megilleland

Voting takes place today: Belmont Community Centre - 7am to 10pm Have you voted?

Appropriate, but too late. The future of conservation has arrived now! Hereford Civic Society Thursday 20 February 2014 The Kindle Centre, by ASDA, Belmont, Hereford 7:00pm refreshments for a 7:30pm start No more conservation? Sarah Lowe, Senior Building Conservation Officer, Herefordshire Council An illustrated lecture on the future of conservation services in these cash-strapped times

If Bath Street is demolished wouldn't it better for accommodation ie Flats/apartments being central to the city. Not clear how this is going to work. Both sites look the same size. Who owns the existing Fire Station? What is going to happen to the existing site if the Fire Service move. From the annual Report: "Originally formed as an independent corporate body on 1 April 1998, as a result of Local Government Reorganisation, Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority (the FRA) is now constituted under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. The FRA sets its own budget requirement, receives a share of Non-Domestic Rates and Revenue Support Grant, and issues its own Council Tax Precept. The approved budget for 2012/13 was £33.821m to which additional agreed expenditure of £0.475 funded from earmarked reserves has been added, bringing the total budget to £34.296m. These resources are those available for the FRA to spend on provision of services under the statutory accounting regime, within which the FRA is required to manage resources". Does this mean it is not answerable to the Council?

A guide to claiming benefits for people over pension age. Sorry about the link here it is: Claiming benefits - A guide for people of working age. Link here.

By coincidence this came up today on the radio. Transcript of interview today with BBC H&W Radio and Leader of Herefordshire Council Cllr Tony Johnson Is this to add weight to the LEP's submission to government? The Council have no money.

Hello Colin I think this is aimed at older, more vunerable people. The problem for ordinary working folk is in the future no matter how much money they earn it will be worthless when they get older or retire. The way people live day to day will need to be severley adjusted if they are to have a reasonable retirement.

Some good questions put to the Council 7th February 2014. Read their replies here: (5 questions) and here: (1 question).

