Glenda Powell

As I said in a previous email, I have been on the case since the first pictures appeared, I walk up to the lakes last night again to see for myself and spoke to the teenagers that were camping up there, pointing out the NO SWIMMING signs that I ask to be erected. I am in daily contact with Herefordshire council parks and countryside dept, environment agency, the regeneration partnership and Amey in regard to the rubbish, sewage etc THE MATTER IS IN THEIR HANDS!

Victor - you are wrong on both counts. 1. Members of my family have married people who were not born here and they are not treated any differently by me to the rest of my family, therefore I would not use any coments that would upset them, as I said you don't know me so don't judge me. 2.The pools were bought by a partnership consisting of Herefordshire council, Hereford city council, South Wye Regeneration Partnership, and Belmont Parish council paid £7,500 toward the cost. If as you stated they were the responsibility of the parish council, then the parish chairman and councillors should be dealing with this matter. The pools were bought as a part of the Haywood Country Park, which the people of South Wye have been working towards for the past 17 years to bring it to fruition, I know what I am talking about as I have been a member of the South Wye Regeneration Partnership from the begining.

I am not racist and treat ALL my constituents equally and if you knew me better you would know that. may I remind you I am the ONLY councillor aswering your posts here! I have not seen any other councillor rushing to help have you? I will not be answering any more posts on this subject, but will continue to work with the environment agwncy and officers on this matter.

I did not expect you to agree with what I have said.I quoted the email ALL ward councillors received, it was Mr Hemblade answer to Mark Schoffer.but I have spoken to the environment people myself and they have told me that when they checked the water recently the pollutant level was LOW, as my post said the environment agency will go out again and check the water pollution level, the people in the cottages were told about the sewage coming from their septic tank and measures were taken immediately to remedy that by Persimmon.I am also aware of what diseases you can catch from contaminated water courses. English fishermen who have fished these pools for years do not eat the fish they put them back in the water. There has been three meetings with the fishermen, with a further one next week at the pools which I will be attending, As a corporate parent I take the matter seriously I am well aware of the dangers of children swimming, I have spoken with the police and they have gone up to the pools on several occasions at my request, I have also ask them to go to the area every day as part of their walk around duties. I am continuely in touch with the people who own the pools to clear the rubbish, and will be in touch again on Monday morning.

As I said children should not be swimming there or for that matter in the river that is why the police move them on as our eastern europeans catch and eat the fish it is obvious it is not poisonous! so let us have no more scare mongoring please!

I totally agree that is a little dramatic! the police go up to the pools to stop children swimming because of the danger of drowning, the pools are deeper than you think. Also parents should know where their children are at all times, as a recent post advised of children swimming and going onto the building site. Read my reply Persimmon solicitors are on the case in regard to the sewage escaping into the pools, and council officers as I ask them to were going to the pools today.

Having received the email and photo's above from Mr Schoffer asking me to put this on the website, I rang Rob Hemblade for an explanation, he advised me that the outflow is coming from cottages above the pools who have a septic tank in land currently under the ownership of Persimmon homes. Persimmon have repaired the previously dangerous cover to the septic tank and their solicitors are pursuing the outfall matter.The person who is co-ordinating this is away but will pursue next week for the latest information. Mr Hemblade went on to say that from the pictures, the outflow does not look any worse than when the Environment Agency tested the water a while back, he said that the area is very dry, and any wetness will stand out more, he said he would go and take a look today.He went on to say that when the Environment Agency tested the water they found low levels of polutants and because of this it was categorised it as low priority. If after today they think the situation has changed they will arrange for the water to be tested again. I advised that children are swimming in the pools, and the forcast is hot weather this weekend he said he will arrange for some tempory 'no swimming signs' to go up today so that will hopefully deter children from taking a dip.

Nikki - The special allowances are for being chairman for Overview and Scrutiny Committee,as chairman he attends all scrutiny committee meetings of the council to see that they are run properly, they all have a work program throughout the year and a budget his committee makes sure that the budget is being used correctly and work done is value for money, he then takes his report to cabinet. and the final report he delivers to full council at the Shire Hall,so that members of the public who attends Herefordshire Council meetings will hear him give a comprehensive report. To be fair the job holds a lot of responsibility, is very time consuming and sometimes take him out of Hereford where he has to use a car.

It was my understanding the BRPC so I was advised came into being 5 years ago up till then they were part of the Clehonger parish council. Time flies when you are working hard for the people you represent as I do as your elected county and Hereford City parish councillor. I must correct Mrs Kelso in her statement that ALL Belmont parish councillors are elected every 4 years that is only when there is a general election,as will be the case in May 2011, if a vacancy occures in Belmont parish within that period of time people can and have been co-opted on to the council, unless the residents wish for an election which is their right to ask for one.

Parish councillors are not paid they do the work voluntary. County councillors are paid an allowance to cover their expences i.e. phone bills, broadband, travel to meetings, stationary etc.

If you are asking who to contact in the Belmont parish council your councillors details are on the BR website under 'your councillors' when a resident ask for their details to be put on the parish notice boards the request was refused. There are three of the original councillors who started the parish council five years ago, which includes the chairman who was also elected. four have been co-opted onto the council two including the new councillor was elected. I am your elected county councillor for Belmont so you can continue to contact me here, and I will answer your posts.

As I requested the environment enforcement team have got in touch with the owner, they have given him until today to clear the tree and all he has dumped in the brook and embankment, the enforcement officer will be going to Glastonbury Close this afternoon to see if he has done this, otherwise the owner will be called into their office for a formal interview under cautioned for fly tipping offense.

