megilleland

Not much notice for those businesses locally. Meanwhile in the Financial Times today Minutes of the Executive Board are available here:

A lot of the open space mentioned in the above notice is shown as safeguarded open space on the old UDP and remains in force today. That is until the land deals are arranged behind closed doors and the policies altered to suit the needs.

That's right the land was transferred not sold to Hereford Housing. However HH tried to put 50 houses on Argyll Rise, but following the efforts of local residents and two public inquiries this was prevented. So the residents and chidren who have enjoyed the green open spaces on Herefordshire estates should just climb on the top of the garage roofs while the land is dug up for more housing and cars. If you want to stimulate some growth why not get some of the local eyesores and tatty car parks in the city developed. Why build more houses with gardens - very few people look after them and keep them tidy. Usually they park their car in the front garden.

Programme on You and Yours Radio 4 Monday 7 October 2013 - 12 noon Charities with missing accounts; nurses with missing payments; village greens with missing legal protection Further erosion of residents rights to green open space.

Cycled down Great Western Way today - the problem still hasn't been dealt with.

In total, the council paid £38.5m to Amey Wye Valley over 2012-13 up from £32m in 2011/12. You can see the increased spend is due to filling in potholes. (laugh)

I've highlighted the City links for information.

Was this the Vortex passed to Herefordshire Housing for nothing. Remember in 2002 Hereford Council passed over numerous parcels of land to Herefordshire Housing who now see these as potential building sites, removing open green spaces for local residents and their children to enjoy. Here is the list transferred for nought.

The council has since June 2013 listed in its monthly contracts and expenditure redacted expenses to the value of £2,628,105.85. Not much transparency here. Why now?

Well there is plenty to get your teeth into here. Just about covers everything that could go wrong!

Russell B Hamilton claims “self-serving, ill directed and frankly appalling†behaviour of other members convinced him to go 2:04pm Tuesday 1st October 2013 in News By Bill Tanner THE councillor with the county’s future in his hands has called it quits - with immediate effect - claiming the “self-serving, ill directed and frankly appalling†behaviour of other members convinced him to go. Councillor Russell B Hamilton resigns today as ward member for Pontrilas and cabinet member for environment, housing and planning, saying: “Those remaining should not have their reputations damaged by those that, in my view, are not fit to hold office,†In an extensive resignation letter seen by the Hereford Times, Coun Hamilton singles out “the same small group of offenders†for everything from unsubstantiated allegations to “aggressive, rude and gutter level†remarks. Those same members, said Coun Hamilton, have a reputation for treating council staff in a “disrespectful and bullying†way . “I believe that in Herefordshire the group of councillors who are the subject of my concerns are unable to have an open and balanced discussion. Their starting point is always that you are wrong because you are part of the administration - in my view they are simply wreckers,†he said. Other issues raised in the letter include the “lack of reality†amongst some councillors over the council’s financial position and the inability of the existing standards process to deal with improper behaviour by members. “Councillors must set an example for their communities and for council staff alike. Sadly, however, the offenders continually try to appear as if they have the moral high ground and, in my opinion, consistently demonstrate a different set of standards, values, ethics and interpretation of what it means to maintain high standards and dignity towards others,†said Coun Hamilton. “For me to continue in a system with some people who, in my opinion, are not worthy to hold public office and that does not have a standards regime that has the ability to deal with improper conduct is impossible,†he said. In stepping down, Coun Hamilton hoped his decision would start debate on what it means to be an elected representative. “It is clear to me that, for the most part, the majority of people understand the real issues and challenges, are frustrated by the time it takes to get things done and want the council to get on and address them,†he said. Elected to the council just over two years ago, Coun Hamilton, in his cabinet role, had the primary responsibility for the council’s core strategy plan dictating development patterns - including house and road building - in the county up to 2031. That plan pitches 16,500 new homes, a western bypass for Hereford, and around 148 hectares of land being opened up for business expansion. Council leader Councillor Tony Johnson said he was “saddened†at Coun Hamilton’s decision. “He is without doubt the hardest working councillor serving at present. I think it is unlikely that the people of Herefordshire will ever understand the difference he has made for them over the past few years. “At a personal level he has been a great friend not just to me but to the officers with whom he has worked. His dedication and friendship will be missed,†said Coun Johnson. Plans are already being drawn up for a by-election in Pontrilas with another by-election due in Tupsley after the recent resignation of Councillor Alex Hempton-Smith.

