Hereford Voice

Here's a wonderful photo of one of the regular coal trains crossing the river along the Great Western Way from our Old Hereford Pics archive. Who remembers when the trains were active along the GWW?

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U71005 - Sellack Boat, Kings Caple in Herefordshire

Leader of Herefordshire Council, Cllr David Hitchiner, has announced changes to Cabinet Member portfolios, to take effect from 1 August 2021. Leader of Herefordshire Council, Cllr David Hitchiner Councillor Pauline Crockett will step down from Cabinet due to personal reasons, but will continue her duties as a ward member. Councillor Felicity Norman is the new Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Wellbeing, and Councillor Jenny Bartlett will continue as Cabinet Support Member. Councillor Diana Toynbee’s Children’s and Family Services portfolio returns to the full list of responsibilities which Councillor Felicity Norman had when she had this portfolio, but with the addition of Councillor Kath Hey who is appointed as an additional Cabinet Support to support Young People’s Attainment, including post-16 education, training and skills development. This additional support role is important to reflect the responsibilities that Councillor Toynbee has concerning the Improvement journey in Children’s Services and also the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and to ensure that the county’s education and skills are aligned and delivered effectively. The new Cabinet will come into effect from Sunday 1 August 2021: Councillor David Hitchiner - Leader of Herefordshire Council / Corporate strategy and budget Councillor Liz Harvey – Deputy Leader of Herefordshire Council / Finance, Corporate Services and Planning Councillor Diana Toynbee - Children’s and Family Services, and Young People’s Attainment Councillor Gemma Davies - Commissioning, Procurement and Assets Councillor Ellie Chowns – Environment and Economy Councillor Felicity Norman - Health and Adult Wellbeing Councillor John Harrington - Infrastructure and Transport Councillor Ange Tyler - Housing, Regulatory Services and Community Safety

West Mercia Police wrote; Hereford Video https://youtu.be/10BTI0woGfU Leominster Video https://youtu.be/cWlN_NLBJtk #HerefordVoice | #HerefordNews | #LeominsterNews

‘Hereford City Life’ backed by Hereford BID are launching the ‘Hereford Gift Card’! They are launching a brand new gift card to help encourage customers to spend their money with local Hereford businesses. The Hereford Gift Card is a pre-paid ‘Master Card’ based programme, that can be accepted by independents and nationals within Hereford city centre. Consumers The new Hereford Gift Card can be purchased as a gift for a family member or friend or even to give to someone to say thank you. The gift card is just like any other gift card that you see on the high street and you will be able to use it to spend in many of the local shops, cafés, restaurants and bars and all participating businesses in Hereford City Centre including Marks and Spencers, Primark, New Look, Timothy Hawkins Gallery, Saxtys, Pleasance and Harper, Toni and Guy, Fox and Mabel...to name but a few however, a full list of those participating businesses will be provided once the gift card is launched in the next few months, just in time for Christmas!! Businesses This scheme is another great way to encourage visitors to shop and spend with your business and can benefit many sectors, including retail, hospitality, leisure and service. How do I register? To register your business as an approved Hereford Gift Card location, please visit the registration page here https://hfd.news/kwj and follow the steps outlined. Costs Being an approved location for the Hereford Gift Card will cost you nothing other than the levy you already pay to us. Every penny the customer spends on the card will be loaded on the card too - there are no hidden fees! What if I have more questions? If you have more queries about the Hereford Gift Card and registering your businesses, you can find FAQs on the Hereford BID website using our link - https://hfd.news/2so or alternatively, please feel free to contact Hereford BID by email info@herefordbid.co.uk

