Robust Pothole Plan Rolled Out Across Herefordshire

£1.25m additional funding will help to tackle the issue

Balfour Beatty Living Places has scaled up their approach to combat the county’s potholes through the delivery of a proactive pothole repair plan.

Herefordshire Council’s public realm contractor recorded over five times the number of potholes in March 2018 compared with the previous year, mainly due to the combination of water on the network and extremely cold temperatures caused by the prolonged winter weather.

The challenge of tackling the increased number of potholes across the UK has been acknowledged by government, and Herefordshire Council recently secured £1.25m of additional funding to help tackle the issue. This is in addition to the £5m successful funding bid to the Department for Transport’s Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund, which will see the second phase of road improvement work on the A4103 and A438 begin in August 2018.

Balfour Beatty Living Places’ pothole repair teams have been working hard to overcome the high number of road defects and, since January 2018, have repaired over 13,700 defects, compared to around 3,000 this time last year.

The pothole repair plan sees more operational pothole gangs out on the network, and the use of a ‘jetpatcher’ machine enables higher volumes of potholes to be repaired quickly and effectively.

Andy Williams, Balfour Beatty Living Places Contract Director, said:

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“Following the extreme weather fronts experienced at the beginning of the year, we are pleased to be working with Herefordshire Council to strengthen our approach to tackling potholes across the county. We are creating more teams to prioritise the repair of ‘high risk defects’ which are deemed the most dangerous, and will use the ‘jetpatcher’ machine on our smaller roads. We are committed to maintaining Herefordshire’s road network in the best possible condition to ensure the county continues to be a pleasant place to live, work and play.”

Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services, said:

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“Herefordshire has seen a higher than expected increase in potholes due to a combination of severe weather and the underlying condition of our ageing network which has not had sufficient national investment.

“To address these challenges, we have had a number of successful bids to government such as the Local Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund. We will continue to bid for national funding to secure better quality services which will improve the quality of life of the county’s roads, maintain their condition and help prevent deterioration over time.”

 

The second phase of work to upgrade Hereford City Centre will begin on Monday 14 May 2018 with the refurbishment of Commercial Street.

Balfour Beatty Living Places on behalf of Herefordshire Council will carry out refurbishment works on the Commercial Street area of High Town with neighbouring traders kept informed of progress throughout the works. 

The work is the second phase of a refurbishment project that will be consistent with the look of Widemarsh Street and High Street. 

Councillor Barry Durkin, cabinet member for highways and transport said:

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“The project will upgrade Commercial Street and tie in with longer term plans to improve Commercial Road and Blueschool Street, which will enhance the city as an attractive and easily accessible destination for visitors and shoppers. 

In future years we will see the whole High Town area upgraded, creating a consistent aesthetic with Widemarsh Street and Old Market.”

 

The work will be phased to ensure minimal disruption to businesses and shoppers. All access to frontages will be maintained. Work will continue through 2018 with a break for the busy Christmas shopping period. The Commercial Street phase of the scheme will be completed in early 2019.

Not sure if this is allowed. Being totally new to this situation and know nobody to ask,  am looking for care home for elderly mother with dementia. Have looked at all official websites etc.. Does anyone on here have any personal experieince with care homes in Hereford?

Plenty to digest in this report across a variety of issues

Corporate Peer Challenge Herefordshire Council - 6th – 9th February 2018 - Feedback Report

item 7. Capital project management and control internal audit progress

To update the committee on progress in implementing the recommendations raised in the Internal Auditor’s audit findings report regarding project management of the joint customer services hub (Blueschool House) capital project presented in September 2017.

Appendix 1 - Corporate Peer Challenge feedback.pdf

The Hereford River Carnival starts this evening for an action packed weekend of fun on and surrounding the banks of the river Wye.

The awe inspiring Mappa Mundi Awakening procession starts things off in just over an hour at the Cathedral at 8:30, leading down to the Bishops Meadow.

Saturday's fun starts at 10am with loads going on at Castle Green.

There will be a dog show, food, Nozstock's live Music Stage and Street Carnival.

