October 2010

Just over a week after the fire that threatened to engulf the High Town centre of Hereford, the city is back in business. Due to the efforts of 100 firefighters on the scene on Thursday 21 October, less than a handful of shops were damaged and are now unable to open in the High Town shopping area.

Inspektorzy Bezpieczeństwa żywności Herefordshire Council wydali nakaz wycofania ze sprzedaży domowej kaszanki po tym, jak agencja standardów żywności wykryła wysoki poziom bakterii listeria w niektórych partiach.

Herefordshire Council's food safety officers have issued a recall of Sokolow's home black pudding sausage after the Food Standards agency reported high levels of listeria in certain batches.

With the percentage of the county's population aged 85 and over due to double in around 16 years time, Herefordshire Council is carrying out a survey to establish which services for older people need bolstering.

Herefordshire Council has decided to take down the scaffolding at the market house in Ross to help traders in the run-up to Christmas.

Herefordshire Council's regulatory sub-committee has agreed to let the Brewery Inn in Bye Street, Ledbury, open for extended hours.

Herefordshire Council's regulatory sub-committee has decided to allow the Crown and Sceptre Inn in Ross to stay open but the Designated Premises Supervisor must be removed.

New partnership provides a window to £1.4 billion growth fund

Shoppers are being advised that the popular open retail market, which was cancelled last week following the fire in Hereford's High Town, is back on this weekend.

In order to meet identified need, a call for sites is being undertaken by Herefordshire Council for parcels of land with the potential for accommodating Gypsy and Traveller pitches.

More than fifty young people have been involved in an art project that promises to brighten up an arcade linking up Leominster's library with the town centre.

Herefordshire Council's youth service is helping South Wye girls explore future aspirations by working with them to organise a woman to woman careers evening on Wednesday November 3 from 6.30pm to 9.30pm at Hinton Community Centre.

Hereford City Council and Herefordshire Council have thanked the emergency services for their response to the major fire which took hold in High Town during the early hours of Thursday morning last week.

If you are a fan of Professor Brian Cox and his Wonders of the Solar System television programme, then why not come along to Herefordshire Council's Leominster Library to hear Paul Meade give a guided tour of the universe.

Herefordshire's primary care trust is at risk of not balancing its books because the West Midlands Strategy Health Authority has 'top sliced' £2.8 million out of its budget.

Herefordshire Council has awarded a contract for the £2.8million refurbishment of Grange Court in Leominster.

Shopkeepers vow that the Hereford fire will not stop the resurgence in the city's fortunes, which have been underlined by a series of market studies.

Herefordshire Council is holding a drop-in event at Sutton St Nicholas to discuss with local people the possibilities for developing affordable housing for people in the village and surrounding parishes.

The decision to end production of the Queen's favourite bottled water in Colwall has been 'sudden and brutal', according to the leader of Herefordshire Council.

Ross youngsters proved top of the carers at this year's Pride of Herefordshire awards with both the winner and one of the runners-up coming from the market town.

Four hundred patients in Herefordshire each year benefit from a one-stop shop for back, hip and joint pain, saving the NHS thousands of pounds in the process.

The deadline looms for local people who wish to have a say in the development of the county's transport strategy over the next 15 years.

Herefordshire Council, through its contracting partner Amey, is making good progress on repair works to Meeks Well Lane, near Symonds Yat.

Herefordshire Council's archaeology team linked up with Channel 4's Time Team last summer to get to grips with a hilltop enigma.

Herefordshire Council has been working with Enviroability and Alupro to set up special recycling bins for aluminium foil in supermarkets and at household waste sites.

Herefordshire Council is continuing to work with Ross-based Enviroability to provide an enhanced recycling service for county residents.

Herefordshire Council's archive service is holding one of its regular sales to give history buffs a rare chance to acquire a part of the county's past.

Hereford's High Town has been declared no longer a crime scene after initial investigations into the fire, which tore through a number of shops last week, indicate that it started accidentally, probably as a result of an electrical fault. Police and security personnel remained at the site over the weekend.

The winners of the 2010 Flavours of Herefordshire awards were recognised at a gala presentation dinner at Hereford Racecourse on the evening of Friday, October 22nd.

Herefordshire is making a commitment to equality and human rights by launching an Equality and Human Rights Charter for the county.

Herefordshire Council is offering children with disabilities the chance to try a range of outside challenging activities, thanks to a partnership between the council and some of the county's popular service providers, including Taste for Adventure, Outbase, and the Music Pool.

While the vast majority of Hereford's city centre shops are open for business despite this week's fire, Saturday's popular open retail market has unfortunately been cancelled.

