The Salutation in Weobley. Welsh Water and disruption. Traffic Calming in Canon Pyon and Weobley.. Accessibility in Weobley. Flood resilience, Westhope hill, and ongoing road repairs. Parish Summit - finances and new Prime Minister - and improved reporting of potholes. Bridleways.
The last few weeks have been very hot, and very dry. The most obvious impact has been the need for Welsh Water to use tankers to move water around in order to keep supply, and the prospect of a hosepipe ban. For most of the last month the B4230 south of Weobley has been on lights, or closed, to allow the tankers there. I’m in contact with Welsh Water, while there’s not a lot they can do to avoid the inconvenience, I’m trying to get them to minimise it.
The big drama was the goings-on at the Salutation inn in Weobley, when suddenly it was declared a private members club and that to drink or eat there you would need to sign-up to Karma Group (the tenants) including installing their app. After a few weeks of back and forth, and essentially a boycott, the management caved in and the pub was back to normal…. But not before we’d had a meeting in the village hall with over 100 attendees making it pretty clear what the village wanted from the pub (notable was the removal of spotted dick from the menu)! I’ve said it before – we need to use it or lose it. In a similar vein, I’m delighted to see the Nags Head in Canon Pyon has new management, and I’m looking forward to visiting.
Dates for traffic calming are now confirmed; in Canon Pyon for 21st-25th September, and in Weobley across the last three weeks of October, but mostly during half term to limit disruption as a lot of the work will be around the school.
Even in this heat and dry, we’re still working on flooding. I’m delighted that all of the capital bids for drainage projects, made by parish councils, have been granted – allowing works in Knapton, Weobley and Dilwyn; they should all be able to progress very soon. I was able to get flood officers from Herefordshire Council to meet with the Weobley Flood Action Group (FlAG) to discuss how we are trying to solve flooding at Bell Square, and also to brief them on the scoping of attenuating water upstream of Weobley. (Solving the Bell Square problem has a particular urgency as we need to get that done, in order to repair the road surface.). I had yet another site visit with officers to try and resolve the water and skid risks on Westhope Hill, which I’ve been assured will be done before winter. I attended a meeting of the Lugg Internal Drainage Board, and was glad to see my efforts to get Weobley Marsh and Canon Pyon considered by their modelling had paid off.
I mentioned last month about accessibility issues around Weobley, and dropped kerbs – I’ve been pushing for this for over a year now. A nasty accident a few weeks back has brought the risks home, and I was able to get a team out to start looking at how to make the village more safe and accessible for those with mobility difficulties. For example, dropped kerbs up to the bus-stop, or to the shop, and the wonky path opposite the doctors’ surgery.
Road repairs continue across the patch. The A480 works are complete, and the Parks at Brinsop are done except for the surface dressing which will complete early (11th) August. The centre of Kings Pyon was being marked up for works a few days ago (although that work itself will still be a long way off). Derndale Road from Westhope towards Wellington has been repaired, with the surface dressing also due in August (20th); and I have just been told that they will also be doing the road further on towards Wellington later this year. I’ve raised concerns that something isn’t quite right with the bridge “saddle” on the A4112 above Weobley that was repaired last year, where what looks like a drop means cars are bouncing, particular those heading eastward – officers are looking into it.
Earlier in the month we hosted a parish summit, at which Paul Satoor, the new Chief Executive, was introduced to parishes. It’s early days, but he seems impressive. The summit – the fourth I think – is a way of improving communication between Herefordshire Council and the parish councils; there were useful briefings on finances, changes to planning, the ongoing question about changes to local government and the boundary review. More generally, the arrival of a new Prime Minister, who has made his name outside of London, means we will be very alert to new opportunities and risks regarding local devolution.
Please do keep reporting potholes! As part of the move from Balfour Beatty to M Group (the new “Public Realm” contract) we can get better reporting on progress. So if you log a pothole, you’ll now receive not just a reference ID, but – eureka! - updates about the progress in getting it filled. There’s more to be done, but that sort of basic accountability is a huge step in the right direction.
I’m also having some very early exploratory conversations about why there are so few bridleways in a county with such an equestrian heritage. If anyone has any great insight – I’d love to hear from you!
As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me: 07884 268624, or [email protected]