The dates have been announced for the opening of the Odeon Multiplex Cinema in Hereford as May 22nd.

Man Charged With Burglary At Knifepoint, Ross-on-Wye

A man has been charged with a burglary in Ross-on-Wye, where a vulnerable pensioner was confronted by an intruder with a knife, as well as a second burglary in Gloucestershire.

The burglary happened at about 2.30am on Tuesday 15 April in Three Crosses Road.

The victim was asleep downstairs when he was confronted by a burglar armed with a knife and demanding money. He handed over around £60 in cash.

Gareth Robins, aged 35 of Wall House Road, Ross, was arrested and charged on Saturday (19 April) with aggravated burglary.

He was also charged with a burglary in Newent, where a house in West View was broken into on Wednesday (16 April) and electrical items, cash and a wristwatch were among items stolen.

He appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court yesterday where he was bailed to appear at Worcester Crown Court on 11 August.

 

Issued:  Tuesday 22 April 2014

 

West Mercia Press Release

At face value this character sounds lucky to have got bail ... 

• Tweak your bike at the Volly Repair Café (from the 30th of January) and get riding in 2014â€.

Repair Cafe 6 to 8pm Thursday 30 January 2014.

Volunteer Inn Harold Street

Every one welcome!  

Bikes and clothing etc.

Last Thursday every month. Also veggie sale!

Litter pick Saturday 1 February 2014 - 2.30 pm 

Meet at meadow end of Green Street.    

Spend an hour on Castle Green and around the Greenway route with your neighbours.

This time it is the council, not the hospital.

Front page story in the printed copy of the Guardian, today, Easter Monday, and in this link to the on line version.  

The story is about large sums provided by central government to councils to help those in dire straits due to welfare changes or problems.  I think Tony Johnson's view is that they aren't all that poor and he should be able to use the money for other things.

Conservative-run Herefordshire had county council spent less than £5,000 of its annual £377,000 allocation by the end of December last year, equivalent to 1% of its local welfare budget.It said its spending reflected low demand for crisis help, a claim disputed by Hereford Citizens Advice and Hereford food bank, which said they had been inundated with requests.

They will, of course, claim they are prioritising safeguarding the vulnerable and the money is better used for that - a claim which is being used again and again to cover up incompetence elsewhere.  And a claim that is not borne out by some of their actions.

So,  what happened to the rest of the money?   Was there any member questioning or scrutiny of any decision to divert the money elsewhere?  What data was used to justify it?

Liz Hurley has thanked her legion of Twitter fans for rodent-killing advice after declaring war on mice at her home.

The Austin Powers star - who owns a £6 million home in Herefordshire and a pad in London - told her Twitter fans how she shrieked in horror after a mouse ran out from under the sofa.

She tweeted: "Mayhem. A mouse just shot out from behind the sofa.

"Screaming women (me loudest) and children.

"My mum on her way round with her two killer cats. I'm having a stiff drink."

She later told her 455,000 Twitter followers: "Operation Vermin started early this morning. On my hands and knees looking for evidence."

 

 

Western Daily Press article 

It's all cracked off in the Ledbury area! 

Dear all comers...

I offer to help support families as a free, independent advocate and whilst performing these duties, I have had reason to help a family who were housed at 5 Broxash Drive.

Whilst helping this family I discovered that this ex-Council flat, that was given to Herefordshire Housing for free is now being rented to homeless families for £832 p/m or £167 per week....plus a charge of £25 p/w for utilities.  If this was not bad enough these tenants have on the spot inspections and can do nothing to make the flat feel homely as they are not allowed to carpet, decorate or hang pictures

I have tried to get Herefordshire Housing to come clean about the rent and why it is so expensive but they are refusing to talk and have rebutted my attempts to obtain information via the Environmental Regulations....so I have now made another FOI request to Herefordshire Council at a cost of £300 to the local tax-payer, as they too refuse to give up information freely.

I am aware that Herefordshire Housing can legally charge a £60 fee per flat of other temporary accomodation and I believe they are using these properties to create an unlawful revenue stream of £550,000 plus per year...but is it morally right to charge the most vulnerable a £60 a week management fee?
 

Anyone living in these properties will not be able to work as the rent is un-affordable and there is no help other than the basic housing benefit for those families who do want to work and Housing Benefit will only cover the full amount if your out of work and I think this is both morally and criminally wrong...what do you think?

I wonder if any of our esteemed Councilors would look into this matter and determine exactly what is going on with HC and HHL which is after all supposed to be a CHARITY whose aim is to help house the most vulnerable in society at a rate that is affordable to all. 
 

Slightly sensationalised of course

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2608649/Patients-advised-to-Asda-urgent-medical-care-NHS-units-shut-staff-shortages.html

If Bath Street is demolished wouldn't it better for accommodation ie Flats/apartments being central to the city. Not clear how this is going to work. Both sites look the same size. Who owns the existing Fire Station? What is going to happen to the existing site if the Fire Service move. 

Fight goes on for boys home site

 

12:52pm Wednesday 12th February 2014 in News By Bill Tanner

 

HERITAGE campaigners have vowed to fight on for Hereford’s former working boys home.

 

English Heritage confirmed today (Wed) that it was not going to list the Bath Street site – now the County Offices.

 

Herefordshire Council  is keen on selling the site to Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service for a much-needed new fire station for Hereford.

 

EH says the site  is not of “sufficient architectural quality†to merit listed status.

 

The decision is a blow to heritage campaigners fighting to save the site sale and demolition.

 

But Hereford Civic Society (HCS) says the fight goes on.