A local GP has scooped an award for his outstanding partnership work to improve efficiency in the NHS at the inaugural West Midlands Leadership Awards.

Herefordshire patients who wish to access new cancer drugs are being given a boost as a new fund has become available this month which will help provide access to new treatments.

NHS Herefordshire and Herefordshire Council have both given the go-ahead to ground-breaking plans to share public services and save £33 million over the next ten years.

The Royal National College for the Blind has been named as the overall winner at this year's Pride of Herefordshire awards night on Wednesday, October 20.

The vast majority of shops in Hereford's High Town will be open for business as normal this morning (Fri, Oct 22) despite the blaze which brought the city centre to a standstill yesterday.

Following the fire in Hereford this morning, when a section of the city centre was cordoned off, Herefordshire Council is pleased to announce that St Peter's Square has been re-opened in time for the school bus run.

Herefordshire Council is pledging support to local businesses affected by today's fire in Hereford city centre by helping them find alternative suitable premises.

NHS Herefordshire, the leader for health in the county, has announced that Joanna Newton has been reappointed to serve a further four-year term as chairman of the primary care trust board - from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2014.

Superfast broadband is on the way to more than 10,000 homes and businesses in rural Herefordshire, following a major multi-million pound announcement today as part of the government's spending review.

Three-way traffic lights have been installed on the B4220 at Bosbury following the accident which occurred on Sunday, October 17.

NHS Herefordshire, the leader for health in the county, is urging local parents to think twice about the effect their alcohol consumption has on their children.

Herefordshire Council is urging the county's leaders, movers and shakers to take part in this year's national Takeover Day on November 12, which offers young people the chance to work with adults and get involved in decision-making.

Herefordshire Council's regulatory sub-committee has decided to allow the Crown and Sceptre Inn in Ross to re-open with revised conditions to the pub's licence.

Sir Ben Gill CBE has been appointed Chairman of the new Visit Herefordshire, which aims to use private enterprise to boost the county's important tourism economy.

Stanhope, the developer chosen for the Old Livestock Market project, can confirm that cinema operator Odeon is to open a state-or-the-art multi-screen cinema in Hereford's proposed new leisure and retail development. 

Jobs will go but key public services protected

Herefordshire Council is responding to the government's comprehensive spending review by reducing management posts, sharing corporate functions with health trusts, cutting purchasing, rationalising premises and slashing red tape.

A new public sector joint venture to share services across the council, primary care trust and county hospital could be set up by April 2011. The first of its kind in the UK, the joint venture would save taxpayers over £33 million over ten years. 

A Credenhill man was sentenced to 120 hours of community service and ordered to forfeit thousand of fake DVDs and computer equipment by Hereford magistrates court on Friday (October 15).

Local people who do not have internet access but want to apply for one of the jobs being advertised to help make sure next year's census goes without a hitch, can log on for free at a local library or one of Herefordshire Council's customer service centres.

Herefordshire Council's contracting partner Amey is to refill all of the county's salt bins by the middle of November.

Work has started on Herefordshire Council's first pay on foot parking facility at the Maylord Orchards car park in Hereford. Work is being carried out during the night to minimise disruption.

The fire in Hereford's High Town is under control - but the area is likely to remain cordoned off for the remainder of the day.

Hereford is off the critical list for empty shops and destined for retail utopia according to a series of market studies. According to the latest Shop Vacancy Report by Local Data Company (LDC), Hereford no longer features in the list of towns and cities that have to worry about retail vacancy rates.

Herefordshire Council is warning motorists visiting a popular county car auctions that they must park legally or else they face getting a £70 Penalty Charge Notice.

The finals of the of The Young Poet Laureate for Herefordshire take place on Saturday 23rd October at The Courtyard Studio Theatre from 6.30pm- 7.45pm when five young hopefuls aged from 11 to 18 will perform their work in front of an audience and a panel of judges.

Hereford Police Male Choir is holding a charitable Christmas concert in Hereford on Tuesday, December 7.

A man has been fined £400 for flytipping a variety of household waste, including carpets, in a Herefordshire layby after a prosecution brought by Herefordshire Council on Friday (October 15) at Hereford Magistrates Court.

A Herefordshire man has been fined £600 and ordered to pay £250 costs after admitting an offence of flytipping in a prosecution brought by Herefordshire Council on Friday (October 15).

A Hereford man who admitted falsely claiming benefits he was not entitled to was fined £100 at Hereford Magistrates Court today (Friday, October 15) in a prosecution brought by Herefordshire Council.

Following a turnout of 24.9 per cent in yesterday's (Thurs, Oct 14) by-election, Justin John David Lavender has been elected as Herefordshire Council's new councillor for the St Nicholas Ward.

