megilleland

Biomech I am afraid this is the name of the game. When are the authorities going to realise that if some people are unable to pay now, how are they going to pay in the future. Just read that: *profligacy, stupidity and narcissism" - this sounds familiar for our present council doesn't it?. Unfortunately if governments want growth then we must all go into more debt! This is madness. Positive Money video: Why is there so much debt?

Glenda, I think that's what came out of the meeting that south of the river was not viable. It would be ideal to have it close to the Holmer Road Leisure centre and skatepark where there is some space for a circuit track initially and than a Velodrome later.

Just received the report of the Velodrome Meeting held in October. Lots of information to peruse and digest: File attached HV Velodrome Meeting 17 October 2013.pdf Photo attached

Agenda Audit and Governance Committee Tuesday 26 November 2013 10.00 am part of Standards Panel Recommendations 8.6.1 Complaint 13001 was made by Councillor P. Edwards against Councillor G. Vaughan-Powell. The complainant alleged that the subject member had undertaken actions which would bring the authority, or its members or officers generally, into disrepute; disclosed information which was of a confidential nature and failed to treat him with respect and courtesy. Following consideration by the monitoring officer, the complaint was referred for consideration and determination by a standards panel, and was considered on 10th September and 6th November 2013 by a standards panel chaired by Rob Cook, an appointed independent person. 8.6.2 The panel considered the facts of the case and the comments of both the complainant and the subject member, and found that the subject member had not breached of the members’ Code of Conduct. The report of the independent person is at Appendix 3a and b. 8.7.1 Complaint 13016 was made by Councillor A. Bridges against Councillor G. Vaughan-Powell. The complainant alleged that the subject member had undertaken actions which would bring the authority, or its members or officers generally, into disrepute and had failed to treat him with respect and courtesy. Following consideration by the monitoring officer, the complaint was referred for consideration and determination by a standards panel, and was considered on 10th September and 6th November 2013 by a standards panel chaired by Rob Cook, an appointed independent person. The panel considered the facts of the case and the comments of both the complainant and the subject member, and found that the subject member had not breached of the members’ Code of Conduct. The report of the independent person is at Appendix 3a and b. 8.8.1 Complaint 13017 was made by Mrs Elizabeth Kelso, the Belmont Rural Parish Clerk, against Councillor G. Vaughan-Powell. The complainant alleged that the subject member had undertaken actions which would bring the authority, or its members or officers generally, into disrepute and had failed to treat her with respect and courtesy. Following consideration by the monitoring officer, the complaint was referred for consideration and determination by a standards panel, and was considered on 10th September and 6th November 2013 by a standards panel chaired by Rob Cook, an appointed independent person. The panel considered the facts of the case and the comments of both the complainant and the subject member, and found that the subject member had not breached of the members’ Code of Conduct. The report of the independent person is at Appendix 3a and b. Appendix 3a Meeting of the Standards Panel Tuesday 10 September 2013: Room 22a, Brockington Appendix 3b Meeting of the Standards Panel Wednesday 6 November 2013: Room 14a, Brockington This was a continuation of the adourned panel meeting on 10 September 2013

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And all this at the beginning of the year and now only £100,000 in general reserves according to the Hereford Times.

They are running a vote on the article above. Here is the latest result at 9am today. The result gives a clear message and endorses Colin's Lights Out campaign in Hereford Are there too many traffic lights in Worcester? Yes, many are not needed: 71% No, we need more: 7% Yes, but they're necessary: 20% I don't know: 2%

Remember this reply a few weeks ago in Hereford Times letters: Cllr Patricia Morgan, Cabinet Member, Assets and Corporate Services: "With reference to your article on sales of council assets (October 17), Herefordshire Council like many other councils owns many assets ranging from tiny parcels of land to offices such as Plough Lane. Herefordshire Council has a duty to manage the asset portfolio so that it uses county taxpayers’ money to best advantage. Inevitably over time, some of the assets have become surplus to requirements either because they are not delivering a sufficient return and/or that they are no longer strategically important to support the delivery of services. Currently the council has a policy for the disposal of surplus assets which has been in operation since 2009. The assets recently sold at auction were part of a series of three auctions to sell off surplus assets under the current policy. The first was in July and a third is planned for February next year. This is not some “fire†sale but a planned approach to ensure best value for the taxpayer. There are many ways to sell assets but the key driver must surely be ensuring value for money for the taxpayer". Keep saying it and you will believe it!

