megilleland

How times move on, but nothing ever happens. I think an eastern bypass would be a good idea and even Jesse Norman thought so. I wonder if he will mention it at the above meeting. Here is his letter supporting the motion 4th March 2014. Marches_LEP_Letter_to_Graham_Wynn_040314.pdf

Hereford Civic Society Thursday 23rd February, 7.00pm for 7.30pm at the Kindle Centre Speaker Rt. Hon Jesse Norman MP: “Regenerating our City, and our County” Please note that this is the 4th Thursday in February - not our normal 3rd Thursday We look forward to seeing you there.

Friends of Bartonsham Meadows Please join us for a bird walk this Sunday 5 February Meet at 9am at the Canary Bridge for a ‘What’s That Bird?’ around the Meadows. Bring binocs, dogs on lead or under close control, and youngsters whether under control or not. http://www.friendsofbartonshammeadows.org/

Dangers of Vaping Vaping users may not realise what they are letting themselves in for. For such a small item the product carries a lot of potential problems for the user. The information contained on the packet and inside foil list the dangers. How many people read this information bearing in mind you need a magnifying glass to see it. So you don't go blind trying to read the advice, I have listed below the information in an easy to read format. As a litter picker this item is very popular on our streets and with young people and non smokers. 18+ 2% Nicotine - 600 Puffs - Mesh Coil This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. www.skevape.com Instructions This product is intended for use with various strengths of e-liquid. If you come into direct contact with such liquid whilst using this product please wash your hands and forearms thoroughly. Exposure to such liquid can be harmful if it gets into your eyes. In which case flush your eyes with water and seek medical attention. If swallowed rinse out your mouth and seek immediate medical attention. When seeking medical advice have the liquid product container or label at hand. Danger - skull and crossbones graphic This product is not intended for use by children and non-smokers Ingredient: Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene, Glycol, Flavors, Nicotine (EC200-193-3). 20mg * 66.67ugml; content of Nicotine per puff. (2%) 20mg/ml content of nicotine. Parameters Size:17x17x104mm E-liquid capacity: 20ml Coil: 1.2 Q Meshcoil Puff: 600 puffs Battery capacity: 500 mah Warning and precautions Underage sales prohibited. This product is not for use by children and non smokers. Keep the contents of this product out of reach of children, non-smokers and animals. Store the product at a temperature between 18-30 degrees C and out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate, freeze, heat the product. Do not use if pregnant or breast feeding. Do not use if you have an unstable heart condition, severe hypertension or diabetes. Please read all of this information carefully before you begin to use this product. Battery recycling This products battery should not be treated as household waste. Instead it should be handed over to the applicable used battery collection point for recycling. EEE recycling This product should not be treated as household waste. Instead it should be handed over to the applicable collection point for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. Further Adverse Precautions listed on foil wrapper inside Vaping Packet First time e-cigarette users may experience irritation of the mouth, a dry throat or cough. If you inhale too much nicotine or use the product too much you may experience one or more of the following effects: Feeling Faint, Nausea (feeling sick), Coughing, Irritation in the mouth or throat dizziness, Stomach discomfort, Hiccups, Vomiting, Chest palpitations, Abnormal heart rate. If you are experiencing any of these side effects listed as above discontinue using this product. If the effects continue after you stop use, consult your doctor or healthcare professional and report the incident as per the guidance to their attention. Previous to this vaping craze, laughing gas cylinders are also popular although the government are planning to crack down on their use. UK ban on laughing gas sale or possession poised to go ahead (extracts from The Guardian 28th January 2023) Suella Braverman pushing plan to change law on nitrous oxide as part of crackdown on antisocial behaviour. The Home Office is preparing to introduce a long-expected ban on the sale or possession of nitrous oxide, one of the most popular recreational drugs among young people, as part of a wider crackdown on antisocial behaviour. The plan is being pushed by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, according to officials, and would lead to people found with laughing gas, which is usually inhaled from balloons filled through small metal cylinders, facing prosecution. Discarded nitrous oxide cylinders are a ubiquitous sight on high streets and at festivals, with almost one in 10 16 to 24 year olds reporting having taking the drug in 2019-20. The gas produces sensations of euphoria, giggling and hallucinations, but can also cause dizziness and impaired memory, as well as accidents from leg weakness. It can also cause neurological problems by inactivating the vitamin B12. Doctors have warned about an increase in spinal cord and nerve damage caused by the drug, including paralysis.

