megilleland

Unfortunately this is the way we are going. It is being promoted by the government through a project called Locality. Unless you are on the list of key figures who views are sort, the authorities wont want to speak to you.

If anyone wants to see what happens to black bags when they get put out 4 to 5 days before collection (onTuesday) just have a walk through Sherborne Close, behind the electricity sub station, to Muir Close. It looks really third world - a total disgrace. We will have people picking through it next. What is Herefordshire Housing playing at. They have been told enough times about this problem. Maybe its time to go to Environmental Health and/or get them into court to solve this nuisance. A sofa which was dumped at the back of the sub-station has now miraculously transferred itself to the back of houses in Muir Close. Maybe it got bored sitting there for the last 2 weeks. It appears that Herefordshire Housing and the Council are deliberately running down the area by ignoring the problems that a few people are creating. Maybe they want to knock this area down and build some more new houses with government grants. What with Balfour Beatty making street cleaners redundant it looks as if we will be up to our necks in litter, dog s*it, flytipping and abandoned cars, but by leaving the grassed areas uncut for weeks on end maybe we won't see it! If anyone can get a picture of the mess in Sherborne and paste it on here, maybe those in power will realise how bad it is. Have a look at ongoing topic "I told you it would get worse".

Hereford Times: 6:02am Thursday 10th April 2014 in Letters: Elected from within the council - not by the public. How much money is HC spending through this quango and where are there any up to date minutes on their meetings - the last ones being posted on 1st November 2012? Is this going to be another Hereford Futures set up, except on a larger scale.

Hereford Times 8:00am Saturday 5th April 2014 in Letters in case people have not read this:

From the National Planning Policy Framework March 2012 Department for Communities and Local Government 12. Conserving and enhancing the historic environment 126. Local planning authorities should set out in their Local Plan a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, including heritage assets most at risk through neglect, decay or other threats. In doing so, they should recognise that heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource and conserve them in a manner appropriate to their significance. In developing this strategy, local planning authorities should take into account: * the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation; * the wider social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits that conservation of the historic environment can bring; * the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness; and * opportunities to draw on the contribution made by the historic environment to the character of a place. 127. When considering the designation of conservation areas, local planning authorities should ensure that an area justifies such status because of its special architectural or historic interest, and that the concept of conservation is not devalued through the designation of areas that lack special interest. 128. In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation. 129. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this assessment into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal. 130. Where there is evidence of deliberate neglect of or damage to a heritage asset the deteriorated state of the heritage asset should not be taken into account in any decision. 131. In determining planning applications, local planning authorities should take account of: * the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation; * the positive contribution that conservation of heritage assets can make to sustainable communities including their economic vitality; and * the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness. 132. When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. The more important the asset, the greater the weight should be. Significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of the heritage asset or development within its setting. As heritage assets are irreplaceable, any harm or loss should require clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm to or loss of a grade II listed building, park or garden should be exceptional. Substantial harm to or loss of designated heritage assets of the highest significance, notably scheduled monuments, protected wreck sites, battlefields, grade I and II* listed buildings, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens, and World Heritage Sites, should be wholly exceptional. 133. Where a proposed development will lead to substantial harm to or total loss of significance of a designated heritage asset, local planning authorities should refuse consent, unless it can be demonstrated that the substantial harm or loss is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, or all of the following apply: * the nature of the heritage asset prevents all reasonable uses of the site; and * no viable use of the heritage asset itself can be found in the medium term through appropriate marketing that will enable its conservation; and * conservation by grant-funding or some form of charitable or public ownership is demonstrably not possible; and * the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bringing the site back into use. 134. Where a development proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset, this harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal, including securing its optimum viable use. 135. The effect of an application on the significance of a non-designated heritage asset should be taken into account in determining the application. In weighing applications that affect directly or indirectly non designated heritage assets, a balanced judgement will be required having regard to the scale of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset. 136. Local planning authorities should not permit loss of the whole or part of a heritage asset without taking all reasonable steps to ensure the new development will proceed after the loss has occurred. 137. Local planning authorities should look for opportunities for new development within Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites and within the setting of heritage assets to enhance or better reveal their significance. Proposals that preserve those elements of the setting that make a positive contribution to or better reveal the significance of the asset should be treated favourably. 138. Not all elements of a World Heritage Site or Conservation Area will necessarily contribute to its significance. Loss of a building (or other element) which makes a positive contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site should be treated either as substantial harm under paragraph 133 or less than substantial harm under paragraph 134, as appropriate, taking into account the relative significance of the element affected and its contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site as a whole. 139. Non-designated heritage assets of archaeological interest that are demonstrably of equivalent significance to scheduled monuments, should be considered subject to the policies for designated heritage assets. 140. Local planning authorities should assess whether the benefits of a proposal for enabling development, which would otherwise conflict with planning policies but which would secure the future conservation of a heritage asset, outweigh the disbenefits of departing from those policies. 141. Local planning authorities should make information about the significance of the historic environment gathered as part of plan-making or development management publicly accessible. They should also require developers to record and advance understanding of the significance of any heritage assets to be lost (wholly or in part) in a manner proportionate to their importance and the impact, and to make this evidence (and any archive generated) publicly accessible. However, the ability to record evidence of our past should not be a factor in deciding whether such loss should be permitted. Do we have a Local Plan for the City Centre?

