Well gang, it's 2015, and elections are looming ever closer!

There have been plenty of discussions over the past few years....plenty of questions asked, and some replies given.....but not always! My New Years Resolution is, to keep asking the awkward questions,to  keep reminding folks of what has been happening in this county, and to hope and pray that come May...things will change for the better!

This thread is specifically to ask councillors for the answers to those sticky questions, that just didn't get a reply.....!!!

For example.....

When will council meetings be streamed / filmed??

When will the burnt out River Island building be restored??

How much does Hoople pay to use the top floor at Plough Lane??

There are plenty more....but feel free to add you own, then they will all be easily accessed on the same thread!! Simples!

Happy New Year to you, and let's hope the results of this years election sees a positive turn for both Herefordshire, and Britain!

Massacre at French magazine office

This my friends is where freedom of speech is under threat, which breeds resentment and gives the state the power to control.

Irrespective of whoever becomes the government in May we must campaign for democracy over cries of nationalism,extremism and revenge. These actions by a few offend the Islamic faith which generally like Christians are a peaceful people. They must not win and we must not replicate their cowardly ways citing ill conceived religious beliefs.

This is a real shame, Watercress Harrys will be closing its doors this Saturday night for the last time by the seem of it.

This is the message posted on their Facebook Page:

Cress is Closing!

Saturday the 10th will be our last trading day!!! come see us this weekend and next Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the last time!

Police Investigation Into Incident in Hereford

Detectives from West Mercia Police continue their investigations at a property in Kempton Avenue, Hereford, where two women sustained serious injuires today (Tuesday 6 January).

Paramedics and police officers were called at around 12.10pm today to a house in Kempton Avenue to a report of a woman in her 50s with serious stab wounds. She has been taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Another woman, in her 30s, sustained what are believed to be serious injuries and has also been taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Superintendent Sue Thomas, police commander for Herefordshire said: "We continue our investigations in the house in Kempton Avenue, including searches and forensic examinations.

"I would like to reassure the local community that we believe this to be an isolated incident."

West Mercia Police

Quote from HT:

 

Summary

• Police and emergency services were called to an address in Kempton Avenue, Bobblestock, Hereford earlier today
• Two woman flown to hospital - woman in her 50s with life-threatening injuries, a woman in her 30s with critical injuries
• Police forensic teams on site
• Police confirm it is "an isolated incident".
• The road is now open having been sealed off during this afternoon's incident

                                  Public Exhibition For South Wye Transport Package.

                                  Tuesday 1st to Thursday 3rd July at the Three Counties Hotel.

                                                         12 noon to 8pm every day.

                                 'Everyone will be given an opportunity to voice "their" opinion on outcomes

                                                               and initial stages of the project.

                                                                       "HAVE YOUR SAY"

                                                Meet: Glenda Vaughan-Powell: Independent Cllr

                                            ... always willing to listen to 'Your' views & opinions....

                                                . Tuesday 1st July  - 12.30pm and 5pm

                                                . Wednesday 2nd July - 2pm and 4pm

                                                . Thursday 3rd July - 3pm and 6pm.

                                           ... or telephone Cllr Vaughan-Powell on 01432 360456.

When it comes to being critical of Tommy Agomba and all the lads from the East End, I'd advise all United supporters to tread carefully.

These lads, from Ham, Bow, Plaistow and Stepney are tough lads. Tough! They ain't your mamby pamby, pen pushing jotter blotters who, if you fall out with them they may punch you in the gob. Not these lads. More than likely they'll nail your head to a door.

That's what they do in the East End. It's common practice. Fall out with someone and you get your head nailed to a door. Often you can cruise around the East End and you'll see them. Staggering back home with a door nailed to their head. They'll say, 'I've no time for small talk. Out of my way. I've a door nailed to my head'.

In the East End, it's Blags, Jags and a Million Fags and if you step out of line arguing about the price of a kilo of Clams or Jellied Eels you'll probably get your head nailed to a door. That's the way of things in that manor. 'Stop your wriggling', they shout, 'be still while we nail your head to this light oak door'.

Course, having your head nailed to a door can't be nice. I wouldn't want it. Who would? You'd be an odd sort if you wanted your head nailed to a door. I've researched this practice and not one person has said, 'I've had my head nailed to a door and frankly it's the best thing that's ever happened to me'.

More often than not, they all say, 'what a dreadful experience. If I'd known then what I know now I'd have never allowed my head to be nailed to a door thank you all very much'.

Mind, I'm not suggesting that you should run for cover if you see Tommy or one of the lads wandering around High Town carrying a door and a carpentry kit. They're probably carrying out a bit if work on the side and they've no intention of affixing your head to the door. But, if you've been vocal and you've complained that Tommy and the lads have buggered it all up and they know who you are, my advice is to shout, 'Tommy, the Police in these parts have a zero tolerance attitude toward heads getting nailed to doors', run away and when your happy he and they can't possibly catch you to carry out their crude carpentry work, stop, shout, 'Tommy you are a rotter and a stinker' and then continue your journey home.