Government refuses to fund UK students at new medical school despite ‘chronic’ doctor shortage The centre at Worcester University could be forced to train only overseas students who are unlikely to remain in Britain (Extract from The Guardian 14/01/2023) A new school set up to boost the number of doctors in England has been told it will not receive any funding for domestic students – meaning that in future it may only be able to give places to those coming in from overseas. The government is refusing to fund a single place at Three Counties Medical School, University of Worcester, despite health bosses in the area saying they are spending £70m a year on agency staff to plug a chronic shortage of doctors. The school was set up to boost doctor numbers across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire – rural areas that struggle to compete with big city training centres such as Birmingham when recruiting medical staff. The centre is expected to be completed in about six weeks, and it has the agreement of the General Medical Council to start training doctors from September. However, the Department for Health and Social Care, which maintains a strict cap on the number of university medical degree places it funds, is ignoring pleas from local health trusts, hospitals and Tory MPs to pay for students to come and train at the school. Professor David Green, vice chancellor of Worcester University, told the Observer: “The chronic shortage of staff in the NHS means that doctors are constantly rushed, so delays and mistakes happen and that is leading to a crisis of excess deaths. The question is how bad do things have to get before the government will act?” More here: _____________________________________________________________________ No NHS dentists in Herefordshire and now no UK doctors in the future, This government are hell bent on destroying the NHS.

Landmark decision on mega poultry farm could mean ‘life or death’ of River Wye Welsh government considers whether to block plan after experts say manure from intensive units is turning Wye into ‘pea soup’ The Welsh government is under pressure to block a new mega chicken farm in the Wye catchment, in what campaigners call a “crucial moment in the life or death of the Wye”. The River Wye has become synonymous with the intensive poultry industry, with more than 20 million chickens in its catchment area, producing more manure than the land can absorb and turning the river the colour of “pea soup”. A scientific study led by Lancaster University recommends an 80% reduction in poultry manure in the Wye catchment to protect the river, calling for a cut in the overall number of birds and the exporting of manure out of the area. However, Powys county council is still approving intensive poultry units in the catchment. Last year, Fish Legal challenged a decision by Powys to approve a unit at Wern Haelog near Builth Wells, housing 90,000 chickens, but lost the case. Last week, the Welsh government sent a holding direction to Powys county council to prevent it approving a new industrial poultry unit, also near Builth Wells, which would house 100,000 chickens at any one time. Welsh ministers will now decide whether to ‘call in’ the application, and rule on the chicken farm at government level. More here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/10/landmark-decision-mega-poultry-farm-life-or-death-of-river-wye-wales -------------------------------------------------------------- Looks as if the river will be up the creek if the powers to be can't sort this out. Another case of follow the money.

You'll have to have a smartphone to carry out transactions. All part of the plan to digitize everything ie health, motoring, travel, shopping, administration, surveillance. You give them your data and they will sell it to third parties to bombard you with ads.

HSBC announces closure of 114 branches HSBC has confirmed a raft of branch closures are to take place from next year. Those near us in Hereford: April Abergavenny Leominster May Brecon June Chepstow Ross on Wye Full list confirmed here: On course for digitisation of cash. No smart phone - no money or credit. We'll own nothing, but be happy so says the World Economic Forum. The Banks don't want your money just your assets.

Hello Colin, Picture of bike attached Ladies County Apollo. Both tyres flat. Will be away for a break till Monday 28th November. Martin 7

I found this bike, which I presume has been stolen and abandoned by the garages in Muir Close. This item has also been posted on Facebook, but to no effect. The bike is now in my garden. I have tried to report the matter to the council and local police and as usual you go round in circles. I need to dispose of it as soon as possible.

Stop Hunt handing billions to the banks As Dire Straits told us 1985: Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain't workin', that's the way you do it Money for nothin' and your chicks for free Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb Maybe get a blister on your little finger Baby, get a blister on your thumb We gotta install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries We've got to move these refrigerators We've got to move these colour TVs See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup Yeah buddy, that's his own real hair The little faggot got his own jet airplane The little faggot, he's a millionaire Sign Positive Money petition here:

And the morons still drop their litter where they like. Tried to contact Balfour Beatty, HCC Community Protection and Muir Housing. Couldn't get through to HCC Community Protection and Muir Housing. Balfour Beatty say that Muir Housing should tidy the mess up, but whoever is dropping the litter is using the public footpath behind the garages. Connexus (Hereford Housing) were also mentioned in the telephone inquiry with Balfour Beatty. Any way I'm not picking it up. I do a litter pick once a week in the neighbourhood with a purple bag and fill that up. Spent a couple of hours talking to telephone systems this morning that can't put you in touch with a human being who can resolve the problem.

