January 2010

Ward nurses and assistants in the county’s community hospitals are now able to spend more time directly caring for patients.

Herefordshire Council is putting on more public events to cope with the interest sparked by its consultation on the future of the county, the city and the market towns.

This year’s health and well-being day for people with learning disabilities has been heralded as a big success as more than 160 people braved the weather to find out how to keep healthy and well earlier this month.

NHS Herefordshire, the leader for health in the county, has reached agreement with the hospital trust to build a permanent new £1.5-million walk-in health centre on the site.

Fraudsters are telephoning local residents claiming they are due for a rebate on their council tax – if they would just let them have their bank details.

Herefordshire Council’s community heritage team has arranged for two special exhibitions to mark the fact 2010 is 65 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Berkenau death camp.

Herefordshire Council’s library service is running a Chatterbooks book group aimed at helping children develop a love for books.

Families with young children in Peterchurch and surrounding areas can enjoy a range of children’s centre activities and events in their local church following the completion of a unique building project.  

A delegation from Herefordshire met with Minister for Schools and Learners, Vernon Coaker this week (January 25)  to lobby for fairer funding for the county’s schools.  

Herefordshire Council has reported that most of the backlog of refuse and recycling, a result of the recent icy weather, was collected over the weekend.

Local people are expected to have their say on the future of Herefordshire at an important consultation meeting this week.

New strategy will focus on inequalities.

As Herefordshire thaws after the big freeze, the full damage to the county’s road network is becoming clear. Herefordshire Council estimates it will cost over £5.5 million to repair the potholes created as the water froze, expanded and broke up road surfaces.

As part of its campaign to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill, Herefordshire Council is urging county residents to remember to re-use and recycle rather than throwing items away and is now highlighting a new opportunity to re-use bicycles.

As part of its plans for a major refurbishment of Widemarsh Street in Hereford, Herefordshire Council has secured agreement from Central Networks to renew the mains network along the street.

A vending machine stocking locally produced food and drink will open for business next week at Herefordshire Council and NHS Herefordshire’s Brockington offices at Hafod Road, Hereford. 

Herefordshire Council has rung the bell to start the legal process of creating a new £7.8-million primary school in Leominster. The brand new school, which will join up the current infants and junior schools, has the backing of the council’s cabinet but also needs the approval of the Secretary of State.

Seven new minibuses will help the county’s secondary school students get training in specialist subjects, thanks to Herefordshire Council.

Herefordshire Council has successfully prosecuted a Herefordshire man for flytipping.

Herefordshire Council’s refuse and recycling will be carried out as normal today.

NHS Herefordshire is encouraging families in Ross on Wye  to get out their walking boots, sketch pads and cameras and join in a walk around the scenic areas of the historic market town this weekend (23 January).

Herefordshire Council’s heritage services team has been working closely with the BBC as part of a year-long project aimed at bringing world history to life using museum objects as a catalyst.

Herefordshire Council’s Ledbury Library is working on an intergenerational project bringing together two generations to share stories about their teenage years.

Herefordshire Council’s trading standards service is issuing a warning following complaints that vulnerable people are currently being targeted for high price mobility products by a firm called ABM Mobility from Long Eaton in Derbyshire.

Herefordshire Council reports that refuse and recycling services were able to carry out most collections yesterday (20 January 2010) despite the snow.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Herefordshire Council has stood down its emergency information line, which opened this morning to deal with residents’ concerns on how the snow is affecting roads, schools and services.

Herefordshire Council’s heritage services team, working in partnership with the WEA (Workers Educational Association), is offering residents the chance to learn more about the county’s museum collections at a series of spring workshops being held at the Hereford Museum Resource and Learning Centre in Friar Street.

Herefordshire Council has opened its emergency information line to take residents questions on how the snow is affecting roads, schools and services this morning. The number is 0844 939 6101.

Over 10,000 tonnes of grit have been used on Herefordshire’s roads this winter so far, mostly during the first two weeks of January, when the county was in the grip of the worst cold spell for 30 years.

Herefordshire Council is giving residents the chance to give something back to their community by championing the benefits of home composting.

Herefordshire Council will once again be taking its advice on dealing with junk mail on the road in a bid to help residents reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Herefordshire Council reports that some schools are closed today due to the heavy snow this morning in the county.

After more than two years of managing the Kyrle Street car park in Hereford on behalf of the landowner, Herefordshire Council has relinquished the day-to-day operation of the car park.

Hundreds of Ross-on-Wye residents are expected to influence plans for how the market town benefits from better-paid jobs, more affordable homes, improved transport links and stronger public services.

Residents to give their views on route for Hereford’s relief road

A special event this week will reunite residents of Breinton and Warham with their local landscapes – as depicted in the paintings of Herefordshire’s best known artist, Brian Hatton.

A concert held at Herefordshire Council’s new crematorium chapel raised more than £1,000 for charity.

Herefordshire Council and its highways partner, Amey Herefordshire, are gearing up to address the damage done to our county’s roads – the legacy of the icy weather over the last few weeks.

Herefordshire Council has reported that several roads that were flooded in the north of the county as a result of the melting of the week’s heavy snowfall over the weekend are now passable, but extreme care should be taken.

Weather Update for Herefordshire (9.30am) 18 Jan 2010

Herefordshire Council has reported that several roads remain flooded in the north of the county as a result of the melting of the week’s heavy snowfall over the weekend. The following roads are likely to remain closed well into today (Monday 18 January 2010):

As the weather improves and the snow begins to thaw, families in South Wye are being encouraged to put their best foot forward and join in a post-festive season walk around Hinton.