How about getting some ideas of what needs exposing - I'll kick off Public eyesores (litter, fly tipping, grass cutting) Hereford Council - issues and agendas, transparency, politics Hereford City Council - issues and agendas Traffic issues - Link Road, Bypass, traffic lights Retail issues - Old Livestock Market, High Town Health service issues Housing Associations

The last election result: Herefordshire Council ELECTION OF A COUNCILLOR FOR THE PONTRILAS WARD Thursday 5th May 2011 HAMILTON, RUSSELL BRUCE 728 (Elected) Local Conservatives GODDING, ELAINE CHRISTINE 515 Independent PETER JOHN 337 It's OUR County (Herefordshire) We need to just put up one independent and its in the bag. More than that just splits the vote.

From the Hereford Times today: Councillor Russell B Hamilton to resign from midnight tonight 4:42pm Monday 30th September 2013 in News By Bill Tanner THE councillor with the county’s future in his hands has called it quits – with immediate effect. Herefordshire Council has just confirmed that Councillor Russell B Hamilton, cabinet member for environment, housing and planning, will resign as both a cabinet member and ward councillor from midnight tonight. Rumours of Coun Hamilton’s decision started circulating the council’s Brockington HQ last Friday. In his cabinet role, Coun Hamilton was responsible for the council’s core strategy plan dictating development patterns - including house and road building - in the county up to 2031. That plan pitches 16,500 new homes, a western bypass for Hereford, and around 148 hectares of land being opened up for business expansion. Council leader Councillor Tony Johnson said he was “saddened†at Coun Hamilton’s decision. “He is without doubt the hardest working councillor serving at present. I think it is unlikely that the people of Herefordshire will ever understand the difference he has made for them over the past few years. “At a personal level he has been a great friend not just to me but to the officers with whom he has worked. His dedication and friendship will be missed,†said Coun Johnson. Plans are already being drawn up for a by-election in Pontrilas.

I didn't think it was meant for tourism projects. No mention of tourism here. Where will the rest come from. There isn't enough money to keep the toilets open. Maybe this is part of the Ministry of Defence study which sets out how to sell wars to the public.

I thought the aim of the Enterprise Zone was to attract businesses which will create thousands of jobs.

We already have What I Heard About Herefordshire Council and the Hereford Heckler. There is Here for Hereford also. A publication on the lines of the The Bristolian makes a very good read especially the recent edition which mentions Hereford. However this is a bit like trying to change voting attitudes. Everyone wants to set up their own campaign and all that happens is that the vote and effort is split and the two mainstay parties either get in again. Now if these publications' stories were pulled together and posted onto this forum maybe the message would get out to a greater number of people who could be guided to put up a united front against this council. We only need 7172 to get a referendum to change the way the council operates. Over 3000 votes were raised for the Edgar Street Tree campaign in a matter of weeks. It could be done.

MPs will vote on new government plans to gag charities and campaigners for a year before elections. If it goes through, from next May 38 Degrees and a whole host of other organisations will be banned from holding politicians and political parties to account like we do now. You might have heard about the “gagging law†currently being voted on by MPs. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s really bad news. If it goes through, it will have a chilling effect on British democracy and on our right to speak up on the issues that matter to us. Basically, the law slashes the spending limits on campaigning for the year before any election. Campaigns that have impact don’t cost the earth, but they aren’t free. Community groups, charities and campaigning organisations would all be hit. Election time is when ordinary people have the most influence on our politicians. On the big issues of the day – whether or not to go to war, the future of our NHS, the environment, welfare, immigration, etc. – we'd all be gagged. The problem is that this law has come out of nowhere and not many people have heard what’s going on. If we’re going to defeat it, we need to get the word out further. If every single person who’s ever joined a local campaign group or taken action with their favourite charity knew that they could be stopped from doing that again, the outcry could explode. Here’s a simple five minute video you can watch for more information. Can you take a look, and then help get the word out by passing it on to your friends and family?

