ Whilst the council has taken great strides in reducing its own carbon footprint, Cllr Chowns said there was a lot of work to do in the county: ‘We are setting up a county-wide climate and nature partnership to bring in all stakeholders like big emitters as well as community activists to try and forward this piece of work that desperately needs to happen in the county.’ The council is also using the dividend that it earns from the energy company it buys its energy from towards a climate reserve that is funding a new community grant scheme for small-scale community projects tackling the climate and nature emergency. A communication campaign will address behaviour change in the wider community and a Climate Assembly will convene in January 2022 which will include a properly represented sample of Herefordshire residents to come up with proposals that the administration can support at the budget meeting. ‘Participatory budgeting,’ said Cllr Chowns, ‘is really exciting and it will happen in Herefordshire and shows our commitment to trying to do politics a little bit differently.’

A seasonal spike in sightings of False Black Widow spiders is likely to be caused by males in search of a mate, a national trade body has said. The British Pest Control Association (BPCA), is urging people to avoid contact with False Black Widow spiders, but not to panic if they spot one in their home. The spiders are not aggressive, but may bite if there is accidental contact. Natalie Bungay is Technical and Compliance Manager at BPCA. She said: “Requests for False Widow pest control call-outs tend to peak in October. “The spiders increase in numbers during warmer months, but in late summer and autumn they may become particularly conspicuous as the males wander more extensively in search of a mate. “False Widow spiders are not aggressive and will not launch an unprovoked attack on people.” False Widow spiders are not aggressive and will not launch an unprovoked attack on people. Usually sited at least 1.5m off the ground, False Widow webs are a loose tangle of threads with a tube of silk in one corner leading into a crevice where the spider will hide during the day. The webs are typically found around window and door frames as well as in eaves, porches and conservatories. False Widows are venomous and their bites have been compared to wasp stings, but issues arising from spider bites are more likely to be the result of a secondary infection, than the bite itself. The BPCA’s online guide to False Widows includes advice on how to identify them and what to do if you spot one in your home. Natalie added: “If you’re concerned about spiders in your home, seek advice from a pest management professional. “You can remove a spider from your home by putting a small carton or glass over it and sliding a piece of card between the opening and the surface. You can also use a vacuum cleaner to remove spiders and their webs if you don’t want to get too close! “However, if you’re unsure of the species, or don’t feel confident to tackle the issue yourself, get in touch with a BPCA member.” BPCA members are trained, experienced professionals with access to a range of specialist products not available to the public. They are trained, qualified and regularly assessed to the British Standard in Pest Management BS EN 16636. To find a professional pest controller visit bpca.org.uk/find