The Parish of Hereford City Council has a new councillor for the St Nicholas Ward following a by-election held yesterday (Thurs, Oct 14).

New regeneration company Hereford Futures is tendering for a developer to create significant new retail space and a revitalised market hall in the ancient cathedral city of Hereford.

Children with disabilities are to enjoy a fantastic new play facility in Hereford as Herefordshire Council and Herefordshire Carers Support have succeeded in bidding for funding to enhance the play park at King George V Playing Fields in Hereford.

As part of the spring Budget, the Government announced £100 million of additional funding to support the repair of the damage inflicted to the country's roads during the 2009/10 winter season. Herefordshire Council received £1,017,400 of this allocation and effectively matched that investment with an additional £1,000,000 of its own for highway maintenance.

A letter from a wealthy Ledbury resident disinheriting a wayward daughter is to feature in an evening of readings organised by Herefordshire Council.

A letter from the archives of a Ross family is to feature in an evening of readings organised by Herefordshire Council. The 18th century missive was written by a member of the Southall family of prominent Quakers.

A moralising letter from a Kington vicar is to feature in an evening of readings organised by Herefordshire Council.

The search is on for ex members of Herefordshire's Youth Orchestra as the council's music service prepares to celebrate 50 years of bringing music to the county's ears.

Herefordshire Council's library service is calling on county youngsters to get creative this half-term (October 25 to 29) by entering a tasty competition where they can win Halo vouchers for use in their local leisure centre or pool.

A community cinema in Ross on Wye's could be on the cards as part of a package to improve the town's community facilities at the Y-Zone, thanks to Herefordshire Council's youth service. 

As part of the international year of biodiversity 2010, Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership is holding a special afternoon event at the Cider Museum in Hereford which will look at what the county's wildlife priorities should be for the next 10 years.

Residents are just a click away from saving time, money and resources thanks to a new waste-busting website launched by Herefordshire Council.

Herefordshire Council's community protection team recently joined up with members of Herefordshire Community Cadet Force and members of Hereford's Local Policing Team to clear litter from the Penhaligon Way area in Hereford.

Dog owners are being advised that as from October 25 Herefordshire Council will have new powers to deal with dog fouling.

Potential developers for Hereford's historic Buttermarket have until 10 November to express an interest in a scheme to create significant new retail space and restore the market hall as a major visitor and tourist destination.

Nearly 100 children and young people from Herefordshire schools have been talking about the changes they would like to see over the next three years to make life better for them, for their schools and for all the children and young people in Herefordshire.

Pupils from The Brookfield School in Hereford have renewed enthusiasm for school and learning and have more positive attitudes thanks to a canoe scheme run in partnership with Herefordshire Council.

Herefordshire Council's trading standards team is warning low income families not to take out loans which will lead them into a spiral of debt.

Herefordshire residents are being invited to a special event at Hereford's Shirehall which will showcase the latest energy-saving measures and technologies.

Job opportunities, war, sexual health, transport and university education are on the bill at this year's annual meeting of the UK Youth Parliament.

Herefordshire Council's regulatory sub-committee today (October 6) suspended the premise licence for the Crown & Sceptre Inn in Ross.

NHS Herefordshire, the leader for health in the county, is urging residents get their seasonal flu jabs, which this year, contain an inoculation against swine flu.

As the county's high schools open their doors to prospective students this month, Aylestone Business & Enterprise College and Whitecross High School Specialist Sports College have agreed to go ahead with their scheduled open evenings following the discovery that both are scheduled for the same date.

Job opportunities, war, sexual health, transport and university education are on the bill at this year's annual meeting of the UK Youth Parliament.

The "Big Community" is alive and well in Herefordshire and will result in new life being breathed into a disused youth centre in the south of the county.

As part of its work in developing the county's planning blueprint up to 2026, Herefordshire Council has commissioned environmental experts to carry out an in-depth study into renewable energies.

Herefordshire Council's ninth walking festival has been hailed a great success with more than 900 people enjoying 53 walks throughout the county.

Two Herefordshire school children have been presented with custom-made new bikes by NHS Herefordshire after notching up over 30 stamps in a Change4Life activity reward scheme this summer.

Motorists are being advised that all county roads are now open after some were closed due to flooding.

As part of h.Energy week, a special event is being held at Leominster Library on Friday, October 15 from 7pm until 8pm.

A delegation from Stratford-upon-Avon visited Hereford last week and went away impressed, after seeing first hand how Herefordshire Council's shopfront grant scheme works.

Hereford's new livestock market is taking shape with the metal framework of the £7 million building now in place.