January 2008

Herefordshire Council is prepared for icy conditions and snow storms which are predicted overnight and tomorrow and will be sending out the gritters tonight to cover the 15 main routes in the county.

Herefordshire Council, while keen to encourage the planting of more orchards in the county, is warning people not to allow trees to cause an obstruction to walkers or riders.

As part of its commitment to making sure the county is accessible to disabled people, this year's Herefordshire Walking Festival features walks for both wheelchair users and visually impaired people.

As part of its long-standing commitment to making the county a greener place to live in, Herefordshire Council is urging people to consider car sharing which not only saves money but also reduces congestion and cuts pollution.

Visits to key businesses on the Rotherwas industrial estate have been organised by the South Wye Regeneration Partnership.

Herefordshire Council's highways and transportation department is stressing Ledbury town centre is still accessible to shoppers despite works which are being carried out by Welsh Water.

A giant boring machine will arrive in Ross on Thursday (January 31) 2008 ready to dig out a tunnel as part of the town's £7million Flood Alleviation Scheme.

People wanting to eat out in Herefordshire now have an opportunity to know what happens behind the kitchen door and can have extra confidence in what they eat thanks to a new initiative launched by Herefordshire Council.

Cabinet members at Herefordshire Council decided to reduce the assumed level of council tax increase for next year from 4.7 per cent to 4.4 per cent.

Show your loved one how much you acre by coming along to Hereford Museum and Art Gallery on Wednesday, February 13, for a special Willow Hearts event.

An inspector's decision on polytunnel development at Pennoxstone Court, Kings Caple, has supported Herefordshire Council's new policy requiring all large scale polytunnels in the county to have planning permission.

Ross Heritage Centre has a programme for February and March, which has something for everyone.

Ross-on-Wye Heritage Centre is staging an activity morning on Friday, February 15, to make gifts for Mother's Day.

Preparations are now under way for the fifteenth Hereford Contemporary Craft Fair, running from November 14 until November 16 at The Courtyard Centre for the Arts, and applications are invited from contemporary designer makers working in traditional and non-traditional media.

Councillor John Jarvis, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for the environment and strategic housing, has cut the first sod has been cut for building work at the new state-of-the-art £3.1million crematorium in Hereford city.

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the countless generations of people who have lived in the Bodenham area? Are you interested in the spectacular archaeological discoveries which have been made at Wellington/Moreton Quarry over the last 20 years?

Since building a huge wall to keep the children out of his garden, the only visitors the Selfish Giant gets are Lady Snow and her friends. One morning he hears the most beautiful music coming from his bedroom window and is delighted with the sight that greets him.

Herefordshire Council's Road Safety Unit and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service are joining forces to take a new kind of safety show into some of our high schools.

County residents are asked to ignore a story about the schools review in the current edition of Herefordshire Council's magazine, which was printed and distributed before the review was recalled

Many households in Herefordshire are paying more than £200 too much in order to keep their properties warm, according to Steve Winmill, manager of the Keep Herefordshire Warm initiative.

Ross-on-Wye's business economy is set for a boost after Herefordshire Council granted outline planning permission to convert 25 acres of agricultural land for commercial use.

A countywide review of all schools still needs to be carried out and schools, communities and council members need to be part of the discussions before proposals are put together. That's the message given at Herefordshire Council's children's services scrutiny committee this week when they met to discuss recently recalled draft proposals about the county's future education provision.

Plans to build four houses on land next to 44 Vicarage Street, Leominster, have been refused by members of Herefordshire Council's planning committee.

Plans by a member of Herefordshire Council to convert former stables and a storage building into two self-contained holiday units have been approved by members of the authority's planning committee at their meeting on Friday, January 18.

Plans to erect six homes and garages on land next to the Methodist Chapel, Hereford Road, Weobley, have been refused by members of Herefordshire Council's main planning committee on Friday, January 18.

The programme for the 2008 Herefordshire Walking Festival has been finalised and features some well-loved favourites as well as exciting new ideas.

A poster designed by Lance Corporal Deana Wyatt, from the Hereford and Worcester Army Cadet Force - Hereford Detachment - is to front an anti-vandalism poster campaign by Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership.

If you have any issues regarding trees on a public open space then you must contact Herefordshire Council's parks, countryside and leisure development service as taking matters into your own hands could mean you face prosecution for criminal damage.

The leader of Herefordshire Council has announced today the immediate recall of draft proposals for a review of schools in response to government requirements to reduce surplus school places.

A survey of people in Herefordshire has shown that around eight out of ten people are satisfied with their local community as a place to live.

Herefordshire is appealing for people from Herefordshire and surrounding communities who may be interested in adopting a child to attend an adoption information morning on Saturday 26th January.