BBC H&W radio today referring to Statement made by Department of Transport stating that because of traffic levels on A465/A49 no future development affecting these routes will be permitted in Hereford. Cllr Tony Johnson interviewed and making case for western bypass and link road. He is also saying that this decision will prevent the council getting more council tax from extra housing they want to build. Here are the schemes referred to in Marches Transport Board in order of priority assuming they can raise the money to build them: Marches LTB Prioritised Schemes The Marches LTB board approved the list of prioritised schemes for submission to the DfT on 15th July 2013. The list was subsquently submitted to the DfT on 31st July 2013. The schemes have been placed into one of four categories: 1. Schemes which have sufficient evidence and score well in the assessment process are the highest priorities. These have received outline approval to proceed to the next assessment stage (Stage 2) - the Outline Business Case (OBC). 2. Schemes where evidence is not well developed, and which consequently have a lower initial priority. Scheme promoters have been given an opportunity to provide more detailed evidence at the OBC stage; and therefore may receive future approval for inclusion in the programme. 3. Small scale schemes which have good evidence and, whilst not considered to meet the requirements of the Assurance Framework eligibility criteria, they will be given LTB support for funding from other sources. 4. Very high cost strategic schemes which appear to have a good case, and where the LTB would wish support lobbying for additional funding from (for example) Single Local Growth Fund, Highways Agency, Network Rail or from the proceeds of development. Taken from: Appendix B - Scheme prioritisation report HEREFORD CITY LINK ROAD (HCLR) 3 out of 18 SCHEME ELEMENTS * New road running west-east between the A49 trunk road (Edgar Street) and the A465 Commercial Road through the Edgar Street Grid redevelopment area. * New junction on the A49 Edgar Street between Edgar Street Roundabout and Newtown Road. * Junction and signage amendments at both the Edgar Street Roundabout and A438 Blueschool Street / A465 Commercial Road, to redistribute traffic to HCLR. PROBLEMS AND ISSUES * Constrained City Centre transport network is restricting opportunities for job growth within the city. HCLR provides much needed additional capacity on the network. * Unlocks an area of under-used development land within the City Centre and adjacent to the historic core. * High traffic flows on the northern section of the inner ring road (Blueschool Street / Newmarket Street) which cause severance issues between the Edgar Street Grid redevelopment area and the historic core. HCLR will allow for a proportion of traffic flows to be redistributed away from the inner ring road. * High numbers of short distance car trips around the city. By reducing traffic flows on the inner ring road and therefore reducing severance issues, conditions will be improved for pedestrians and cyclists in this part of the city. * Existing road safety problem on the inner ring road due to pedestrian and traffic conflict. COSTS Total scheme cost: £27 million Contribution required from LTB: £8 million SOUTH WYE TRANSPORT PACKAGE 12 out of 18 SCHEME ELEMENTS A package of measures to address congestion south of the central area and improve access to the Enterprise Zone and strategic housing development site, comprising: * New east-west link road between the A49, A465 and B4349 to the south of the city. * Bus priority measures on radial corridors. * Cycle route extensions (exact locations to be determined, although potentially linking with the Belmont Road and Holme Lacy Road Active Travel Corridors, A49 Enhanced Traffic Corridor, the Greenway, and other identified active travel routes). * Traffic calming (including 20mph zones) between the River Wye and the railway line (exact locations to be determined). * Pedestrian improvements associated with the A49 and A465 radial routes (exact locations to be determined at a later stage). * Two new Park and Share/Cycle sites (one on the A49 and one on the edge of the Hereford Enterprise Zone at Rotherwas). PROBLEMS AND ISSUES * There is currently a high level of traffic congestion and delay on the A465 Belmont Road. * There is not enough traffic capacity on the A49(T) to allow for the planned employment growth at the Hereford Enterprise Zone, and lack of intervention will mean that the current road situation will worsen, and the levels of traffic may constrain development. * There is a high level of short distance car journeys made in Hereford and the surrounding area, due in part to inadequate sustainable mode measures in places. * There is an Air Quality Management Area at the A49/A465 junction due to high volumes of traffic in the area. COSTS Total scheme cost: £16 million Contribution required from LTB: £8 million HEREFORD CITY CENTRE TRANSPORT PACKAGE 14 out of 18 SCHEME ELEMENTS * Public transport hub at Hereford Station for improved bus/rail interchange. * Bus priority along A465 Commercial Road, between the inner ring road and Hereford Station. * Bus priority and reduced capacity for general traffic along the northern section of the inner ring road (Blueschool Street / Newmarket Street). *Bus interchange for the northern side of the historic core along Blueschool Street / Newmarket Street. * Improvements for pedestrians and cyclists at Commercial Road, Blueschool Street and Newmarket Street, including upgraded crossings. * Urban realm improvements at Blueschool Street / Newmarket Street. All of the above scheme elements require the Hereford City Link Road to have been constructed in advance. PROBLEMS AND ISSUES * Inefficient bus/rail interchange at Hereford Station. HCLR and the supporting public transport hub seek to address this issue. * The attractiveness of longer distance journeys to/from Hereford by public transport is reduced by difficulties with bus/rail interchange at Hereford. * Connections between the Edgar Street Grid development area and the historic core for pedestrians and cyclists are effectively severed by the inner ring road. Capacity reductions on this road, along with upgraded crossings and urban realm improvements will mitigate this problem and encourage walking and cycling. * The package, alongside HCLR, helps to unlock under-used development land within the City Centre and close to the historic core. * Existing road safety problem on the inner ring road due to pedestrian and traffic conflict. COSTS Total scheme cost: £8 million Contribution required from LTB: £5 million HEREFORD TRANSPORT PACKAGE DS2 18 out of 18 SCHEME ELEMENTS A combined city-wide package of measures comprising: * Western relief road for the city on an alignment yet to be determined. * Park and Ride near the A49/B4399 junction to the south of the city. * Walking and cycling improvements (locations to be determined). * Parking tariff increases. PROBLEMS AND ISSUES * There is a high level of congestion, CO2 emissions and traffic noise in Hereford. The proposed development in the area (there are plans for growth with 6,500 houses and 100 hectares of employment land, and local development includes plans for an enterprise zone in the south east of Hereford) will exacerbate the problem, and poor road conditions may also restrict economic growth. * There is a problem with poor air quality in the area, including an AQMA on the A49 through the city. * Hereford has a high number of short distance journeys made by car rather than by more sustainable modes. * There is a problem with high levels of through freight traffic in Hereford, as the most direct route is often through the city centre. COSTS Total scheme cost: £100-£250 million This appears to be shortlisted to 13 schemes Take from: Appendix A Initial Scheme Prioritisation List for DfT July 2013 Initial Major Scheme Priorities Priority List for Category 1 and 2 Schemes (13 in total) Hereford City Link Road 3rd in list South Wye Transport Package 9th in list Hereford City Centre Transport Package 10th in list