In Sherborne Close some residents still put their black bags out Thursday evening onwards for a collection the following Tuesday. This problem has been ongoing for 2 years (see past post here) The bags sitting in the road are sometimes split by cats and dogs and I cannot understand why Herefordshire Housing does get some big bins to put the bags in. There is still a lot of debris fly tipped behind the electric sub station and in it. The big problem is no one from the Housing Associations, Herefordshire Council/Amey is walking around and seeing these things.

It's about time it worked for the residents of the city.

The boundaries are not changing till 2015. No good reason to stop getting this on a political basis before them. I am not supporting a particular party, just that when you have a problem the two excuses to solving them are, it's not in my area (ie I'm not interested in your problem) and it's not my responsibility (ie passing the buck). The IOC website puts out one point of view. You can go there to find out their interest in the city as you can go to other websites for the other political parties. This website should give people confidence that their voice is going to be heard and acted upon by our councillors with other residents agreeing or disagreeing with the issue. It should not be just a place for a good moan and then forgotten whereby the issues put into the archive and forgotten.

Issues affecting people fall into areas where they live. So it may be an idea to break the forum down into the two political areas ie Herefordshire - The County Council Covers the whole of Herefordshire and is divided into 40 wards represented by 58 councillors. Elections for Herefordshire Council are held every four years on the first Thursday in May. Next election 7th May 2015 Wards are: Aylestone Backbury Belmont Bircher Bringsty Bromyard Burghill, Holmer and Lyde Castle Central Credenhill Frome Golden Cross with Weobley Golden Valley North Golden Valley South Hagley Hampton Court Hollington Hope End Kerne Bridge Kington Town Ledbury Leominster North Leominster South Llangarron Mortimer Old Gore Pembridge & Lyonshall with Titley Penyard Pontrilas Ross-on-Wye East Ross-on-Wye West St Martins & Hinton St Nicholas Stoney Street Sutton Walls Three Elms Tupsley Upton Valletts Wormsley Ridge Obviously you can't have a forum for each - it would be too unmanageable. Hereford City - The City Council 18 Councillors are elected for each of the seven wards that make up the City of Hereford. Elections are held in conjunction with the Herefordshire District Elections every four years in May unless a member resigns in which case a bye-election is held. There are seven wards in the Parish of Hereford City: Aylestone Ward Belmont Ward Central Ward St Martins and Hinton Ward St Nicholas Ward Three Elms Ward Tupsley Ward This may result in more councillor participation!! Also a section for events that residents may like to contribute to.

Best of luck with the switch. I am sure this is the way forward as well. This will become a truly democratic voice for all those who wish to raise issues or concerns about our city. Well done Colin.

This approach to basic environmental care is typical of this council. You only have to walk around the estates and the city to see weeds growing out of the kerbs. Litter strewn everywhere, blocked drains and areas of open space where nobody takes responsibility for grass cutting. On top of this, irresponsible dog owners allowing their "pets" to defecate on any open space, some where children play regularly. You don't need expensive machinery to do the job - just a broom, hoe and shovel. Let's hope Balfour Beatty have got a few spare quid out of their £200 million pound contract over the next 10 years to buy some basic kit. If they are not sure how to use them, I will set myself up as an outside consultant, and will be looking for a generous contract to show Balfour Beatty which end of the broom to hold! Regarding the brook, I reckon I could do a better job with a bill hook.

When I had a hotel between 1988 and 1999 most guests paid with a credit card. The credit card companies charged me a handling charge for each transaction about 3%. The interesting thing was that at the time VAT was charged at 15% and included in the guest's bill and because there was no section on the credit card slip to show the amount paid in VAT the credit card companies took 3% off the total bill including the VAT. That is where the added value is for the banks. I wrote to the Office of Fair Trading for an explanation and was told that this arrangement had been agreed between the banks and government. Although credit card slips have almost disappeared the same system is still being used with chip and pin. Just imagine what 3% of the VAT element (20% today) is on card purchases used every day in the UK.