megilleland

Programme on You and Yours Radio 4

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)

 

From Hereford Times website today:

 

Local policing changes in Herefordshire

 

THE delivery of local policing services in Herefordshire changed this week.

 

All areas of the county now have a dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) comprising of police officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and special police constables.

 

Each SNT is managed by a police sergeant, while PCSOs will now have more powers when executing their duty and be able to work later.

 

The SNTs in Herefordshire are:

 

• Hereford City, Southside and Rural

This includes St Martins and Hinton, rural areas to the south of Hereford and Hereford city centre

 

• Belmont Southside

 

• Hereford City Northside

This includes Three Elms, St Nicholas, Tupsley and Aylestone

 

• Hereford Rural North - This includes rural areas to the north and east of Hereford

• Kington and Weobley

• Leominster

• Bromyard

• Ledbury

• Golden Valley

• Ross-on-Wye

 

Response officers operating from patrol bases in Hereford, Ledbury and Leominster will support SNTs.

 

And in SNTs in areas of high demand, which includes Hereford City, Southside and Rural, there will be two police officers and four PCSOs (one of which is based at Hereford Academy). 

 

“People told me during my election campaign that local policing is an important way of maintaining or increasing public reassurance and it is high on my agenda,†said West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner Bill Longmore.

 

“These changes to the teams, alongside better use of technology and extended powers and hours of PCSOs, will ensure that officers are visible and easily accessible within communities, despite the significant reduction in police funding.â€

I've highlighted the City links for information.

Russell Hamilton GAVE AWAY valuable land with his portfolio as housing, environment and planning cabinet member. The green open space he gave away for housing in Newton Farm was valued at beteen £25,000 to £30,000. The diocese on the other had wasn't so stupid as to give the St Francis Church site away.

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.

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

If people send me the content, I'm happy to compile it :)

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 

I think it is also to attract tourists and people in general too.

I didn't think it was meant for tourism projects.

 

Enterprise Zones are areas around the country that support both new and expanding businesses by offering incentives. There are currently 24 Enterprise Zones across England.

 

Deciding to base your business in an Enterprise Zone gives you a number of benefits:

 

Financial benefits

By locating your business in an Enterprise Zone, you can claim up to 100% Business Rates relief (worth up to £275,000) over a 5-year period. In some Enterprise Zones there are also sites available where you can claim Enhanced Capital Allowances for investment in plant and machinery. Many Enterprise Zones provide even more benefits, such as lease payment holidays, low-rent incubator units and development funding. Contact the zone you are interested in for more details of the specific incentives on offer.

 

An on-site customer base

Many of the Enterprise Zones are encouraging businesses in the same sector to cluster together, for mutual benefit. Some focus on automotive – others on renewable energy or medical supplies. To view the Enterprise Zones by sector click here. Major businesses are specifically choosing Enterprise Zones that can provide them with the goods and services they need. By choosing an Enterprise Zone based on what you offer, you can increase your sales and reduce distribution costs.

 

A straightforward planning process

Enterprise Zones have a can-do attitude to planning through the use of simplified planning procedures – for example, Local Development Orders grant automatic planning permission for specified types of development. If you need a new development to accommodate the needs of your business, locating on an Enterprise Zone could save you time and money.

 

Business-ready infrastructure

Enterprise Zones are developed with business in mind – this means you can look forward to features like superfast broadband and easy access to motorways, rail, airports or ports. Not only that, by choosing an Enterprise Zone that’s right for your sector, you can make use of a locally based pool of labour with the skills your business needs.

 

Some Enterprise Zones have also negotiated ‘soft landing’ packages with partners – to encourage new businesses into their area. These packages might include pre-agreed deals with developers, accountants, or estate agents to make it easier for your business to establish a base there.

 

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Local Enterprise Partnerships are locally owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses. They play a central role in deciding local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and create local jobs.

 

Enterprise Zones have been awarded to, and are being driven by, Local Enterprise Partnerships.

No mention of tourism here.

 

Mr Kerr said he did not know how much money would be needed to set up the centre, but he hoped some would come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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.

 

From the BBC H&W radio:

 

Developers want to tell the story of the SAS

 

Developers have applied for a multi-million pound grant to create the first special forces heritage centre in Britain.

 

The team behind Hereford's Enterprise Zone want to turn a former shell factory into a visitor attraction.

 

The factory was built in 1916 to provide artillery for World War One.

 

The structure is 40,000 sq ft and has an unsupported span, meaning there are no pillars or supports inside.

 

The SAS headquarters are in Herefordshire.

 

'Sense of reverence'

Neil Kerr, chairman of the Enterprise Zone board, said the factory building is as strong as ever, even though the walls are not overly robust.

 

"The walls were very thin because they were designed to blow out if the factory exploded," he said.

 

Mr Kerr said he wanted the centre to become a national attraction which would tell the story of the SAS in a sensitive way: "We will establish a real sense of reverence.

 

"Hereford is famous around the world for two things; beef cattle and our friends at the regiment."

 

The project also includes plans for exhibitions of women at war and Herefordshire's relationship with conflict.

 

Mr Kerr said he did not know how much money would be needed to set up the centre, but he hoped some would come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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

^{Sounds an interesting idea but I wonder whether it will just turn out to be Council bashing?}

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.

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.

I do not want to see Colin get involved in a political mire because he wasn't told how it all works.

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.

A crunch decision over whether Worcestershire should get a £120 million incinerator will be taken by a cabinet decision due to take place on Thursday, September 26.

 

A contract for the site was signed up back in 1998, but it was only last summer that the Government gave the authority permission to plough ahead with the project.

 

Back in December last year a decision on it was delayed due to cost concerns, with council chiefs saying they needed more time to sort out the finances.(source Hereford Times)

A cabinet decision. That means half a dozen councillors telling us what is good for the all of us. Just add it to the council tax and forget about it!

Stop press: After giving the impression that the incinerator decision was to be taken in late September it now appears that Worcestershire County Council are going to try to push the vote through, in early September and appear to be trying to drag Herefordshire with them. In doing so they will extend an already over priced PFI and stop cheaper methods from being used for 25 years.

Belmont Voice is attracting people with something to say and when an issue is raised it remains posted here for further comment. Unfortunately the Hereford Times cuts comments and drops issues when it suits them. I do not think their new comment format helpful on their website. Belmont Voice can carry photos to illustrate your points (a picture is worth a thousand words) and you can link to other sources of information to support your view very easily.

Belmont Voice is a marvellous site and something Colin can be proud of. I feel it should cover the city, as what applies here in South Wye generally concerns or involves the remaining wards of Hereford.

Thanks Glenda