Reduce, reuse, recycle, recover – a new way for managing waste Reducing the amount of waste we produce, and reusing and recycling where possible, benefits the county and the environment, and is the aim of a new waste strategy for Herefordshire agreed at the council’s cabinet meeting today (29 July). The new waste strategy sets out the changes that will be taking place to the way that household and business waste is collected and then treated, and schemes that support and encourage a reduction in the amount of waste being produced. These include: Reduce – promoting schemes that reduce the amount we throw away such as community fridge schemes Reuse – supporting organisations that repair and reuse items, community share schemes and encouraging donations to charity Recycle – composting garden waste, supporting people to recycle more Recover – introducing a new kerbside food waste collection and producing energy from food waste The small proportion of waste remaining will only then go to landfill. The strategy also sets out changes to the black bin and recycling collections based on feedback from a resident consultation held earlier this year, when around 3,500 people told us what worked well for them and what could be improved about their kerbside collection service. A number of pilot schemes will trial these changes to see what works best, so that they can be introduced across the county in the most effective way.Cllr Gemma Davies, cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets said: The new waste strategy, as well as the outcome of the rubbish and recycling consultation, can be found on the Herefordshire Council website.

Police in Hereford are appealing for information following a racially aggravated assault in the city. The incident happened in the Church Street area of the city at around 4.00pm on Wednesday 7 July 2021. The victim sustained facial injuries as a result. Officers are appealing for any witnesses to come forward with information and are particularly interested in identifying the man shown in the image below. If you have any information please contact PC Karol Kujawa on 07971 395081 quoting incident number 369i of the 7th July 2021 or report anonymously using the Tell Us About section of the website.

Following on from our article yesterday here 👉 https://hfd.news/hwo Andrew Thompson, aged 52, Hereford, has been charged with attempt murder and will appear in Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday 29 July). He has been charged in relation to an incident that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday (27 July) in Dartmouth Court, Hereford. The cordons have now been released and we would like thank the community for their patience and help with our investigation.

Officers have arrested a 52-year-old man from Hereford on suspicion of attempted murder. The arrest was made after police were alerted to an incident at an address in Dartmouth Court at 2.12am on Tuesday 27 July. A man has received treatment for stab injuries to his neck and abdomen, he is now in a stable condition. A cordon remains in place at Dartmouth Court. The 52-year-old remains in custody while the investigation continues. We are asking for members of the public that may have seen or heard anything suspicious in the area of Dartmouth Court between 2am - 3am on Tuesday 27 July to please contact us via the website or via 101 quoting reference 55i of 27 July.

The Centre, which is owned by the Council and managed by Social Enterprise and Registered Charity Halo Leisure was forced to close in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The original plan was to reopen in August 2020 along with all other leisure facilities, however, this wasn’t possible due to severe and deliberate damage caused to the roof of the Centre through vandalism. Since then the contractors working on behalf of the Council have made the building watertight and repaired the substantial water damage caused by the vandalism. The Centre is now due reopening ahead of schedule today. Alex Haines, Halo Partnership Manager said: Cllr Gemma Davies, Cabinet member for commissioning, procurement and assets, said:

Supporting Local Business | Sensory & Rye are opening in the former 'British Heart Foundation' shop opposite the Kerry, but they need a little bit of local support... Over the last 6 years we have seen the incredible rise in Herefords food scene and they have been right at the heart of it. Based in Bastion Mews they have built this creative, beautiful restaurant, packed with good vibes, stunningly beautiful food and some of the best coffee in Hereford! Bastion Mews has been their original home, but they are restricted by size and their ideas, passion and creativity needs space to grow! They are moving into the British Heart Foundation building, just across from where they are now and they are already in the process of turning it into the most incredible restaurant! The additional space will Sensory & Rye to offer a dinner menu, live music, breakfast, brunch and lunches as well as many more ideas that they have secretly kept up their sleeves. Their small team have made huge strides in the renovations, but they need local support to help them to complete the journey. If you would like to help, full details https://bit.ly/3wWxEu8

In a post on their Facebook page Hereford Police wrote; Unbelievable that some people think it's okay to leave animals in vehicles, particularly in this extreme heatwave

