twowheelsgood

"monitoring the situation" is Council-speak for we can't be bothered to get to grips with the mess we've created, we're off to the next project and hope that everyone gets tired of chasing us to do something. I've heard it a hundred times from Council Officers. They're still "monitoring the situation" they created with the non-sensical traffic lights at the bottom of Foley Lane/Ledbury Road junction, which have blighted all the residents lives for years. Imposed on them on the whim of one councillor, without any consultation, a subsequent meeting with residents, councillors, council officers and MP Keetch, saw the council agreeing to "monitor the situation". They haven't as much as given it a backwards glance since.

04.40am? Good grief   are pubs allowed to stay open that late?

Did they respond with a date? A month on from my last cycle ride past these vandalised benches and, guess what? Nothing done. Why am I not surprised. In fact more pieces have been removed.

Chris....I have had discussions with someone from highways regarding the SCOOT system.It is broke and has not worked for more than 10 yrs.

It was controlled from Worcester - I believe Herefordshire Council wouldn't pay for software upgrades some years ago and the whole thing has died, so broke is probably correct. Don't forget the A49 is Highways Agency, not this Council, so perhaps they have their own system just for Asda/Edgar St. I saw three men in high viz peering into the control cabinet in the middle of the Asda roundabout last week ...

Jack Straw, the buffoon who has cost us all dear and irrevocably changed this country for the worse. The buffoon who shook hands with the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe and then said he did not know who he was meeting in a "dark corner" (poor choice of words there, Jack) during a reception, despite video of a brightly lit room. Bloody politicians! Both he and his fellow muppet Blunkett should just shut up once and for all.

Destroying the limes was ultimately a deliberate 'must happen at any cost' decision by a supremely arrogant cabinet, who do not accede to the requests or demands of anyone, least of all 'local people' as Cllr Price calls them (in public at least).

Their list needs updating, John Jarvis is no longer Leader of the Council, ( he is chairman of adult social care scrutiny committee. ) Anthony Johnson is leader has he taken John Jarvis place?

I emailed them about the accuracy of their website on 23 September, and had the following reply;

Expect extensive local flooding from surface water unable to drain away because of BLOCKED GULLIES - a simple thing to maintain, sadly ignored by Amey, and to the long term detriment of our largest asset. Amey trousered the money, didn't do the work and left us with a myriad of problems.

'The wife' as in I will have to ask the wife, to most people implies that he thinks he owns her! Many times canvassing over the years ,I have had a wife tell me that she will have to ask her husband how they are going to vote! Surely this would suggest that hubby expects her to do as he tells her. After all she is 'the wife!' Let's not quibble over the use of language.

Well, language is important and worth quibbling over when you are making strong and specific statements.

I think you'll find that people often use the phrase 'I'll have to ask the/my wife/husband' to doorsteppers as a polite way of getting rid of them - something which you'll have come across often no doubt.

I don't deny domestic violence exists and applaud any initiatives to address it. I do think classifying anyone who says 'the wife' as a slave owner is, as Biomech says, political correctness gone mad and devalues the real issues.

More to the point - was bobby47 successful - read the comments - he applied for the job ...

'The Wife' implies ownership, slavery, contempt. You can hear it said almost any where in the county, but who questions this phrase?'

I too am puzzled by this - I have a wife - does this make me a contemptuous slave owner in your view, or does it only apply if I say 'the wife' (which I don't, but I know people that do, it’s a colloquial phrase). No one questions it because, really, it does't need questioning does it? 

That’s pretty tame by Heckler standards.

Well, I'm in 'Bartonsham St James' as JK puts it and can honestly say I've never heard of him and he's never shown his face round our way, never engaged with the Community Association or anything else going on around here.

Promoting leisure and tourism whilst his political colleagues cripple it by closing toilets.

I've never heard of either the City Garden Festival or the Green City Project.

Hereford in Bloom I have heard of, and I don't of course doubt his involvement in all the things he lists ...

A welcome return to blogging by El Lukio - the thinking mans blogger.

That JKay - didn't he used to wear a big hat, drive fast cars and sing on the telly?

That leaflet - pathetic and risible, says nothing. Yes, he's been a Hereford City councillor since the last elections - who knew?

Recycling has been around a lot longer than since 2009. Councils don't do it for altruistic reasons - they face massive EU fines if they don't achieve certain targets and PFI funded and profit driven recycling plants are there to exploit that. Silver foil was probably one of the first items to be recycled, starting decades ago, and its great to see the article linked in Frank Smith's post, where good work by local people is put ahead of blind profit to shareholders. 

• 5.30pm Gates open
• 6.00pm Fire performers
• 7.00pm Children's lantern procession
• 7.30pm Fireworks display (No private fireworks or sparklers)
• Come for your supper;
• Pim's Thai Food
• Friends Café - hot dogs
• Barrels Beer Tent

Wristband entry only, available from;
Outback Records, Church Street or St James CE Primary School, Vicarage Rd, (1- 3pm, cash or chq only), tel 273961.
Adults £6 in advance (£8 on the night)
Children £4 in advance (£6 on the night)

A family friendly community event raising funds for St James CE Primary School PTFA building fund and Friends of Castle Green.

philbates said "it seems criminal that in this day and age we are throwing valuable metals into landfill" following an unhelpful response from the council. I agreed with him for the reasons stated and gave an alternative which could help, as did Frank Smith. I don't think that’s doom and gloom. It’s a forum - people complain -  that’s (partly) what they're for.

It takes a vast amount of energy to smelt aluminium in the first place, but, once done, it is 100% recyclable, and can be recycled indefinitely. It is grossly irresponsible just to bin it, when its more about envirosort making a profit than adapting their system to sort it.

The Learning Centre in Symonds Street will take it.

That doesn't answer the question as to who it was given to.

Odd that councillors are too busy sniping at each other to answer a simple, direct question.

Glenda, could it be possible that your recollection of facts are not the same as the rest of us? You know well that former Cllr Hamilton was referring to councillors who are not in the Lib Dems, Conservative,Labour Parties or Independents in most cases! Bullying comes in many forms and is an hourly occurrence on this and similar web sites. Some of us are strong enough to resist it, others give in and either join in or roll over a and submit.

If someone is not prepared to reveal thier true name and contact details, when they make accusations about councillors or council officers or other organisations on this site, I would assume they are a bully and all bullys are cowards. Perhaps you need to decide where you stand on these matters?

Really? An hourly occurrence on this site? Can you give us examples please?

Disgraceful - not much of an encouragement to walk and cycle is it? There are blocked gullies everywhere you look - its been out of sight, just take the money for Amey through the summer period and now they're gone with, no doubt, all records of complaints binned. Whenever I ask what are councillors doing to bring their contractors to book I get no reply.

I think the Police reorganise almost as often as Councils do - good for keeping more people employed than would otherwise be necessary and for making it hard for the pesky general public to find their way round their labyrinthine corridors of power.

It was given to build houses for people to live in

That doesn't answer the question as to who it was given to.