Chris Chappell

Book only being sold privately as booksellers wanted half the proceeds and book is to raise funds locally. You can buy book from Chris Over from Dindore

Let's get something straight. There has never been any desire to build on the Edgar Street ground. It would not be possible without spending £Ks to break the covenant Miss Chave put on it. The external Auditors would not allow it, let alone the Trustees of Miss Chaves Will. I too would fight this to the death. Several years ago when the Directors wanted to buy the ground from the City Council, we refused them. 'Mr Hereford' even wanted us to sell the ground!! We made it clear to him we would not sell. In hind siight, that may have been the best decision we ever made! I do not know of any Herefordshire Councillor who has suggested we should try to build on the ground or sell and build another ground elsewhere. The original plans for the relief road included moving the ground a few degrees in order to build housing to support the club. What is in doubt is who is running the club now. Herefordshire Council owns many buildings in which there are privately owned businesses, just like Hereford United. Rotherwas! But the Council has no control over the business, only over what happens to the building/property it owns. It is content to get its rent on behalf of the rate payers who are the owners of these buildings. We have no control over the business? (The owner of my house, my landlord, has no say over who I invite round or what I plant in the garden) After the election next May, things will be different, I hope!. We will certainly have a more 'Open' Council, although we will still need to observe the usual confidential clauses that govern all private business/landlord/tenant agreements. As a devout Newcastle United supporter, I want Hereford United to regain its former Glory! Perhaps we should ask Newcastle United to support our campaign to keep Hereford United for the people!

Hi, no we are still here but can not always come on here, there are constituents to see and papers to read. However you can help. I am helping a constituent who has a relative in a nursing home with a grade 4 bed sore. As a former care worker I can tell you that a grade 4 means someone has either been incompetent or committed a criminal act of neglect. Has any blogger a similar experience that has been reported to authorities but nothing much was done? I would like to hear from anyone who knows how much per hour an IT expert is paid an hour! As you may know I am not IT literate! I am investigating how much it would cost for ten days for someone to set up a new site on computers in an office. Have been told £300 per day is about right? I would like to hear from anyone who has experience in the last three months of applying for a Blue Badge? The Government has changed the rules and many people who had one before are not getting one now. A private company working for Herefordshire Council now decides who gets one. I have one or two constituents who have been refused a badge recently but had one before. Their disability is either the sma or worse. You can help please, but only if you have genuine knowledge of the above. Please feel free either to contact me here on email me on my council email.

My supplementary question to Cllr Bramer was to ask if now the building of the link road has been confirmed, would he talk to the Crime & Police Commissioner about using the police sports field at the end of Widemarsh Street for the fire station. You will not be surprised that the answer is No. Harry seems to be rather bad tempered recently, do't know why! The saving of Bath Street is important, I pointed out to Harry that most people in the City hold that view. I think that the Planning Committee will need to use their collective skills to ensure that the application goes to the Secretary of State for decision. This will mean a delay of some months, a appeal before that to the planning inspectorate, where the public will get a say. A delay might take us to May when an incoming Council can resind the decision. I told Cllr Bramer that there is no hurry for a new fire station and that he is not looking far enough ahead. In ten, twenty five years time Hereford will look very different and the by- pass will allow for the emergency services to move with speed rather than being based in the centre of Hereford. Wish I were still on the Planning Committee!

I have submitted a written question to Cllr Bramer for tomorrow's Council. Basically I asked why all the options for another site were not investigated, why Cllr Bramer did not look at a site close to the access road or southern relief road, and does he realise that Bath Street, St.Owen Street site and the ambulance site equals approx 300 homes, thus saving on green belt. Hopefully I will be able to give you his answer and my supplementary question tomorrow or you can come to hear for yourselves!

I have known Bill Tanner for more than 20 years, we often compare notes! What you have from him is what you more or less got from me. There has to be protection for the bullied who are the guys who suffered by all of this. Identification of these guys could lead you to the culprits but I for one, and I believe Bill Tanner too, do not want to see people hurt anymore than has already happened. No one other than the few Councillors and few senior officers will know the total cost to the public, but it is sometimes necessary to pay off people, to get them out of an organisation. If it were to have gone to industrial tribunal, it is likely the bullies might still have been working at the Council as the victims did not want to go public. One victim was extremely ill as a direct result of the complaint and others were off work with stress. Every organisation, public and private, uses financial incentives to get rid of difficult employees. It is wrong, but the victim has to be the one looked after and if that means getting rid of a bully, as in this case, by a pay off so be it!