Mind, the lads don't scare me. Never have and never will. If I get a tap, tap, tap on my window and I discover that Agombar and the lads are outside holding a door, a nail and a two pound lump hammer, I'm calling the Constable. I'll be damned if I sit back and allow these East End lads to nail my head to a door.

My message to Tommy and the lads is this. This is Hereford and around these parts we do not acquire wooden doors and nail heads to them. That'll make them think twice before they introduce their cultural ways to our fair City.

In fact, the more I think about it, the angrier I'm getting. How dare they tip up here and think that we are happy to have our heads nailed to doors or any other piece of wooden furniture.

Location: Converted old 'Youth Court'

Opening: About Saturday 13 December 2014

Hours: 22.00 - 04.00

Facilities: Assessment area/recovery space/supervised sleep-off room (and hopefully a toilet)

Staff: Unclear on qualifications/levels but believed to involve 'street pastors'

Hereford Times

If you want to watch that classic game between Hereford United vs Newcastle it's on BBC2 NOW!

And here we are! Our football club, Hereford United is gone and no matter what many say or even wish for, this 'old girl' ain't for returning anytime soon. Burdened by poor management, catastrophic decisions, bile and phlegm heaped upon all those who've played a part in its downfall, division amongst the supporters and a tragic tale of plotters and schemers desperate to lay their hands upon the promise of becoming wealthy once the leases were exploited, it's all gone. Done, dusted and now confined to the dusty shelves of football history and any further debate as to why, when, by whom and for what reasons is now a pointless excercise in futility. It's as pointless as some of the stuff I shovel out upon these pages and now is the time to look to the future.

And what of this future? Well, the new name looks like it'll be Hereford Football Club, where they play is highly uncertain and given that the Council must provide good value for money to the ratepayers, Id say that it's looking unlikely that Edgar Street will be its new home. The likely outcome will be that the Council will deliver up the leases to property developers who'll create social housing, commercial development associated with the plans to create a University and a patch of grass that'll allow some football to take place together with some other sporting activities.

Wherever the new Hereford Football Club play and no matter which division they manage to compete in there will be consequences and these consequences are not happy and sweet for the local amateur football community. For the likes of Westfields, Pegasus and Wellington they'll quickly realise that competing against Hereford Football Club, particularly if this Phoenix Club are playing at a similar level, ain't going to be a bag of sweet smelling roses. They'll be badly affected with the emergence of this new team.

These hitherto, we'll run local amateur teams will suddenly find that they are competing against an amateur giant. Yes! Giant ain't to stronger word to describe this new team. Supported by several hundred die hard supporters who's ten pound yearly subscriptions will ensure that money is not the immediate problem, they'll wipe the floor with all who stand before them.

Suddenly, the likes of Westfields and Pegasus will feel the strain. The local Well of players they've traditional gone to, to pick up good amateur players, will be being fished by Hereford Football Club and those kids who've got the golden opportunity to play for the mighty Hereford Football Club, play in front of perhaps a thousand fans and get more money in their back pockets are going to refuse the invitation from Westields and Pegasus and grasp the chance to be associated with the new local amateur giant.

Course, both Westfields and Pegasus will suddenly arrive at a crossroads of destiny. Do they compete with the new giant and raise the pay or do they simply sit back and watch.

What happens if Westfields and Pegasus make the decision to try and compete? Do they flourish and prosper or do they get themselves into financial difficulty, fold and end up playing in the lower reaches of the Herefordshire County leagues.

One things for certain, the new birth of this new giant is going to impact upon local football and it ain't going to be good for them. The only thing that I can see is unhappiness and the full impact of the death of Hereford United has yet to be fully appreciated by the local football community of Herefordshire.

Some Posters might know that Mrs U looks after hedgehogs over the winter months ready to release after hibernation in 2015 .

Last night at about 5pm she received a tele call from a man who had found a very small hedgehog near to the hospital , He was asking if Mrs U has room for it - she of course had room ! He then went onto say that he didn't have transport but was hoping that his neighbour could deliver it to us . ( I was out ) at 7.15 pm door bell rang , it was a Taxi ( driver ) who had been hired to deliver this hedgehog to Mrs U because neighbour was working late . The finder of the little hedgehog had paid the Taxi driver £15 to deliver it to Mrs U , some 4 miles from the City .

Of course some might say that it was a waste of money which could have been spent more beneficial but hopefully others would say that this was a very kind act by somebody who could have crossed the road and ignored this little hogs plight.

"The 13 Worst Christmas Trees in Britain"

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/11678629.Liscard_s_Christmas_tree_among__worst__in_Britain/?action=success#comments

LISCARD'S Christmas tree has made it onto a list of the worst Christmas trees in Britain.

The town's festive display was given a spruce-up earlier this month after residents set up a Facebook page complaining about the "depressing" tree.

The page, called Liscard Christmas Lights, showed the solitary tree - donated by nearby Primark - surrounded by a metal fence, secured in concrete blocks.

A post on Facebook said: â€œWe know we are not Liverpool or Birkenhead, but as a community and customers of all the local shops in Liscard all year round we deserve better from Wirral council and the businesses.â€

While the tree is now adorned with a set of colourful new lights, complemented with decorated lampposts - following £9,500 funding from Wallasey constituency committee - the display has still made it onto BuzzFeed's list of "The 13 Worst Christmas Trees in Britain".