Culture vultures wanting to see rare owls, visit a farm, watch a film, visit the theatre or join in a Halo activity can get free tickets in a new cultural passport scheme for Herefordshire.

Have you ever wondered about the hygiene of a restaurant's kitchen? Or how safely the grub you are about to tuck into was prepared before it reached your plate?

Herefordshire Council's Creative Industries is running a four-day course for people wanting to make a living from their creativity.

Plans for 26 homes at the former Lambournes site, Ryelands Road, Leominster, have been approved by members of the northern area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, January 16.

Do you have a "something" at home, a "whatsit" in your garage, or perhaps a "thingamabob" you found in your attic or dug out of your garden. Want to know more about it?

Retrospective planning permission for change of use of Shaw's House, 18 Old Road, Bromyard, to multiple occupation have been approved by members of the northern area planning sub-committee.

Plans to erect two offices and ten two-storey homes at 40-42 West Street, Leominster, have been approved by members of the northern area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, January 16.

Plans for a residential development of 35 homes on land next to The Birches, Shobdon, have been approved by members of the northern area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, January 16.

Plans for a proposed veterinary centre at Plot 15, Leominster Enterprise Park have been approved by members of the northern area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, January 16.

Planning has already started for the Pride of Herefordshire Awards 2008 and county residents are being urged to start thinking now of people whose efforts in the community should be rewarded.

Road information issued

Herefordshire Council is urging parents and carers of children due to start reception classes in primary schools in September this year to return their application forms to the council this week.

For several days starting on Monday 21 January major tree work will be taking place at Dinedor Camp to remove and make safe some hazardous trees on the ramparts of the hill fort.

Herefordshire Council is taking a practical step to help people cope with the rising costs of heating their homes by offering all people in the county over 60 years of age £500 towards insulation and heating controls.

The Visit Herefordshire Board is developing its strength within the industry sector with the appointment of Mike Moran, Managing Director of MilSys Uk Ltd., and the appointment of Cllr Ursula Attfield to the position of vice-chairman.

Herefordshire Council is seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister of State for Schools to press for fairer funding for education.

Following the tragic death of a baby who died after being scalded by water from a hot water tank which had a faulty thermometer, Herefordshire Council has urged tenants, private landlords and homeowners to watch out for telltale warning signs with their water system to help prevent any further tragedies.

Herefordshire residents are being urged not to make 2008 a 'rubbish' year but instead make a resolution, one step, that will really make a difference to their own and other people's lives.

Had some Christmas presents you really didn't need, want or like? Don't know what to do with that too small sweater, too big slippers or that second copy of your favourite CD?

Herefordshire Council's learning champions are running a workshop on Tuesday, January 22 at Kingstone High School teaching the basics of bricklaying.

Leominster and Area Drugs and Alcohol Forum are launching a hard hitting campaign to tackle underage drinking and anti social behaviour.

Plans by Kemble Housing for the construction of six new affordable houses on land next to 10 St George's, Woolhope, have been refused by members of the southern area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, January 9.

An application to demolish 13 Market Place, Ross-on-Wye and build a shop with 12 flats above on the site was approved by members of the southern area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, January 9.

A scheme to construct two two bedroomed flats on land at Henry Street, Ross-on-Wye has been approved by members of the southern area planning sub-committee on Wednesday, January 9.

The historic Kington Tram or Plateway Wagon, discovered in the 1960s at Burlingjobb Quarry, close to Kington, has now been safely returned to its new home in Hereford.

Herefordshire Council is on the hunt for village shops that want to take advantage of a grant to provide free business advice. The £15,000 award from the Herefordshire Access to Services Partnership (HASP) will provide practical support to village shops, helping them to develop their businesses for the 21st Century and improve their service to the communities that depend on them.

Have you ever 'taken a bull by the horns' or 'looked a gift horse in the mouth'?

Community member Elizabeth Drew has just returned from an exciting 12 months in Mozambique on the East coast of Africa as part of the Voluntary Service Overseas Youth scheme.

Councillors on Herefordshire Council's environment scrutiny committee agree that an alternative crossing is urgently required at the failing Colwall railway bridge.

Herefordshire Council is urging residents to keep their eyes peeled for a waste-busting newsletter winging its way to them.

The market for food waste disposers has increased since Herefordshire Council, in conjunction with Worcestershire County Council, launched the Sink Your Waste scheme.

Herefordshire Council, in conjunction with Worcestershire County Council, is running a special event next week to encourage residents to re-use in the New Year.

Two out of every five pounds spent by Herefordshire Council now goes on providing social services for older people and vulnerable children and adults.

The Belmont Survey was distributed to all homes in Belmont last month and is due back this week. Everyone should look at this survey and tell Herefordshire Council and the Parish Council what they want for the public open spaces at Dorchester Way and Northolme Road.