Chris Chappell

Just come back from a walk down Holme Lacy Road to speak to the BB men working there. They are trying to pump water out of drains but there is nowhere for itto go, then they will fill in the pot holes. Apparently the two pot holes are about 18 inches deep also wide. They told me they wil resurface the whole area under the bridge once thepot holes are filled in. All this depends on the weather.

Bob Preece, Paul Rone & I met with BB last week and drove and walked around our area to show BB where the pot holes are and other defects. They know where we want urgent work done and under the bridge is one.

It is the Councils legal team who deal with insurance claims but these are past on to the insurance company who, just as they do with domestic insurance, quibble about. Whether to pay up or not. There are various rules they go by such as the size and depth of pot hole, where it is and if when it was first reported, etc. I have't won an insurance case taken up on behalf of a constituent for about three years but always prepared to have a go.

With regard to number of emergency staff, I assume you mean on the switch board and in emergency planning office? Emergencies like the flooding always involves partnership between council, police, environment agency, health etc, so it is difficult to answer question. The team who are in the emergency planning office of the council probably are up to the right numbers as again nothing is done in isolation of the other partners. I did have a run in this week with the out of hours emergency team because they kept asking stupid questions when all I wanted was road closed signs. I am told they have now sorted that problem so will let you know after I have tried it next time.

Councillors can/do report pot holes any time day night via BBs email. They confirm within 24 hours that they have received message. It then goes on a list of priorities and/ or when call was made. We also have someone from BB come up to Brockington once a month for councillors to tell them of work that needs to be done in their wards. The guy was at Brockington yesterday for three hours.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions.

You are correct in your assumption. The Fire Authority will sell their present site for housing if they go to Bath Street. It makes no sense to move now, not until a by-pass is built and then all the emergency services could be together with easier access to city and county.

We need more affordable homes not least, two bedroom bungalows for elderly and disabled, two bedroom flats and a Foyer and three bedroom houses. Bath Steet would be ideal with room for parking etc.

Some tiles were lifted off the roof by the wind mid morning so it was evacuated in case more tiles fell on someone's head! The Nelson building I think was built by Bulmers, then Art College had it and now the council need it to house some staff.

It is crazy for the fire station to go to Bath Street, the site is perfect for housing which is in short supply. Unfortunately I am not on the H & W Fire & Rescue service or would do what I could to stop it, but the Independent group of councillors on Herefordshire Council are opposed to the Fire Service having this site.

Maybe we all should not get too personal and remember that not everything is always as it seems!

I think all the candidates in the election tomorrow work, do't they? For the record, the Hunderton Community Centre is not in the Belmont ward, and their financial issues have nothing to do with the Belmont ward councillors, as Mandy Evans from the South Wye Partnership will confirm..

Just to make sure the record is accurate, Cllrs Edwards did not/ could not, make any councillor vote for or against anything they did not want too. One IOC councillor proposed, and I think one Independent councillor seconded the same nomination, but councillors from all the groups, Independents, IOC, Lib Dems and Conservatives, voted on a different nomination as Deputy Mayor. The present Deputy Mayor will be the next Mayor and his Father in Law will be the Deputy. Both IOC councillors.

Cllr Edwards certainly did not high jack the meeting as I am sure the record will show, as no members of the public were present I expect some councillor may have exaggerated the truth or misunderstood the situation!

Hereford Futures is to be formally round up as its purpose is now ended. It was set up, as is common practice in local government, to develop and provide the Old Market site with a developer, shops etc. That task is over, almost, so Futures is no longer needed.

The financial details I do not know as much of it will be commercially sensitive, but the bits in the public domain can be found on the council web site.

If, in a few years, the next stage of the planned city development goes ahead around the former canal basin, then I expect another company will be set up to develop that plan, which of course was always planned to take about 25 years.

The problem is that the law, not the constitution, demands that a council must set a balanced budget by march 10th. No alternative budget was put forward, although two amendments, one each from the Independent and IOC groups, were accepted on a vote by council.

