Month: March 2024

National Grid Priority Services Register

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National Grid Electricity Distribution own the electricity cables and wires in the Midlands, the South West and South Wales. Their core focus is helping customers during power cuts and they do this thorough their Priority Services Register (PSR) – but they also do lots of other work engaging with agencies and partners to deliver fuel poverty support, power cut advice and more.

 

Please see via the link below a poster about their free, confidential register that explains who is eligible to join the register and the support they can receive should they be affected by a power cut.

NGED – new PSR A4 poster – 28242 – ARTWORK Digital

Ward Councillor Report: March 2024

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Penyard Ward Report March 2024

Whilst the lighter nights and mornings promise the arrival of spring we are still waiting for the weather to catch up and between heavy rainfall and a few frosty nights, our roads have really taken a battering in the last month or so. As always, please report any defects on the council system where you can and if they are in a busy or dangerous location then please let me know and I will ask the locality steward to attend and report them.  Drainage has also been an issue locally and where problems have been raised with me I have reported them on to Balfour Beatty for inspection and rectification.

The state of local roads continues to be a source of deep frustration for many residents and I am in discussions with the Highways Team as to what can be done in the short and medium term to address the declining state of roads across this ward and the wider County. I am hoping that some of the additional £13.5 million pounds that this administration has allocated to the roads from April this year will be used locally and I will continue to make the case for this.

Councillors will remember that I referenced new sources of funding that are due to be made available to Parish Council in the new financial year through the Lengthsman Scheme (£250k), Local Drainage Issues (£445k) and the Public Rights of Way network (£250k). Details of this funding and how it will be delivered have been made available to Parish Council Clerks and I would encourage you to take up the offer of funding wherever possible. If you have any questions or require any further information then please contact me and I would be happy to help or direct you to the right Council Officer.

Outside of local issues there was a Full Council Meeting on the 8th March where Councillors were tasked with approving the proposed rate rises for the year ahead. After the budget passed successfully at the previous meeting the purpose of this one was to rubber stamp the proposed rates for Parish Councils, The Police and Fire Authorities and Herefordshire Council. In addition to this the Council formally adopted the new Minerals and Waste Policy (several years overdue) and there were motions on the Household Resilience Fund and the Gaza conflict that were passed by Councillors unanimously.

The Cabinet is considering the Herefordshire Transport Strategy at its meeting on the 28th March and this will see discussion on a Hereford Bypass return. Since we last met the Government has allocated £101 million to Herefordshire Council for infrastructure improvements across the county from 2025 to 2032. This money will be crucial in delivery of the Hereford Bypass but the Leader did confirm that where possible funding will also be provided for rural areas that may not immediately benefit from any bypass project. To be clear the Department of Transport have indicated that this funding is not intended for maintenance of existing roads but for new and improved infrastructure projects.

As always I am here to help and if you have any queries then please get in touch by email on  harry.bramer2@herefordshire.gov.uk or pnone on 07900 918384

Cllr Harry Bramer

Herefordshire Council – Penyard Ward

Cabinet Member – Community Services and Assets

Great Herefordshire Clean Up

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Play your part in the Great Herefordshire Clean Up

Volunteers across Herefordshire are coming together to clean up their local communities this spring – and you could be one of them

 The Great Herefordshire Clean Up is running from 17 March – 2 April 2024, and aims to empower local communities to cut litter, improve public spaces and educate future generations on responsible waste disposal.

Notable events this year include a Hereford Community Clean Up Group litter pick along the Great Western Way in Hereford. The group will be picking litter and removing or reporting fly tipped items from 9.30am on 22 March, working their way from Belmont Road Bridge towards Newton Farm.

There will also be organised litter picks on Ledbury Town Trail, and Ross Town Trail, alongside events organised by Parish Councils.

People can find their local litter picking group on website and groups can get involved by registering their interest with Balfour Beatty Living Places at communities@balfourbeatty.com

Once registered, groups can collect and sign for the loan of kits and purple waste sacks from the BBLP depot on Thorn Business Park, Hereford. Purple sacks are also available from Herefordshire Council’s Plough Lane offices.

 Groups are asked to identify collection points of waste sacks and fly tipped items to BBLP, who will collect in the following days as and when trucks are in the area.

Collection points should be safe places to store rubbish, for example next to existing litter bins, and away from major junctions to allow easy access for the collection vehicles.

The council’s Community Protection Team is also hard at work investigating unlawful waste disposal and fly-tipping cases. If fly tipping is suspected, this can be reported at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/reportingapp/ or by calling 01432 261761.

Groups can also share their success stories by sending pictures to communications@herefordshire.gov.uk

Cllr Barry Durkin, Cabinet Member Roads and Regulatory Services, said: “Over £1million is spent on cleaning up litter in Herefordshire each year, and a network of hard working picking groups and individuals contribute to the effort to keep our county clean. The Great Herefordshire Clean Up is a great opportunity for us all to work together and celebrate what can be achieved with teamwork and pride in our local communities.

“I will be attending the litter pick on Great Western Way, and I would encourage those who want our county litter-free and beautiful to get involved. Register your interest in taking part in the Great Herefordshire Clean Up by contacting BBLP, and share your success stories with us by emailing pictures of local people getting stuck in to tackling litter.”

 

Herefordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan

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At a meeting of Herefordshire Council on 8 March 2024, it was resolved to adopt the Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP).

The adopted MWLP and related documents can be viewed on the Council website.

The MWLP can be seen on public computers in libraries across the county and a paper copy is available to view at Hereford Customer Service Centre in Blueschool Street, Hereford, HR1 2LX)