On the River - the floats will be parading along with the Roundtable Duck race.

There will be Dance Central, fun fair, stalls and food at Bishops Meadow.

Come down and join the fun from 8:30pm tonight and Saturday 10am on the banks of the Wye in Hereford!

http://www.rivercarnival.org/

What a fantastic atmosphere at this years 'Hereford River Carnival'. The weather is absolutely perfect and it is great to see so many people in Hereford.

We had a wonder along the river banks in anticipation of the river floats heading along the river towards the Victoria Bridge.  Here is a live video that we published on our Facebook Page and you will find the others we filmed over the past few days all on our YouTube Channel.

So says a very thought provoking article in the May edition of the Broad Sheep

http://www.broadsheep.com/

Page 6

Healthwatch Herefordshire – the local health champion for health and social care has launched a new online engagement tool called The Feedback Centre, created by Midlands based software specialist Ekko, to help people in Herefordshire share their experiences about local health and care services.

Healthwatch Herefordshire’s job is to ensure that the voice of patients, carers and service users is at the heart of improving health and social care services. Healthwatch gathers the views of the public views and represents those views to local organisations and makes sure they are taken account of.

The new online Feedback Centre will strengthen the voice of people in Herefordshire. It is accessible on a variety of devices including mobile phones, desktop PCs and tablets, just by going to the Healthwatch Herefordshire website. People will be able to easily rate and share experiences of services in an engaging and simple way from wherever they are and receive responses from providers.
Healthwatch Herefordshire believes that by helping patients and service users to easily express their views we can gather more feedback to improve health and social care services.

Christine Price, Chief Officer of Healthwatch Herefordshire, said: ‘The Feedback Centre tool will support our engagement plans. We have much to be proud of with the health and social care services of Herefordshire that people use every day, we should recognise and celebrate this. But sometimes things go wrong and need improving, so the voice of our community must be heard to help get things right.’

‘Healthwatch Herefordshire’s aim is to make sure that the
patient voice comes through loud and clear to the professionals who plan and deliver our local health and social care services. That is why we have developed a simple yet powerful system that is accessible to the widest possible group of people from wherever they are.’
‘Millions of people every day use online review systems to give their opinion about other services or products they have bought or used. We want to harness that behaviour to get patients, service
  
users and their families to give us vital information about the health and social care. As an independent organisation, Healthwatch Herefordshire hopes to gain the trust of the public to tell us their full experiences of local services: the excellent and the good, as well as where things need to improve. We hope that by creating a familiar tool that we will be able to engage many more people in celebrating and improving health and social care here in Herefordshire.’

All reviews are vetted before appearing online to ensure an honest representation of each service provider is given, and service providers can submit a response to each review if they wish.

Healthwatch will work with health and social care providers to create a transparent online forum and culture of using customer feedback to improve services and celebrate good services. It is hoped providers will also signpost patients to the feedback centre and post the feedback centre widget on their websites, to encourage openness and transparency.

Healthwatch will distribute a freepost card feedback options to local services over the coming weeks for those people who aren’t able to access online. We will continue to offer our service on the telephone, social media, visiting groups around the county and go to events where we can talk to people face to face and listen to their views.


Make a difference today and rate and review your latest health or social care experience go to Healthwatch Herefordshire

Rogue company and director fined for deceiving 87 year old Herefordshire resident with unnecessary roofing repairs

A rogue company and director, which preyed on elderly residents in Herefordshire, has received fines for ‘unfair trading’ in a case taken to Hereford Magistrates Court, concluding on Friday 27 April 2018.

GER (Southern) Ltd and its director Martin Hancox, 43, from Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to unfair trading charges following a case taken to Hereford Magistrates Court by Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards team. GER (Southern) Ltd and Hancox received fines and costs totalling £20,343.

The company used databases to cold call elderly residents, and one victim was an 87 year old gentleman from Bartestree, Hereford. In 2014, the gentleman was mis-sold spray foam insulation work at the inflated cost of £5,000. A further unsolicited phone call followed in June 2017, where the gentleman was coerced into agreeing to an appointment where he was falsely told that moss on his roof had caused a leak. Eventually he was deceived into agreeing to further work to the value of £3,200, when in fact the work was unnecessary and worthless.