Many of us still not happy with the budget, but can nt find alternative funding for the projects we want to keep as they always were. So no point in voting against something unless you have got an alternative, but an abstention is a way of saying I disagree with the budget as a whole but glad to accept the proposed amendments.

It needs to be remembered that there has been a lot of money wasted over the years. An example is on any one day as many as 15 people from different disciplines but from the council or health, might go to a single home, say in Wigmore, one of the far flung villages in the north. You could half this number and still deliver a good service to the client.

The Libaries Users group have come up with a great way of running the museum, which has been crap for years, keep the Libary, install front line advice service, and make the building pay for itself.

Alternative ways of doing some things while ensuring other important services continue to get the money they need to provide up to date services to the elderly, children and the vulnerable.

I have nt got an alternative budget, and do not know anyone who has, no one on this blog has come up with one, so as March 10th is less than a month away and councillors of All parties have had the opportunity since last September to come up with alternative, we are where we are! Hope this helps

twowheelsgood, I have told you the basics, and Aril was always the start date for pot hole/resurfacing. Councillors can not possibly have all the brief details of every contract the LA has, but the details are available when needed.

No you are not being thick, Bob is correct. The £20m Knicks in at the beginning of the next financial year, 1st April. At the moment it appears. That BB are still setting things up. Bob Preece and I are not happy with the time it is taking to do smile jobs. An example was. The time it took, and the amount of emails from us, that it took to finish off Holme Lacy Road. We have reported the potholes across Red Hill for months, and we feel embarrassed when you guys, rightly, have a go at us but it is not our fault.

As part of the contract with the Council, BB have to spend this £20m in the three years. Until then I think the contract will state that they must do the other jobs on themoney available from this years general fund. I expect this is from the start up money. I really do not know the details. Sorry.

Twowheelsgood, I understand that as part of the contractual agreement, BB, have to spend £20m in three years repairing pot holes/ resurfacing roads in the 'B'' & 'C' class. This includes estate roads, minor country roads etc. Herefordshire has twice the mileage of roads than Worcestershire, so the task is enormous, they will at the same time, be responsible for the non trunck 'A' roads across the county.

I think we ought to give them a little longer to get themselves organised. Where will they start? I, of course, want them to start in the area that I represent,but other councillors will want BB to start I thier wards. I think St. Martins & Hinton should take priority a view not shared by residents in Tupsley or Leominster!

I confirm what Bob says as I too reported these pot holes, again! There is suppose to be a contract with BB to repair all pot holes across county in three years. Not sure where we are with that but as Bob says it is on a list of to do jobs so watch this space.

I hold my monthly councillor's 'Surgery' on Friday, 25th October, at Challenge Community Church, Belmont Road, Hereford. If you have a problem I may be able to help or know someone who can.

No need to make an appointment, just turn up between 5pm - 6pm. You can of course, contact me at any time if you need assistance. Tel: 01432 355224 or 07720869172. or email; cchappell@herefordshire.gov.uk

Chris Chappell

St. Martins & Hinton Ward

'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.

But the point is that there is a great deal of domestic violence, some physical, much of it mental.

Bobby, thank you for your kind support on this issue. I have had a lot of dealings with the police over these matters and from time to time with Women's Aid. Women's Aid in this county work very closely with the police and respect the work they do in this area.

In my ward I am assisting at the present time, three women who are the victims of violence from thier partner. Multiply those three by the other 57 councillors who will be helping someone who is a victim, and you get some idea of the problem. Perhaps if we can make more people aware, men may respect women more and women will have more strength to report domestic violence!

No I totally agree with you that men get violence from women. I have heard similar stories to Colin's before. In my role as a councillor I have witnessed the results of domestic violence, the fear of being stalked by ex, police having to call to home many times a week and children suffering. The 2 weeks in November is called '16 days against gender violence' and I am supporting it and want to do something about it, because of my experience as a councillor and my horror, still when I hear of bullies. I hate intolerance as I am sure you all do, and feel that we can not just stand by but shout our disapproval, even if it is only on Herefordshire Voice!

Posters, the week of 25th November is world week against domestic violence.

