megilleland

Sunday 1 March 2015 in Hereford Times Letters Maybe we should also ask how much these assets mentioned in the article concerning the New University are worth. These are the ones mentioned: If they are sold off who will benefit from any rental income - certainly not the council tax payer.

See post above. Meeting this Thursday.

Very good ragwert.

Reading the story about the launch of a new university in Hereford Times, I note that the Odeon Cinema is been considered as a possible site. So maybe no fire station site here? Funny how this is all going to be up and running by end of 2017 and yet High Town bomb site is still derelict after 5 years. How is this university going to be funded?

Received acknowledgement to my litter report: Note two reference numbers . I hope they are liaising or is this to bounce you back and forwards.

Agenda Herefordshire Council Audit and Governance Committee Wednesday 26 November 2014 10.00 am Item 10. Recording of Meetings To note the technical amendment required to the constitution, and approve a protocol to guide recording of public meetings. Additional documents: Appendix 1 - Draft Protocol re Recording at Public Meetings of the Council RECORDING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN COUNCIL MEETINGS: PROTOCOL AND GUIDANCE Also intermetmedia are a local group producing videos within Herefordshire. It may be worth getting in contact with them. Here is a council meeting they filmed at the end of last year. Herefordshire Council - Brief Glimpse

If you click on the A49 using the Council's map you get this message: Maintenance maybe the responsibility of the Highways Agency, but litter is not - it is the responsibility of Council/Balfour Beatty. By coincidence Visit Hereford passed my initial email to Balfour Beatty - here is their reply:

Here is the HA reply: There are two maps referrred to in this email map p7 which shows All-Purpose Trunk Roads for which responsibility for clearing litter lies with local authorities and this map listing the maintenance areas. I rang the HA this morning and they confirmed that the A49 responsibility for clearing litter lies with Herefordshire Council and gave me their Highways telephone number 01432 261800. I rang this and failed to get through and was picked up by customer services who told me that the litter on the A49 is the Highways Agency responsibility. Balfour Beatty was mentioned by her in the conversation and I said I would send a liiter report and they can reply. Maybe a councillor can confirm whose job it is to pick up litter on Trunk Roads in Herefordshire?

That's why I asked you as I had been told his next appearance would be in June. It's March this month and June is 3 months away, a bit longer than a couple of days. Do you have a date?

Stilton it is good to get your take on the conference. What date and which court is Guy Taylor appearing in next? I have a couple of hours to kill and would like to pop along.

New Hereford nightclub opens its doors this month.

Come on AV, be just like us and keep taking the tablets!

Eastern bypass - cheaper route

Very positive AV.

Reinforce the message style What's best for Hereford City and the County Put your views and ideas on Hereford Voice Get it off your chest and tell the world You'll feel better and get a response from Hereford Voice Start today and become part of the community. Your voice counts at Hereford Voice Sign in today and join us at Hereford Voice herefordvoice.co.uk

What about the rest of the estate? Some areas of the city have multiple play areas.

Very good Colin, but will the ad be in colour?

In The Idependent today: Despite the widely-held belief that young people are apathetic about politics, new research has found that an overwhelming number of 16-18 year-olds do care. YouGov research for Speakers for Schools, an educational charity supported by the i paper, found three-quarters of British 16-18 year-olds think the current system needs to be rewired to “better reflect society todayâ€. 700 teenagers were polled on politics and this is what they said: Peter Kelner, the president of YouGov, explained that if younger people were more actively involved in politics (it is feared as many as 920,000 people - mostly young people and students - have dropped off the electoral register) then it would send shockwaves through Westminster.

Two more to my list Local issues in City Play areas in Newton Farm for young children Dog mess enforcement