Hi, It may be that some of you have't heard, but the debate about the Cabinet is not now going to happen at the September meeting, as there are three other NoMs! We are going to try to suspend Standing Orders but should we loose that vote, the NoM will not happen until December. It is my intention to be at the public meeting tomorrow so look forward to seeing you there?

I am sorry if this got out of hand but politics is all about getting angry! I am very angry this evening, now I have had it confirmed that the N o M Terry James proposed and seconded by Bob Matthews, has not been allowed on the grounds that there are already too many NoMs coming to Council in September! Bob Matthews was even told that it would take 8 months to re-write the constitution, which is a load of rubbish. So what now, well we could try to get Standing Orders suspended at the meeting. I am prepared to stay all day at Council debating issues, but not sure if everyone else shares that view. Or we could bring it back to the following meeting in December, but that's pushing it. Hopefully, the opposition Groups will go ahead anyway and start putting in place a plan for a different type of governance after the May elections.

Flamboyant ,I think you are too close to retirement if you have not already done so to worry. Do't worry it suits my purposes not to expose you, you are not, after all the only officer on here! My constituents are the Alpha and the Onega, the beginning and the end for me. I will have a go at them but will not allow anyone else too. Many of them have been run down by council officer, police,health, OTs and others, I just want them to be given a chance. Some are being bullied. When I am wrong tell me, when I am right keep quiet. There are a number of issues coming up that will need a lot of support, you have a part to play in this, help me please. I can trust Bill Tanner as he and I go way back and understand our boundaries, the bloggers need now to help us. Bill and I talk often, not just about Council matters. There may be questions asked at Council in September, that seem strange, but there is a reason, and it is not the question but the answer that is important! It's past my bedtime, back aches, my temper gets back to normal, and the email I asked for 24 hrs ago, from Leader of Council, has not been replied to. So same again tomorrow then!! Nite

Watch this space! You may be surprised. Questions may be asked!. So what makes you think Herefordshire is different to anywhere else? Rotherham, is just the name of a place, the issues can be found any where you care to mention, from any family? Some of us have been on the case for years but not listen too. Was it your partner, parent, son/daughter,sibling who did not listen to our concerns? We can discuss this when we find out. When I first became a councillor and had to go to County Hall in Worcester, to take my oath , afterwards the lawyer who heard me take my oath, had some small talk and told me that when in private practice in Leominster, he had to defend a family whose Grandfather, in front of the rest of the family, took the virginity of the daughter when she showed signs of pubity ! I have no reason to believe that this practice does not continue somewhere in the county today. It happens in Herefordshire,. Every school governor who gets involved with everyday problems at school, knows child abuse is going on in some form. It worries me that revaluations may be too shocking for some people. And what if we have to arrest your relative, but if they knew but did not act on it, as a council employee, I would want their pension, their liberty and signing the sex offenders list. Think on it! There may be revelations to come. Sleep well.

Flamboyant I realise that as a former council officer you knew a lot about what was going on, but I was aware at the time it is just there have been so many that you are proably not aware of. I had no wish to offend, but none of us can know everything that goes on in the Council. Bullying goes on in every organisation, just as it did in your former area of employment, but we can only act if Councillors are told about it! If I am correct, you reported to your line manager, that people partially sighted could not do their job properly and if I am correct, I am sure that I will turn up at some point, your email to me letting me know there was a problem!! At the moment I can not trace it, but have got others!. It always worries me that you will put the lives of your children and elderly parents in the hands of an undemocratic organisations like the Hospital Trust, and believe everything their staff tell you, or let the Magistrates sentence you to 100hours community work without questioning who these people are, or that a non elected committee is responsible for keeping the Police Commisioner under control, without question, touching forelock, or allow your child to go to a school where the unelected Govenors could make a decision that will effect your child for life, but the democratically elected people from your community who have their names! Contact details and faces published on everypublic forum and you can replace every four years, you take every opportunity to give a good kicking to. Sorry, what did you say your name is, and how can I contact you to let you know what is happening on and around the Council? The other thing you have to remember is that most of the bulling is going on by people living in Herefordshire, in your street, maybe your neighbour,some one near you, possibly in your family, amoung your friends ,just as domestic violence does! Sun valley use to be rife with bullies living in our communities, I see some of them now. No one has reported them! Herefordshire Council for many years was run by families, and you had to be so careful that you did not say one thing to someone who turned out to be related to a manager in another department. We all need to be against bullying, how ever high up it goes, who ever it is, that will take courage and determination to sort the problem. I am in regular contact with Unison, where I know they are aware that many officers are not members. I hope you are, so together, we can campaign to rid ourselves of bullies and intimadation. Perhaps you could start by telling the other bloggers who you are and how you can be contacted!! I could do it for you if you confirm I am right in your identity. It would be a start and you would be much more respected by casual readers who take little notice of those who hide behind silly names. If you want to help,I have lots of constituents who are legally homeless, owe In excess of £30k, and who have domestic violence issues. Then there is the 'Child abuse issue'. The mental health issues and illiteracy and numeracy issues. As well as having a go at Councillors you could be useful helping me with these problems. What did you say your name was, or have I got it here..... Have courage, we will have more democracy in Hereordshire, join those of us who are prepared to speak out no matter what the consequences are.