Let me oblige gdj:

Here is somebody that thinks Hereford Council isn't selling off its assets fast enough. I am not surprised it's the Conservative dogma again. But then HC are not selling its assets - just giving them away. “Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.“ —Steve Jobs, “Commencement Address at Stanford University“ American Rhetoric (delivered June 12, 2005)

UKIP national party hails smashing of “undemocratic†cabinet system in Norfolk It's nice to know that we are not the only ones unhappy with the way our local authorities are run.

Hereford Times 1:37pm Monday 7th April 2014 in News By Bill Tanner Can't this council do anything other than create car parks all over the place. How about some green spaces for a change. Why a National Express stop in a parking bay on Commercial Road surely it needs to be part of a transport hub. Why dump passengers in a busy street with lots of traffic to contend with?

Not sure if you could go to the Local Government Ombudsman concerning lack of transparency regarding the disposal of assets. What we are now witnessing, with the present disposal of public assets, is the same thing that happened when public open space was transferred to Registered Social Landlords in 2002, who now regard the open space as a land bank for future building. Here is the Ombudsman's website with some recent decisions made regarding Land, Commercial and contracts and Councillor conduct and standards. Making a complaint If you have a complaint, the first thing to do is complain to the council or care provider. You can find out how to complain from the council or care provider, or you can ask a councillor to help, if your complaint is against a council. In most cases, the body complained about must have a chance to sort out the complaint before we can consider it. Councils and care providers often have more than one stage in their complaints procedure. You will usually need to complete all stages before we will look at your complaint. See our 'top tips' for making a complaint. Throughout this section we sometimes use the term ‘body’ to refer to the council, other authority, or care provider you are complaining about. (See the adult social care section for further details about complaints about adult social care.) If you need any help – call our helpline on 0300 061 0614. It is open from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. (Calls to 03 numbers will cost no more than calls to national geographic numbers (starting 01or 02) from both mobiles and landlines, and will be included as part of any inclusive call minutes or discount schemes in the same way as geographic calls. Please note that calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes.) It appears here the Ombudsman cannot question what a council has done simply because you do not agree with it. Something affecting all or most of the people living in a council’s area, such as a complaint that the council has wasted public money. There must be some fault by the body that has caused you significant personal injustice. However they then go on to say: The Public Interest Test We are more likely to investigate a complaint where: * It relates to an issue of significant public interest or to an issue of current concern to the Ombudsman. * It relates to the abuse of power by a public body against a person. This may arise, for example, where a council behaves in an arbitrary and unreasonable manner over the sale of land. In these situations we have an important role in addressing the unequal balance of power between the person and the state, and in highlighting the higher standards expected of public bodies when exercising their administrative or commercial powers. Some interesting decisions here:

