Denise Lloyd

And yet British Rail and British Airways rely on something like 97% British Steel for plane and train building - nothing like support your own

So Jeremy Corbyn cuts short his holiday to visit and actually talk to the people in Port Talbot - can't knock him for that can you Two petitions for you all to ponder Here for Hereford â€@HereforHereford 19m19 minutes ago Pls Sign this petition to stop #privatisation of the Land Registry. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-privatisation-of-the-land-registry?bucket=&source=twitter-share-button … via @38_degrees Petition: Call on David Cameron to act to protect our steel industry & recall Parliament https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/126128 … View summary0 retweets Why can I no longer post direct from Twitter so very irritating?

I don't think there is any comparison between this one and the supposedly refurbished Spread Eagle. The PRL food looks absolutely delightful and the SE food was just tacky and vile which was never going to survive. They could not even paint. I wish these people good luck and good fortune knowing they will keep to high standards

HONESTLY EVALUATE YOUR CHURCH The Bible says that we should examine everything, and hold on to the good. The questions in this list help you take a step back so that you can honestly evaluate your church, its leaders, and your church experience. Is your pastor fully accountable to a board of elders, presbyters, etc? Is loyalty to Jesus and to one's own calling placed before loyalty to pastor and church? Does your pastor encourage questions and suggestions? Is he approachable? Does your pastor give equal attention to all kinds of people in his congregation? Does your pastor readily admit his errors? Does your pastor avoid boasting or hinting at a special anointing? Is your pastor truly humble? Are the sermons based on clear Biblical truths, not on “original revelations or ax-grinding? Does your church interact with other churches? Does your church staff avoid secrecy? Is power shared in your church (rather than preempted by a hierarchy)? Does your church see itself as just one organ of the Body of Christ, and not the main one? Is your church truly friendly? Does your church emphasize ministry to people rather than church programs? Are especially needy people cared for lovingly in your church? Are church members encouraged and loved even when they leave? Are relationships with former members encouraged or allowed? Do the pastor and congregation avoid attacking and using as object lessons, former members or those who disagree? Are families encouraged to stay together and spend time together? Does your family worship Sunday service include children, at least for part of the service? Are you encouraged in your own calling? Are pleas for money rare and unemotional? Are your children happy to attend church? Are you happy to bring unsaved friends to your church? Is there a diversity of classes, races, dress styles, ages, and occupations in your church? Are people encouraged to hear from God for themselves? Is there a single behavior standard for all people in the church? Are all types of people considered welcome at your church? Is the joy of the Lord present in your church? Are you free from fear in your church? Do you think more about God and Jesus than you do about your pastor and church? Does your pastor include himself in any calls for repentance and forgiveness? Are you clear that the pastors and elders never exaggerate or lie to make themselves look good? Is your group encouraging of each other and free from gossip and rumoring? Is there a humility of doctrine that points to the grace of God and His mercy for sinners? Are you encouraged to serve in ministries or missions outside the local body? Is there ever any pressure put upon members to give or lend money to leaders for their personal or business use (exclusive of church business or projects)? This checklist of cult-like tendencies, written by Charles Lesser, was published in the October, 1991 issue of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project Newsletter.

That's embarrassing it is on Clean for the Queen duh!

Perhaps this should have gone on the Clean for the Queen topic but it is here now. Colin tweeted this on HV last night so I thought I would post it. Makes you feel so much better when you get a sanctimonious preaching from a member of the Cabinet. Taken from HC website. I see their website is closed down for a little while tomorrow morning. I have worked in companies where if there was maintenance to be done and a 4 day break was coming up then a little team would either swap their break or get paid to do the work without disrupting the working week. How times change. The great rubbish revolt: Herefordshire residents take to the streets - On behalf of Balfour Beatty Living Places 23 March 2016 Groups of residents from across the county are taking to the streets to pick up the litter that others leave behind. Volunteers from Eardisland to Ross-on-Wye and many places in between have collected over 200 black sacks in the last couple of weeks and seven teams of conscientious residents will be hitting the road next month (April). Herefordshire Council’s public realm contractor Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP) provides litter picking kits for the do-it-yourself heroes. Cllr Paul Rone, portfolio holder for Highways, paid tribute to the county’s army of concerned citizens: “It is hugely heartening to see groups of people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to show their pride in their community. They are real unsung heroes.†But he rounded on the litter-droppers: “It’s thoughtless, selfish and ruins shared spaces for everyone. “Some people mistakenly think if they pay their taxes they have the right just to chuck stuff on the ground for others to dispose of. But they don’t: tax revenues are for vital services like schools and helping vulnerable people. Not to waste on waste.†According to Herefordshire Council, littering costs taxpayers £1.2 million a year; nationally Keep Britain Tidy say the cost of cleaning up and to the economy is almost £1 billion. Cllr Rone added: “We have to change our attitudes, and we have to change them as quickly as we can, and rid ourselves of this unnecessary scourge to our local communities. “The only sustainable solution to the litter problem is to persuade the litterbugs to stop messing up the country: we cannot just keep cleaning up their rubbish indefinitely, only for it constantly to reappear.†The council is running a ‘Stop the drop’ litter campaign with a media competition open to all. For more information visitwww.herefordshire.gov.uk/stopthedrop

