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Mortimer Villages Article – February 2016 – County Councillor Carole Gandy

(1)A belated Happy New Year to you all. Although the weather has been very wet I am sure like me you are very pleased that we have had no snow and very few days when the roads were really icy. However I know a number of residents in Mortimer ward have experienced some flooding issues. Nationally this seems to be an ever increasing problem and I can’t imagine how awful it must be to have your property flooded.

The Council has set its budget for 2016/17 which will see at 3.9% increase in Council Tax excluding whatever increase is considered by the Fire, Police and Parish Council. The increase will provide £1.9% (£1.6m) to protect council services including safeguarding our vulnerable children and 2% (£1.7m) to alleviate the significantly rising costs of adult social care for the county’s higher than average ageing population and the additional difficulties encountered in delivering this service in very rural areas. The proposed increase will mean a rise of around £4 per month for those living in a band D property.

Since 2010/11 the Council has been required to deliver £59m of savings and by 2019/20 this will have risen to £87m and this has meant having to make some very difficult decisions on what the Council spends its money on and how it spends its money.

A consequence of this is that the money available to Balfour Beatty for road re-surfacing and dressing has been reduced and this may well mean that some of those roads which residents have requested by resurfaced, may not be in the programme for the coming financial year.

I would like to remind you that Hereford & Worcester Fire Service provide for the elderly, people living alone and those with reduced mobility a free of charge Home Fire Safety Check which involves a representative from the Service calling at your home to offer safety advice specific to your household and personal circumstances. To see if you qualify for this free service please do not hesitate to contact the Community Risk team on 0800 032 1155 quoting reference PN14.

A Service to Civvy Street booklet has been launched designed to provide information to ex-service personnel and their families and to help them navigate their way through healthcare, employment, housing etc. The booklet was funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Grant. Electronic link here.

As ever if you wish to contact me to discuss a particular matter or just a general chat do not hesitate to do so either by emailing carole.gandy@herefordshire.gov.uk or phoning on 01568 780583