Penyard Ward Report May 2024
Unfortunately the Spring sunshine has turned back to rain and although the forecast for the week ahead looks to be improving nothing is guaranteed so please do be careful when travelling as heavy showers often lead to slippery road surfaces. Excess rain also leads to muddy fields and with farmers needing to enter and exit fields at the moment it is not uncommon to see mud on the roads. The vast majority of farmers are very diligent and clear up any mud very quickly but where you do spot a problem please let me or the locality steward know so signage can be arranged.
The recent warm and wet weather has led to a surge in growth on the verges. This can cause visibility / safety issues at junctions and on narrow roads. The delay in cutting potentially dangerous junctions has been raised with Herefordshire Council / Balfour Beatty and if you are aware of any that haven’t yet been cut then please do let me know. Equally Balfour Beatty have started the normal verge cutting programme and there is a list of verges which are not cut due to community wildflower planting, if you are aware of any which should be on that list and would like to check then please contact me as soon as possible so we can avoid any inadvertent cuts.
As I mentioned in my previous reports, a new Public Rights of Way (PROW) scheme was due to be announced in May. I am pleased to confirm that details of this have been made available to all Parish Councils via their Clerks – if you have been inadvertently missed off this list then please let me know and I will arrange for details to be sent to you. The scheme offers Parish Councils the opportunity to apply for a fixed amount of funding to replace assets on PROW in their areas. The funding available for each asset is set at the rate Herefordshire Council would pay if they were to purchase the asset themselves. I would urge you to take up this funding opportunity as there is no guarantee it will be repeated but please do consult with the relevant landowner before applying so permission can be obtained for installation.
I have noticed that there has been an increase in pothole repairs over the last few weeks and although many areas require significantly more investment, it is a welcome step in the right direction. As always where you spot a repair completed by Balfour Beatty or a utility company that does not look to be of a sufficient standard please raise it with me and I will highlight it with the relevant team. Herefordshire Council does use its powers to force utility companies and Balfour Beatty to return and redo work where it does not meet the standards required but if these issues are not flagged to them then they are unable to take action.
The third instalment of our additional funding to Parish Councils (Aside from the increased Lengthsman Grant – £250k and the Prow Scheme – £250k) is the Local Drainage Fund – £445k. Expressions of interest were due in last month and I am told approximately 90 Parish councils registered their interest. Details of how to apply and the projects that can be funded will be published soon but please do not be concerned if your expression of interest has not been acknowledged. If you emailed the email address given in the initial invitation to express an interest (lengthsman@herefordshire.gov.uk) then you will have been included.
On a County level, you may be pleased to know that Herefordshire Council held its Annual Meeting last Friday and the current minority Conservative Administration retained control under our leader Cllr Jonathan Lester. The Chairman of Herefordshire Council remains Cllr Roger Phillips and the Vice-Chairperson is Cllr Steph Simmons.