twowheelsgood

There was a programme on Radio 4 last week about this pervasive outsourcing - basically its all been taken over one way or another by the big 4 accountancy practices, who in turn work with the likes of Capita, and who freely admitted that the contracts were deliberately impenetrable (one councillor spoke of a 1000 page contract) and the methods to calculate costings so deliberately convoluted that even other accountants couldn't unravel them (there is a hint of the sort of jargon in the answers above). So, a £200 gritting bin for a steep pavement was costed out at £4500, with the result that the council said they couldn't afford it and pedestrians were left to fall over. There was no hint of remorse from the accountants, quite the opposite - they thought they were doing a good job by making their clients so much money. The morals of it seemed to pass them by. Bottom line is we're doomed and will be bled dry and the county's infrastructure decimated unless we get back to direct labour. Of course the council officer who sold us down the river wye left with £250k in his back pocket and went on to a job with ... Capita.

They had email almost from the outset - I had extensive correspondence with the Rights of Way team. The phones thing is very odd, because obviously Amey had phones, there were and are phone lines into the building, they have email but no phones. Guess we won't find out as it’s a private company ...

Then the blame must rest 100% with Cllrs who signed the contract (headed up by Cllr Bramer I believe - Cabinet Member for Contracts and Assets).

Yes, as the site has become more established, it is glaringly obvious that its mostly one-way when councillors pop up. I note we are still waiting for Cllr Kenyon to report back on his meeting with Balfour, despite a follow up request.

Nice shot of the replacement lime trees as well - nowhere near the 6m high ones we were promised. Is it any wonder that no one believes a word anyone in authority says anymore?

What about my suggestion that people can only vote once they reach a certain number of postings (say 50)? This is common on other postings for things such as selling.

No, its gone again, as indeed has the usual summaries from the RH side. I don't doubt the Council were on the phone to Feeona as soon as the article was published.

"I’m moving on to take charge of a new shopping and leisure scheme that will be opening in Hereford, which is commutable from where I live in Gloucestershire. Whilst the scheme may be bigger, I wouldn’t like to say it is better." I'm guessing he didn't say that at interview ...

Excellent letter from Mr Cobbett - the brass inlays are a very nice idea, telling an interesting story, but unfortunately very badly executed. Amey - yes you guessed it - went for the cheapest option which was a nasty poor quality import from China, which started to fail almost immediately. Of course no one in charge did anything about it at the time, Amey stuck two fingers up to the council tax payer and a thumbs up to their shareholders and we are where we are. It’s just one example of the mass failure of our infrastructure right across the County as a result of privatising public services without the client side expertise to ensure value for money - sadly, I don't see how we can ever pull it back.

This story was on the front page of the HT website today for about 15 minutes before it was pulled - the link is here, as are my comments. Bill Tanner is doing some excellent work on the Futiles at the moment - we all suspected (and knew) that we were being stitched up - now we are starting to see by just how much and measures being taken to try and withhold the facts. http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/11058417.Hereford_Futures___council_does_not_hold_board_papers/?ref=var_0

Biomech - I think you may be waiting a while for intelligent discourse with the perpertator - I don't like these ridiculous buttons and don't use them. Thye're too easy to abuse. Colin - can you have a rule something like 50 posts before you can use the wretched things? That will at least start to limit the stooges on here.

Don't worry - it'll all come together when Debenhams have put up their 14 MASSIVE internally illuminated signs all over the damned thing.

Shame about the Church - there was some very nice detailing in the church itself and it had a very nice feel to it. Very hard to pull off in a modern building. There is some very high quality and valuable timber in there, which is probably why they are going at it slowly. The Church is nearly as bad as the Council when it comes to maintaining its assets.

What will Michael's reward for a job so well done do you think? £250k I'll wager.

I saw that the road had reopened - I assume they've gone for the cheap bodge option rather than the extensive works we were told were required. BB had no telephones for several months after taking over the desks in the Rotherwas shed - this is the mentality we're up against. No one thought to go and buy a box of £10 mobiles. Pointless phoning in defects - no record - use fixmystreet.com for an independent log which can't be 'lost'. I'm sick to death of the state of this County's road - hard to see how much worse it can get. Why councillors aren't banging heads together and DEMANDING that its sorted I don't know. Perhaps they're just in it for the free shiny computers and Twix's (see Hereford Heckler).

Yes they have - or rather the other way round - the Council are to save £1.2m pa (from April of this year) by Hoople not giving audit information to the Council on how they're spending our money - looks like there was a reason for that … I'd like to think today was the beginning of the end for these dreadful arrangements that benefit no one but shareholders - see Balfour Beatty et al.

The survey is shockingly bad - note that it is being done by Balfour Beatty. Nonetheless, it is headed up by Cllr Price, he of the infamous "I don't give a sh1t what local people think" comment, so not hard to see what the outcome will be.

It does say Hereford is to remain open, but then we'll soon have parking meters on the street and that will be another nail in the coffin of the town centre. I bought a tv from the Hereford shop last year and found the staff informed and helpful. Being able to walk into a shop in town to see the product (essential for something like a tv) and subsequently park outside to load it, is a huge plus. The alternative of driving to a retail shed to park in an undersized car park and trying to get some sense out of a disinterested 16 year old on a minimum wage pushing his bonus up by mis-selling overpriced add ons is one of many reasons why people are using the internet.

One of those remote corners being Rotherwas - according to the Cllr "work has started, or is about to start, in Rotherwas."

Its not a crime - the facility is there, but it serves no point, in my view, save to antagonise or intimidate. I do think Colin should reconsider its inclusion.

The refurb has been going on for some months now, when it will be finished I'm not sure.

Seriously? What a joyous polluted place to have to live. Doesn't look anywhere near big enough for 35 flats. Whatever happened to the promised housing in front of Asda - a flagship entrance to the City we were told? Now to be a petrol station to add to the sprawl?

For Herefordshire Council yes, but the A49 is a trunk road - A49T - and the responsibility of the Highway Agency who, in their wisdom, employ Amey for maintenance, as do the Utilities.

There are 2000 miles of road in the County, divided by 1800 = 1 pothole every 1.11 miles. Really? I don't think so. Conservatively, lets say there was was one every 100 yards, that’s 176 x 2000 = 352 000 potholes. Of course, they may have 'identified' 1800 holes, but for sure there are thousands more waiting to be 'identified' and as fast as they bodge-fill them they fail again. Interestingly, exactly 12 months ago, the council were saying more or less the same thing, and the Government gave them £2.4m in the aftermath of ice and flooding. Where this went, goodness knows. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-21361614

Did Merton Meadows actually food this time round? I thought it didn't. I didn't hear any reports of Newtown Rd flooded either. Perhaps it did work after all.