Month: February 2025

Ward Councillor Report for Penyard February 2025

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Penyard Ward Report February 2025

 

 

Council Budget 25/26

Full Council has agreed the budget as set out at its meeting on 7th February 2025 with 1 vote against, no one abstaining, and all others in support. The setting of Council tax, which means the Council tax, Police, Fire and Parish precepts all added up and allotted to each household by Parish, will occur at the Council meeting in March and will become the amount chargeable to all households from April 2025 through to March 2026

Should you be financially constrained by these charges, there is potential support by contacting Herefordshire Council via the website; otherwise, it is the mandatory means for the Council to provide the services that we all have use of.

Should you feel that the Council does nothing for this money other than empty your bins, (a common comment!) then a quick summary headline of expenditure shows spending

  • Community and Wellbeing   £90m
  • Children and Young People £59m
  • Economy and Environment £42m

Main income

  • Council tax                            £146m
  • Business rates                      £ 47m

The full revenue budget is £231.5m which covers all other costs and income.

The Capital budget 2025/26 shows £155m of investment.

This includes a doubling of resurfacing roads from last year’s £5m to £10 m in the coming year. This is specifically for resurfacing priority routes that are beyond repair. This is additional to our revenue funding for road maintenance that is carried out by Balfour Beatty Living Places, our Public Realm Contractor.

Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority can now announce that the contract for the new Hereford Fire station has been signed and the contractors, Speller Metcalfe Ltd, who recently built the new Redditch Fire Station, will commence construction, within the next week, of the temporary fire station in Mortimer Road, Hereford. Once the temporary Fire Station is complete, in around June 2025, the current staff and vehicles will move across and demolition of the existing Fire Station in St Owen Street will commence.

The build programme has an overall duration of approximately 85 weeks, and we should see the new Fire Station completed in early 2027. This marks a circa £14m investment by the Fire Authority into Hereford City and will provide a new, modern, and efficient Fire Station for Herefordshire that will complement those new Fire Stations we have built across Worcestershire. The new building will also have accommodation for the district staff and have capacity to be used by all the Service and support recruitment, Prevention and Protection activities.

 

For those that may not know where Herefordshire Council meet for a full Council meeting of all 53 ward members it takes place in Plough Lane in Conference room 1. The picture alongside is taken from the most recent meeting. The agenda was 350 pages long plus 4 supplementary papers. Meeting agendas can all be found on the Council website under the various committee titles and all meetings are held in public and can be viewed on the Council U-Tube channel. Links to all of this can be found on the website as well. My seat at council is four from the back on the inner row. The microphones at your seat are allocated to you, so, when you speak you appear on the U-Tube recording. Printing paper documents is rare as everything is digital.

As I have been writing this late on Sunday evening, I have had a notification from the Chief Executive to say that Government has announced financial support to 20 Local authorities who are in trouble financially. Shropshire and Worcestershire are amongst them. Herefordshire is not as we have managed to control our budgets to remain balanced. I think this is allowing them to capitalise their overspends, which is frowned upon as it just adds further interest payments to their revenue accounts in future years which adds to their problems of balancing revenue budgets and delivering services.

So much for Devolution that is expected at some point, but any move for a Devolution deal is on hold locally as our near neighbours must go through Local Government reforms to align first. Another thing to watch out for down the road.

Best wishes to all, especially those of you that got this far!

Please feel free to contact me on 07900 918384

Or by email on harry.bramer2@herefordshire.gov.uk

Please pass this on to your Parish Councillors and to any newsletters that may be of interest and please remember that should any Parish Council wish me to attend their meetings at any time – I should be only too pleased to attend if asked.

 

Regards

Cllr Harry Bramer

Penyard Ward Member

Cabinet Member for Community Services and Assets

 

 

Healthwatch Herefordshire training on Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Awareness

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Healthwatch Herefordshire are offering this training around the county in the hope that people across the county attend to share knowledge with their colleagues, friends, community and their families, with the aim in increasing the uptake in screening for cancers and reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Herefordshire.

To do this they have created a brand new role called Community Health Champions and are inviting you to join them for their upcoming Community Health Champion Training session.

This training will equip you with the knowledge and skills to make a real difference in your community by promoting awareness of cancer and cardiovascular disease, prevention strategies, and early diagnosis.  They hope that you may choose to utilise this training by also joining them around the county on their Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Roadshow to talk to the community and raise awareness, but this is not a requirement of the training.

The next session is on:

Date: Monday 3rd March 2025

Times: 10:00 AM – 13:00 PM  

Location: Larruperz Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7QD

Parking: Free parking on site. 

Here’s what’s in store at the training:  

– Discover why screening and prevention for cancer and cardiovascular diseases are essential to help increase early detection!

– Learn how to spot signs and symptoms early—because the sooner we act, the better!

– Pick up key facts about the local population and tips on how to connect with your community, spread the word, and tackle any barriers together.

Becoming a Community Health Champion means you’ll be part of something truly special: improving health, saving lives, and inspiring others to take charge of their well-being.  Healthwatch Herefordshire hope that you are able to join us on our training, so simply let them know if you can attend. If this date is not suitable for you they will be holding sessions though to April so please let them know if you would like information about upcoming sessions.

They are also currently doing a roadshow around the county with Community Health Champions, the next event is at the Ross-on-Wye Livestock Market on the 27th February 10am-3pm. They will be there to talk to the community and raise awareness. The longer term aim of the project is to help increase the awareness and take up of screening and early detection in the whole of Herefordshire. If you want to come and chat to them there and see what they do please come along.

 

Got questions? Reach out via email or ring for a chat about the role on 07793008196.

 

Point of contact:


Deb Linton (She/Her)

Community Engagement Officer

Healthwatch Herefordshire

Tel:  01432 277044

County Offices, Plough Lane

Hereford HR4 0LE

Email: deb@healthwatchherefordshire.co.uk

Website: www.healthwatchherefordshire.co.uk

Twitter: @HWHerefordshire

www.Facebook.com/hwherefordshire