Month: November 2020

Herefordshire Council has taken a major step towards delivering more affordable housing in the County following a decision by Cabinet (Thursday 26 November 2020).

Addressing the shortage of affordable housing in the County is a key priority in the council’s County Plan 2020–24, with the ambition to provide 1,000 affordable housing units over the next four years.

Compared to neighbouring counties Herefordshire has relatively low availability of housing that is genuinely affordable to both rent and buy given local earnings. In a developer-led market the focus is on building the most profitable housing types on the most profitable sites, leading to fewer smaller and affordable new homes. This is placing additional pressure on house prices and the impact is that many residents, especially younger people, are unable to remain living in their local communities. There is also a shortage of homes suitable for Herefordshire’s vulnerable residents and growing population of older people.

Cllr Ange Tyler, Cabinet Member housing, regulatory services, and community safety explains: “It is a key priority for this Cabinet in addressing the imbalance of providing genuinely affordable homes for local people to stay connected with families and to remain in Herefordshire. Building high quality homes and supporting residents to afford living in their homes to meet their needs will inevitably create healthy and integrated communities.

“By influencing delivery of affordable housing the council can control what is ultimately built. This means we can ensure we develop the types of housing we need in the county that also meet the highest environmental standards in line with our climate change aspirations.”

Cabinet today agreed that the housing will be delivered through a process whereby the council build and retain the affordable units initially under the General Fund and then establish a Housing Revenue Account at a later date. This will allow the council to retain full control over what is developed and when and how the units are managed and maintained.

Cllr Tyler added: “While our decision today is an important early step in realising our ambitions for affordable housing in the county we still have some way to go, with further decisions to be made around the types of development and funding. These details will be developed, discussed and agreed over the coming months.”

Herefordshire Council is urging residents to continue to follow public health advice and stay safe after the government announced the return of three-tier regional measures in December.

From 00.01am on Wednesday 2 December 2020, lockdown restrictions in England will be replaced with a three-tier system. Across all tiers, everyone:

• must wear a face covering in most indoor public settings, unless they have an exemption
• should follow the rules on meeting others safely
• should attend school or college as normal, unless they are self-isolating. Schools, universities, colleges and early years settings remain open in all tiers
• should walk or cycle where possible, plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes when travelling

There are 3 tiers for local restrictions:

• Tier 1: Medium alert
• Tier 2: High alert
• Tier 3: Very High alert

Herefordshire has been placed into Tier 2: High Alert as it has been identified as an area with a higher or rapidly rising level of infection. The following Tier 2 restrictions will be in place:

• you must not socialise with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place
• you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a garden or a public space – this is called the ‘rule of 6’
• businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those which remain closed by law, such as nightclubs
• pubs and bars must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals with last orders at 10pm
• public attendance at outdoor and indoor events (performances and shows) is permitted, limited to whichever is lower: 50% capacity, or either 2,000 people outdoors or 1,000 people indoors
• places of worship remain open but you must not socialise with people from outside of your household or support bubble while you are indoors there, unless a legal exemption applies
• weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on numbers of attendees – 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, 30 people can attend funeral ceremonies
• organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue
• organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes will only be permitted if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with (or share a support bubble with). There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, which can take place with larger groups mixing
• you can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible

Karen Wright, Herefordshire’s Director of Public Health said:

“I want to say thank you to our residents and businesses who have continued to follow national guidance so we can limit virus transmission in our communities. As we leave lockdown, it is vital that we continue to follow the Tier 2: High Alert guidance for Herefordshire.

“Every social interaction is an opportunity for the virus to spread. We must continue to wash our hands, wear a face covering in indoor settings and limit the number of people we meet outside of our household and support bubble. By doing this, we can protect our friends, families and communities.”

Visit the Herefordshire Council website for the latest Covid-19 advice and information.

The Office for National Statistics is looking for people to help deliver the 2021 Census.

Households across Herefordshire will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021.

The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

It will be the first run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets.

“A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said.

“This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes. That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”

Census day will be on March 21, but households across the country will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March.

The office for National Statistics are looking for local people to work on the census so check out the jobs available now at www.censusjobs.co.uk

 

Better access to covid testing in north Herefordshire

A mobile Covid-19 testing centre for north Herefordshire is now operating on the Broad Street Car Park in Leominster.

This is the second mobile testing centre to be set up in county within the past three weeks – taking the total number of sites countywide to three. The other two sites are in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.

This latest unit makes it more convenient for residents from north Herefordshire to get a covid test close to home. The unit opened today (Nov 13) and will offer tests from 10.30am until 3.30pm each day and will be in place for the foreseeable future. It is being provided for Herefordshire Council by the regional NHS test and trace team.

Herefordshire Council’s Director of Public Health Karen Wright said: “It has always been our aim to set up more testing sites in Herefordshire to make it easier for our residents to get tested close to home.

“We are delighted to see this plan becoming a reality and are confident it will help us to carry out local testing, tracking and tracing to help control the spread of the virus.

“We cannot do this alone. The successful control of Covid-19 here depends on the actions of everyone in Herefordshire. Cases of Covid-19 in the county are rising significantly and could overwhelm our community, including local health and care services.