UKIP want to get us out of Europe and stop our lives being ruined from Brussels. Were already lumped in The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership with Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, that's why we can't get any sensible output from our local council - they no longer make the decisions. Even the Cabinet is told what to do by those higher up or elsewhere. Look at the Bath Street fiasco and how this is developing - it's not a cabinet running the county, but a cabal. Definition of cabal: a small group of intriguers, esp one formed for political purposes a secret plot, esp a political one; conspiracy; intrigue a secret or exclusive set of people; clique

Jim in the BB job description above (post 23) for Locality Stewards, BB are creating 13 positions for 9 Localities. Can you tell me how these posts are going to be distributed across the county - where are the other 4 going? You mention that things will still be reported the same way to bblivingplaces. Can you explain how this works?. Will residents be able to have direct contact with BB? How are these Locality Stewards going to work with these other agencies on our estates. Our grass is cut by three different organisations and they all pass the buck if you raise issues with them. localities_map.pdf

MEETING: CABINET MEETING DATE: 10 APRIL 2014 TITLE OF REPORT: CLOSEDOWN OF HEREFORD FUTURES REPORT BY: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER item 7. CLOSEDOWN OF HEREFORD FUTURES To obtain approval to the arrangements put in place to accomplish the close down of Hereford Futures Ltd (HFL) on a solvent basis and to manage the effective operation of ongoing projects. Recommendations THAT: a) the transfer of HFL obligations to Herefordshire Council (as outlined at paragraph 6 below) be approved; b) delegated authority be given to the Director for Economy, Communities and Corporate, in consultation with the Solicitor to the Council, to finalise and sign the necessary documentation to effect the transfer of obligations arising from recommendation a) above, including any necessary variation to the joint venture agreement with Homes and Communities Agency; and c) the role and efforts of HFL board members throughout the board’s period of operation is recognised and thanks be extended to the board. Reasons for Recommendations 2. Following the close down of Hereford Futures Ltd there will be a number of outstanding obligations which will need to be continued to ensure the smooth operation of a number of projects which contribute significantly to the council’s corporate plan. Additionally there will be ongoing financial, legal and operational implications of continuing with the projects, these will need to be managed and brought back to Cabinet or Cabinet Member as and when a decision is required. I wonder if there are any golden hand shakes or enhanced pensions being given out for any HFL board members on their departure?

Terms one comes across in the above document: Herefordshire Partnership Shared Services Venture Integrated Care Organisation Herefordshire Pathfinder GP Consortia Rising to the Challenge transformation programme being undertaken by Herefordshire Public Services (HPS) Reaching the Hearts of Herefordshire The Big Society National Citizen Service for 16 year olds Localism Bill Community Infrastructure Levy Sustainable Communities Act 2011 Charter ‘A Shared Community – working relationships in Local Government in Herefordshire’ Parish Plans All this just to get the grass cut regularly and the litter picked up.

I think you need to do a bit of research into Common Purpose and you will see the agenda that is being played out against the electorate. An interesting post here reveals that Herefordshire Council was involved with this organisation way back in 2007 Linked to Common Purpose is Localities where a select group of people are consulted about issues which arise in specific parts of the county and set priorities. You can see this lately with the Balfour Beatty job advert here. All this is set up to confuse and complicate simple issues so that we residents will go away and give up complaining.

What's this locality chap thing JIm. How does he fit into reporting a problem? Is he on the phone for the public to contact?

The Working Boys' Home in Bath Street is in the Central Area Conservation Area What is a Conservation Area? The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 defines conservation areas as: To apply for permission to demolish or partly demolish a property in a conservation area, please read the following requirements and complete the application form: Requirements for householder application in a conservation area Application form for householder application in a conservation area Finally a very good booklet extolling the virtues of regeneration. Heritage Works - The use of historic buildings in regeneration. A toolkit of good practice

Hereford Civic Society Thursday 17 April 2014 Design Review Panels – Is there a need for a Design Review Panel in Herefordshire? Panels usually consist of a small group of mainly professional people who review planning applications and make recommendations for improvement (if any). Design Panels are invariably used on larger schemes, such as ESG, where the design would have high public interest. An illustrated lecture by Architect Angus Jamieson. Also due to attend is design guru David Tittle from MADE, the Midlands Design Review organisation and a Civic Voice trustee. All meetings at the Kindle Centre, by ASDA Supermarket, Belmont, Hereford, HR2 7JE. 7:00pm refreshments for a 7:30pm start.

