Will this happen here in Herefordshire - I doubt it.

Telford & Wrekin Council has today announced that Council Tax rates will remain frozen until 2024 to help support local residents.

A statement from Telford & Wrekin Council said:

“As Telford and Wrekin residents, we’re on your side. That’s why, we’re proposing to freeze council tax for the next two years.

“We want to help those who have been hit hard by the pandemic, as well as escalating energy costs and household bills. Every penny counts and we hope that this will help you weather the storm of eye watering inflation and hikes in the cost of energy, food, rents, mortgage rates and fuel.

Councillor Shaun Davies, leader at Telford & Wrekin Council and Labour group leader, said: “We already have the lowest council tax in the Midlands for the services this council delivers. However, we have made the decision to go one step further and commit to a 0% council tax rise for the next two years.
 

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews attended a fire at a derelict building on Eign Street in Hereford this afternoon. 4 sets of breathing apparatus, 1 hose reel jet and 1 covering jet were used to extinguish the fire on the ground floor.

There was a fire at this derelict building back in November.

Hereford Cops are appealing for any witnesses or people in the area who may have CCTV/Dash Cam footage following an incident on Belmont Road on the evening of 2nd January at approx 21:35.

A female has been approached and followed by a male who is described as 6ft, Olive Skinned, Slim Build with approximately 3/4 weeks of stubble/beard growth.

The male is believed to have walked from the Poole Close area and approached the female near to Farm Foods. He has then followed her for a short time and left the area running up Belmont Road towards the bridge.

Anyone with any information or footage should contact police immediately with reference 00529_I_02012022.

The 2022 New Year Honours list has been announced MP Bill Wiggin receives a knighthood for his Political and Public Service (Member of Parliament for North Herefordshire - Upton Bishop, Herefordshire).

Other local recipients of are;

Sally Jane ROBERTSON, awarded British Empire Medal for her services to the community in Burghill, Herefordshire (Hereford, Herefordshire)

Susan Jane ROBERTS, also awarded British Empire Medal for services to the community in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, particularly during Covid-19 (Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire)

Anthea Elizabeth Joy MCINTYRE, receives a CBE (Lately Member, European Parliament, West Midlands) for Political and Public Service (Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire).

Paralympian Daniel Dean PEMBROKE, receives an MBE For services to Athletics (Hereford, Herefordshire)

Full List attached below 👇

new-year-honour-list-2022.pdf

Merry Christmas to you all. 

Another year almost over and a new one about to begin. 

We would like to thank you all for your continued support and hope that you all have a fantastic Christmas. 

Colin.

After months of work behind the scenes we are pleased to announce 'HEREFORD LIVE' now streaming from High Town LIVE

LIVE FEED https://hfd.news/q7a

Hereford Voice have also sponsored Hereford's second LIVE HD Webcam from the heart of our fabulous city!

Check out the Panoramic view of High Town and the Black and White House Museum in Hereford hosted by our good friends at WorkHere: Community Workspace, Hereford

Part of the Skyline network of high definition panoramic webcams scattered around the world with the sole goal of promoting tourism, art and culture!

Statistics | You will be able to see how many people are online as well as how many visitors there have been viewing our fantastic city.

Web | www.herefordlive.uk

Host | https://www.workhereford.co.uk

If you have a great view in Herefordshire that you would like to share and are interested in having a LIVE webcam sponsored by Hereford Voice please get in touch.

Premium | If you would like to view any of the cameras on the network it is completely FREE but there is just one 5 second advert however, for a small fee of €9.50 per year you can go Premium. The Premium option allows access to features and services that will render your navigation experience on SkylineWebcams more exciting. With Premium you can explore the site without ads, view webcams in Full Screen mode, quickly access your favourite webcams, take pictures and share them on the site, communicate with other users thanks to the chat, travel from one corner of the globe to another in just a few seconds with the interactive map and the search engine.

#HerefordVoice #HerefordNews #HerefordLIVE

Latest News | Driver Arrested Suspicion of Driving While Under the Influence of Drugs and Dangerous Driving Following Collision with Person on Mobility Scooter Causing Serious Injuries.

West Mercia Police have issued the following statement;

Officers were called to a road traffic collision on the A49 near the Asda store in Hereford at 7.05am (Wednesday 15 December). The incident involved a white VW Polo and a mobility scooter. The man on the mobility scooter has been taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The two men in the Polo stopped at the scene. The driver was initially arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs, and was further arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He is currently in custody.

The A49 northbound at the pedestrian crossing from Asda fuel station/Drybridge Walk was closed but one lane has since reopened. The A49 southbound has also been reduced to one lane. There is considerable congestion and motorists are advised to avoid the area.

Anyone who has any information or dash-cam footage is urged to call 101 or visit our website, quoting incident 059i of 15 December, 2021 or report it online via our website www.westmerciapolice.uk/tua/tell-us-about/

Alternatively, if you have information but don’t feel comfortable speaking to police, you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers. It is 100% anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call or IP address. You can contact them online or by calling 0800 555 111.