At least one councillor has a viewpoint.

Local Enterprise Partnerships are locally-owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses. They play a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs. Government has provided all LEPs with a notional allocation of funding from the 2014-2020 EU funding programme and asked LEPs to develop strategies to identify how they intend to spend their allocations. Due to the way that the EU classifies areas, the Marches LEP allocation is split between Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin (£67million) and Herefordshire (£23million). Looks like the Marches LEP is going all out to get EU Investment - maybe because there is no money in the kitty here in Herefordshire. I thought Herefordshire Council was our local authority. I didn't realise decisions and policies would be made by an unelected quango operating out of Westminster and the EU. How do our councillors feel that this could be the beginning of the end for our local authority? I am surprised they are consulting local communities when there are only a few weeks in which to comment. Draft Strategic Economic Plan MARCHES Draft Strategic Economic Plan 191213 (6).pdf

Don't forget to cast your vote this Thursday. Also on the same day interesting Wythenshawe and Sale East Bye Election where we may even see Nigel doing well!

Not sure where Hereford is in the charts, but Swansea comes bottom.

Claim all your benefits Around £5.5bn goes unclaimed every year. Some benefits are entirely dependent on age - and not at all related to income. You could discover you may be eligible for benefits. So, even if you think you're getting everything you are entitled to - it doesn't hurt to check. Worth checking out.

Here, here

Or me.

Thanks for commenting Chris. I feel we are in a mess because no one is checking the budget as it's spent. Simply it is money in and money out. All this creative accounting has got us and councillors bamboozled with the financiers laughing all the way to the bank. If we as ratepayers couldn't pay our council tax we would be summoned in two seconds. Yet the council just adds to its debt - up from £150 million to £218.2 million - borrowing to increase by £50.8 million over 2014/15 (what in one year!)

Yes it is quite simple as far as the private sector is concerned. Public assets, already owned by the ratepayers, are being given away and turned into profits for the benefits of their shareholders. Money realised from the market value of building land should be returned to the ratepayers in improved, safeguarded projects that benefit the locality. Oh I forgot the Tories tell us that under the Localism Act we can bid for these assets which we already own. That's how simple it is.

5 Abstentions. From Wikipedia: "An abstention may be used to indicate the voting individual's ambivalence about the measure, or mild disapproval that does not rise to the level of active opposition. Abstention can also be used when someone has a certain position about an issue, but since the popular sentiment supports the opposite, it might not be politically expedient to vote according to his or her conscience. A person may also abstain when they do not feel adequately informed about the issue at hand, or has not participated in relevant discussion. In parliamentary procedure, a member may be required to abstain in the case of a real or perceived conflict of interest". Assuming 27 Tories voted for the Budget two of their party didn't. I imagine because of ill health mentioned by Glenda.