Please understand this! A notice of no confidence in the Cabinet would not mean the Tories would no longer be in control. It might get the present bunch to resign, but the law states that the Group with the most Councillors or if there is a coalition, two or more Groups, under political porportion, control the Council. Other Tories would just step in. The only way you get rid of the Tories is to vote them out next May. Until then, unless the combined opposition Parties set up an Executive/Cabinet, you will continue as we are. The Constitution/Standing Orders is for a Cabinet and would be difficult to change before New Year earliest. Many of us in the opposition Groups do know what we are doing, we know what can be achieved and what will have to wait. It is not just the bloggers here we have to talk to but all the other partners in the county. Please be patient, bide your time, we are working on a new system of government in the county. If we do things properly, with thought, then we will do away with the present system of Cabinet, the present way officers are run and give the public more say in how their county is run. But please let those of us with the experience, knowledge and courage, get on to do the job. My priorities at the moment are to sort out the various scandals effecting the Council and looking after the homeless, abused children and various other worries that affect peoples lives. There are too many. It is these things you should be making your priorities, they are mine and they are many. Thanks for your understanding.

Hi Bobby, I think it is Gods punishment for my fun when I was young, it was fun while it lasted but had I known then I might have left off a few games of rugby, had less women and taken more care of my back which now has metal rods keeping it together. A a metal knee helping me to walk. They were good days when we were young, paying the price now. Be assured I will not give up fighting bullies or investigating potential scandals or corruption in Council. I just have to take it more gently these days so it takes me more time. If you or other bloggers ever hear of anything that you think needs investigating, please let me know. Because it may need me to ask you more questions, and it is often easier not to broadcast what I am up to, please can you email me or phone me to discuss. We can always arrange a meeting in the Barrels or the Vaga! Kind regards, Chris

Hi Cambo and Flamboyant, I always investigate 'whispers' and hate bullies. I am concerned that there is Rotherham type problem in county and working on it! On most occasions it's difficult to go public until/ unless all facts known! Sometimes to protect myself, I need to go about investigating rumours in a very private way. I am very fortunate to have been a councillor for more than twenty years and know, am known by officers, so I have built up a trust there which allows them and me to ask for help from each other, if that makes sense! I have a similar relationship with some police officers. I am currently working on a question for Council in September based on information brought to me by concerned council officers. Unfortunately this dreadful arthritis is extremely painful at the moment and am having to concentrate on trying to stay upright, so please bear with me if on occasions I appear off hand or rude!

I have spent today investigating this matter. I already thought I was aware of some of the details. I am not prepared to say much, partly because it is the wish of the victims that there is no further discussion on the matter, and partly because I had to use up most of my good will to find out what the facts are. I have been asked not to identify my contacts, which I will respect. I understand the bullies have gone. Some of the bullied left, some have stayed and are content with their job. Compensation was involved. Some Councillors, representing the public, were involved. There are officers and retired council officers on this site who would be aware of the protocols involved. I believe that at least one has contributed to this blog! Sorry but that's all your getting, I can not break confidences. Please can this be the end of the matter.

