March 2005

Cabinet, when it met on Thursday, March 24, agreed to allocate an additional £500,000 to the Council’s budget for Older People’s Services.

Easter holiday weekend marked a bumper time for visitors to the county’s Tourist Information Centres (TICs) as hundreds of people came through the doors.

Herefordshire Council is advising the public that a number of turkey products produced under the Turkey Talk brand contains nuts and may cause an allergic reaction.

The first stage of the proposed merger of Hunderton Infant and Junior Schools and provision of a new school building received Cabinet approval at today’s meeting.

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet has rubber-stamped a key action plan which will ensure the authority plays its part to reduce greenhouse gasses.

Young people in Herefordshire will have their voices heard at an exciting and unique event that will offer creative, fun and inventive ways for them to speak out about a range of topics.

Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum is the place to be throughout the Easter holidays, perfect for family picnics and barbecues, with lots of fun for everyone.

More Children are walking or cycling to school, and more parents are car sharing, resulting in reduced traffic congestion, healthier pupils, and safer routes to school, thanks to School Travel Plans adopted by 19 Herefordshire schools.

The 7th Annual Children’s Book Festival, hosted by the Herefordshire Schools Library Service, is bringing poetry to life for children in Herefordshire.

Comments of Herefordshire Council’s review of its funding of The Courtyard Centre for the Arts will be heard by a scrutiny committee when it meets on Tuesday next week, March 22.

Savings of £5 million and a three-year financial plan have resulted in Herefordshire Council increasing its Council Tax by the lowest amount in its history – just 4.31%

Children in Kington can look forward to continued fun and games after Herefordshire Council successfully appointed a new childcare provider to run the town’s main nursery.

Tom Jeffery, the Department for Education and Skills’ Director General for Children and Families, will officially open Herefordshire’s first Children’s Centre, in South Wye on Wednesday, March 16.

Ross Heritage Centre will be holding its usual Activity Day for the Easter Holidays on Thursday, March 31.  Children and adults of all ages can drop in, for free, between 10.30am and 1pm for a few hours of fun.

The removal of the Eign Gate trees was brought forward to Thursday, March 10, to avoid health and safety risks and incurring further costs if works had to be aborted again due to a planned protest.

The BMX Track at Westfaling Street Open Space in the Whitecross area of Hereford has undergone a ‘make-over’ this week thanks to a local group of young people, Herefordshire Council and a generous local contractor.

The High Court ruling on the Estech Europe Ltd judicial review, delivered on February 18, 2005, found no problems with the proposed Madley site but did find that clearer environmental information was required before planning permission could be granted.

Herefordshire Council’s ongoing commitment to a Rotherwas Access Road has been reaffirmed this week with moves to enable the Council to acquire the land required to build the road.

Pedestrians crossing East Street in Hereford will soon find it safer as roadworks commence to reduce traffic speeds and enhance pedestrian safety by improving and emphasising the crossing point between Capuchin Lane and Church Street.

The closure of the A4103 between Stretton Sugwas and Tillington Road, Hereford, scheduled for removal on Monday, March 14, is to be extended by ten days until March 24.

Many readers of the Hereford Times will have seen the play entitled “Dad”, screened on BBC1 on Thursday, February 24. This play focussed the viewer very clearly on issues of elder abuse that can, and do, take place in a small but significant number of both family and residential care settings.

Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards and West Mercia Constabulary combined forces last week and successfully removed more than 250 potentially unsafe power tools from entering the supply chain.

Due to a change in the law relating to seatbelts which comes into force today, Tuesday, March 1, some van and goods vehicle users could be breaking the law.

The Leader of Herefordshire Council has vowed to commit £2 million to kick-start a major refurbishment in the heart of Hereford City.

Herefordshire Council is among just 13 local authorities which have been singled out because they are leading the way in showing how culture and sport can help deliver Government priorities across public life.