Month: April 2024

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet has taken the decision (Thursday 25 April) to bring the council’s Public Realm Services contract with Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP) to an end in 2026. This is because the current contract does not allow the council to deliver its longer term requirements and aspirations.

A new contract will commence on 1 June 2026. This gives a two year period for a redesign, procurement and planned mobilisation of the new service. This work is underway and we will share further details of this as we progress.

We are committed to continuing to work closely with BBLP for the duration of our contract to ensure high quality services for local residents, and a smooth transition to the new arrangements.

The decision can be found on the council’s website.

Eight fantastic contemporary sculptures have been unveiled in Hereford, completing the new public art trail across our city centre.

The sculptures have been created by talented artists from Hereford College of Arts (HCA) and established artists linked to Hereford as part of a project jointly commissioned by HCA and Meadow Arts to celebrate 170 years of creative education in the city.

The eight locally produced sculptures join the eight wall murals recently commissioned by Studio Response and produced by leading street artists working nationally and internationally.

The sculpture project draws inspiration from English laws of the 17th and 18th centuries that required shops to display visual trade representations crafted by local artisans, by repurposing disused signage brackets.

A map of the public art trail guides visitors on a tour of the city taking in the best locations alongside enjoying the artworks on display. The two mile tour takes about one hour to complete at a moderate pace. Along the way more information can be unlocked by scanning the QR codes located next to each artwork.

Councillor Philip Price, cabinet member transport and infrastructure said:

“We are delighted that young artists studying locally have this opportunity to showcase their creative talents. We have seen such a warm welcome to the stunning wall murals across the city, and these contemporary new sculptures sit well alongside. Together, these two sets of artworks and our established city art works complete our Hereford public art trail which will enhance the city experience for visitors of all ages.”

Anne de Charmant, Artistic Director at Meadow Arts says:

“The first thing this project has taught me is to look up and see the city beyond what’s in front of you. We really hope that this project will stimulate different responses. Each and every sculpture has another dimension. You can really ponder, look at them and take something away. We are hoping it will get people to think a little bit differently.”

Abigail Appleton, Principal Hereford College of Arts said:

“Creativity is at the heart of Hereford’s past and future. This is an exceptional city in many ways including being home to one of the UK’s historic arts schools in an internationally renowned tradition of Arts School education. We are thrilled that this public art project will make Hereford’s creative identity more visible and showcase the work of an extraordinary community of staff, students and alumni.”

The artists and artworks are

• Cloud Palette #1 – Matthew Cornford
• Diamond – Lothar Götz
• The Sturgeon and the Artist – Nicholas Stevenson
• Unleashed – Laura White
• Bangin’ the Drum – Mark Houghton
• Wonders – Celia Johnson co-produced with Wigmore High School
• Plough – Daniel Moss
• HR101 – Rich Makin

We would love to see people out enjoying the trail. Post your photos to social media using #HfdsArt

Find out more about the sculptures and the artists on our website

The council’s community protection team is now able to more easily gather information about illegal waste disposal in areas not easily and safely accessed on foot, thanks to a new drone.

The drone has already helped to gather evidence of fly-tipping at remote spots, and on the full extent of illegal waste disposal which is not clearly seen at ground level.

The community protection team uses the drone to investigate following reported incidents of fly-tipping and other similar issues. The drone, which is operated by a fully trained and accredited pilot, collects high quality footage which will be used to assist in the prosecution of any person carrying out environmental crime.

 

Councillor Barry Durkin, cabinet member roads and regulatory services, said:

“It’s important we protect our outstanding natural environment, and we will use all the technology we can to do this. The new drone is already proving to be a valuable tool in supporting our community protection team to investigate reports of waste being dumped illegally. So our message is clear to anyone thinking they can dispose of waste or carry out any illegal activities in any area where they think that it will go undetected – we won’t hesitate to use our Eye in the Sky to protect Herefordshire.”

The drone was purchased through a government grant for projects to help protect the environment. When not being used for investigations by the community protection team the drone is used to support other council departments, such as planning, estate management and ecology, when access is an issue.

We encourage residents and local communities to work with us to tackle fly-tipping. You can report an incident on our council website.

Tina Russell will join the council on 1 July 2024 on a fixed term contract until the end of March 2025, and will be responsible for driving forward the Children’s Services Improvement Programme at an increased pace.

Paul Walker, Herefordshire Council’s Chief Executive, said:

“I’m pleased to confirm that we have appointed Tina Russell as the Corporate Director of Children and Young People.

“Tina is an experienced Director of Children’s Services and is currently the Chief Executive of Worcestershire Children First. She has extensive experience in both front line and leadership roles across a broad range of children’s services. Her experience in delivering quality children’s services within a safeguarding partnership has been instrumental in taking Worcestershire from an Ofsted rating of Inadequate to Good.

“I’m confident that Tina’s wealth of experience as a Director of Children’s Services and strong track record of leading improvement will enable us to achieve our ambition of delivering the best possible social care services to our children and families in Herefordshire.”