I know nothing of this case and would be surprised if any other councillor, with perhaps the exception of 'the Leader', would know of the case except by way of whispers! Unfortunately as we all know whispers get exaggerated. Employee matters are the sole responsibility of the CE and Head of Paid Service. The only opportunity for councillor involvement would be to hear employee disciplinary matters or as members of the. Employment Committee. In both cases Councillors are sworn to secrecy, except inthe case of the Employment Panel, there would be a brief report to Council. If the ICO has said he is content there is unlikely to be anything Councillors can do.

Hi Guys sorry for delay in responding but suffering from back pain so forgive if I not concentrating well. The 800 planned houses, which I do't think we can stop now, will be built up against the access road. It stands to reason therefore that with these homes plus the expansion at Rotherwas, that a fire station/ambulance/police etc, needs to go close to these developments. It is b......s for the fire service to say it floods there as 800 houses are to be built there? The EA is convinced that everywhere south of the Wye floods. Some of our EA information comes from Shrewsbury office while some comes from thier Cardiff office, needless to say they do not communicate. I am for the Eastern route bypass, so I would think that the fire station could be closer to Rotherwas than the A465. I am told that subject to planning etc, the Southern link road will be built by 2017. I can not see fire station being built much before that so wait for a year then build new fire station on access road! This gives us housing land at Bath Street, St Owen Street and Ross Road where ambulance station is now. Which in turn might mean we can save some green belt land! There has never been a plan for a police station with the 800 houses. A new school is planned and a few shops. No community facility or church and only one way out of estate on to access road! Hope this helps

I am close to the plans for the new University and am not aware of the above plan for Bath Street. The question I am going to ask Cllr Bramer is why, if the building of the new fire station in Bath Street is unlikely to be finished till2017, and the completion of the southern link road, between A465 and A49, is also due for completion in 2017, why the new fire station, ambulance station and traffic cops, do not have a new build on same site wholly or in part built by 106 money. This would give up Both Bath Street and the present fire station site to much needed housing! Did Cllr Bramer think of this or investigate it?

Hi Just let me put this right but maybe you need to read the whole letter when it is published. Firstly I did not say we should keep cabinet. Only that someone has to ensure decisions of committees are implemented. That can be the Chairman of committee or anyone else but the 'buck' has to stop somewhere. My point about the Agenda and notice of committee meetings, is that in private business a decision is made this morning and implemented this afternoon at the whim of the management. Because Councillors have to be held accountable, the public need to have a week to read the agenda, as do the Councillors and a week to decide what is the best way forward taking into account the information in the agenda. The public need a weeks notice of the meeting to make arrangements to attend. In Rotherham, the Cabinet member should have been fully briefed on what was known about the awful events, including confidential items. There will be resignations. Social workers in Herefordshire hate sharing confidential material. A committee would have been unlikely to have been fully briefed, have all the information and may not have made a decision! Should the whole committee resign or just the Chairman? This is why I want to have a full review of the cabinet system, put in a more democratic system, with committees and better scrutiny.

Sorry if some of this sounds confusing, but my back is killing me today and I am out of whiskey!! To answer Dippy first. Glenda and I will make sure that all the Independents go for a named vote. I have ways and means of making certain members of the IOC vote! Also remember that the Green Party is now a group on the Council and I hope that they too will join a named vote. I hope that the Notice of Motion and the arguments of those of us speaking to it, will sway the vote. Denise. The committee least like to be affected by change is Planning. It is a statutory committee with guide lines and rules that are similar in Lands End and Newcastle. Members joining committee have to have traing and good reasons and argument made for going against officers recommendations. There will be no change in the way Council is run before May. But now is the time to decide what sort of Government we want for the county following the election. The IOC seem to think that working with a coalition of other groups they can just change things day after election, it does't work like that!

Good Morning, There needs to be no mistake by the IOC or anyone else for that matter, the Council has to make the decision about how to run the Council before next May. The day after the election, the groups need to get together to decide who runs the council etc. within days a new Leader needs to have an idea who their Executive or what ever is going to be. An agreement across Council as to who is Chairman. We can not be deciding what form of Council we want as late as that as there would be no constitution or standing orders to do it! I hope the IOC will join the Independents in a named vote at Council in September. I hope also that they will join us in working on a new way of running the Council. We have to put aside any differences there may be and work as one group to decide on the future of Herefordshire Council. The county's future for years to come depends on strong Leadership now!

