City needs to back soldiers

AS a Hereford man and retired soldier, I believe that there is no army without Hereford and no Hereford without the army.

I heard a member of the Liberal Democrats recently criticising Bill Wiggin MP and Jesse Norman MP for not supporting the forces without an ounce of irony, despite the fact those Liberal Democrats suggest cutting away from the military budget further and sacking our brave men and women from the fantastic jobs they do.

Is anyone else just crying out for someone to say: “These troops make our town, here’s to them?”

If your want our vote, start by getting down to the barracks and giving some applause.

More importantly, make it loud enough so that we can all hear it.

SERGEANT LESLIE MOFFAT (retired) Victory House St James, Hereford

Plant is too expensive

A letter writer from Worcestershire reviews the incinerator debate from his side of the border .

I READ the letter in Readers’ Times, ‘Council acts like ostriche over incinerator,’ detailing the fact that the council has totally ignored its responsibility to the environment and is acting irresponsibly with taxpayers’ money (less expensive methods of waste management being too difficult for some to comprehend).

Clearly ostriches must have far more intelligence than those councillors who continue to support ‘fire in a box’ technology.

Worcestershire County Council has been provided with a substantial amount of evidence to support the simple fact that its waste contractor is leading it down the path which would be the most profitable for its shareholders but the most expensive for the taxpayer.

Examples have been sent proving that a number of other, more astute, councils have ruled out incineration and have adopted cleaner methods costing less than half that of an incinerator.

Those councillors agreeing to this scheme refuse to even consider these cheaper and cleaner methods despite the fact that such costs will directly impact on key services for which so many people depend.

We really should question what their real motives are and why they insist on following a leader who has openly stated: “I don’t care how much the incinerator costs, I just want it.”

If this was not taxpayers’ money it might be funny but the sad fact is the money is ours and it is being wasted by those councillors who simply will not look at better options.

They are our elected councillors and are thereby ignoring their duty and responsibilities.

I urge Worcesteshire readers to look at the council’s podcast so that they can see who the intelligent councillors are and which councillors are happy to destroy our environment and unnecessarily waste our taxes. Let’s all remember their names when we next visit the ballot box.

I hope that the councillors responsible feel suitably ashamed, but then again that they are unable to understand simple facts so a conscience is a bit much to hope for.

G HOWARD Inn Lane Hartlebury

Bridge idea is a no-go

COUNCILLOR Matthews of Credenhill’s suggestion of a bridge at Rotherwas, (Readers’ Times , January 9) like Jesse Norman MP, shows an ignorance of the district.

They do not take account of the two low railway bridges which are hit frequently by high vehicles – one such incident was reported on the same page as Cllr Matthews’ letter.

Also, the connecting Eign Road is practically one-way traffic.

Perhaps they want 44-ton HGVs ploughing through the Tupsley housing estates?

G JAMES Sedgefield Road, Tupsley

Reunion is planned

I AM currently working in conjunction with Angela Watkins in organising a school reunion of past pupils of Mordiford Primary School.

The reunion will only be possible if there are any past pupils who would wish to attend.

It will be held at Mordiford School. Angela is in agreement with me that some time in May would be the best possible time to have the reunion, most likely about May 17.

Tickets would be around £6. If there are any former pupils (no matter what age) who would be interested in attending a reunion we would love to hear from you.

My e-mail address is charles.davies250@btinternet.com or I can be contacted at Caplor Farm, Fownhope, Hereford HRI 4PT.

Angela can be contacted via e-mail at aawatkins@ btinternet.com

CHARLES DAVIES, Fownhope, Hereford

Come clean over store

WHY is Mr Brodie of Morbaine Ltd being so coy (‘Group’s joy in shop defeat’, Hereford Times, January 16)?

When is a convenience store not a supermarket?

The convenience store Morbaine is proposing for Leominster, at 4,000 square metres, is far bigger than the existing Morrisons supermarket, which is 2,649 square metres.

Why is Mr Brodie so silent about who he is working for? Is it Sainsbury’s?

Tesco? Who? Why will he not come clean?

ROBERT OLIVER, Godiva Road, Leominster

Can you help in search?

I AM hoping through your newspaper that I can contact Carol Beaumont (nee Baker).

I worked at Securicor Parcels Oxford depot with Carol and lost contact with her after she left to work at the Securicor parcels branch in Droitwich.

Her parents, I recall, had a strawberry farm in Much Birch but I cannot remember if she had any brothers or sisters.

I have not seen Carol for 22 years and would like very much to get in touch.

If anyone can help please email raymond.holton@ admin.ox.ac.uk.

Thank you.

RAY HOLTON Bicester, Oxfordshire

Influx will help village

I MUST say that I have considerable sympathy for RE Best of Weobley, Readers’ Times , January 9.

His, or her, correspondence reveals its own weakness, however.

It states that “Weobley’s shops and bistro, pubs, post office and other services are surviving these difficult times” and highlights the possible closure of the occasional library with “bus routes under threat”.

In these circumstances, the prospect of 63 new houses around the village, with the arrival of new families or retention of younger local people who may otherwise leave, may well be the economic saviour required for Weobley’s businesses and services.

CHRISTOPHER SHORT, Aberystwyth Crescent, Y Barri

First class treatment

Letter of support for Hereford’s County Hospital:

I WRITE to you as a person who has listened and read mixed reviews of County Hospital and as a result was very nervous about going in for knee replacement surgery, but feel that I must put pen to paper. I went in on Thursday January 16 and came out on January 19 after first class surgery by Mr Clark and then nursing treatment under supervision of Sister Rose Treherne (30 years in job) on Teme Ward, which again was first class, I say thank you all and to others who may feel nervous; I say you are in good hands.