Our friend Dave Throup (Environmental Agency manager) has announced his retirement at the end of this year afer 22 years service with the Environment Agency.

Dave is a flood expert and has kept us all up to date with the weather and dramatic photographs over the years.He made the announcement on his official Twitter account.

Hereford Voice would like to thank Dave personally for keeping us up to date over the years with up to the minute accurate information and wish him a long and happy retirement, more time for them bike rides!

Historic builders’ merchants, Robert Price, has welcomed Hereford-based building supplier, Tudors, into its group.

The acquisition of Tudors Building Supplies, and its two specialist branches (Roofing and Kitchens, Bathrooms & Landscaping), will see the Robert Price network expand to 27 branches across South East Wales, and now Hereford too.

As the largest independent builders’ merchants in the South East Wales region, Robert Price run multiple traditional merchants branches, as well as a selection of specialist divisions for roofing, timber, insulation and agricultural supplies.

Although Tudors are integrating into the Robert Price Group, the newly acquired building suppliers will continue to trade under the Tudors name. Customers will also experience some additional benefits, which include access to other branches in the Robert Price network, their additional specialisms, an increased range of stock availability, and the Robert Price group expertise.

“We are delighted to welcome such a trusted and respected local merchant, and its team, into the group” Marketing Director at Robert Price, Molly Pike, explains.

“Both businesses share many of the same service priorities: a commitment to our loyal customer base, reliability, and integrity within our communities.

“Tudors have an excellent reputation for service, and Robert Price is looking forward to expanding our business on the other side of the border.”

Suppliers or customers with any queries relating to the acquisition are encouraged to cont

We are so pleased with these incredible numbers in such a short space of time this evening our 'HEREFORD LIVE' High Town HD Cam reached over 100,000 visitors.

LIVE FEED ➡️ https://hfd.news/q7a

Sponsored by Hereford Voice and hosted live 24/7 by our good friends at WorkHere: Community Workspace, Hereford.

Hereford Voice is part of the Skyline network of high definition panoramic webcams scattered around the world with the sole goal of promoting tourism, art and culture!

Web | www.herefordlive.uk

Host | https://www.workhereford.co.uk

More exciting news coming soon!

Two crews from Hereford, two from Ross and one each from Fownhope and Ewyas Harold were called at 03:18 to a house in the village where a fire in the roof space had spread to an adjoining property.

All residents were able to leave the properties safely.

"This incident was attended by many of crews and officers who have been at Kidderminster in last few days," said Chief Fire Officer Jon Pryce. "Superb efforts and commitment, thank you."

📸 Fownhope Fire Station

This is not just a coffee shop...

After months and months of hard work and a lot of investment, locally owned Eden Coffee House Hereford officially open their doors this Wednesday.

Herefordian’s, Phil and Karen decided they wanted to create a very cool space in the middle of our fabulous city and what better location than right opposite Hereford's most famous Black and White House museum landmark.

As an advertising partner, Hereford Voice were given exclusive access before the soft opening earlier this afternoon to be able to capture some photographs of this fabulous completely renovated property.

Over the past few months we have been talking with the new owners to find out how this coffee shop differs from some others.

Karen and Phil told us that their mantra is to have an independent coffee shop, sourcing quality local produce where possible as well as offering something a little different and creating at least 10 new jobs!

There will be a big focus on being a friendly and relaxing environment, where everyone will enjoy the warmth and personality from the staff. Eden Coffee House is going to be full of plants too, many of which will be for sale.

This lovely old building has been sat empty for a long time and has now been transformed into a relaxing space where people will be able to enjoy this beautiful building once again.

Phil and Karen have financed this project at great expense to themselves and they wanted to bring this building back to its former glory and in doing so have exposed some beautiful old hidden beams, wonderful brickwork and during the renovation work their builders have unearthed lots of historic features, such as the original butchers bricks from back when the butchers shop ceased trading in 1930 and predates back into the 1800s.

The building now showcases, much of the original features, and includes some modern twists, such as the new amazing steel staircase.

We already got a great vibe during our visit today and the coffee is lush! All the produce and cakes are daily fresh and not frozen and they also have the wonderful award winning Peter Cooks Bread available.

Best of all Eden Coffee House is DOG FRIENDLY

Hereford Voice will be keeping you up to date with the progress and any special offers over the coming months, so keep an eye open, in the meantime, please support our local independents and pop in and check out this fabulous new business which officially opens this Wednesday.

We would like to wish Phil and Karen all the very best of luck with their new venture

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service have deployed 20 fire engines which are on scene at a massive fire currently at Hoo Farm Industrial Estate in Kidderminster.

Firefighters togther with other crews and partners will be on-site for next few days.

Residents as far as Worcester and parts of Herefordshire are being advised to keep their windows and doors shut due to the large amounts of smoke being produced by the blaze.

📸 HWFRS 

Festive News | Santa and his Sleigh will be in High Town Hereford on Wednesday 15th December 10.30am - 4.30pm

Hereford Lions Club have also confirmed that from Saturday 11th December, Santa will be touring the city.