Chicken farms may explain decline of the River Wye, tests suggest Citizen scientists find high phosphorous levels in the soil could be polluting the river in Herefordshire. Campaigners have revealed the results of farmland testing which provides new evidence of the potential link between intensive poultry units and the decline of the River Wye. Full article here.

The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain written by Dame Kate Bingham, former Chair of the UK Government's Vaccine Taskforce, and Tim Hames Link for ticket (event is free to attend) At the event Kate will be signing copies of "The Long Shot" Refreshments provided Date and time Fri, 21 October 2022, 18:00 – 20:00 Location New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, Skylon campus Canary Drive Skylon Park Hereford HR2 6ST ___________________________________________________________________ Let's hope you don't have to be jabbed to attend!

In The Guardian 25th September 2022 Chicken farm giant linked to River Wye decline was sued over water blight in US Cargill was taken to court 20 years ago in Oklahoma over the same pollution issue it is now linked to in UK (extracts) While the legal cases were being fought in the courtrooms of Oklahoma, more than 4,400 miles away the intensive poultry production lines were being rolled out along the Wye and nearby counties. Cargill has operated in the UK since 1955 and purchased a major poultry processing plant in Hereford, more than 40 years ago. In 2013 it announced a £35m investment in the plant to increase production of fresh chicken, and five years later it combined its fresh chicken operation in the UK with poultry business Faccenda Foods to form Avara. New intensive poultry units – each housing at least 40,000 chickens – sprung up to meet the demand, and between 2013 and 2017 the number of birds in Herefordshire increased from 13 million to 18 million. Avara’s operation is estimated to account for around 85% of the total and the company processes and packs about two million chickens a week in Hereford, supplying major supermarkets and fast-food outlets, including Tesco, Asda and McDonald’s. ---------------------------------------------------------------- What happens in America today is usually adopted by the UK a few years later to our cost. Exploiting smaller countries, throwing their bombs and missiles around the world, all in the aim of controlling and to surveil us, all revolving around your smart phone. Use it wisely or throw it away.

In El Pais newspaper 8th September 2022: Juul to pay $439 million in damages over marketing e-cigarettes to teens The company used launch parties, giveaways and free samples to lure young adults, who quickly became addicted to their high-nicotine vaping products The e-cigarette brand Juul has paid a high cost for targeting teenagers in its marketing strategy. The firm will have to pay $438.5 million to 33 states in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, as a result of a court settlement reached on Tuesday between the two sides. The plaintiffs claimed Juul was responsible for addicting minors to their high-nicotine vaping products with launch parties, giveaways and free samples. They also pointed to how the company used young models on social media to promote their products. In the United States, the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes is 21, the same age for tobacco. The multimillion-dollar settlement is just one of many setbacks facing the company, which still has nine separate lawsuits pending and is facing hundreds of personal injury lawsuits brought on behalf of underage users who say they became addicted to the company’s vaping products. What’s more, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Juul last June from marketing Virginia tobacco flavored pods and menthol flavored pods at nicotine concentrations of 5.0% and 3.0%. It also ordered the company to remove the products from the market. Thirty-three US states and Puerto Rico joined together in 2020 to seek compensation from Juul. The lawsuit was led by Texas, Oregon and Connecticut. William Tong, the attorney general of Connecticut, celebrated the settlement in a statement on Tuesday. “[Juul] relentlessly marketed vaping products to underage youth, manipulated their chemical composition to be palatable to inexperienced users, employed an inadequate age verification process, and misled consumers about the nicotine content and addictiveness of its products,” he said. “The full public health ramifications of this misconduct are yet unknown. Through this settlement, we have secured hundreds of millions of dollars to help reduce nicotine use and forced Juul to accept a series of strict injunctive terms to end youth marketing and crack down on underage sales,” Each state will receive a different amount as part of the court settlement. Connecticut, for example, will receive $16.2 million, while Texas will be paid $42.8 million. In addition to the compensation, “the agreement also includes strong marketing, sales and distribution restrictions, including restrictions on marketing to persons under age 35,” as well as “age verification requirements on all sales,” said Texas Attorney General Tom Paxton in a statement. The $438.5 million will be paid out over a period of six to 10 years. The longer it takes to pay the settlement, the more it will have to pay. It could end up paying $476.6 million if it gets too close to the deadline. Following the settlement, Juul released a statement calling the deal an expression of its “commitment to resolve issues from the past.” It added: “The terms of the agreement are aligned with our current business practices which we started to implement after our company-wide reset in the fall of 2019.” Juul, is owned by Altria, which is also the parent company of tobacco brand Phillip Morris. The vaping company burst onto the market, using technology and design to win over customers. It sold itself as the “iPhone of vapers,” and built a niche by targeting young people. __________________________________________________________ That's a lot of financial compensation. Appears to be many people using these products, judging by the litter on our streets, and they not realising the full health effects on their bodies.