Director Martin Hancox stated to the court that he was unaware of the incident and it was the actions of rogue staff in his company that led to the offences, but as director he felt he had to take responsibility.

Marc Willimont, Herefordshire Council’s Head of Regulatory and Development Management Services, said:

“The way that vulnerable elderly home owners are sold roof and wall coatings is a scam - this case is just one in a series of rogue trader prosecutions our Trading Standards team have recently pursued. This particular case demonstrates the aggressive sales technique and price inflation that rogue companies use to scam our residents into agreeing to unnecessary or poor quality work.

“GER (Southern) Ltd are one of a string of companies that target the elderly for unnecessary spray foam insulation. To make matters worse, this company returned to a previous victim to deceive them for a second time.

“We want family, friends and neighbours to remain vigilant in protecting elderly residents who are often the target of such scams. I would urge people to never respond to unsolicited telephone calls, mail shots, text messages or door-to-door selling. By responding to this unsolicited contact, victims are likely to be put onto a mailing list and have their information sold to other scammers.”

There is further advice on being scam aware at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/scams and those who believe they have been affected by rogue trading can call Herefordshire Trading Standards on 01432 261761.

Royal Bank of Scotland have confirmed the Hereford branch will close later this year.

The Broad Street branch shown above will close on Wednesday 8th August 2018

RBS customers will be able to bank in person at Natwest instead.

Cllr. Jim Keynon has had a meeting with Hereford Council and it seems that they may have agreed to turn off the temporary traffic lights on the Edgar Street roundabout southbound for a week, it's now down to the Highway's Agency, so fingers crossed. At least if they trial this for a week we will know if my idea works but I am confident that it will be a lot better with them turned off. Nice one Jim!!

As the weather warms up and we head towards the summer, the number of Blandford fly cases is increasing.

The Blandford fly is a 2 to 3mm bloodsucking black fly, which lives near areas of water and gives a particularly nasty and painful bite.  The fly normally bites ankles and legs, as it flies low to the ground and is most common during May and June.

Karen Wright, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said:

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“As the weather starts to get warmer, it is likely that we will see more cases of Blandford fly bites across the county. 

“We encourage people to take precautions if they’re out and about on our rivers and streams, especially over the forthcoming bank holiday weekends, by covering up and using a good quality insect repellent.  If you do get bitten, it can often feel very uncomfortable with swelling, blistering, joint pain and sometimes a high temperature.  However, there’s normally no need to visit a GP. 

“If you do feel unwell after a bite, please call NHS 111 or visit your local pharmacy for advice on how to ease your discomfort.  For the majority of people, the symptoms will only last a few days before clearing up.”

 

If you get bitten:

1. Clean the bite area and dry gently

2. Don’t scratch the bite, as this can lead to infection

3. Apply a cold compress or calamine lotion

4. Antihistamine creams are not recommended, as they can sometimes cause skin reactions

5. Cover large blisters with a dry dressing

6. If bites are on the lower limbs, there may be swelling of the ankles and feet for several days.  Don’t worry about this, simply rest with your feet supported on a stool

You should seek medical advice if you have:

1. Discomfort, swelling or red lines in the groin or armpit

2. A fever

3. A spreading redness or hotness around the bite, which lasts longer than three days

The below is a resume of a recent meeting organised by the Council which I thought you would be interested in .

Weeping Window - Hereford Cathedral 2018

About the weeping window: This breath-taking sculpture was initially conceived as one of the key dramatic sculptural elements in the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London in the autumn of 2014. It will be open to the public from the 14th March 2018 to the 29th April 2018.

Why Hereford Cathedral:

Herefordshire WW1 story is different from the other locations; focus on Home Front.
Geographical location as first time in the West Mids.
Home of the Mappa Mundi.
Quality of bid.