Alan Houghton, Townsend Court Leominster

Grateful for a response

COUNCILLOR Johnson answers only five of my 10 disappointments at council failings, Hereford Times , January 23.

One, the preservation of our beautiful city centre, he understandably ignores, because on that very issue you reveal that the cabinet has broken its public pledge to protect High Town from poaching by developers.

But I do respect the councillor for being prepared to engage in debate.

Now that the scrutiny committee has been emasculated, the pages of your newspaper provide the only “checks and balances”

essential for our effective democracy.

Cllr Johnson and I are unlikely to agree (except in our love of Hereford), but I am grateful to him for restoring an element of democratic engagement.

LANCE MARSHALL Whitecross Road, Hereford

Abandon city relief road

LYDIA Johnson, Hereford Times , January 23, has brought your readers up to date with the ongoing saga of the Hereford Relief Road.

The council wish is still to pursue its hugely unpopular proposals for a western route around the city, now claiming that it has Highways Agency support for the road.

Your readers may remember that until recently, the Highways Agency deemed the council’s proposals for this route to be ‘unsound’.

As such, the proposals would not pass public examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

All the Highways Agency has done now is to agree to support a strategy which might include a relief road.

The agency has resolutely refused to offer any funding for such a road, and will not confirm that, if built, it would adopt such a road as an alternative to the trunk road through town.

Statutory bodies such as Natural England, English Heritage and the Planning Inspectorate began to flag up problems with the relief road on either eastern or western alignment at least four years ago. These problems have not gone away.

The council’s recent transport modelling results have shown that the proposed road will serve only to increase congestion and worsen air quality in Hereford itself.

In addition, the council’s short-sighted plans to reduce public transport options for school children and pensioners alike will result in more people using private transport, on roads whose maintenance has been woefully inadequate, amid levels of noise and air pollution that could be reduced if the council would only take some far-sighted decisions regarding their benighted Local Plan Core Strategy: Put sustainable transport measures first, and abandon the costly relief road.

VICTORIA WEGG- PROSSER Warham House, Breinton, Hereford

Geography class needed

REFERRING to the article in the business times section of Hereford Times , January 23.

I am astounded to read that you are indicating that St Helena is in the Pacific Ocean.

I am sure many people will have already informed you that St Helena and its neighbour Ascension Island are in the South Atlantic Ocean.

And by the way the Falkland Islands are in the South Atlantic too.

Yes the nearest mainland is Africa and Africa is about 15,000 miles from the Pacific.

It’s bad enough to see this error in the content of the article but even worse to see the headline also refers to Pacific Islanders.

TOM INGLIS Pheasant’s Roost, Kings Pyon, Hereford

Editor's note: I can share the reader's disappointment at the inaccuracy and have furnished the newsroom with a new atlas, detailing the exact locations of said oceans

Anger over gagging law

THIS week my MP Jesse Norman voted “aye” in accordance with the “party line” in the House of Commons on a law that will introduce new rules that will prevent non-politicians from speaking up on the big issues of the day, a law that will prevent a number of big charities such as the Royal British Legion and Oxfam from speaking up on behalf of their members.

This Bill was sent back to the Commons by the House of Lords with amendments, amendments that were flatly rejected by the Commons. This “gagging law” as it is known is nothing but an affront on our democracy and and shows contempt for all those brave people of the past who fought and died to gain it.

I sincerely hope that the people of Herefordshire will show their “contempt”

for Jesse Norman at the next election.

I should point out that it only gags us for the twelve months leading up to a General Election, I wonder why?

GLYN ANDREWS Ryefield Road, Hereford

MP response disappoints

I AM disappointed my MP Bill Wiggin ignored his constituents as well as many charities and campaigning groups that have spoken out about the gagging law.

Including the Royal British Legion, Oxfam, 38 Degrees, RSPB and the Women’s Institute to name a few.

Also I did not like the tone off his message to me, saying we are misinformed.

That being so, there would not have been as many sign the petition, or speak out against this “gagging law”

neither would the House of Lords have sent it back to Parliament with suggested amendments, that many MPs rejected last week.

Politics is too important to leave to political parties, and in a healthy democracy everyone should be able to express their views.

MAUREEN THOMAS Pound Close Ledbury

We will not be silenced

READERS who have not followed the latest progress of the Government’s so-called proposed “gagging law” may like to know that North Herefordshire MP Bill Wiggin voted with the Government to reject amendments which had a majority in the House of Lords.

The Bill seeks to limit the ability of ordinary people, charities and others to campaign on public issues in the year preceding a general election.

The Lords’ amendments would defeat this intention.

It has had one extraordinary effect so far, in uniting in opposition to the Bill many organisations and societies which have nothing in common, such as the Countryside Alliance, the League Against Cruel Sports, Oxfam, the British Legion, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, many charities, and so on.

One wonders what the Bill’s Parliamentary supporters are afraid of. Surely not that we might question or challenge them.

JAMES CLAYTON Stonecroft, Halmonds Frome Ledbury

Outrage at parking fee

TODAY I had reason to return to Hereford hospital for a three year check up following cancer surgery for which I am grateful, in spite of the fact that it has been said that any one over sixty five runs the risk of not being treatedand I am 80. Lucky me.

Thanks to my oncologist, the Renton unit and those who work within it are amazing as is the lady who sympathetically carried out mammograms with great sensitivity in the X ray department.

However I am extremely concerned for people in my position who after one hour and ten minutes of parking are being charged £5.

This is outrageous, those pensioners suffering hardship find these unacceptable charges worrying.

Also the shocking state of the roads, with pot holes that are so deep that they can damage the vehicles who unexpectedly run over them.

The Hereford councillors are failing the community, selling off properties in Kington and elsewhere for what?

KATE LANGDON-MEAD Hereford