I am not so sure that the motion will not be passed. I think so many people are fed up that at least the Independents, IOC and Lib Dems will vote for change. We have to make sure everyone is at the meeting. There will be a named vote and the result published. The differences will be in what sort of Administration do we want following the election. As I mention in my earlier posting there will have to be some named individuals who make daily decisions. It's the reporting of these decisions, and the communication to other Councillors and scrutiny that is important. I hope that the IOC will join the Independents in forming a sub group, to report before Christmas, to look at the way forward. I would like to think that the Lib Dems and Tories will also be on that sub group so we can have some sort of consensus. The sub group will need to report to other Councillors with the aim of agreement in February for time to re-write the Constitution and Standing Orders by May! It's a tight time scale but where there is a will...................!

I shall be voting for a different system to the one we have now. The political group with most members will still hold the balance of power, that's democracy. There proably will have to be some form of Cabinet and Leader. But sub committees or forums advising each cabinet member. They can't be committees which have to be politically porportionate and need an agenda and seven days notice for members to be called to meeting. ( if as an example, there is a gas leak in Widemarsh Street, I suspect people would be a little upset to have to wait a week for a committee to give consent to Gas board for road closure!. One person needs to take responsibility for this decision and be answerable for it, or a baby 'P' event in the county, can't wait for a committee to make a decision if social workers need to take children into care. A Cabinet member needs to be briefed and agree that correct procedure has been taken that day. They can report into sud committee when it is convened in a couple of days) Scrutiny needs to be tightened up with Councillors having regular training, as they do for planning, to know what questions to ask and importantly, what the answer should be. I favour a 'Select Committee' approach, like Parliament. All this requires a re-write of the Constution and Standing Orders. It will be far more costly than the present system. I understand that filming of meetings is on the cards but again this may be more expensive if more meetings have to be filmed. With all meetings now taking place in Shirehall it should be more easy for public to pop in to listen to debates. Councillors will need to be better trained and more full time to be in a position to advise Cabinet Member. Then there is the role of Leader! The Buck stops there, so he/she will need to attend more council lead meetings to get the feel of members views on subjects. The Chairman of Council will also have to be very strong in ensuring that things are being done properly! There is also an opportunity now, to review the role of senior management, how the officers of the Council are recruited, their roles etc. I hope to present a paper to the Indepedent Group on this subject in the New Year then later to other opposition groups before the election. I hope this has been a useful blog for readers and an understanding of some of the pitfalls ahead. Interesting times.

Cllr Preece's arse is no larger than most men of our age and size, and every day he gets off it to do his Ward work! Cllr Preece and I have asked the Cabinet Member, Cllr Rone why firms outside the county are now cutting the grass. Because of the back log, BB couldn't cope, but apparently most local contractors were already committed to cutting grass and other similar work. So BB went out across the country to find contractors who could cut the grass at the lowest price. Two Wheels, far be it for me to be critical but it is worth saying that like Luxenburge, Gwynedd has EU money, has money from the Welsh Parliament and from their rate payers. The scandal would be if it is discovered that they use their money on street scene and not on people! Herefordshire just gets its money from rate payers, who can not afford to pay more and Government hand outs. The Tories will be gone next May, things will be very different after that. Please bear with those of us who are trying hard to undo the The damage done over the last few years.

This is a very difficult issue which every LA has to tackle. Do we ignor government dictat because the Council does not want to upset local people, and let developers come in and build where they like, or do we designate greenfield sites and have some control over developers? Not easy. There is not enough brown field sites for development across the county and some of these would be challenged by local people if there was a large development. The proposed 1000 homes to be built at Bullingham worries me a great deal; only two ways out of the proposed estate for vehicles, one up the Rotherwas Access road to the A49 then down Ross Road the othe down the Access Road to Holme Lacy Road! More traffic at the StMartins Church Junction, let alone additional vehicles travelling through two large housing estates. A small shop is planned plus a school. If it has to go ahead, I want to ensure our planners have all the options open to them through the local plan, so that the Councillors for the area, can get planners make the developers provide highway improvements needed to take the extra traffic. To be fair it is not the planning officers fault the five year housing plan has not been adopted yet. across the county Councillors have echoed the views of their constituents, most of who do not want extra housing in suggested areas but can not come up with suitable alternatives with division amoung themselves, so no agreement about plan. Time to take plan by scruf of neck and let Pickles do his worse! Meanwhile we need to encourage home building on brown field sites, at least one in my Ward is being challenged by local people! As I said not easy.