| As Leader of Herefordshire Council, I’m proud to share the progress we’ve made since our last meeting. Our ambition to deliver the best for Herefordshire runs through every decision and action we take.
We’re seeing strong delivery across schools, roads, transport, employment land and the public realm. Construction is underway on the £10 M Hereford Transport Hub, improving travel options and connectivity across the county. The ground-breaking ceremony in August marked a major step forward for infrastructure and economic opportunity. Work has begun on Peterchurch School, expanding from 105 to 210 places, with new SEN and Nurture Hub facilities. Works are also due to begin on the £2.4 M redevelopment of Hampton Dene Primary School, delivering new classrooms, improved accessibility, and enhanced Special Educational Need provision. We’ve approved £7.2 M to progress Ross Enterprise Park, unlocking space for up to 1,000 jobs and 29,400m² of employment floor space. We’ve also committed £2 M to the development and implementation of flood resilience measures to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure in the ‘at risk areas’. In addition we have commissioned flood investigations in forty locations to identify causes responsibilities and recommended actions. To tackle housing and homelessness, we’ve acquired the former John Haider building – now renamed after philanthropist John Venn – to provide emergency accommodation and reduce hotel reliance, saving over £600,000 annually. We’ve launched consultations on our Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy to shape our approach over the next five years. Our highways investment continues, with dozens of miles of roads improved or made safer. New quieter road schemes are starting soon, and essential bridge repairs – including at Mordiford – have been completed on time or ahead of schedule. We’re progressing regeneration at Merton Meadow, including a £2 M flood alleviation scheme and space for up to 400 homes. Our commitment to public services remains strong, with improvements in children’s services, new bus routes, and upgrades to Hereford Leisure Pool that reduce energy costs. Schools continue to perform well, with a 98.4% A-level pass rate and strong GCSE results. We acted swiftly to maintain critical services following Nottingham Rehab Service (NRS) Healthcare withdrawal, safeguarding support for over 12,000 residents. We’ve launched a new strategy to tackle Domestic Abuse Strategy (2025–2028) and have been recognised as a Neighbourhood Health Pioneer, reflecting our focus on integrated care and wellbeing. September’s Employment & Skills Conference brought together over 100 delegates to explore workforce planning and development. It has been a pleasure to listen to so much positive feedback about the conference, with one prominent local business leader saying ‘it was the best event of its kind and the best event they had ever attended in Herefordshire’. We’re preparing for the Local Government Boundary Commission’s electoral review, with consultation expected in November. The Boundary Commission have committed to conducting county wide consultation in regard to considering current and future electoral arrangements in the county. If you are invited to provide your views I would encourage you all to do so. Cabinet has taken strategic decisions aligned with our Council Plan, including progressing phase one of the Hereford Bypass, advancing the Children and Young Persons’ Improvement Plan, and launching a new framework for alternative education provision. I’ve written to the Secretary of State for Transport proposing a new approach to grant funding for the bypass’s southern link road. This would guarantee delivery over three years and allow us to reallocate resources to accelerate future phases. We’ve approved the use of retained business rates from the Hereford Enterprise Zone to fund a county-wide programme for business growth, skills and inward investment. With £1.4 M now available and future annual income expected at £1.1 M, this provides a sustainable funding stream for economic development. The programme will invest in: We welcomed the Care Quality Commission for its inspection of Adult Social Care Services and await formal feedback. Early impressions were encouraging. The Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge recognised us as a “good council striving to improve,” highlighting our strong sense of place, maturing political culture and confident leadership. I’m proud of the positive culture we’ve built and the direction we’re heading. We’ve moved quickly on some of CPC’s recommendations by strengthening our leadership team with a new Chief Technical and Data Officer to drive digital transformation. Our updated Medium-Term Financial Strategy, published last month helps us understand the impact of the government’s proposed fair funding formula. Modelling suggests a potential funding gap of £27.3 M in 2026/27 – 11% of our net budget – placing us below average for unitary councils. Despite delivering over £40 M in savings over five years, we must take decisive action to balance the budget and deliver our ambitions. We’re disappointed by the proposed funding allocation and hope our consultation response will influence the final outcome. I’m pleased to report a clean audit opinion for our 2024/25 accounts – the second consecutive year – and proud that Herefordshire was the first UK local authority to achieve this. My thanks to Rachael Sanders, our Finance Director and her team, and the Audit and Governance Committee for their key role in this outstanding achievement. Finally, I was saddened at hearing the passing of former Cllr David Fleet, a respected public servant and former Mayor of Hereford. My condolences go to his family. I also want to acknowledge our Chief Executive, Paul Walker, who will step down in March 2026 after more than four decades in public service. I’m deeply grateful for his outstanding contribution and know he will continue to serve with dedication until his departure. |
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