I would have thought so, although not sure what the WB policy is. Ensuring regularity and propriety at the local level 27. The principal local checks on regularity and propriety are as follows: • Clarity about who is accountable for resources. Ultimate accountability lies with the full council • A set of financial duties and rules which require councils to act prudently in their spending • Internal checks that the rules are followed through the duties on the Chief Finance Officer (section 151 officer) of the council; and external checks by an independent auditor • Transparency through publication of annual accounts and all spending over £500 28. There are legal and formal controls in place to ensure that it is clear who is accountable for the money at the local level. Ultimate accountability lies with the full council (the elected members of the council collectively). The relevant legislation is the Local Government Act 2000 (“the 2000 Actâ€), which introduced governance arrangements based on an executive, either the mayor and cabinet executive or leader and cabinet executive, and the Localism Act 2011 (“the 2011 Actâ€), which allows councils to return to the committee system form of governance. For executive forms of governance, the 2000 Act (and underpinning secondary legislation) provides that the full council sets the budget and policy framework; the executive implements that budget and policy framework. The executive is responsible for proposing the policy framework and budget to full council. For councils that adopt the committee form of governance, the 2011 Act and underpinning regulations will allow local authorities the flexibility to make decisions in full council or delegate decision making to committees, sub committees, other local authorities or officers. The council must make it clear in standing orders how and by whom decisions will be taken. Also under these regulations, the Secretary of State could, by regulation, provide that certain matters are reserved for the full council to decide. 29. A system of legal duties requires councillors to spend money with regularity and propriety. Under section 151 of the 1972 Local Government Act, “every local authority shall make arrangements for the proper administration of their financial affairs and shall secure that one of their officers [the section 151 officer or Chief Finance Officer] has responsibility for the administration of those affairs.†The section 151 officer is an important mechanism for holding councils to account, as he/she has duties and powers to alert councillors and the auditor in the case of unlawful expenditure. This role is complemented and reinforced by authorities’ duty under section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to appoint a monitoring officer, who must report to the council when any proposal, decision or omission is likely to lead to contravention of any enactment, rule of law or statutory code. Legislation therefore sets the standards councils must meet and provides an internal check that they have been met. The main duties set out in legislation are summarised in the paragraphs below. and 32. There are mechanisms in place for occasions when routine processes fail. The Local Government Finance Act 1988 requires the section 151 officer to issue a report (a section 114 notice) to all councillors if there is unlawful expenditure or an unbalanced budget. The authority’s full council must meet within 21 days of theissuing of the section 114 notice to consider it, and during that period the authority is prohibited from either pursuing the course of action which is the subject of the report (in the case of unlawful expenditure) or entering into new agreements involving the incurring of expenditure (in the case of an unbalanced budget). Councillors therefore cannot avoid being aware of illegal activity, for which the auditor can pursue them in the courts (sections 17 and 24 of the Audit Commission Act 1998). This is a strong incentive to avoid illegal actions. You can also use the Local Governmnet Ombudsman to investigate complaints. They have a section on land, leisure and culture, commercial contracts, elections and electoral registers, councillor conduct and standards. You can read some reports here. They say they are impartial, but maybe less so than they used to be.

NRSWA = New Roads and Street Works Act Training courses within this category relate to the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA). The New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) sets out the procedures and guidelines for personnel employed by local authorities, utilities companies and their contractors for the purpose of any road works in the highway or on footpaths. The Act and associated Codes of Practice cover issues such as, the notification requirements, safety to highway users and the standards required of the reinstatement of all excavations on the highway, standards for signing, lighting and guarding, etc. There are 16 NRSWA units of competence with the New Roads and Street Works Act. Unit 1 is for Supervisors and Operators, Units 2-9 are relevant to operators, and Units 10-16 are relevant to Supervisors. Courses on how to fill in the paperwork at approx £170 a person.

Worth reproducing this in full.

The British Constitution Group and UK Column have held their conference at Telford this weekend. There are two videos which were quickly released regarding the General Election and reintroducing the Grand Jury system. The flow is a bit jerky with some sound problems and I think the host Alex Gee, dominating the proceedings, can be a turn off. However some interesting points made by the audience, especially their reaction to Nigel Farge and UKIP. It would worthwhile his office looking at this. Guy Taylor features in Grand Jury video. The American Field McConnell was in attendance to give the US take on things which are affecting them now and will be seen in the UK in the coming years. General Election Conference Special starts at 2:10 The People’s Grand Jury Conference Special starts at 2:55 Field McConnell Interview at the Park Inn part 1, Telford at the British Constitution Group and UK Column Conference Field McConnell Interview at the Park Inn part 2, Telford at the British Constitution Group and UK Column Conference Field McConnell Interview at the Park Inn part 3, Telford at the British Constitution Group and UK Column Conference

Election items/areas that are of concern to me - what are yours?. By the date of the elections we should have created a resonable list for candidates to peruse and come up with some answers National Exit EU and apply border controls, European Arrest Warrant, Police service Youth unemployment, Community Service Public services - NHS, Education, Transport Defence Bank regulation and tax evasion Privatisation and Outsourcing of local work, zero contracts Overseas aid Local issues in City Bus services - reverse bus cuts in evening in the city Litter - Create taskforce to clean up city Local Business encouragement - Business rates, vacant shops, derelict areas Traffic - remove lights at various junctions Transparency - where is the money really going - clearer accounts for ease of reading, cut the goobledegook Culture - Entertainmnet/Sports venue Libraries - multi use community centres council point of contact Housing - Use of brownfield sites, empty space above shops Countdown timer to General Election 7th May 2015