I am pleased that they were obviously contacted by the enforcement officer, I know he was out all Friday afternoon. I was speaking to Shane Hancock in town on Friday morning and he said that if they had a name and address they would be prosecuted as a deterrent to anyone else doing it.I told him to look on BV for the evidence.

I have this morning spoken with Craig Sandman and Shane Hancocks about this, have given them the homeowners name and address whilst advising them that I want this man prosecuted for fly tipping.

Thank you for speaking with the Herefordshire Housing officer and I when we called 30 minutes ago. Having looked at the property it is in private ownership, I have now left a message for Craig Sandman to call me regarding the fly tipping he is the Enforcement Officer for the Community Protection Team, he will call on the householder and tell them to remove the tree out of the brook with a distinct possibility of the householder being prosecuted.

I have called Herefordshire Housing and they are sending a officer to see it this afternoon, I have ask for the officer to contact me so that we can inspect the fly tipping together. The tenant will be billed for Herefordshire housing having to remove the tree, and possibly find for fly tipping.

Having spoken to the local police officer last night outside Northolme Centre she told me that she with the environment enforcement officer were going to the pools this morning, the black bags were removed and on invetigation found evidence who had put them there!

I have heard the biodiversity people are carrying out a campaign to save our bees, so they will definately going out to save this one!

A rare species of Bumblebee have been found in the area of Abbey View Park a recommendation has come forward with the object of supporting and encouraging this particular species which will bring with it other benefits I have attached some more details of this particular bee. The bee found in the area of Abbey View Park is the Brown Banded Carder Bee Bombus Humilis its listed as nationally rare - below is what the UK biodiversity action plan says about it Bombus Humilis is a brown carder bumblebee which makes its nest on the surface of the ground at the base of long vegetation, often under accumulated plant litter. It has most often been recorded as associated with areas of grassland supporting a large number of plant species with long corolla types notably belonging to the plant families Lamiaceae and Fabaceae. It is one of a number of bumblebee species to have undergone a drastic reducation in range and abundance, as a result of theloss of this habitat in the moder agricultural landscape, although it appears to be able to survive in less extensive areas of flower rich habitat with some bumblebee species. At the beginning of the 20th Century this bumblebee was considered uncommon in southern England. However, it was a widespread species, reaching Yorkshire and Lancashire in the north. By the 1970s it had disappeared from most of its norther and inland localities, although it was still widespread along much of the coast. The species has continued to decline in the eastern half of England, where it is now local and sporadic. It is still readily found along the south-western coash of England, from Dorset westwards, and on the southern coast of Walers. There are also a number of inland localities associated with the larger areas of chalk grasslands, notably the Salisbury Plain. There are no records of this species from Scotland or Northern Ireland. B.humilis is widespread in Europe. In Great Britain this species is classified as Local.

This garage area belongs to Herefordshire Housing, and the part removal of garages 12 months ago was to free up the land for possible housing. I have just contacted them asking what is happening with this area, and at the very least it needs to be cleared of rubbish, they are coming back to me later today. In regards to the grass and weeds that is Amey I have also contacted them this moring asking for a complete cut, removal of weeds, cut back of trees around the light standard,remove rubbish / fly tipping and put new poo bins along the GWW.

What a beautifull picture of the close up of the heron!

I was priveledged to be in at the begining of the SRB partnership as chairman of the first community group in South Wye at Newton Farm. Initially we called ourselves the Newton Farm Action Group We had between 50-70 residents coming to each monthly meeting at St, Francis Church Centre, A Feasibility and Community Facilities Study was carried out where 929 forms from the residents were returned to us, high on the priority list was an advice centre.We ask Herefordshire Council for an empty shop at the Oval,and SRB for funding, to be able to be considered for this we had to change our name to The Newton Farm Community Association and become a charity which we did, the shop was given to us rent free, it is now called Wyes Buys. At one of our meeting a group of people came and decided to vote our group out of office and take over the community association and the advice centre, we had submitted a plan for a community social club, but unfortunately the new group did not take it forward. Since 2003 a total of four community hall have appeared in south wye, with many facilities such as health and social care, children and young people facilities, better housing and recently the buying of Belmont Pools which will form part of the Haywood Country Park. All this has been achieved by the communities of Belmont and St Martins wards working together over a period of 11 years, and the work is continuing through the South Wye Regeneration Partnership new vision for everyone living in the South Wye area. What we have achieved in South Wye is the envy of those living north of the river. I have continued to work with the partnership over the past 11 years as a member of many committee's, and since 2003 as your councillor representing the people of Belmont Ward. These are exciting times as we move forward with the new vision, and I support the regeneration partnership whole heartedly with their vision, but it will only be achieved if the people of both ward continue to work together for the betterment of the South Wye area.

I don't think part time traffic lights is the answer in my opinion, the tail back is caused by the Asda traffic lights, everyone knows the traffic flows freely when the Asda traffic lights are not working.

It is Amey who is responsible for grass cutting etc I am already on the case and waiting for them to tell me when the work will be done,lighting is'street scene' part of Herefordshire Council when I get conformation I will as always post it on belmont voice.

The St Francis Curch site has become part of the redevelopment of the Oval it will be pulled down to build a multi purpose hub for the community of Newton Farm and wider South Wye to use. As a member of the Oval Redevelopment Steering Group I asked for a written update to put in my Newton Farm newsletter,which I have now received, I will send it to admin to post here!