13 pages containing 309 comments and over 5200 views. You tend to lose which direction the Working Boys House is going. Let's look at the present situation. This is how I see it correct me if I'm wrong. Fire station, Ledbury Road (H&W Fire Service) needs a new base central to the city centre. Proposal is to put it on Council Office Bath Street site, following demolition, with the council getting the old fire site for car parking or housing. The quick fix. More imagination and creativity needed (much discussed here) Move the fire station to The County Bus Station. Well placed for fire high risk areas ie Hospital, Blind College, Railway Station, City Centre and Edgar Street Grid, future ESG housing developments and industrial complexes north of river. Good access to all major roads when link road is completed without having to cross internal city pedestrianised routes. Access to 16,052 households north of river against 9,326 households south of river. The bus station is moved to Rockfield Road Car park as transport hub interchange. Access to trains, taxis, local and national bus services, cafe facilities with left luggage facilities, bike hire, together with extra long term parking for rail users and visitors using modular parking systems. See past topic here. Council Offices, Bath Street (council owned) and existing fire station developed for essential housing. Central positions with good access for many residents to city services (prime position). New life for redundant buildings - remember the Victoria Eye Hospital and the old General Hospital. This is my solution and the benefits available for the people who would be involved if such a plan was adopted by this council. Is this being endorsed by everybody or are there other public objections to what seems a sensible idea.

And for Herefordshire? Coincidently the £27m which could also go on Shrewsbury and Telford's town centre roads is also the cost of the link road across the ESG. Are we witnessing some creative accounting?

