September has arrived with a palpable change of weather, and a flurry of activity. Two weeks ago I attended parish council meetings in the Pyons Group, the Foxley Group, and Birley and Upper Hill, then last week Dilwyn and an emergency Pyons Group meeting, and earlier this week Weobley met, following an emergency meeting at the end of August!
To a large extent my role at those meetings is to advise as to what is happening at Herefordshire Council (“Plough Lane”), to work with the parish councils on local matters, and to take on case work that needs moving forward. And with those I’ve had a number of “site visits”; flooding issues in Dilwyn, a number of enforcements investigations most notably in Brinsop, flooding and drainage in Canon Pyon, the problem of Tyrells/KP Snacks lorries in Dilwyn and getting signage sorted, and road safety concerns on Westhope hill. At Herefordshire Council, we’ve made a number of funding pots available to parish councils for maintenance and specifically for footpaths and drainage, recognising that they will typically be able to achieve far more, at less cost, than if the Council asks Balfour Beatty to do it. So I am also spending a lot of time trying to ensure that parishes within the Weobley Ward take full advantage of them.
By the time you read this, work should already have started on a number of jobs that I’ve been pushing for. Much of that is around roads, in particular where there are flood risks; the A4110 south of Canon Pyon, a frequent flooding site, is having a major section of resurfacing, which will incorporate works to the drainage system there, as well as repairs. In Weobley, following the surface dressing on the Hereford road, there’s now extensive work going on with the pavements around the Burtonwood/school area. This is part of a bigger project, working with the parish council, to improve the connection between that area and the old part of the village – both in terms of safety and accessibility. In Dilwyn, on Common Road, there’s a complex problem where the drains are overwhelmed, and where we need both Balfour Beatty and Welsh Water to undertake works. I’ve managed to get them both to do what is required; but at the moment they are scheduled for, including closing the road, October and November respectively; I’m trying to ensure that the works are done as one job - less disruption and less cost!
The change of the weather has of course reminded everyone of flooding; although for many of us the work hasn’t stopped, even in the height of the summer’s drought! At the beginning of the year, I was delighted to successfully argue for an increase in the flood team at Herefordshire Council. Unbelievably it was really a team of just one; we’ve now grown it to four, and possibly as importantly made £2m available for projects which means that we can actually solve the problem not just talk about it. I’m no longer overseeing that programme but it is starting to show dividends. Works in Ledgemoor, Weobley (Bell Square), and Weobley Marsh have been completed, and further works are underway, often working with parish councils and/or private landowners, in Mansel Lacy, Canon Pyon, Dilwyn, Weobley and Knapton. The big projects such as the bridge at Canon Pyon and the broader Weobley Marsh issues, both of which need liaison with the Lugg Drainage Board; and attenuation of the water coming into Weobley from the south and down Back Lane are taking longer, but good progress is being made and I’ll keep you posted (or look at my website, see later).
Lots of good work is going on without any funding from Herefordshire Council; or where we provide the money but the impetus is driven locally, typically through volunteers. Two great examples are flood resilience through ditch restoration around Moorhampton, and the new bridge on the footpath between Dilwyn and Weobley. The latter has been an extremely challenging project to get done, but enormous credit is due to the volunteers of the Weobley Footpath team with whom, over the last year, we have been able to source and install a bridge at a much lower price than if we’d gone through the old process. I’m really hopeful that this is an example followed elsewhere in the county.
There’s so much more to report on. I do try to report via social media (on Word on Weobley etc) and going forward I will try and provide a regular report here. There’s a QR code at the bottom of this which should lead to my facebook page. I have put together a website at www.nickmason4weobley.org.uk which goes into more detail on some of the issues such as the future of our “public realm” contract with Balfour Beatty (which expires next summer), our work on flooding, progress on childrens services, forthcoming speeding and traffic calming schemes in Canon Pyon and Weobley, a lot of work on buses, how we respond to the government’s absurd housing targets (roughly 1 new house for every 3 currently, by 2041!), and of course the financials of the council. I do have a small email newsletter, which can be more up to date than a monthly report; if you’d like to receive, please drop me a line at [email protected] or if I can help with anything council related email me on [email protected] or 07884 268624.
Stop press – as I was finalising this, the government has just announced their settlement – which means we will face cuts of £27m next year. I don’t have the details yet, but this is ludicrous; in rough terms, that’s asking us to find the equivalent of about a 20% increase in council tax, and comes on the back of a painful £14m cut last year. More details will follow next month, or on my website, as I find out more about what can be done.