Pete Boggs Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 2 Apr 2014 - 16 posts - ‎8 authors This gentleman left Bristol City Council under some very dubious ... I wonder howPeter Robinson so impressed Herefordshire that they offered ... I suspect this is one of those rhetorical questions. We all know that the Council makes a practice of recruiting corrupt and bullying officers at the senior level. See also its former heard of communications and recently departed council solicitor (both paid off handsomely of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Cambo, thanks for the diagram. Is this a traffic island letting vehicles turn right or a triangle only letting left turns only. How does traffic carry on along Edgar Street? Seems madness if latter as trucks would have to go to Tesco/Debenhams island and all the way round to go back down Edgar Street, with the lights outside the Theater. Seems ludicrous to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aylestone Voice Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 To get from the link road to Holmer Road presumably you will be able to go down lower Widemarsh Street rather than up to the Tesco roundabout and back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 I was speaking to a Herefordshire Highways Inspector in the pub last Sunday. This City project is not in his personal geographic area but he thought the physical end result would end in tears. He said there were new traffic lights planned at the bottom of Aylestone Hill that he thought would just shift the traffic problem about. :-p On looking at the whole road layout I cannot see why any part of this road should have any traffic lights. What is so wrong in having roundabouts instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Cambo, thanks for the diagram. Is this a traffic island letting vehicles turn right or a triangle only letting left turns only. How does traffic carry on along Edgar Street? Seems madness if latter as trucks would have to go to Tesco/Debenhams island and all the way round to go back down Edgar Street, with the lights outside the Theater. Seems ludicrous to me. Left turn only into Edgar Street. Yes, ludicrous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 To get from the link road to Holmer Road presumably you will be able to go down lower Widemarsh Street rather than up to the Tesco roundabout and back But then it isn't a 'Link Road' is it, if vehicles have to rat run down secondary roads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 On looking at the whole road layout I cannot see why any part of this road should have any traffic lights. What is so wrong in having roundabouts instead? No 'incentives' from traffic light manufacturers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie May Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 AS I have said before, I am sure the whole proposal with the extra traffic having to go round Edgar St roundabout + extra traffic lights on Edgar Street at this new junction, should bring the A49 to a complete standstill in Hereford. The Council then say they have to build a "bypass" because of the congestion in the City - when in fact the Council have caused the whole problem. Mind you if ever there was an incentive for everyone to get on their bikes (you could then just get off at these traffic lights cross the road and then go up towards Holmer!) this junction design should make it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 Following on from my post 24 Capital Programme 2015/16 represents funding allowance received to date commitments from previous years and new capital schemes. The council's capital programme is funded by grants borrowing and capital receipts. The following summarises the approved capital investment programme in Feb 2015 Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 19772 Spend 15/16 £'000 7228 Total spend £'000 27000 However in December 2015 council approved the Capital Programme for 2016/17 with the following figures: Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 10658 Spend 15/16 £'000 7513 Spend 16/17 £'000 5324 Spend 17/18 £'000 3505 Total spend £'000 27000 By the Council's own admission they pay the best salary to get the best. How can we be assured that figures put out by the Council are accurate and not amended after being signed off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpusseycat Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 This is a road to nowhere and a complete waste of money it will not solve any traffic congestion you are just going to make matters worse elsewhere it is just an excuse to build homes to apease the housing associations yes build more homes in a city that cannot cope with the current traffic issues,no doubt those responsible for this will think they have done the city a justice well it is plain to see they are all educated beyond there intelligence. A modern city is a city with good planed infrastructure all i can say is we must still be living in the 17th cent Here in Hereford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 They appear to have added a further two years to the construction period - how long is that now - 4 years? They built the M1 over 50 years ago at a mile every 8 days … Costs will inevitably rise because of the extended period. One mile of motorway costs £30m - half of mile of single carriageway in Hereford costs £27m - not hard to see we are once again being robbed blind by contractors and ill served by councillors and very highly paid Officers who appear to do little to prevent it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefordman75 Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 they have cut some trees down by the sorting office I see - did wonder about painting out the year on the hoardings and substituting a ? instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragwert Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 This is a road to nowhere and a complete waste of money it will not solve any traffic congestion you are just going to make matters worse elsewhere it is just an excuse to build homes to apease the housing associations yes build more homes in a city that cannot cope with the current traffic issues,no doubt those