You may have read in the HT this week that of all crimes in the county are down, except Domestic Violence which has had an increase in the last 6 months in Herefordshire.

Domestic violence is one of the worst crimes to commit against another person. Women across Herefordshire are being treated with comptempt, physically and mentally. It effects children and others in the family. Domestic violence is happening in a house near you as you read this. So what are you doing about it?

Cllr Liz Chave and I want to take the opportunity in November, of highlighting the problem but we need your help. I am not an organiser but am sure that some posters are and can help to bring to this problem to the surface. 'The Wife' implies ownership, slavery, contempt. You can hear it said almost any where in the county, but who questions this phrase? I suspect most posters hate bullies as much as I do and those who commit domestic violence are bullies.

Have you got any ideas what we can do in Herefordshire to highlight the problem of domestic violence?

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?

Land has not been given away, some land is being given over for social housing that wil be infinitely better than now. The Belmont Country Park, that Cllr Phill Edwards set up, more than compensates for any loss of land in the immediate area where the new housing is to go. I refer you to the housing, land etc that was transferred over to Hereford Housing, on behalf of Herefordshire Council for the people of Herefordshire some years ago.

It is the word 'voluntary' which makes the notice of motion useless as that is what can happen now. Voluntary means doing something without being forced! The motion is forcing people to do something so the use of the word voluntary makes the notice of motion useless.

Anyway to more important things. How many people are aware that the health of thier loved ones at the hospital and throughout most of health care is dictated by unelected, unknown and largely unanswerable people. Fortunately Public Health is back in local government control, but mental health for Herefordshire dictated from Gloucestershire!

You know who the elected members of council are and how to contact them. Who do you contact if things go wrong with the health of you and yours?

Bobby take some time to read the notice of motion from Cllrs Attkinson & Rone then come and tell us all what is wrong with the wording! Sorry if I spelt your name wrongly but perhaps if you were not so patronising I might bother to spell it correctly.

Biomech, Like all the ward councillors I am always around and constituents and others further afield contact me on the streets or by email, phone or hard copy. Philbates knows that, he has done it himself. Councillors contact details are in the public domain.

You guys who hide your real names would be taken far more seriously if you did not hide yourselves. If you are serious help your councillors sort out some of the worse problems in the county. Child abuse, domestic violence, the county's economy, all things your councillors deal with, and more. Certainly not going to share these conversations with people who hide their names and do not appear to be representative of the majority of Herefordshire people.

Building suppose to finish October/November but then fitting out takes place. Due to open Easter 2014. Easter being a moveable feast not sure when that is!

Booby47 I am afraid I will not be following you slavishly. I try to say it as it is not how others would like it to be. As long as you understand where I come from you and I should get on fine. For the record I often get things wrong but then I am only human!

The work in Holme Lacy Road will be finished with its line work in a few weeks time so meanwhile try to avoid knocking over bollards at mini roundabout. Next Wednesday Bloor Homes will be at Saxon Hall to discuss their proposal for 1000 houses at Bullingham/Rotherwas. I hope as many people as possible will go to Saxon Hall to look at what is on offer! Do we want these houses, what are the benefits, where is the traffic going to flow and if it happens what can we get out of the Developers? Just some questions you may like to ask and pass on the answers to ward councillors,Chappell, Preece & Rone.

Hi all you critics. To answer Phil Bates. It's not my fault Phil that you shut yourself away and do not walk the streets looking for me. But for the record, I hold a monthly surgery on last Friday of each month at Challenge Church, well advertised. Am often to be seen at the Hereford Academy and am often visiting people's homes to answer calls for assistance. I work 30 hours a week as a care worker, 20-30 as a councillor. So I am around and judging by the number of people who contact me from across the city and further, Phil may be one of the few not to know that.

Glenda as usual got things incorrect. I crossed the floor to join Independent because I have always been independently minded and the Labour Party in Herefordshire does nothing to support the elderly, vulnerable, homeless or low waged. I just got fed up waiting for them to do things for this group and others. It seems to me that too many people talk but do nothing to follow this up by actions.