Maybe The Community Right to Challenge which enables communities to bid to take over local services they think they can run differently and better is the solution. The Ramblers obviously have a good track record.

From Herefordshire Council website 06 February 2014 Changes to the way affordable housing is allocated The way affordable housing is allocated through Home Point, the agency that manages the county’s housing register, is set to change from June 2014. Under the Localism Act 2011 local councils are able to develop their own approach to determine who qualifies for affordable housing. There is a shortage of affordable housing across Herefordshire, so Herefordshire Council is changing the criteria to better reflect the needs and circumstances of local people. For example, applicants must now demonstrate they have a local connection to Herefordshire. In addition, people will only be able to register for affordable housing if they have a recognised housing need and financial limits will be much tighter so that only those who are unable to resource their own housing needs will be able to register. People who are currently registered with Home Point will receive a letter shortly and be given six weeks to complete the new application form and, where requested, provide supporting evidence. The applicant will then be reassessed on their updated application and if eligible, re-banded under the new system, ready for when the changes take place. They will need to reply within this timescale to retain their ‘waiting time’, after which it will be lost. If they don’t reply, they will be removed from the register completely. For some, when reassessed, it may mean that their current housing circumstances will not meet the criteria needed to re-register and they will be offered advice on alternative housing options, such as the private rented sector or home ownership. All applicants will be able to bid for properties under the current allocations policy until approximately the middle of May 2014. Details of the new Allocations Policy can be found on either of the websites below: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/housing/advice/housing-register/ or http://www.home-point.info

Council approves budget today (7th February 2014) As a result of it being passed, council tax will now rise by 1.9% to £1,251.32 a year for a Band D household for 2014/15. As I have pointed out on HT Westminster Band D council Tax £680.74. Westminster Council Tax for 2013/14 Band A £453.83 Band B £529.47 Band C £605.10 Band D £680.74 Band E £832.01 Band F £983.29 Band G £1,134.57 Band H £1,361.48 Herefordshire Council Tax for 2013/14 Band A £1,014.50 Band B £1,183.56 Band C £1,352.66 Band D £1,521.74 Not sure why this figure is different to HT report as I have got this figure from the HC website? Band E £1,859.91 Band F £2,198.08 Band G £2,536.23 Band H £3,043.48 Also have you got some money to spare for the incinerator - they only need £40 million over the next three years. The plan’s strategy estimates council borrowing to increase by £50.8 million over 2014/15, pushing the overall debt up to £218.2 million. It looks as if the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership is being lined up to bail the county out when it goes bankrupt. Following this earlier story in HT: In this report it is noted that the council is tied at 29 - 29 with I imagine the tories being able to use their chairman's casting vote. However in the budget report today above a total of 27 councillors voted in favour of the budget, with 19 against and five abstentions making a total of 51. What happened to the other 7 councillors?

Taken from the Agenda of the Health & Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee Friday 14 February 2014 10.00 am Why is it when I see the word disposal I feel that the Council is giving the land away for nothing. Is this based on previous land deals the council has entered into?

Financial figures from September 2013 contracts register. Telent Traffic signal Maintenance from 01/01/2010 to 31/03/2011 £32,000 Estimated whole contract value SCOOT traffic management system from 01/01/2010 to 31/03/2012 £22,000 Estimated whole contract value Both contracts appear to have expired over a year ago, maybe that's why the lights aren't working!

Stopped and spoke to a workman in the Farmers Club, Widemarsh Street today. He tells me the ground floor will be a furniture store and the upstairs a cafe. Also went into Argos to pick up some items and was told that they wanted to move to the OLM, but have been refused as OLM want only fashion shops there. Note that Coco's gift shop in Maylords has closed and is relocating to Church Street.

Two more closures. Received two letters today stating that opticians Chave & Jackson, 6/7 Broad Street and Rayner 20 Eign Gate are both closing and customers' records transferred to Vision Express Opticians at 7/8 High Street opposite Boots. No reasons given.