Benefits for Herefordshire:
Increased visitor numbers; this is a unique opportunity.
People will have learnt about our WW1 heritage.
Events programme including working with schools and community.
Volunteering opportunities, leading to ongoing volunteering.
Plan to signpost visitors to other sites such as the Museum & Library, All Saints, Black and White House Museum and Town Hall.
We want to spread the benefits!

Project Costs: The project is going to cost at least £120,000 and includes the following roles and items.

Events Manager
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Volunteer equipment & expenses
Scaffolding
Security
Barriers
Additional toilets
Leaflets, posters & banners
Fork lift & Cherry Picker for install
Art Handlers for install
Home Front themed events programme
Schools learning programme
Closing celebration event

How can you help? We have secured a total contribution of £60,000 towards the projects costs so far, but are still looking for:
Cash donations
Sponsorship of items on the list
Volunteers
Marketing & Publicity
To discuss a donation, sponsorship opportunity or another contribution please call Clare Wichbold on 01432 374214 or email poppies@herefordcathedral.org

Alternatively, you can contact Kevin Ebsworth, our Event Manager on 07772 391918.

This is Halfords rubbish on the Spur Retail Park that has AGAIN blown all across the car park and onto Perseverance Road. 

There is one odd cage which is open with cardboard in from Hobby Craft next door but 99% of this rubbish belongs to Halfords. We have seen this many times and nothing is ever done about it.

Halfords really do need to be aware of their surrounding area and neighbours and secure their waste cardboard and rubbish more securely in a compound. 

We are aware that environmental services have spoken with them in the past but this is the total mess evident again today.

The Hereford Community Clean Up Group only cleaned around this area a few weeks ago, come on Halfords you can do better than this! You have a responsibility to keep your immediate surrounding area clean, we will speak with the store manager today and highlight this issue.

I notice plans for a new place of worship have been submitted to change of use (A2) office premises to become (D1) place of worship, with site managers living accommodation. 

I see no more details

Plans can be found here

Hi,

I can report that at my request Council Highways Officers have spoken to HA and they, Highways Agency, say they are believe that they have to right the sequence on the traffic lights at ASDA roundabout but are monitoring the situation. Apparently the SCOOT system for controlling the traffic lights across the city, had a fault which now too has been put right.

Not wishing to tempt fate but hopefully things will go ok from now on.

Chris Chappell

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.

I have been reliably informed that the former Magistrates Court in Gaol St recently used by Elim Church has been bought by Nmite for £495,000 and will form part of the new Hereford University.
I'm thinking this is a good move by them as the police station will also be a possible use when it moves to Edgar Street.

A market of international traders selling top quality artisan-produced foods and craft products from around the world will visit Hereford in April.

Flavours of the World, made up of 20-30 carefully selected stalls, will be in Hereford High Town, Friday 27 – Sunday 29 April, 9am – 5.30pm.

Touring different themed markets in the UK annually for over a decade, Savoir Fayre’s latest market, Flavours of the World is crafted to stir the senses and appeal to locals and tourists alike. The organisers have worked hard to create an international atmosphere so people can enjoy exotic flavours and unusual aromas and delight in products they might not otherwise see or buy every day.

The range for Hereford includes stalls selling Italian sweets and biscuits and delicate nougats; unusual cheeses not easily found in the UK which reflect the cultural and culinary traditions of rural France, and a stall which sells cured meats and scrumptious rustic saucisson sourced from every corner of Europe. There are also specialist stalls offering an unrivalled choice of ground coffee and mustards.

Beyond the stalls that tempt the taste buds, the market has traders who showcase the beauty of international craft traditions. They include bowls and ornaments carved from Moroccan marble; Baltic amber set into handcrafted jewellery; finely woven Italian clothing; and rugs and throws from Morocco and Turkey. One stall sells an astonishing 60 varieties of beauty bars and natural soaps derived from olive and argan oil.

Councillor Barry Durkin, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services, said:

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“We are delighted to welcome back a continental market to Hereford High Town. The wonderful range of artisanal foods and beautiful crafted items is great news for the vibrancy and diversity of Hereford.”