 

“While HCS is disappointed it doesn’t alter the situation. This group of buildings makes a huge contribution to the character of Hereford. To pull down sound buildings to make way for a garage for heavy vehicles is fundamentally unsound, and is not the best financial deal,†said HCS chairman John Bothamley.

 

“The current intention, we understand, is to demolish the existing fire station for use as a car park.  It would make sound sense to create additional car parking on top of the existing car park behind St.Owens Street and to the side of the Shire Hall, just one or possibly two layers,†said Mr Bothamley.

 

“We remain of the opinion that the two prominent buildings, to the front of the site, should be retained and the rest of the site developed with flats - surely there are suitable sites for the fire service on the new Link Road,†he said.

I think the money is available - it's just spent elsewhere.

The other week I noted a lorry coming out of that side hole in the OLM on edgar street and realised that if they need to go North they have to manouvere their artics across 3 lanes of traffic to get onto the roundabout. The one I saw do this had some difficulty with the high levels of traffic.

So what's the deal there?

I have heard from a very reliable source that the Old Market Shopping Centre will not be ready by the 17th and the opening has been delayed by 2 weeks! New opening date is May 9th.

The developers will have penalties of up to £60,000 per day.

Remember we're you heard it first!

I was going to ask the difference, but had a quick look online.

It appears that cycle lanes can be coloured either green or red - but why do we have both in Hereford? Why is there no consistency?

Clearly green would be the better option, but I see red in town and on some suburban roads and then I was down near Sainsbury's the other day and the cycle lanes are all green.

So what's up with that?

Is there a way to block a topic from loading? For instance, I have a link to 'new content' which takes me straight to a list of updated topics. It overcomes the very slow loading front page. However, I don't want to see again and again a thread I have no interest in eg eating after 1.30am in the morning. I'd like to just hide it - is this possible?

Today I received a phone call from HHL about the updating of mine and other properties in the Putson district, it would appear that due to an admin error that I was one of a few tenants who did not  get notified officially about these works.  Had a lovely conversation where I was fully informed about why and when works were able to take place, and I was able to ask lots of questions.  All of this proved very helpful.

Without my original post on here which HHL picked up on, and via a little detection work tracked me down, none of this would have come about, so I am glad to have had a space where I could voice my concerns.

What did come out of this conversation was also interesting, though!  It would seem that they find it difficult to decide how to discuss future issues regarding HHL tenants homes with tenants, because past events haven't always proved successful.  For example when Ross Roads was due to have extensive works to the outside, they had open days where tenants could visit and discuss any concerns etc, over two days just 18 tenants went to the open day.

So whilst on this occasion HHL had made an error hadn't communicated with me, perhaps also we has tenants when given the opportunity should also where possible try and engage more with our housing associations.

Finally a public thank you to Lesley of HHL this morning, it was enlightening and much appreciated.

Wheezerweiner.

We had a presentation to the Council with the help of Councillor Jim Kenyon last December, which was discussed in our Traffic Lights Out Meeting topic here, since this time we have been working on our mission statement etc. The following letter was sent out to the Hereford Cabinet a few weeks ago but we have not received a response at all.

(I have also attached it in PDF format)

I have had many tenants approach me because some of the rendering on the walls of the Kilvert Road flats have become loose because of all the wet weather we have had, therefore it was removed. Tenants concerns is the flats will now become damp. I have had assurance from HHL that if that happened any damp etc would be put right regardless of the flats being part of the regeneration of the Oval.

I'm given to understand that young and vulnerable young women have been used and exploited in a Brothel in Commercial Road and the Police have raided the establishment,

That's the gossip and its all over the place. Because it is 'gossip' I won't name the premises but because of the concern of growing reports of Syphilis and other STD, I thought I'd add to the tittle tattle, rumour and innuendo and let you all know.

I live in one of the many Cornish Style Flats that are dotted around Putson in Hereford.  I have been here for 12 years and like many others see and live with the ups and downs of these type of properties.  Just two years ago Hereford Housing spent I imagine an enormous amount of money painting the exterior of these properties.  Those of us living on the ground floors were given a choice of a selection of colours available, and over a period of several months Long Meadow, Winston Road, Hoarwithy Road, the Homestead, Ridgeway Avenue and Holme Lacy Road, all received a make over.  And very nice too they all looked.

Just last week Hereford Housing recommenced work on the same properties starting in the Homestead re-roofing and installing new windows, fair enough the windows needed doing (I know mine do) and some people have been having problems with leaky roofs and we had heard that the properties were due to be re-roofed in 2014.  What I don't understand is why now when only two years ago all the properties were painted, are they now being rendered and insulated.  Yes it will hopefully improve the insulation values of these properties and improve energy saving values.  Which is a good thing for the tenants, but why did Herefordshire Housing waste so much money repainting them what is a relatively short time ago.  

I have tried to phone Herefordshire Housing about it, but no one was availabe to answer my questions.

I was further annoyed to today to receive a phone call from a window company today asking me if I was available to have my windows changed.  Whilst as I mentioned earlier in my post that my windows need doing I have received no official communications from Hereford Housing about what works are to be carried out on my home or who will be undertaking them.  I have the good sense to ring Hereford Housing to check whether this window company were legit.  But my concern is that with the fact that there are many people out there willing to take the vulnerable and abuse them, by using Hereford Housing works program to enter people's homes acting as bogus contractors.  I have rang Hereford Housing about this and expressed my concerns about their lack of communications with their tenants about the works programme.  They did sort of thank me for raising this point, and suggested that perhaps they should do a leaflet drop to tell their tenants about the works programme in this area.  For a housing association who claims to care about its tenants, I feel they are doing a very shoddy job.