This is the time of year when many of you are busy involving yourselves in carol concerts, nativity
plays and other festive events within your local community. A lot of hard work goes into providing
activities usually by a fairly small group of people and they should be thanked for all their hard
work. It is however also the time of year when some residents feel the most isolated and in some
cases may be spending their first Christmas alone and for them but I am sure that neighbours and
friends will help them through this difficult time.
Let us hope that we do not get a repetition of last year’s hard winter. Balfour Beatty are prepared
and commencement of road gritting if required began on the 1st November. I was shocked to
hear that over the past few weeks there have been incidents on roadwork sites involving members
of the public becoming physically aggressive or driving at top speed through a road closure
narrowly missing individual workers. In another County Balfour Beatty had a member of staff killed
due to such an incident. We moan about the state of our roads and then when work is carried out
some inconsiderate motorists behave in an appalling manner. We need to recognise that if we
want our road resurfaced or repaired it may cause disruption resulting in motorist frustration but
putting operatives lives in danger is totally unacceptable.
There is now an App which is available to download from HC. As it is not a third party app store
there will be no need to update the app and it will not take up memory on your devices. To report
a pot hole the user has the option to take a picture and upload it directly to the app, the app can
automatically pinpoint their location. This will be sent directly to highways team and local parish
council with a message being sent to user with a reference and keeping them updated of the
progress of their reported issue.
Some resurfacing work has been carried out on the Wigmore to Lingen road but I am
disappointed that more was not done. I will continue to press for more Mortimer ward roads to be
included in the 2019/20 Annual Programme.
I have mentioned in my articles previously the significant number of children and young people in
the care service in Herefordshire. In order to make life a little easier for them when they leave
care all 18 – 25 care leavers who may be entitled to some council tax relief will have the discount
topped up so that they will pay no council tax until they reach the age of 25. The Council
recognises that for many care leavers with no support from their own families it is a real financial
struggle when they move into their first home particularly if they are in full-time education or on a
low income. As corporate parents we want to give them the best start in life possible and we
believe this will go a long way towards that.
Care leavers and those in care also struggle to get good quality work experience or the offer of an
apprenticeship, so if you own a company or have contacts with someone that does and would be
prepared to offer some work experience to someone in the care system in Herefordshire or the
opportunity to at least be considered for an apprenticeship or training placement please do not
hesitate to contact Children & Young Peoples Services at Herefordshire Council or myself.
As always please do not hesitate to contact me if you have a problem, or just want a chat. I am
also always happy to visit you if that would be easier. Just telephone 01568 780583 or email
carole.gandy@herefordshire.gov.uk