An article from the Farmers Guardian. Why do I get the feeling HC will rue the day they took the decision to dispose of the Council farms. MIKE TRAYTE AND JOSEPH TATTERSHALL Mike moved onto his holding in September last year with his wife Laura and twin sons Oscar and Henry, who are 18-months-old. Mike, with a degree in agriculture with countryside management from Aberystwyth, met Laura, who graduated at Shropshire’s Harper Adams University while working at a 300-herd dairy unit. SHARE-MILKING The couple were then invited to take on their own share-milking business in Lincolnshire, providing all management to a 350 cow dairy herd. This included employing labour, organising contractors and suppliers and day-to-day running of the unit. This invaluable experience demonstrated their business aptitude and set them in good stead for the county farms selection process. The Trayte’s business, M & L Dairying Ltd, involves managing an 85 cow dairy herd, supplying Muller Wiseman. GROWTH As well as the landlord investing in the holding’s infrastructure including a new, 100 cow cubicle building with dry cow yard, Mike and Laura have also invested and have already seen business growth in the first six months. Mike said: “One of the key things to running the business is to be flexible – you can’t be stuck in your ways. Our experience share-milking and managing a herd definitely put us in good stead through the selection process for our county farms tenancy. “Staffordshire has a good reputation for its county farms and its Facebook page was excellent – giving us all the information we needed to make the move. We’re ambitious to progress and have been given good support here. Eventually we’d like to be in a position where we could build up a herd of up to 300 cows which we could pass on to the twins if this is what they want to go in to.†NEXT DOOR Next door James is managing a herd of 110 cows having started out with 20 in 2011. James has invested in the holding and is now taking on an additional 20 acres of land to expand his holding. Together with his wife Vicky, who also runs her own egg selling enterprise, James has his sights firmly set on future growth. The Tattershalls supply their milk to Joseph Heler Cheese. Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for county farms Gill Heath said: “Mike and James are fine examples of rural entrepreneurs whose businesses are thriving as a result of their hard work, innovation and knowledge of the industry. "We are pleased to be able to give them the backing to achieve success in what is a challenging business. "Our tenant farm programme is one of the strongest in the country: it offers the brightest skilled young farmers a foothold in the industry, develops the next generation of agricultural skills, manages a prime Staffordshire asset and makes a positive contribution to the economy.†ENCOURAGING NEWCOMERS The county council’s tenant estate comprises 94 farms, with houses, buildings and 8,600 acres of agricultural land. Some of the units are deliberately sized to encourage newcomers to the industry and would-be tenants must show a focus on commercial food production in their application to convince the council of their profitability. Of the 19 units let to new starters since 2008, all have been aged 20 and 30. POSITIVE IMPACT In addition to providing opportunities for people to set up an agricultural business, the county farms estate has a positive impact of other local businesses, such as contractors working on the farms. It also provides environmental benefits, including preservation of wildlife habitats and landscape. George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) said: “The Tenant Farmers Association welcomes the more positive stance to County farms being taken by Staffordshire County Council in comparison to some other local authorities which are neglecting their estates or selling them off. Where they are run well, County farms estates continue to provide opportunities for new entrants to farming as well as resources to deliver front-line Council servicesâ€.