Coming in seventh place, BuzzFeed's new reporter Patrick Smith writes: "It now has some fancy lights but the festive health-and-safety fence remains."

While Liscard may not have the most glamorous festive display, BuzzFeed shows that is by no means the worst with Haddenham in Cambridgeshire, Streatham, north Oxford, Oakham, Mottram and Mier in Stoke-On-Trent all considered "worse".

The Christmas Nativity didn't go well down the Commercial today. Oh, it started off well enough. Me and the lads supped a dozen pints, sang a few Carols and said our Lords Prayer, but once me and the cast got into our positions for the traditional Nativity scene, it quickly descended into chaos.

Firstly, I said to the lads, 'lads thank you for nominating me to play Jesus for the second year running. Now, before I climb up into this Manger, wrapped in these nicely bound swaddling clothes and start snuggling up to Nora who's playing me Mother Mary, I want to make it clear that I'll be damned if Nora breast feeds me again this year.' I told the lads, 'lads, I dont want to be breast fed again, Nora is eighty and she cannot possibly lactate and whilst she and I fully appreciate your artistic direction, we've both agreed not to do the breast feeding scene'.

Course, the lads weren't happy. The Shepherds, the three bloody wise men and the Angel Gabriel were just about to kick off when all of a sudden there came a hollering and a yelling, 'I'm King Herod and Im here to kill the first born'. Course, cognisant that we didn't have a bloody Herod in the cast, I raised me fat face from beneath Nora's busums and yelled, 'who comes yelling something about killing the first born, or in this case, bloody me laid here in this Manger?'

And who was it? Bloody Bill Norman that's who. I said, 'clear off Bill. This is the Commercial Nativity Play and nobody cast you as King rotten Herod. Be gone. Get back to Plough Lane and join your own Nativity celebrations thank you very much.'

Changes to the Social Fund

They'll take your monthly subscriptions from your wage packet, they'll send you shiney glossy little booklets telling you that they are on your side. They'll even vow to fight your corner whenever you need help whilst your battling your employer and they've no problem in encouraging their membership to go on strike every so often because you've had no pay rise to keep up with the growing cost of living crisis that has impacted upon the working classes of our Country.

They'll do all these things. They'll even grasp your hand, shake it firmly, smile sympathetically and say, 'we feel your pain', but, when the going gets tough and the so called tough stand up and fight their corner, do the representatives of Unison really want to stand shoulder to shoulder with someone who ain't getting treated fairly in the public service sector?

Me? I've got serious doubts. I ain't so sure that our Trade Unions haven't gone the same way as our once great Labour Party, who, nowadays, thanks to the liar Blair, are a shadow of their former selves.

Me? I actually believe that Unison have lost their way. Swallowed up by the madness of New Labour and becoming increasingly isolated from their membership, I believe that Unison no longer care enough about the little guy. The little guy who's perhaps getting a kicking in the workplace.

It's easy to stand on a box and shout fiery rhetoric to the membership proclaiming, 'we'll fight your corner and we'll never forget our purpose', but are they really capable any longer of walking into a room full of 'suits' and defending one of their own and have the skills and the power of personality to trade blows with those who seek to demean, bully and undermine their staff.

I fear Unison have had their power and purpose diluted by past political events and I no longer believe that they are deserving of our faith. In short, for whatever reason they've lost their teeth, lost their way and lost their ability to properly fight the corner for the little guy.

As for more recent events within the public sector, namely the bullying issue that took place within Plough Lane, Id like to think that Unison fought the good fight and gave comfort to their membership, but realistically, I think they may have ducked it and left the bullied staff to fend for themselves.

With reference to this article that I know a number of you have read. 

"MORE than £3m of disputed items remain to be resolved over Herefordshire Councils service provision contract with Amey which ended last month."

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/local/10711892.More_than___3m_of____disputed_items____remain_unresolved_over_council___s_contract_with_Amey/

Am I to understand that Amey owes "us" £3million.... however..... they bailed the council out at a cost of 2 million previously so they will be paying back around £1million to the council? £885k + £166k

("The council currently expects some £885k of income from Amey - for which provision has been made in the previous years outturns - and additional expectation of £166k for the five months to August 31").

Does anyone else find it odd that so many roadworks are being carried out around the city at the moment?
I know the Council has just been bailed out to the tune of millions by Central Government allowing resurfacing works (which perversely instead of embarrassed about the Cabinet are taking all credit for) but there seems to be literally dozens of other road works (with little indication as to what they are for). Whitecross Rd this week has been a nightmare, especially eastbound, which is unusual. I found the culprit not far from the Tesco Express/Old Buckingham Pub.Can anyone tell me why the lights are still there? The only obvious reason is a stretch of tarmac 2 foot a foot (ish), see photo. I lifted the cone, nothing dramatic lurking under it. The paint is bone dry and the tarmac is solid (and will only benefit from impaction). So what is going on. Is there an agenda to deliberately screw up traffic in Hereford further than it already was?

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