Latest news with #WesternBypass
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Contractor sought for Hereford bypass
A contractor is being sought to start work on a new bypass proposed for for the "Western Bypass" around the city were shelved by a coalition of the Green Party and independents on Herefordshire Council in the Conservative group, which regained control of the authority last year, has said it intends to revive the scheme, in a bid to cut one would see a link created from the A49 south of Hereford to the A465. The council has said it aims to start work by 2026, with consultants employed in February to redraw the scheme - which could cost more than £300m - has been talked about for decades. Its opponents have argued that addressing congestion issues would be better served by investing in public transport and other alternatives to Milln, a Green councillor on the authority and also chair of Hereford Civic Society, said the current proposals had unanswered questions over their funding and lacked agreements with landowners and authorities such as Network Rail."It is wildly premature to be proceeding with this scheme at the moment," he Milln also argued building extra roads would "worsen traffic" and said the city needed "viable alternatives to driving which are attractive and affordable for most people". Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
09-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Herefordshire 4.99% council tax rise confirmed
A 4.99% council tax increase, the maximum permitted, has been confirmed for Herefordshire from April. People living in band D households will have their charge increased by £7.80 a month, totalling to £1,969.36 a Council said it expects to spend £231.5m in 2025-26 - £146.5m of which will come from council tax payers. Business rates are expected to bring in £47.5m, with various grants making up the rest, said Councillor Pete Stoddart at a budget meeting on Friday. But he warned the council faced "unfunded pressures" totalling a further £27m in the year ahead, including additional demand on its services, chiefly adult social care, of £13m, and inflationary pressure of £ addition, £2m more is forecast to go on higher pay, with a further £1.5m from the recent increase in employers' national insurance contributions "having a direct impact on the council's pay bill", Stoddart leader Jonathan Lester said the tax rise was "unavoidable", adding: "We are able to fund further investment in roads, maintaining the freeze on parking charges, increase flood resilience, and progress with the project to deliver the Western Bypass, whilst balancing the budget."Councillor Terry James backed the plan, pointing out the government had cut nearly £7m from the Rural Services Grant it previously gave Herefordshire to offset the costs of its rural nature."But we are in a better position than adjoining councils," he final setting of council tax, including "precepts" for local parishes, police and fire services, will be confirmed in March. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