responsible for this will think they have done the city a justice well it is plain to see they are all educated beyond there intelligence. A modern city is a city with good planed infrastructure all i can say is we must still be living in the 17th cent Here in Hereford. Its not being built to relieve any traffic congestion,and why do people say a road to nowhere?It goes from Edgar St to Aylestone Hill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted April 18, 2016 Report Share Posted April 18, 2016 they have cut some trees down by the sorting office I see - did wonder about painting out the year on the hoardings and substituting a ? instead Ah yes, sadly the one and only thing the Council do well, and often without any prompting, or shame, or need, is cutting down trees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Following on from my post 24 Capital Programme 2015/16 represents funding allowance received to date commitments from previous years and new capital schemes. The council's capital programme is funded by grants borrowing and capital receipts. The following summarises the approved capital investment programme in Feb 2015 Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 19772 Spend 15/16 £'000 7228 Total spend £'000 27000 However in December 2015 council approved the Capital Programme for 2016/17 with the following figures: Link Road - Spend in prior years £'000 10658 Spend 15/16 £'000 7513 Spend 16/17 £'000 5324 Spend 17/18 £'000 3505 Total spend £'000 27000 By the Council's own admission they pay the best salary to get the best. How can we be assured that figures put out by the Council are accurate and not amended after being signed off? Funny how nobody has come on here to confirm or deny these figures - or is the public not entitled to know the true cost of this so called Link Road or there again perhaps members of the Council do not know the true cost because the figures are so inconsistent each and every time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 HT have today carried a report on this - better late than never - nothing new just confirming what has already been said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 As you can this conveniently brings the budgeted cost of the road to £27m. Perhaps the Auditors will have different thoughts. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=470d858353&view=att&th=154a5c4806cb69ac&attid=0.1&disp=safe&realattid=f_io4i12m90&zw https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=470d858353&view=att&th=154a5c4806cb69ac&attid=0.2&disp=safe&realattid=f_io4i2vad1&zw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted May 15, 2016 Report Share Posted May 15, 2016 From HT dated 12th May 2016 http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14494085.Council_admit_money_error/ HEREFORDSHIRE Council's chief finance officer has admitted figures which went before councillors for approval were inaccurate. Peter Robinson sent out a clarification email explaining why there was £9million missing from a table of figures outlining the amount of money spent prior to 2015 on Hereford's impending city link road. In February 2015 the figure was listed in the council's Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as £19.7 million. But the figure put to councillors in later council meetings was just £10.6 million. Mr Robinson has since responded in an email to county councillors saying all the figures in the 'previous years spend' column were incorrect. "This arose because it incorrectly included forecast spend to 31.03.15," he wrote, adding he was sorry before confirming the correct figure as the £10.6 million. He said he would refer the matter himself to external auditors. Councillor Bob Mathews, leader of the county's Independent group, said he will await the auditors' response. "The issue is now with the auditors," said Cllr Bob Matthews. "When we get their response we will know exactly what the position is." The council said in a statement: "There was an error with one table in the previous year’s MTFS which gave erroneous figures in one column. This has been corrected and a clarification published; the error had no impact at all on the budget or on the accuracy of accounts." Meanwhile, Herefordshire Council has recommended Abergavenny-based Alun Griffiths (Contractors) be awarded the contract to build the city link road, which will connect Aylestone Hill with Edgar Street with the aim of taking traffic off Newmarket Street and Bluescool Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpusseycat Posted May 15, 2016 Report Share Posted May 15, 2016 Roger me and half this city have called it a road to nowhere and a waste of money it will not ease traffic, in fact it will make things worse.Also there will be a lot of parking spaces lost with the success of the football club putting this city on the map again it seems like a kick in the teeth to all concerned.The current directors of the club are drawing up plans to develop the blackfriers end which is at present a blot on the landscape.How can you expect them to invest when the facilities are taken from them 18,880 tickets sold for this sundays wembley final my husband has his ticket. There is a large write up in todays Sunday Mail on Hereford football club and how it has risen from the ashes.The police station and fire station should be located next to a new river bridge crossing not located in the worse bottleneck area which is what it will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian symonds Posted May 15, 2016 Report Share Posted May 15, 2016 While I agree that the road will do nothing to the traffic and may make it worse as it will be dumping it directly onto Edgar street and I also agree that it will be taking car parking space away. I do not feel that it is the councils responsibility to provide parking space for Hereford FC, No other facility would expect this, the courtyard hasto have it's own carpark for instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenda Powell Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Denise, it was Cllr Matthews who brought the error to the attention of the chief executive, who then looked into the matter,Cllr Matthews have kept on about the error asking what the council is proposing to do about it, suggesting that an outside firm of auditors should be asked to look at the figures, not leaving it to Mr Robinson. I attended a meeting of the Herefordshire Independents a couple of months ago, where Mr Robinson and his assistant came to speak about the 2016 budget, I asked about additional money for social care as when I was a cllr the social care budget was never enough to carry through a 12 month period, as sitting on social care scrutiny for 15 years the budget was never enough in all that time, and we continually borrowed out of the next years budget . They both said it had balanced out for 2015. I told them it has never balanced out in 15 years, I am convinced they are not compedent do their jobs. Like Cllr Matthews I await to see what other mistakes come to light from the auditors investigation!!!