Communication is the name of the game or in this council's case a complete lack of it and disregard for its ratepayers. Agenda Cabinet Thursday 21 November 2013 2.00 pm item: 4. CORPORATE PERFORMANCE REPORT 2013/15: QUARTER 2 To review performance for the first half of 2013-14 and agree any further actions arsing to address performance issues. Additional document: Appendix 1 - Cabinet Q2 Critical Performance Measures CUSTOMERS % of web users that were satisfied or content with their visit 2011/12 Outturn - 80.6% 2012-13 Outturn - 76.6% 2013/14 Target - >76.6% Latest Outturn - 54.4% Significantly behind target Rating - Red Direction of travel - Downwards % of web users who did not find what they were looking for 2011/12 Outturn - 19.0% 2012-13 Outturn - 21.54% 2013/14 Target - 20.0% Latest Outturn - 26.89% Significantly behind target Rating - Red Direction of travel - Downwards Reduce the % of calls abandoned 2011/12 Outturn - 7.20% (9,921 out of 136,375) 2012-13 Outturn - 14.22% (24,191 out of 168,633) 2013/14 Target - <14.22% Latest Outturn - 18.16% (16,516 out of 91,372) Rating - Red Direction of travel - Downwards item: 5. Budget Monitoring Report To provide Cabinet with assurance on the robustness of budgetary control and monitoring across the Council, to highlight key financial risks within directorates and identify mitigation to bring the authority within its overall approved budget. Additional document: APPENDIX D ECONOMY, COMMUNITIES AND CORPORATE MONTHLY BUDGET CONTROL REPORT (extracts) Legal proceedings were commenced against the Council (and other Councils) by private search companies which could result in this Council having to repay around £367k putting pressure on 2013/14 budgets. The outcome of this claim will have an impact on the way we deliver this service in the future. This includes the loss of rental income as a result of the impact of selling Council land and property assets in the current year which is partly mitigated in year only by the expectation of £75k for disposals less than £10k. There is a risk in relation to disputed items in the Amey contract, as previously reported. There is also the risk of the cost of emergency repairs in response to severe weather conditions, such as flooding or harsh winter conditions. Whilst DCLG assist in the funding of these costs, through the Bellwin scheme, Herefordshire would have to fund the first £454k within current budgets. Based on parking income levels for the first six months of the year, there is an expected shortfall of £95k for the year; this is partly mitigated by one off premises savings relating to the temporary closure of Garrick House Car Park for repair. * Tonight the Council are running this message on their website: "Please accept our apologies. Our website is experiencing some problems and may run slowly. We are working to fix it. If we have any urgent alerts they will be posted at newsroom.herefordshire.gov.uk"

21st November Herefordshires Local Plan - progress so far An update and discussion with Geoff Hughes, Director, Places and Communities Directorate, Herefordshire Council @ the Kindle Centre, (back of Asda), Hereford. Refreshments from 7 for 7.30 start. Members free admission. Visitors £3 each, refunded if you join HCS on the night. For more info and full list of events coming up in 2013 go to http://www.herefordcivicsociety.org.uk and click on Events. Our Quarterly News Magazine is out now! Electronic version available on our website at www.herefordcivicsociety.org.uk or please request by emailing herefordcivicsociety@hotmail.co.uk