Or are the Conservatives a fit party to run the country without the EU? If the country votes to come out of the EU then a General Election should be held

In an attempt to encourage cycling and walking there might be a chance to grab some of the £300 plus million grant. Let us hope HC can see further than the end of their noses or perhaps this road to grab some of this when the time comes UK plan to boost cycling and walking 'worthless without ... www.theguardian.com › Lifestyle › Cycling 9 hours ago - The government's cycling and walking investment strategy “won't be worth the paper it's written on†unless backed by sustained funding, cycling ...

Countries of Culture inquiry launched 10 March 2016 The Culture, Media and Sport Committee launches an inquiry on Countries of Culture. The inquiry looks at ways to preserve and promote UK's cultural wealth. Inquiry: Countries of Culture Culture, Media and Sport Committee Inquiry backgroundBritain has a rich and varied cultural offering, but in recent years there has been some debate about whether this cultural capital is too heavily concentrated in London, and concerns that local authority budget cuts are constraining the cultural offering in the regions. In the last Parliament, the Committee held an inquiry into the Work of the Arts Council England (2014), which concluded that there is a clear arts funding imbalance in favour of London at the expense of tax payers and lottery players in other parts of the country, which must be urgently rectified. With this conclusion in mind, the Committee wishes to build on that report and also look beyond the work of the Arts Council at our wider cultural landscape, to include arts, theatre, museums, and festivals. Call for written submissionsThe Committee invites written submissions from those who wish to contribute to the inquiry on the following areas: The current funding situation for cultural sectors in the regions and sub-regions The regional impact of local authority settlement on the cultural sector New funding models in the cultural sector, including use of Lottery funding Cultural partnerships in the regions, including with National Portfolio Organisations and Major Partner Museums Skills, management and infrastructure of regional cultural institutions Physical and virtual accessibility of cultural sectors in the regions, including digital outreach and engagement Value and impact of culture in the regions Send your written submission through the Countries of Culture inquiry page. The deadline for written submissions is Friday, 22 April 2016. Chair's commentCommenting on the inquiry, Jesse Norman, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee said: "The UK has huge cultural and artistic riches in its regions and nations, including galleries, museums, music, theatre and festivals. This inquiry will look at how best to preserve and enhance those resources, especially in the face of continuing budget pressures; at the impact of festivals and events in cultural regeneration; at enhanced linkages between national and regional institutions; and at new ways in which culture and the arts can be used to develop and revitalise communities." Get involved You can submit your views to the inquiry by using #countriesofculture on Twitter. You can also follow the Culture, Media and Sport Committee @CommonsCMS Further information Guidance: written submissions About Parliament: Select committees Visiting Parliament: Watch committees Image: The Bowes Museum More news on: Parliament, government and politics, Parliament,Culture, media and sport, Arts, Cultural heritage, House of Commons news, Commons news, Committee news Share this page There is also a tweet asking for people to tweet a photo of their favourite local treasure and these will go towards constructing an exhibition and then there will be an interactive map countriesofculture. That should prompt a few interesting replies! Sorry seem to banned from copying tweets over lately

Might as well have this one too Here for Hereford â€@HereforHereford 42m42 minutes ago RT@charlesdowding A new Infrastructure Bill allows sale of public land with relaxed planning laws, mostly unreported http://www.thecanary.co/2016/03/25/16830/

In a continuation of the theme Tories sneak out Land Registry sell-off at 5pm the night before Easter holiday Mirror.co.uk‎ - 2 days ago And the bad news the Tories want to bury is the controversial sell-off of the Land Registry. I will also include the following thought for the day! Michelle â€@mconway70 1h1 hour ago Michelle Retweeted Éoin I will just leave this here...make of it what you will!! #NUT16 Michelle added, Éoin @LabourEoinAt least £12,000,000 of Tory Donations have come from people linked to running Academy Schools. 31 retweets12 likes Reply Retweeted