From Your Herefordshire website 5th September 2022: NEWS | Lidl would like to open ‘several new stores in Herefordshire’ with potential locations revealed by admin | Sep 5, 2022 | News Lidl has revealed that it would like to open new stores in a number of areas of Herefordshire and surrounding counties. Lidl has confirmed that it is actively looking for land in the following locations: Hereford (North/West) Hereford (South) Ledbury Leominster Ross-on-Wye The company is also looking at sites in Builth Wells, Abergavenny and Brecon. Lidl says it wishes to “continue its phenomenal growth by opening further sites across the country.” Lidl Requirements: Town centre or edge of centre and retail parks Ideally main road frontage with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow Freehold, leasehold or long leasehold opportunities Unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and 100+ dedicated car parking spaces 1.5+ acres for standalone stores or up to 4 acres for mixed-use schemes Lidl recently revealed plans to open a store on land currently occupied by the Three Counties Hotel in Hereford. This has seen a backlash from members of the public with concerns over traffic in the Belmont Road area of the city and increased noise pollution. Asda has also said it is concerned about loss of trees and retail impact if Lidl get go ahead to build a store on Three Counties Hotel site. Asda is concerned about the loss of trees and retail impact if Lidl get go ahead to build a store on Three Counties Hotel site. A letter submitted by Jigsaw Planning on behalf of Asda Stores Limited says: The proposed development will see the demolition of the Three Counties Hotel which is a trading business. The applicants Planning Statement references policies from the Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy at section 5.8 onwards. One policy it refers to is Policy SCI which relates to social and community facilities. The Planning Statement dismisses this policy as not being relevant to the proposal as hotel does not fall within the list of facilities listed in the supporting text. It should be noted that the supporting texts states “social and community facilities can include:” (our emphasis). It does not therefore seek to provide an extensive list of facilities that can be covered by the policy. The hotel’s website www.threecountieshotel.co.uk confirms that the hotel has a restaurant, bar and offers weddings as well as providing traditional accommodation. The website confirms that the bar facilities are for “residents and non-residents alike”. It is clear from this that the hotel offers facilities for use by the local community through the bar and restaurant as well as hosting weddings and conferences. This is also confirmed by some of the representations to the application which confirm local residents opposition to the loss of the local facility. As such it is considered that the proposal should be assessed against policy SCI. The policy states: ‘Policy SCI – Social and community facilities Development proposals which protect, retain or enhance existing social and community infrastructure or ensure that new facilities are available as locally as possible will be supported. Such proposals should be in or close to settlements, have considered the potential for co-location of facilities and where possible be safely accessible by foot, by cycle and public transport. New development that creates a need for additional social and community facilities that cannot be met through existing social facilities -will be expected to meet the additional requirements through new, or extension of existing, provision or by developer contributions which meet the relevant tests of paragraph 204 of the NPPF. Proposals involving the provision or expansion of social and community facilities will be expected to provide publicly accessible toilets (including facilities for disabled people and baby changing). Existing facilities will be retained, unless it can be demonstrated that an appropriate alternative facility is available, or can be provided to meet the needs of the community affected; or it can be shown that the facility is no longer required, viable or is no longer fit for purpose; and where appropriate, it has been vacant and marketed for community use without success. Viable alternative facilities must be equivalent to those they replace. In terms of size, quality and accessibility.” There is no information to indicate that the existing facilities are no longer required, viable or fit for purpose. The proposal is therefore contrary to this policy. Retail Impact Planning law requires that applications for planning permission be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (“NPPF”) is a material consideration in planning decisions. NPPF carries a presumption in favour of sustainable development albeit this does not change the statutory status of the development plan as the starting point for decision making. Chapter 7 of the NPPF seeks to ensure the vitality of Town Centres. In terms of retail impact, the applicant suggests that Lidl’s trading philosophies differs from a traditional supermarket by selling from a limited core range (compared to other supermarkets) of mainly exclusive own labels. Flow ever, whilst this may have been the original philosophy of the ‘deep discounter’ it is evident that there has been a slow but steady change towards that of a traditional supermarket when considering store size, ranges on offer, proportion of comparison goods, and labelled goods. This would be reflective in the turnover being more akin to that of other food store operators. The applicant has overstated the difference between the proposed operator and the existing supermarkets in the area. The proposed will compete with the town centre stores and therefore the Council must set aside the ‘discounter’ case which the applicant relies so heavily on.