Things are steadily getting worse on Hereford's estates with not much activity on the ground. Here on Newton Farm not only are Herefordshire Housing cutting the bulk of the grass, but also the Council's agents (used to be Amey and now Balfour Beatty), and in the case of our street, we pay a service charge for Muir Group Housing to cut the grass and keep the area tidy. There is no co-ordination between these bodies, so some grass gets cut and other areas are left to be cut at a later date. This results in an unkempt appearance and local residents not knowing who is responsible for which piece of land. There are pieces of land which have never been cut this year. The problems around the electricity sub-station in Sherborne Close still continue, with fly tipping amd split rubbish bags spewing their contents over the pavements every weekend. Not much hope of anything been done as this has been occuring and visible to anyone passing through this area since the first post here in June 2010. This lack of co-ordination and co-operation to maintain our estates goes back to 2002 when the council handed over most of our green, open spaces to Herefordshire Housing and other Registered Social Landlords, when they got rid of their housing stock. Since then and several recessions later we were told these alterations and efficiency savings would benefit us the council tax payers and be easier to manage in the future. As we can now see this way of working has failed. There should be one contractor to cover the whole area by adopting all the open space. Balfour Beatty having got their £200 million contract with the council, and possibly a phone line connected in the near future, things could be different, but I doubt it.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look at this website: Positive Money to see what this game is all about and how it affects democracy. Were the rate payers asked if they would like to contribute to Trish Haines windfall? And so on down the chain. This game with money is not only happening locally, but nationally and internationally. Democracy In the 5 years before the financial crisis: Government spending = £2.1 trillion Commercial banks lending = £2.9 trillion 80 board members from the 5 biggest UK banks have greater spending power than 650 MPs Inequality % household income transferred to banks through interest payments is 9.4 % for the poorest income group decile and 1.4 % for the richest income group decile. Debt Each year £100-200 billion is paid to banks as interest. This is equivalent to £2400-4822 per person. Outstanding personal debt stood at £1.424 trillion at the end of February 2013. Between 1993 and 2008 household savings dropped from over 10% of disposable income in to 0, whilst UK consumer debt rose from about 60% of GDP to 100%. Jobs and Business Between 1997-2007 only 13% of the newly created money was lent into the real economy, the rest went into mortgages and finance. Environmental Impact The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function. - Albert Bartlett, 2004 The UK money supply doubled ~ every 10 years from 1970 up to the financial crisis CO2 emissions double ~ every 35 years Everybody needs to sign up to this campaign to change the system.

This article was on the BBC H&W local radio website today: The gravy train rumbles along. My emphasis. Herefordshire Council wouldn't do this - would it?

Hereford Times website tonight: Herefordshire Council rocked as Bromyard councillor Alan Seldon defects 2:33pm Tuesday 12th November 2013 in News By Bill Tanner HEREFORDSHIRE Council has been rocked by another high profile defection with a crucial by-election now just days away. This afternoon (Tues), It’s OUR County (IOC) confirmed that Bromyard councillor Alan Seldon, chairman of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee had joined its ranks from the Independent group. IOC group leader Councillor Anthony Powers, said he was “delighted†to welcome Coun Seldon so close to the Pontrilas by-election which could leave the council with no overall control if the Tories lose. The defection, said Coun Powers, sends a strong message to the electorate. “Alan brings his very considerable experience and abilities both as a councillor and an active member of the national Local Government Association; he will be a greatly valued addition to our team,†he said. Coun Seldon said he not taken defection lightly and had been “wrestling†with the decision for some time along with his “frustration†at what he felt was the Independents’ lack of direction, organisation and coherence as a group. “I recognise IOC as having strong policies for Herefordshire and a real ability to work together as a team in the challenging times we all face. To fulfil my duties and responsibilities as a ward member in Bromyard, it is essential to have a good team to back me up, and at a strategic level I know that the only group making a real difference to the future prospects of Herefordshire is IOC,†he said.

The problem is there is no border control. The government does not know how many people are entering and leaving the UK. If we have got to let all of the EU in it would be helpful to count them in and out. UKIP has an immigration policy here which I think is acceptable to most people who are concerned that we are running out of space very quickly and that ones quality of life is disappearing just as fast. The lack of money filtering down to the masses will affect our democracy. The corporations have bought the rule making machine and are telling governments what to do. The powerful monied interests would like for all of us to become so cynical with politics and give up. If that happens the corporations rule the world and we will be slaves to its cause. Robert Reich was US Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has been raising concerns about the direction we are heading and what he says, is now also happening here in the UK. Watch either of these two videos to get the picture and his solution to the problems we face. Inequality For All An Evening with Robert Reich

Election of a Unitary Councillor for the Tupsley Ward STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED The following is a statement as to the persons nominated for the election of a Unitary Councillor on Thursday, 7th November 2013 for the Tupsley Ward. Three candidates: Duncan Charles Fraser - Liberal Democrats Jason Kay - Local Conservatives Cath North - It's OUR County (Herefordshire) This Election is Combined With an Election of a Parish Ward Councillor for Hereford, Tupsley Parish Ward which is being held on the same day

Forgot the link: Delivering our priorities with reducing resources The proposed budget for 2014/15 and plan for Herefordshire Council 2014/15 to 2016/17