Courtesy of Here for Hereford which will explain the need for the amendment Here for Hereford 10 hrs · s case for this ‘road to nowhere’. The amount of high grade agricultural land to accommodate the road will be greater than originally envisaged; the embanked areas will require a 1.5 m barrier on each side; the Haywood Lane Bridge will have 1.8 m high steel parapets; Withy Brook will probably have to be diverted; and so on. These documents do not include the anticipated assessments of minerals and waste disposal, essential to calculate the full costs of the scheme. They do not include the South Wye Transport Package's updated ‘Package Assembly Report’ which was to outline the inclusion in the SWTP of the sustainable transport measures, “integral to the scheme†whose delivery is “a condition of the fundingâ€. [specific quotes come from Cabinet Minutes, 18 December 2014, p.2]. All that we learn about these measures in the latest tranche of documents on the Council’s website is that the consultants think they will cost approximately £8M, in addition to the £27M required for the SLR. Where is the £8M coming from? A search of the Council's Medium Term Financial Strategy (2016-20) provides no answers as the only sum mentioned there is the £27M for the road. That £27M is part of a Local Growth Fund allocated to the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership in 2014, but now earmarked, if the scheme goes ahead, for management by the Department for Transport. The level of uncertainty over costs is such that the scheme itself is uncertain. Value for money cannot be demonstrated if full cost estimates are unknown.

An amendment planning application 151314 has been submitted covering boundary changes. Comments by 7th or 9th April 2016 from memory. I thought the money was only available until the end of April

Birmingham it is then.

Daily Mirror â€@DailyMirror 2 hrs2 hours ago Dozens of refugees found stuffed in the back of lorries in Kent … This link works http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shocking-moment-dozens-migrants-unloaded-7617432

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14376343.Don_t_allow_Wales_to_follow_Herefordshire_s_tenant_farmers_lead___Assembly_member/ This article I am unable to copy across but in it there is a piece offering the evicted tenants a fund of £500.00 to assist them in letter writing CV completion business management - not quite sure how that will be received!

County farms management praised Posted By: Jon Coleson: March 21, 2016In: Farming Seven point plan: Pembrokeshire has been recognised for excellent management THE TENANT Farmers Association has commended Pembrokeshire County Council for producing a forward looking program for its county farm estates. Following a review of its county farms estate , Pembrokeshire has come forward with a seven point plan which will allow the estate to make a significant contribution to the Pembrokeshire agricultural sector, whilst maximising revenue to the local authority both through income generation and capital receipts. TFA Chief Executive George Dunn said “In all of our dealings with local authorities we encourage them to take a sound asset management approach to maximise opportunity both for individuals to be farmers in their own account and in the harvesting of value for wider use within the local authority. It seems to me that in its review Pembrokeshire has struck the right balance here. Our only concern is the halving of the annual budget for ongoing management of the estate which may have consequences into the long termâ€. “Pembrokeshire’s decision is in stark contrast to the terrible decision taken by Herefordshire County Council just a few weeks before. Against all of the advice to the Cabinet including by its own Overview and Scrutiny committee, Herefordshire Council has decided to divest itself of its estate doing huge damage to the agricultural sector in Herefordshire and without due regard to obtaining best value for Council tax payers,†said Mr Dunn. “It’s a real shame that some of the expertise in Pembrokeshire has not transferred across Offa’s Dyke into Herefordshire which is in my view guilty of gross mismanagement. For example, a barn ripe for development near Ledbury which has had planning permission in place for some time, has spent the last five years languishing under scaffolding and tarpaulins going nowhere. Council tax payers are being denied the value that could be obtained from such a development and other potential developments across the Herefordshire estate,†said Mr Dunn. Ad

Jess was on the radio last night talking about tennis

Absolutely spot on PB and the saddest part of it all is that people of Herefordshire will be left to pick up the pieces because these so called experts will have long since sold up and moved into their retirement homes. Such a shame one or two of them can't do an IDS

What is the name of the Monitoring Officer I get all these different titles mixed up? What he/she said is nothing short of bullying