Balfour Beatty recruiting: Structuring for Success Are you up for a challenge? Balfour Beatty is at the start of a new ten year contract with Herefordshire Council to maintain, manage and improve the highways and public spaces within the County. As a result of changes to the way that we are going to deliver services, and after carrying out an internal reorganisation, we are now looking further afield to fill 25 vacancies for exceptional individuals that can help us transform the way that we provide our services to the public. Andy Williams, Contract Director of Balfour Beatty Living Places in Herefordshire explains "We want to get closer to the communities we serve, and provide services that match their needs more closely. To make that happen we are restructuring, and are currently recruiting new staff in Herefordshire to support the new ways of working. We're looking for outstanding individuals who are passionate about Herefordshire's residents and making sure they get the highest quality services". Balfour Beatty is introducing a new team of thirteen 'Locality Stewards' - these are new roles for a new way of working. Our Locality Stewards will be based in, and responsible for an area of the County. They will develop an understanding of the needs of the community by listening to the public, elected members and parishes alike, and by first- hand inspections of the issues. We want to talk to individuals who know how to build good relationships. They will need to be very good at listening, and they'll need a very strong sense of personal responsibility for getting things done. And sometimes - like recently in all the floods we've been having - be prepared to work long hours to ensure residents are safe and happy with the services we provide. We're keen to talk to people from all sorts of backgrounds. What will count will be personality, tenacity and commitment. We need to make the best use of our resources, and Locality Stewards will ensure that we minimise the impact of reducing budgets for routine activities such as street cleaning and grass cutting. Training will be provided for individuals that demonstrate the right approach for the roles. The roads of Herefordshire will benefit from over £40m of investment this year, and Balfour Beatty is planning how best to do the work - to ensure that the right work is done at the right time, whilst minimising the effect on the travelling public. We need very skilled and highly motivated people, who are driven by a commitment to the best possible value and service for the residents of the County. " Councillor Philip Price, cabinet member for infrastructure said, "I've been working hard since the beginning of this new contract to push for locality stewardship and I'm pleased to see the new posts being created to work with local parishes and residents. Local input is the key to make sure services are right for each community, and we need to get back to this way of working." Depot Manager Overview of the role: You will run one of our operational depots and be responsible for the management of all services delivered from the depot, through the effective management of its staff, managing the quality and productivity of their work, while maintaining company and industry standards relating to health and safety and other related company policies. You'll need to know how to get the best out of our people, often in very demanding conditions. The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional with knowledge of highway maintenance and management, and related operations. You'll have good communication skills, both verbal and written and have the ability to deal with difficult or confrontational situations. You'll be good at understanding needs, and finding solutions to problems, customer focussed at all times and continually looking for ways to improve. Technical Competencies: You will have at least 5 years' experience of operational management of both planned and reactive works. Good organisational and motivational skills are essential. Locality Stewards (13 posts) Overview of the role: A Locality Steward is a new role and a new way of working. A Locality Steward will be the eyes and ears of the service in one of the 9 'Localities' within Herefordshire. As a Locality Steward you will be the main contact for the public, elected members and other key stakeholders, responsible for understanding local needs. You will attend local meetings to identify, understand and develop outline solutions for key service related issues. You will undertake statutory inspections of the highway and public rights of way. The kind of people we are looking for will have a very strong sense of doing the right thing for the localities they look after. We want to talk to individuals who know how to build good relationships. They will need to be very good at listening. They'll need a very strong sense of personal responsibility for getting things done, and be highly customer focussed with experience of working positively with different sectors of the locality (members, parishes, public, community groups) They'll have good communication skills, both verbal and written, plus the ability to deal with difficult or confrontational situations. Technical Competencies: For this role drive, enthusiasm and tact are essential - training in the technical aspects of the role will be provided for the right candidates. A full driving licence is essential, plus GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent). You'll be PC Literate and have a knowledge of MS suite i.e. Word, Excel etc. Highways Supervisor Overview of the Role: We are looking for someone to be responsible for the delivery and programing of works across the highways routine and reactive business area. You will need to work with the locality stewards and the depot managers to develop a program of works that reflects the needs of the localities within the county, assisting the depot managers in the management of staff allocated to this business area. Part of your role will be to manage productivity and quality of works in this business area, dealing with emergency defects and related incidents across the network and to provide technical guidance to this business area. Technical Competencies Operational safety related qualification (IOSH / NEBOSH) NRSWA ideally Units 1 to 16 3 years (minimum) Highways Maintenance operational experience GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent). Works Programmer Overview of the role: your job will be to programme all the activities on our network, from grass cutting and litter picking to the construction of major schemes in order to assist in making our work efficient whilst minimising its impact on the public. You will have excellent planning and organisational skills, good communication skills both verbal and written. Good presentation, influencing and motivation skills. You will be target-driven, have a flexible attitude and willingness to travel to multiple site locations. Technical Competencies: You will have significant experience of programme management for a complex, interconnected and constantly changing series of activities. A recognised programme management qualification is desirable, as is an understanding of working on the public highway. For further information on these and other opportunities candidates will need to visit the Balfour Beatty careers website http://www.balfourbeattyservices.com/careers/ or they can email [Click Here to Email Your CV] More vacancies will be advertised next week. At Balfour Beatty we value diversity and celebrate individual differences. We believe diversity of people, skills and abilities helps the business continue to grow as a strong, dynamic and innovative organisation. We believe everyone should be recruited and promoted on the basis of their personal ability, contribution and potential. We promote, support and maintain a culture of fairness, respect and equal opportunity for all.

MADDOX COURT RECORDS (Mostly Land Transactions & Will Settlements) ENGLAND & WALES 1700s Benjamin Maddox Herefordshire Record Office Records of Hereford Society for Aiding the Industrious 1670-1894 Deeds

More complications in the operating room. Hope this isn't going to be terminal.

In the Hereford Times public notice section last week concerning Link Road The link above does not appear to be working strangely. The schedule to land in question - all 130 parcels. 140214_not4_public_notice_of_inquiry_edgar_street_grid_and_link_rd.doc