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 What are the odds that the 'external' auditors are our old friends, the South West Audit Partnership, discussed here http://www.herefordvoice.co.uk/topic/1213-cabinet-10-april/?p=10752 A Companies House search shows a P Robinson as a director and also a director of PDLB Financial Consultancy Ltd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Boggs Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 What are the odds that the 'external' auditors are our old friends, the South West Audit Partnership, discussed here http://www.herefordvoice.co.uk/topic/1213-cabinet-10-april/?p=10752 As I understand it SWAP perform the Council's internal audit function. The Council will have an external auditor, probably one of the big firms like PwC or Deloittes - they're perhaps a more likely candidate?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippyhippy Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Grant Thornton were the independent auditors used by HC in the past. (As recently as 2014) Whether this is still the case... There is quite a bit on Mr Robinson, in the thread " Herefordshire Council has created a new £90,000 a year role." The usual apologies for being unable to provide the handy link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsgood Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 dippyhippy, link here! www.herefordvoice.co.uk/topic/1365-herefordshire-council-has-created-a-new-£90000-a-year-role/?p=13955 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippyhippy Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Thanks so much, Trusty Two Wheels! Hard to believe it's almost two years since Megilleland started that thread..... time flies when you're having fun..... or an alternative view point might be that when it comes to making disastrous decisions, which have far reaching consequences for our city and its residents when implemented by or esteemed council - nothing changes.... But I try hard not to be too cynical, so I'll stick with the first option! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Council finances and audit - Herefordshire Council https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/.../council-finances 5 Feb 2016 - The budget and medium term financial strategy to 2020 were agreed by full council on 5 February 2016. ... Statement of Accounts for previous years are available below. ... There was a minor error in a column of figures of previous spend in the Medium term financial strategy 2015/16 to 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Take your pick Dipppy Search Results Herefordshire Council creates new £90k a year role (From Hereford ... www.herefordtimes.com/.../11306395.Herefordshire_Council_creates_new___90k_a... 27 Jun 2014 - The council says the post and its £90,000 salary reflects changes in the role and its responsibilities. Chief finance officer Peter Robinson and Director of Adults Well-Being Helen Coombes have had their interim contracts with the council extended to September next year. Herefordshire Council creates new £90k a year role (From The Bolton ... www.theboltonnews.co.uk/.../11306395.Herefordshire_Council_creates_new___90k_a_... 27 Jun 2014 - The council says the post and its £90,000 salary reflects changes in the role and ... Chief finance officer Peter Robinson and Director of Adults ... Herefordshire Council has created a new £90,000 a year role - Open ... www.herefordvoice.co.uk › General › Open Forum 27 Jun 2014 - 30 posts - ‎12 authors The council says the post and its £90,000 salary reflects changes in the role and ... Chief finance officer Peter Robinson and Director of Adults ... Herefordshire Council has created a new £90,000 a year role - Page 3 ... www.herefordvoice.co.uk › General › Open Forum 3 Feb 2015 - 21 posts - ‎8 authors Let's see how well that's worked http://thebristolian...peter-robinsonwirralleaks.wordpress.com/tag/ The huge salaries do not attract the ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Lloyd Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Faster on the keyboard than I TWG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie May Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Council finances and audit - Herefordshire Council https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/.../council-finances 5 Feb 2016 - The budget and medium term financial strategy to 2020 were agreed by full council on 5 February 2016. ... Statement of Accounts for previous years are available below. ... There was a minor error in a column of figures of previous spend in the Medium term financial strategy 2015/16 to 2016 ... Denise do you know why both the City Link Road and the South Wye Transport Strategy are both showing as costing £27Million. My friend says that the Southern Link Road is expected to cost £27million on its own. So where is the extra money for creating the tree lined "boulevard" down Belmont Road promoted by Councillor Phil Edwards.? Does this mean we have cuts in our bus services, library services, rubbish road surfaces and pavements, but they can build a brand new road that no one I know wants or will use. All my friends want more regular buses to get them into town and for their children not to have to stand on the school buses when their parents have paid for a ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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