This article needs no introduction it is self explanatory but it is essential reading for all those politicians and council person from Cameron all the way down who have made the decision to put Council Farms on the open market - shame on you all "Why family farms must be protected by Megan Perry on 26 February, 2016 in Farming A recent open meeting of the Family Farmers’ Association (FFA), held at Westminster, brought together a core group of individuals, organisations and policymakers to discuss ways to support and protect smaller farms. With the UK rapidly losing its traditional farming culture, groups like the FFA and the Land Workers Alliance (LWA) see protecting smaller farms as a priority. Recently released policy documents by both organisations lay out their ideas, with the LWA’s Equality in the Countryside and the FFA’s Plans for a Happier Countryside both calling for radical change to an economic system that continues to price most small farms out of the market. As James Moorford, FFA Joint Chairman says, “We are now in a rush to the bottom.†Common Agricultural PolicyThe EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) frequently fails to support those who need it most. Payments are based on area, and those who farm less than five hectares are ineligible for support. This is one factor pushing some farms to expand, while smaller farms drop out. In contrast, there is a rising number of, what Agriculture Minister George Eustice has called small ‘hobby’ or ‘lifestyle’ farms, which has only increased the tendency of the farming industry to not take smallholdings seriously. One LWA member pushed the Minister to consider lowering the subsidy eligibility limit to below five hectares. But his reply emphasised his preference for maintaining the status quo, arguing there would be very few ‘real farmers’ with so little land. When asked whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) should be eligible, he said he had never heard of CSAs. A limit to CAP subsidies was also discussed. Both the LWA and the FFA would like to see a subsidy ceiling of no more than £150,000 per farmer. But again, the Minister was unwilling to take any radical steps, arguing that large farms would simply split into two smaller units in order to get under the limit. And with the Defra budget being slashed by 30%, it’s not surprising that there is little enthusiasm to make serious changes, particularly where they would entail extra time and money in administration and regulation. Land pricesLand prices have doubled in the last 10 years alone. This makes the likelihood of owning land almost impossible for new entrants. It also means that the wealth of family farms is tied up in land and property, increasing the temptation to sell up instead of passing on the farm as one unit down the generations. The key to addressing this surely lies in preventing the sale of farmland to non-farmers. Farmland should have some conditionality attached to it, in the same way as a listed building or a business. This would automatically exclude many of those who buy land simply as investment or for speculation. If bought, the land must be cared for and farmed, and this could be done either by the owner or a tenant farmer. The sale of council farms is also becoming increasingly common, particularly following local authority budget cuts. The LWA calls for the sell-off of county farms to be halted and for local authorities to be re-empowered to acquire land for letting. Affordable livingThe countryside is an expensive place to live and this is forcing many local people and farming families out of the villages where they grew up. The LWA’s Rural Manifesto calls for the increased investment of council and social housing in villages. But for rural areas to be truly ‘affordable’ there also needs to be work, shops and services available. Maintaining family farms therefore plays an important role in rebuilding rural cohesion and economic viability. Franchise systemUnfortunately, putting family farms and local businesses at the heart of the food system does not seem to be a priority for policymakers. The problem for family farms, according to Eustice, is that they do not have enough clout. His preferred solution to this would be a franchise system, whereby farms enter agreements with large companies which then shoulder some of the burden, thus spreading risk more fairly throughout the food chain. Big companies sharing some risk is all very well if we want to continue with a food system dominated by multinationals and driven by free trade competition. But small, family farms will never fare well in this sort of environment, and the UK’s food security would suffer as a result. Why family farms must be protectedSmall farms can in fact be very productive, growing abundant food on relatively small pieces of land. Because they are often cared for by generations of the same family, the people are heavily invested in the land and have a strong emotional attachment to it. It is therefore well cared for and not simply mined for its fertility and resources. Small farms also offer many more employment opportunities, as they are often more labour intensive than large mechanised farms. They tend to use local services and nearby agricultural businesses, strengthening rural economies and providing further jobs. But there are some things that are harder to value, and according to Moorford we must adjust our thinking and find a way to value smaller farms for their moral, social and spiritual aspects. We should, for example, pay farmers to care for the land, encourage biodiversity and maintain public access. The decline of family farms is therefore having a devastating impact in the UK. With the disappearance of those who have maintained Britain’s traditional farming knowledge for generations, the food system will become highly dependent on intensive mechanised farming and imports. The loss of family farms means the loss of the historical foundation of the farming industry and a major part of the UK’s heritage and cultural identity. This decline is already evident in the impact on social structures within rural communities. Farming has become more isolated, leaving farmers feeling unsupported and the consumer disconnected from the processes of food production. All these issues must be included in any attempt to value family farms, because they are worth so much more than the price of a commodity. But it is clear that if we do not act fast, something deeply important – in ways we perhaps cannot comprehend – will be lost. Photograph: Terry Kearney"

I am no football person but congratulations and well done. What a difference a year makes!

Not all bins were included in the Asset Transfer List when rubbish was handed over to BB. If the bin is not on the list it does not get emptied until alerted to it by the public.

Daily Mirror â€@DailyMirror 5 mins5 minutes ago IDS resigns: Live updates as Tory MP steps down as Work and Pensions Secretary over cuts http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/iain-duncan-smith-resigns-live-7587449 …