Cabinet members in Herefordshire Council are facing a slew of questions after the city’s major road project careered out of control. Furious residents want answers and have submitted numerous questions to the cabinet about the City Link Road which faces a £6 million overspend, jeopardising the Transport Hub and improvements the Commercial, Newmarket and Blue School Street elements, as well as flood mitigation measures in Hereford. Image | Google The ruling Coalition leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss the matter and have expressed grave concerns about the ‘casual culture of overspend’ they say was the hallmark of the previous Conservative administration's approach to the delivery of major capital projects. Cabinet member for transport, John Harrington, said At a public Cabinet meeting this Thursday, 22nd July, members will debate a report which they say highlights a litany of errors and possible cover-ups which took place at the council under the Conservatives between 2015-2019. The current administration say previous cabinet members and officers played down the ballooning cost of the compulsory purchase orders needed to deliver the road element of the Hereford City Centre Transport Package. Coun Harrington claims the public and opposition councillors who challenged promises that ‘the most expensive piece of tarmac in England’ was delivered on time and to budget, were misled. Coalition members committed themselves to unearthing the overspend on the city road scheme during a purge to improve project management and governance of major infrastructure projects in the council. Cabinet Member for Finance, Liz Harvey said: How Did Hereford’s City Link Road Spiral Out of Control? Investigations commissioned by the current cabinet into value for money around council capital projects have concluded that land block purchases at the station end of the road created an early £3.8m overspend on the Link Road. The Coalition administration say this hole in the project’s finances was masked by combining the original stand-alone City Link Road project with an entirely separate Marches LEP funded project intended to deliver a transport hub at the station, public realm improvements on Commercial Road, Blueschool Street and Newmarket Street, providing much needed safe walking and cycling routes from the city to the railway station. The GP hub and new student accommodation along the Link Road were included and the combined project was rebranded as the Hereford City Centre Transport Package. Coun Harvey said she believed that combining of separate projects: ‘allowed Peter to rob Paul, and spiralling City Link Road costs were paid for with budgets originally set aside for the transport hub and other public realm improvements.’ Of particular concern to the current administration is the unusually high level, over 100, of 'compensation events', according to Coun Harrington, that saw contractors, Balfour Beatty Living Places, revise upwards their original bid to deliver the projects. Coun Harrington said: ‘I am not suggesting that BBLP deliberately underinflated their bid to secure the HCCTP contract, but so many compensation events during the delivery of a project raises questions about how the council managed this contract and how realistic BBLP's original bid was. We simply must not operate like this again in the future and, alongside senior officers, we have put in place procedures to ensure that all major capital projects are run by one corporate department from now on, with cross cutting responsibilities ensuring we do not ever again get the kind of silo working that I believe has led to some of the missteps that have dogged this project.’ Prior to Thursday’s cabinet meeting to discuss the matter Coun Harrington said that Coun Harrington said: Coun Harrington added: Finance member, Coun Liz Harvey, commented:

Hereford’s looking up, with new bee-friendly bus shelters 🐝 When you’re next out and about, you may notice that three ‘green’ bus shelters with living plants on the roofs have been installed at the Red Barn Drive stop on Yazor Road, and the Memorial and Victoria bus stops on Whitecross Road. The roofs are planted with 16 different varieties of Sedum plants, which are known to have many benefits for the environment. As plants they help absorb CO2 and release oxygen, while their flowers are also great for bees providing a haven and a welcome food source for many different pollinators along the urban roadsides. The sedum plants can also filter fine dust particles and so help to purify air, cutting pollution levels and they can help to capture rain water - all while bringing a little bit of nature into the City. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: Read more about the Externiture City Haven shelters and their benefits at externiture.com Herefordshire Council is also running a Bus Service Improvement Survey from Friday 16 July to Sunday 15 August. To access the consultation, please visit www.herefordshire.gov.uk/bus-survey

Update 10.30am Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Ledbury Fire Station and Hereford Fire Station are still currently dealing with a fire near the railway track in Ledbury. Fire crews are liaising with Network Rail and extinguishing the fire.