Friday's refuse and recycling will be collected as normal where the crews have safe access, reports Herefordshire Council.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

The big thaw means schools are expected to open today and primary routes across Herefordshire are clear

Residents wanting to get rid of their refuse or recyclable materials can do so at the county’s household waste sites.

Refuse and recycling collections across Herefordshire have resumed today, Thursday, January 14.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

The latest on schools opening and closing and the state of the roads across the county

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Report on Herefordshire's schools and roads

A number of county roads which had been closed due to snow falling overnight have been cleared enough to allow traffic through.

Refuse collections across Herefordshire have been suspended today, Wednesday, January 13, due to the snow.

Herefordshire Council has reported that some roads in the county have been blocked due to continuing snowfall and drifting. The unpassable roads are the A40 from Lea to Ryford in the south of the county, the B4221 at Upton Bishop, the B4349 at Clehonger and the A449 at Much Marcle.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Herefordshire Council has reported that 90 schools are closed and 10 known to be open across the county this morning (at 9.00am on 13 January 2010):

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Herefordshire Council reports that around 80 schools will be closed today as a result of the heavy and persistent snowfall.

Many schools close as the county is hit again by heavy snowfall

Herefordshire Council has received a planning application for the proposed link road between Edgar Street and Commercial Road in Hereford.

Herefordshire Council has reported that waste collections across Herefordshire have resumed today (Tuesday 12 January 2010). The council apologises for the disruption and crews will be making every effort to collect all refuse and recycling - but are still hampered by difficult icy conditions on many minor roads.

Herefordshire Council has warned that there may be delays at Aylestone Hill in Hereford from the middle of this afternoon as Welsh Water begin repairs to a burst water main, the result of a thaw after freezing weather.

Herefordshire Council reports that all A and B roads in the county have been gritted throughout the night and are passable with care – but motorists are advised that they are likely to encounter black ice without warning, and there is freezing fog in some areas. Most minor and unclassified roads are all passable with extreme care - but pavements in villages, market towns and parts of Hereford are hazardous.

Thousands of residents are expected to participate in discussions to help turn Herefordshire into a new land of opportunity, with more and better paid jobs, more decent and affordable homes, and better transport links.

Herefordshire Council is encouraging staff and councillors to eat locally produced food in 2010 and is piloting a new vending machine concept to be launched at the council’s headquarters this month. 

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

The two following schools are closed for certain year groups:

John Challis - of Only Fools and Horses and Green Green Grass fame – is to play a leading part in bringing back some of the most scandalous and surprising stories from Herefordshire’s past.

As Herefordshire braces itself for more heavy snowfall, the council warns that it must continue to prioritise on keeping the primary routes of the county open.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

The majority of the county's schools have reopened today.  The following schools remain closed:

Today’s (Monday) waste collections across parts of Herefordshire have resumed today.

As Herefordshire enters its second week of snow and ice, many schools in the county have reported to local radio and to the council that they will be open today. These include 60 primary schools, 13 high schools, 5 special schools and 3 Hereford colleges. But parents are advised to check the school’s individual websites for updated information or call Herefordshire Council’s emergency information line– the number is 0844 939 6101.

 The following schools are expected to be open today:

The snow may have prevented the regular refuse collections around the Herefordshire, but it needn’t stop people recycling.

Refuse collections across Herefordshire have been suspended today, Friday, January 8, due to the snow and icy weather.

The deep freeze continued in Herefordshire overnight, with clear skies allowing for temperatures in some areas of the county to plunge to minus 17 degrees Celsius.

Emergency services and organisations providing key services across Herefordshire have praised county motorists for heeding the “stay at home” message during the current spell of icy weather.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Following school closures across the county this week due to the adverse weather conditions, the council has been informed that the following schools intend to open on Friday January 8:

The snowy and icy weather has forced the early closure of Ross-on-Wye library today, Thursday, January 7, which will close its doors at 3pm.

After recent snowfall and clearer conditions in Herefordshire, temperatures fell as low as minus 13 Celsius in some locations overnight. Herefordshire Council reports that A and B roads are passable with care.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

All Herefordshire maintained schools took the decision to close on Wednesday 6th January due to the adverse weather and travelling conditions. 

With temperatures due to plummet well below freezing later today, the message to motorists in Herefordshire is “don’t make the journey unless you have to.”

Herefordshire Council’s emergency information line has opened to give local residents the latest news on roads affected by the snow as well as details of school closures.

Herefordshire Council has been advised that most bus services in the county are suspended due to the heavy snowfall.

Refuse collections across Herefordshire have been suspended today, Wednesday, January 6, due to the snow.

Herefordshire Council is adding its voice to calls to close the funding gap between rural and urban schools. At present, pupils in urban areas get double the funding of those who live in the countryside.

Nearly 1,000 years ago the builders of Hereford Cathedral took their ideas from Charlemagne’s Imperial Cathedral in Aachen, Germany and today architects are revisiting that inspiration in remodelling Hereford’s new streetscape.

Herefordshire Council has reported that A and B roads across the county are passable with care after nearly 500 tonnes of salt were put down by gritters working throughout the night.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Herefordshire Council has been informed of the following school closures today:

With further snow and freezing conditions due later today and overnight, Herefordshire Council and its partners are advising people to only make essential journeys.

Herefordshire Council has been informed that the following bus services have been disrupted as a result of the snow.  Other services may also be affected.

Herefordshire’s refuse and recycling crews were out this morning but were quickly affected by the snow.

This page is an archived news article so the information is out of date. Please visit the school closures page for the latest information.

Herefordshire has opened an emergency information line to provide residents with the latest news on council services affected by the snow:  0844 939 6101.  You can ring this number to check if your child's school is open