"We are likely to become a very small organisation which commissions services from a range of bodies". Quote straight from Herefordshire Council's document released the last few days: Delivering our priorities with reducing resources The proposed budget for 2014/15 and plan for Herefordshire Council 2014/15 to 2016/17

Slowly but surely the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership is moving forward to take over the running of Herefordshire. We need to get out of the EU and its plan for regionalisation. All the money is been given to a few to decide the fate of many. Notice the Marches LEP has the following Herefordshire characters on board: Councillor John Jarvis Leader of Herefordshire Council also been involved in regional politics for more than 20 years Peter Brown Chair of Herefordshire Business Board also Chief Executive of Herefordshire Housing Sir Ben Gill CBE Marches LEP Co-opted Business Champion also chairman of the private sector-led organisation, Visit Herefordshire Here you can read the Draft EU Structural and Investment Funds Strategy 2014-2020 to get an idea of the future without or a diminished Herefordshire Council.

Changes to Herefordshire Council’s cabinet 31 October 2013 A number of changes to Herefordshire Council’s cabinet have been announced with effect from 1 November 2013. Councillor Tony Johnson, leader of Herefordshire Council, said: “The council has to radically change in response to the financial position affecting all councils across the country. We have already lost several hundred staff, senior management and director posts since 2010 with more planned in the years ahead. As funding continues to reduce, more and more we will become a commissioning authority which shares an increasing level of service provision and administration with partners. “Against this background and future requirements, the form and size of the cabinet has been adjusted to reflect these changes. Councillor Hamilton will not be replaced and his duties along with other portfolio items have been redistributed. “Councillor Phillips will step down from the cabinet allowing him to spend more time and expertise on the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which central government has clearly stated will be the conduit for all funding from Westminster and Europe. “Councillor Morgan will take over as the new deputy leader from Councillor Price allowing him to concentrate on the core strategy, which is likely to be the largest single portfolio item we will have for some years, which when added to areas such as highways and planning, will present a significant workload. “This is not simply a re-shuffle, the size and shape of the new cabinet is designed to reflect the changing demands on Herefordshire Council.†The new cabinet is: Councillor Tony Johnson Leader of Herefordshire Council / Corporate strategy and finance Councillor Patricia Morgan Deputy leader of Herefordshire Council / Corporate services Councillor Harry Bramer Contracts and assets Councillor Graham Powell Health and wellbeing Councillor Philip Price Infrastructure Councillor Jeremy Millar Young people and children’s wellbeing

Unblocked yesterday at last. You can now see the drain.

Great Western Way was still under water at the Barton Road Bridge 2 days ago. A lorry driver from Maygothling was trying to unblock the drain, but he said there was a problem further down the drain and he couldn't do anything about it. I wonder if Balfour Beatty have got this problem on their books. Cyclists trying to get through are hitting submerged objects and could come off. Everyone else is having to go around the water by using the muddy bank. Been like this for at least 2 months.

Here is the Auction List for the Sale held on October 14th in London by Lambert Smith Hampton Lot 49 12/26 Kinnersley Close, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR2 7DY Freehold Ground Rent(s) on 8 Houses This is the council selling the ground rents. I would have thought that they should have notified the residents first to enable them to purchase the ground rents. All that will happen is that the new freeholder will just send an annual bill which could increase yearly especially if they have taken on the responsibility for cutting any grass. You will end up with residents not knowing who is going to cut the grass and when - a mess. We already have that in Muir Close where the council cut two humps and verges and the housing association cut the other three. For this work 49 households get a service charge each for over £50. I think we could cut the grass and do a better job for less £2450 a year. In fact we got a quote for £800 to the job.

Noted Glenda.

It is good to see more Councillors coming on board here at Hereford Voice. It is also encouraging to see councillors raising enquiring and challenging questions of the ruling elite. Their questions give food for thought. Questions from: Councillor PJ McCaull - The New Market Councillor MD Lloyd Hayes - Future care of relatives Councillor DC Taylor - Non payment of Council tax and Business rates Councillor AJW Powers - Core Strategy and Waste Management Contract Councillor MAF Hubbard (2 questions) - Impact of the new development on Hereford’s historic retail area and Burnt out buildings in central Hereford Councillor EPJ Harvey (2 questions) - Removal of £300m of local infrastructure costs and Core Strategy and Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) MEMBER QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL – 18 OCTOBER 2013