Disruption between Hereford and Worcester Foregate Street expected until 10:00 Ledbury Train Station A fire next to the track at Ledbury is causing disruption to journeys between Hereford and Worcester Foregate Street. Services may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Natioanl Rail anticipate disruption will continue until 10:00. Alternative travel advice for West Midlands Railway customers: Replacement road transport has been requested to run in both directions between Hereford and Worcester Shrub Hill, however, this is not expected to arrive at Hereford until at least at 08:30. 📷 Wikimedia Commons

The future of Hereford’s Town Hall lies in the hands of those who love it, according to Coalition councillor Gemma Davies. Councillor Gemma Davies Regarding news that Herefordshire Council can no longer afford the Town Hall, Councillor Davies said: Councillor Davies said:

The B4362 between Orleton and Woofferton was closed at the railway bridge earlier this afternoon. Rail services between Leominster and Ludlow were disrupted and emergency services attended the scene. Unfortunately one patient sadly died. The road is now open. 📷 Google

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U75235 - Browns Lane, near The Bage, Dorstone in Herefordshire

The incident happened around 11.15pm last night (Friday 16 July) in High Street. A 29 year old man attended hospital for lacerations caused by a knife. A 26 year old man and a 23 year old woman have been arrested on suspicion of assault and are currently in police custody. Officers are carrying out enquiries and appealing for witnesses, in particular two people seen on CCTV in the area at the time. Detective Sergeant Jim Moore, from Hereford CID, said: “We believe we have identified two people we have on CCTV who may have witnessed the assault and would ask they get in contact with us.” Witnesses can contact Hereford CID on 01432 347399 or alternatively online under the Tell Us About section of West Mercia Police’s website (quote reference 00192_I_17072021). If you do not wish to speak to police direct you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Good to see West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner, John-Paul Campion out on the streets with Hereford Police last night.

In line with government advice on the removal of many Covid-19 restrictions, Herefordshire Council will begin the process of removing some Emergency Active Travel Measures following the 19 July 2021. Some measures will be removed in the weeks following the 19th July, whilst the removal of others will follow after the summer to allow a more sensible and balanced return to pre-Covid streetscapes. The initial elements to be removed are: Footway widening in High Street Bromyard, Broad Street and King Street Hereford Temporary 20mph limits in Hereford and the Market Towns Highway Covid warning signage in Ross on Wye & Kington Friday closure of High Street Leominster Extension to closure time of Widemarsh Street Hereford Elements to be removed at the end of September: Old Wye Bridge Closure Hereford Footway widening in Bridge Street Hereford The following elements are to remain for the time being: Closure of Aubrey Street Hereford Advisory cycle lane on Ledbury Road Hereford Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for Infrastructure and Transport, said:

The freehold disposal of Hereford Town Hall is being discussed at a meeting set for August 6th It's not a simple 'yes or no question' because this is public money that needs to be spent! There are huge maintenance costs to consider, many of the county's historical buildings require regular maintenance and the Hereford Town Hall needs at least £2.5M spending on it immediately just to bring it up to standard, but there is a lot more work required. This is mainly down to the lack of ongoing maintenance since back to the 1990's. The reason for this consideration, from our understanding, is that the Town Hall could be sold to the Hereford City Council and or including a possible 3rd party (CIC) which will be discussed further at the meeting on August 6th 2021. A community interest company (CIC) is a special form of non-charitable limited company, which exists primarily to benefit a community or with a view to pursuing a social purpose, rather than to make a profit for shareholders. Therefore, access to finance – whether through provide donors, grants or community development finance – may lead a social enterprise to operate as a CIC rather than as a standard company. These funding options such as grants etc are available to CIC's but this source of funding would not be available to a Council. Councillor Gemma Davies, cabinet member for commissioning, procurement and assets, said that in setting this year’s budget, it was vital £11.2 million in savings was identified, including new approaches to managing council assets. she said. Hereford Town Hall was built in 1904 and is a Grade II Listed building. In order to bring the Hereford Town Hall and other historical buildings across the county up to standard would most likely result in a increase in Council Tax, so the real question here is; 'Would you prefer in increase in your Council Tax or for Herefordshire Council to consider these other options'?