August 2008

More than 250 Herefordshire children from eight local primary schools will be parading along the red carpet to watch an exclusive viewing of short films produced by local school children.

Herefordshire Council is piloting a new scheme that will radically improve the way people receive and manage their social care services.

Young people in Ross on Wye will be celebrating the official opening of the town's skate park at a rock and hip hop gig next month.

Eight Herefordshire mums have successfully completed a seven week course and gained new skills that they can use to help their children develop speech and language.

Herefordshire Council says the local rural way of life is under attack after learning that the county faces the closure of 20 post offices, which were confirmed in an announcement by Post Office Limited today (27 August 2008). Of these, nine will be replaced by a limited 'outreach' service.

Coningsby Children's Centre in Leominster is offering special twilight family sessions for working parents or those who find the usual day time sessions difficult to get to.

Herefordshire Council's libraries are inviting readers to take a tour of the literary solar system and one customer could win a prize that is literally out of this world.

Herefordshire Council is seeking new tenants for 15 stalls in the popular Buttermarket.

Bestselling author Phil Rickman is to sign copies of his new novel "To Dream of the Dead" at Hereford Library on Saturday, October 4.

Teachers are being encouraged to get crafty this term and visit the annual Herefordshire Arts Supermarket for creative inspiration.

Herefordshire Council reports that this year's GCSE results across the county's schools are the best ever, and show significant improvement on last year's previous high point.

Herefordshire Council is taking part in a national campaign aimed at preventing dodgy ladders from shattering lives - a Ladder Exchange.

The tunnelling machine working underground as part of the multi-million pound Ross flood alleviation scheme has broken through to the surface.

As part of the National Year of Reading, Herefordshire Council's libraries are running a series of local studies events.

Herefordshire Council, through its partnering contractor Amey Wye Valley, is currently undertaking the year's second cut of highway verges.

Thousands of people in Herefordshire are engaged in fighting BT's proposals to axe 111 public telephone boxes across the county.

Herefordshire could be facing the loss of 20 post offices when closure proposals from Post Office Limited are announced next week (27 August 2008). The county is bracing itself to be hit harder than any other part of the West Midlands in the national programme to axe 2,500 post offices.

Herefordshire residents are being urged to have their say on the future of 111 telephone boxes in the county.

Bus passengers throughout Herefordshire who travel under the Herefordshire Council concessionary bus travel scheme are being asked to check that they have an up-to-date pass.

It has been one year since Hereford Pedicabs launched their cargo and freight operation Hereford Pedicargo and, since then, they have travelled the equivalent distance as a trip across the Atlantic to America without any emissions.

Eighteen unloved telephone kiosks in Herefordshire will certainly be axed by BT unless local people speak up in their defence.

Herefordshire Council and Welsh Water have worked together to ensure road closures in the Wigmore area of the county have been lifted ahead of schedule.

Professionals in health and social care services have come together from across Herefordshire to work on a local vision for how those services could be better managed and provided for the future.

Herefordshire Primary Care Trust has commissioned an important review of how health and social care services are managed and provided for the benefit of local people.

Herefordshire people think their doctors are wonderful - and that's official. The 2008 National Patient Survey released by independent healthcare watchdogs - the Healthcare Commission - shows that Herefordshire Primary Care Trust and local GPs are top performers in two-thirds of the fields measured.

Students in the four Herefordshire schools with sixth forms have achieved impressive results this year.  Both John Kyrle High School and John Masefield High School – the two largest high school sixth forms – achieved their best ever results with John Kyrle achieving 99 percent and John Masefield achieving 98 percent pass rates compared to the national figure of 97.2 percent. 

Latest figures show that Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership’s Drugs Intervention Programme (DIP) is exceeding government targets and helping cut drug related crime rates in Herefordshire from already very low levels.

Coningsby Children’s Centre in Leominster is opening its doors and laying on a barbeque for local families on Sunday 31 August.

Herefordshire Council has announced that it ‘bent over backwards’ to help the organisers of the proposed Rock n Roots Festival, which was due to take place over August Bank Holiday at Much Marcle, but organisers failed to fulfil their obligations to enable the necessary licence to be issued.

Herefordshire Council has agreed to help the county’s taxi drivers cope with the rising costs of fuel by allowing them to further raise their fares.

Herefordshire Council's regulatory committee has decided not to register land at Argyll Rise, Belmont, Hereford, as a town green.

Herefordshire’s 14-year-olds have maintained a five-year trend for achieving results in English, Maths and Science above the national average.

Herefordshire Council has confirmed that Councillor Dick Burke, representing Leominster South ward, died this morning (Tuesday 12 August 2008), aged 88.

Kington Children’s Centre Nursery is to have a new owner with effect from September 1st 2008 as a result of a successful Herefordshire Council tendering process.

Herefordshire Council is advising motorists that the Old Wye Bridge, Hereford, will be closed to traffic from Sunday, September 14 for eight days to allow essential road repairs to be carried out.

Herefordshire Council has been forced to replant beds in the Victoria Bridge gardens area of Hereford after vandals pulled up some 200 to 300 plants.

Herefordshire Council is urging the public to have their say over proposals for Hereford’s first permanent park and ride facility.

A retrospective application for a replacement home and detached garage at Haughley Cottage, Mordiford, has been refused by members of the central area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, August 6.

Plans for a 5m telecommunications mast at Church Hall, St John’s Methodist Church, St Owen Street, Hereford, were approved by members of the central area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, August 6.

Plans for a residential wind turbine at The Granary, Mansell Lacy, Hereford, were approved by members of the central area planning sub-committee at their meeting on Wednesday, August 6.

More households are taking up the offer of a grant from Herefordshire Council towards installing solar energy systems.

The decision not to re-open the local education swimming pool at St Martins, Hereford, and instead provide lessons for youngsters at Hereford Leisure Pool is to come under the spotlight.

Bredwardine Bridge re-opened to motorists today (Wednesday, August 6) after Herefordshire Council carried out temporary repairs to a hole found in the structure on Monday.

Jessica Marie Squire of Hatton Gardens, Kington, and Janet Lavinia Thomas of Church Road, Kington, have been elected as councillors for Kington Town Council without contest.

The winners of this year’s Hereford City Floral Decorations Competition have been announced this week.

Herefordshire Council has been forced to close Bredwardine Bridge over the River Wye today (August 4) after a hole appeared in the carriageway.

An ambitious programme to revitalise Hereford’s Buttermarket has begun under the leadership of Cllr Adrian Blackshaw, the council’s cabinet member for economic development and community services.

Another vital part of the Ross Flood Alleviation Scheme is now in place as the new Falling Shaft and weir structure that diverts excess water away from Ross town nears completion.

Herefordshire Council’s senior councillors have taken a detailed look at last week’s High Court decision regarding the allocation of land for housing at Bullinghope and have decided not to appeal the decision.

Improved services for customers, better support for staff, reduced costs and tighter monitoring of performance are at the heart of new proposals to take forward “Herefordshire Connects”.

Herefordshire Council is committed to ensuring that the county’s youngsters learn to swim and is keen to work with schools, clubs and leisure providers Halo to guarantee this is the case.