HELLO from Friends of Bartonsham meadows The big news is we had a great AGM! Thanks so much to everyone who came along and shared their enthusiasm for creating a biodiverse floodplain meadow at Bartonsham. We’ve written it up as a blog which is available on our website here and follows various updates in our newsletter. THE HEADLINES * The Church Commissioners told us they would be signing a 25 year lease with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust in September or early October at the latest! There will be a ban on ploughing it up again 🙂 * Huge gratitude to the 437 of you who have filled in our survey! Some results are included in the blog. We have shared the full anonymised results with HWT to assist them in applying for lottery funds to support the restoration of Bartonsham Meadows. * A whopping 60 odd people attended our AGM to hear about the project, share enthusiasm and questions, and eat and drink goodies including Fran’s dock seed cake. * In response to requests from local residents and FoBM the Commissioners cut a fire break along the back of Park Street (days before a fire broke out on the adjacent farm across the river). *Last weekend the Council mowed the river path to ease access, in response to requests from Jeremy Milln. * Want an information-rich one minute on floodplains? Check out this video Caroline Hanks of Herefordshire Meadows recommended from the Floodplain Meadows Partnership.

Reading Litter Festival - No hope with these sort of people - couldn't care less. Leave it for someone else to clean up

Thought I would rub some salt into the wound. Staggering new data shows that in the first year of the covid pandemic, 187 of the most senior civil servants had a cumulative pension pot of £123 million - an average of £657,128 each. This was equivalent to the annual state pension for around 13,464 pensioners. Campaigners say the eye-watering figures show it’s time to end the “Whitehall retirement racket”. Research from the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) shows that former Foreign Office mandarin Lord McDonald banked the largest pot valued at a whopping £2.2 million. Sir Philip Barton, who was castigated over the UK’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan last year, saw the largest increase in the value of his pension pot, growing by £321,000 to £1.7 million. Cabinet secretary Simon Case had a pension pot of £450,000 in 2020/21, while Treasury boss Tom Scholar had a pot of £1,411,000. Ministry of Justice permanent secretary Antonia Romeo, who is tipped for a senior role in a new government under Liz Truss, enjoyed a pot valued at £745,000. Former head of the civil service, Lord Sedwill, had a pension pot equivalent to £102,500 per year in retirement, which was over three times the average UK salary. A further five mandarins were entitled to annual pensions of between £80,000 and £95,000 per year. These are permanent secretaries Matthew Rycroft, Tamara Finkelstein, Christopher Wormald and Simon McDonald, and first parliamentary counsel Elizabeth Gardiner. Bet it's warm in their homes.

A new price cap of £3,549 has been announced by Ofgem, the energy regulator, an 80% rise on the current cap. The cap comes into effect on 1 October and will determine how much 24 million households pay for their energy. Analysts at Cornwall Insight have said to expect further increases in January, when the price cap is due to be updated again. They predict the cap will rise to £4,650 a year. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile our MPs are still on holiday and won't return to parliament until 5th September. Maybe they should turn off the heating in the Commons and Lords as we head towards winter.

I can recommend the Over 50s for us old uns at The Kindle Centre on the 3rd Tuesday of each month that starts at 2pm. The 20th September meeting has the return of the Singing Vicar - Steve Hollinghurst. An entertaining afternoon for all. Other meetings to watch out for: 18th October 2022 - My work at Cadbury - Colin Bates 15th November 2022 - Hop picking in Herefordshire - Marsha O'Mahony 20th December 2022 - Christmas Special 17th January 2023 - Lunch at Burghill Valley Golf Club Further information from Jeff Jones, Secretary, Telephone 01432 851029 Why not bring a friend or two along, I am sure you will enjoy it.

UNINFORMED CONSENT An in-depth look into the Covid 19 narrative, who's controlling it, and how it's being used to inject an untested, new technology into almost every person on the planet. The film explores how the narrative is being used to strip us of our human rights while weaving in the impact of mandates in a deeply powerful story of one man's tragic loss. Hear the truth from doctors and scientists not afraid to stand up against Big Pharma and the elite class who profit from mandates. Written & Directed by Todd Harris, Matador Films.

Hail Mary! Statue’s trip down the Wye raises chicken pollution issue In The Guardian today: Artist Philip Chatfield hopes river journey will alert people to damage being done by poultry excrement.

It makes you wonder about the mentality of people who have no regard for their own environment and that of the countryside. Photo taken of discarded cigarette ends on grass area behind Sherborne Close, Newton Farm electricity sub station 14th August 2022.