Santa like last year will not be stopping, but will be escorted by members of the Club on his journey. Please keep an ear out as they will have vehicle ahead of the sleigh letting everyone know that Santa is on his way, ho ho ho

Catastrophic to see this 360 year old oak tree fallen due to #StormArwen strong winds during the night.

This is located at Belmont Haywood Country Park the tree fell down around 4.45am this morning, such sad news.

Thank you to our good friend Piotr Biurkowski for sending us these photographs today.

A man from Malvern has been jailed for sexual offences involving children.

Richard Webb, 34, of Moat Crescent, was sentenced to nine years in prison at Worcester Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 2 December).

He will be placed on the sexual offenders register for life and will have a three-year extended licence period.

His offences took place in the Hereford area between 2006 and 2019 and involved incidents where the victims were between the ages of 8 and 14 at the time of the offences.

He also met with a child and committed sexual offences following a period of grooming and possessed extreme pornography.

Detective Constable Leah Lowe said: “This investigation was highly emotional and I’d like to recognise the courage of the victims who came forward.

“This man groomed and abused his victims and this sentence is reflective of the suffering and misery he caused.

" West Mercia Police take all complaints of sexual abuse very seriously and I hope this case gives the public confidence to come forward and report any incidents of concern whether recently or in the past"

“We act on all reports we received an offer victims our full support.”

If you have been affected by crime and need support, you can contacted the Victim Advice Line:

The Victim Advice Line is a free and confidential service for victims and anyone who has been affected by crime and needs support.

Freephone: 0800 952 3000

Email: info@victimadviceline.org.uk

Web (including Live Chat): www.victimadviceline.org.uk

You can also call the West Mercia sexual abuse support centre on 03456 461188.

Hereford Voice have been kindly invited by owners Karen and Phil to the soft opening on Monday between 3pm - 7pm and everyone is welcome to join us with the official opening on Wednesday 8th December.

There is still a lot of work to be completed and its all hands on deck to be ready for Monday.

Eden Coffee House created by two Herefordian’s, who have decided they want to create a very cool space in the middle of our fabulous city and what better location than right opposite Hereford's most famous Black and White House museum landmark.

Hereford Voice was given some exclusive access recently and we have been talking with the new owners over the last few weeks to find out how this coffee shop differs from some others.

Karen and Phil told us that their mantra is to have an independent coffee shop, sourcing quality local produce where possible as well as offering something a little different and creating at least 10 new jobs!

There will be a big focus on being a friendly and relaxing environment, where everyone will enjoy the warmth and personality from the staff. Eden Coffee House is going to be full of plants too, many of which will be for sale.

This lovely old building has been sat empty for a long time and is now being transformed into a relaxing space where people will be able to enjoy this beautiful building once again.

Phil and Karen have financed this project at great expense to themselves but they wanted to bring this building back to its former glory and in doing so have exposed some beautiful old hidden beams, wonderful brickwork and during the renovation work their builders have unearthed lots of historic features, such as the original butchers bricks from back when the butchers shop ceased trading in 1930 and predates back into the 1800s.

So the building will showcase, much of the original features, but will include some modern twists such as new amazing steel staircase.

Please support our local independents and pop in and check out this fabulous new business when they open next week!

Hereford Voice asked Herefordshire Council for a breakdown on what car parking charges are used to pay for and got this helpful infographic sent to us.

They told us that car parking charges are primarily used to control limited space in the City and towns to keep the churn rate high in the City and town centres, making sure there is availability for those that want to drive in to the centre – quick stop in Broad Street to go to the bank or quick stop in King Street to pick up from the King Street Kitchen - and that they use lower tariffs to encourage longer stay/commuters to use car parks on the edges of the City or the market town centres.

They also use the valuable income from car parking (quite a lot from penalty notices too) to subsidise transport related Council services, particularly those, like school transport, that has suffered as a result of severe government cuts to local authorities like Herefordshire (one grant alone, the Revenue Support Grant has been cut from over £62 million in 2010 to £600k in 2021 – and yes, both our MPs voted for many cuts over the last decade.

Jesse Norman - https://hfd.news/bzn

Bill Wiggin - https://hfd.news/k69

🔹Do you object to paying a premium to park in the City or town centres?

🔹Do you prefer to park further out and spend longer in town?

🔹How does a Council manage limited spaces in the centres?

Some commentators think free parking is the panacea that will revitalise High Street trading – do you think so too or is that too simplistic (and perhaps a deliberately provocative view)?

Cwmbran is often cited as an example of a town that offers free parking. Aside from the fact that the parking is free because of a very large private shopping centre that allows unrestricted parking on its 3000-space carpark, is Cwmbran more attractive and prosperous than our very own local retail and historic cores?

The parking team in Herefordshire Council have confirmed Christmas late night shopping and free Saturdays are still offered in the run up to Christmas and the City and Town Councils choose which days or half days suit them best.

An emotive subject and one that presses many of our buttons.

So is it time to stop complaining about paying less than many people spend on coffee in a day, or should we have free parking in Hereford and the surrounding market towns and the inevitable reduced public services that would follow?