“Nobody in Herefordshire can afford to relax. It is essential people get tested if they have symptoms and also that they self-isolate immediately.”

Anyone experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 – a high temperature, persistent cough, loss or change in sense of taste or smell – should immediately book a test by ringing NHS 119 or visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. They should self-isolate (not leave their home) while waiting for their test and until they have the result. Anyone who cannot get to a test centre can order a home test kit.

Hands, Face, Space. We would like to remind people to wash their hands regularly, use a face covering (when visiting enclosed spaces like shops and businesses) and keep their distance (at least 2 metres) to help protect themselves and others.

Stay Safe Herefordshire

Herefordshire Council has launched an interactive map to promote local businesses offering delivery or click and collect services during lockdown.

All non-essential retailers have closed until 2 December in line with national lockdown measures. Now shoppers can use the map to find local retailers which provide a delivery or ‘click and collect’ service. The map also shows the location of local food banks.

Local businesses and community groups can add their information to the map free of charge.

Councillor Ellie Chowns, Cabinet Member for Environment, Economy and Skills said:

“As we head towards Christmas, our first thought when gift shopping should be to shop local and make sure the money we spend stays in the local economy. The ‘Love Local’ interactive map is a great way to shop safely by using delivery or click and collect service from local business. I urge everyone in Herefordshire to support our local retailers, businesses and community groups through lockdown so the high street can thrive into the future.”

Search the ‘Love Local’ map on the Herefordshire Council website at herefordshire.gov.uk/lovelocal

A44 – Noakes Bridge to The Farthings, Near Bromyard – Revised dates

Monday, 16 November 2020 to (and including) Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Road closed 09.00 hours to 17.00 hours daily

Unfortunately due to several members of one of our sub contract crews being forced to isolate because of Covid-19, this is now having an impact on  works at Noakes Bridge.  Therefore, works will be suspended in the interim but I can confirm that another crew will resume works starting next Monday, 16 November 2020 and are scheduled to be completed by Wednesday, 18 November 2020.

In the meantime, we have instructed our traffic management and civils contractor to carry out regular checks of the site to ensure all signage and any ramping is adequate and remains safe at all times.

Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience.

Julia Lawrence

Works Control Manager | Balfour Beatty | Services | Living Places

Dear resident

I’d like to thank you for following the Covid-19 rules and underline how important it is for everyone to increase their efforts so we can prevent the virus from overwhelming our community. Adhering to the guidance in the first lockdown proved highly effective in driving down cases of Covid-19 and we can do it again. If we don’t follow the rules, cases will rise and future lockdowns are likely. Nobody wants this.

In recent months significant numbers of people across the UK have failed to self-isolate when required and others have ignored the Covid-19 rules of social distancing, using face coverings and frequent thorough hand washing. This behaviour has led to a rapid rise in cases, a high number of Covid-19 hospital admissions and increasing numbers of seriously ill people. The number of Covid-related deaths across the country has returned to hundreds per day. Tragically, since the pandemic started, 131 Herefordshire residents have died due to the disease.

One of the biggest challenges with this virus is that most people experience mild symptoms, while some have no symptoms at all. But anyone who is Covid-19 positive can spread the virus to others who may then become seriously ill and possibly die. This could be your mum or dad, your grandparents, your friend or work colleague.

That is why we are appealing to everyone in Herefordshire to follow the rules to keep yourself and others in our community safe.

If we all do the right thing, we can stop the infection spreading. We will save businesses, save jobs and above all – save lives.

Please remember:

If you need support, and you don’t have friends or family to help, you can contact Talk Community on: 01432 260027.
The NHS advises on self-isolation. Visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/
For details of the current lockdown rules visit www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november
We know you have read this so many times, but please:

WASH HANDS OFTEN; WEAR A FACE-COVERING; MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

Thank you

Please Stay Safe Herefordshire

Alistair Neill

Herefordshire Council Chief Executive

Karen Wright

Director of Public Health

Simon Trickett

Chief Executive, NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group

Dr Mike Hearne

MD Taurus Healthcare Ltd (representing Herefordshire general practice)

Please click on the link below:

Bredenbury GPC Notice of VACANCY in the office of Parish Councillor for WACTON PARISH

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has asked the public to take part in a survey on the planning system in England and the government’s proposed reforms to it.

MPs want to know how the public has used the planning system in the past and how they think it could be improved.

The results will inform the committee’s inquiry into the planning system, which was announced in October. MPs want to know what communities want the system to do, such as encouraging growth, and how to achieve it.

As well as the survey, a public engagement event is being held on 26 November so the public can talk about the planning system with the committee.

Committee chair Clive Betts said: “The planning process has an important role to play in meeting a number of challenges that the country currently faces. In finding solutions to the crisis in housing delivery, ailing high streets and boosting regional growth the planning system will be key. It must also reflect the views and wishes of our local communities and this is why we have launched this survey. As part of our inquiry into the planning system we want to hear your experiences of using the planning system, what has worked well, where it has been found wanting, and how it can be improved. You can take the survey online and we would love to hear your views.”

The consultation for the government’s planning reforms, set out in Planning for the Future, closed on 29 October.

The survey, which closes on 12 November, can be found here. More information about the engagement event and the committee can be found on the HCLG website.

2 November 2020
Laura Edgar, The Planner