Hereford Times - 28th January 2016 - Page 28
Hereford Times - 28th January 2016 - Page 28
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| Date | 28/01/2016 |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Format | |
| Language | English |
| Area | Hereford Times |
| Collection Holder | |
| Date of Publication | 28th January 2016 |
| Transcription |
28 THE HEREFORD TIMES Thursday, January 28. 2016 readers'times herefordtimescom Bill WIGdN MP mx Norm Hrnironmmxr The EU referendum will occu— py headlines and concerns in the coming weeks. As the debates begin to be held, articles are written in newspapers and people exchange views on social media, my main concern is to ensure my constituents know as many facts as possible. Regardless of your view on whether Britain should remain or leave, there is a risk either way. and l want my constituents to be able to make the best informed decision. There are those who are already experts on all aspects of the debate, but there are many more who don’t know where to find the right facts and figures. l have included some website address- es at the bottom of this piece for groups on either side of the argument and for a fact checking organisation so those interested know where to go. Many facts about staying in won’t be known until the Prime Minister reveals the contents of the deal he has secured from the EU; and a lot of facts about leaving won't be known until the public vote to leave and the UK starts negotiating an exit. Ultimately the major political part of this process was in securing the referendum — which we've done. I think that was a huge achievement for the future of our country. For me the key issue is sovereignty and the reach of the EU into our lives. For example our excellent Con- servative MEP Anthea McIntyre succeeded in preventing the EU Commission from regulating rub- ber gloves and umbrellas. l want the Prime Minister to succeed in reforming the EU too, but unless the other member states significantly restore our sovereignty, and prove that they mean it, I think it would be almost impossible for me to support a vote to remain. We all agree the UK should be part of a free market with Europe, we do not however share the desire of many within the EU for ever closer union and a United States of Europe. Whatever our personal views, We now have the power to decide our future —- and we will all have to come back together united to live with the result. Locally I am looking forward to Ledbury Big Breakfast this Friday, which always dispiays much of HerefordShire‘s excellent produce. I conservativesforbritaincrg; .vdteleave- takeoontrclorg; strongerinooailcfullfact. org/europa/ CONTACT YOUR MP ' l Email: ,otficeofbiilwigginmp®pafliamenufl< I Telephone: 020 7219 8175 I Write: House of Commons. London. SW 1A 0AA Pension move is so unfair . JEAN Sharples letter, i (Unfair to us women, read— ; ers. Times, January 21), clearly shows how callous and cruel decisions can be if not thought through effectively. I was born in 1954 and with short notice from the gov— ernment told that I would have to wait tive and a half years more for a pension without any form of com- pensation. Whilst the government spends millions/ billions on other projects; we as the minority are left to get on without an income that we planned for. Moving the pension age should not have been a problem if it had been done with longer notice and not in such a harsh manner. Yes Jean there are many thousands of women who have been harshly treated! LINDA DINNICK Bishopswood, Ross—on-Wye Lack of transport IT was most interesting to read about the takeover of the back office running of Kington Medical Practice by Integral Medical Holdings. 1, along with oth‘ ers, have been demanding a change in management for at least two years, ably assisted by our county councillor and our MP. It is a disgrace that it has taken so long for action to have been taken. I sincere- ly hope that Integral Medical Holdings will address one of the major problems affecting the “white elephant”: i.e. the complete absence of trans» port services, especially from outlying areas like Eardisley and Pembridge. Kenneth Wheeler Pembridge A bridge too far over Wye JESSE Norman should be congratulated for his clear, consistent and common sense attitude to local trans— port issues. (Change of direction sought by MP in link road debate, Hereford Times, January 14). Councillor Price’s contribu- tion is another matter. The man in charge of infra- structure for Herefordshire Council knows full well that any new bridge over the River Wye, east or west of the city, will mean crossing the Special Area of Conservation (SAC). All of the Wye Valley and the Lower Lugg has this highest European environmental designation. As such any bridge will involve a public inquiry and probably legal challenges. If the principle of crossing the SAC was ever accepted, it would have involved examining the total costs including environmental mitigation measures. A lower cost scheme would allow more resources for effective mitigation. Bridges across the Wye are not built ‘what ever the cost’ as Mr Price says. Dr Tony Geeson Hereford Information on families I HAVE nearly completed the history of the houses and the residents that lived in Foley Street between 18603 and 19905 if anybody has any information, sto— ries. photographs that they would like included could they please get in touch with me. Any information on the following families would be appreciated Arthur Nicholas, James H Bridges, Thomas Bubb, William M Thomas. Arthur Tringham, George Field and Alan T errett. Also has anybody got a photograph of Foley House before it was demolished to make way for the Beverley Court Apartments. W MORGAN-BREWER Foley Street Hereford History of pet blessings WITH reference to the Mr Winterton’s letter (Pet bless- ings, Readers’ Times, January 7), the calendar dates from the period, in the 19405 and 503, when the Reverend LJ B Snell, father of the explorer. Colonel John Blashford-Snell, and one time Mayor of Hereford, was vicar at Holy Trinity church in the city. The Reverend Snell pio- neered the idea of his parishioners, particularly the children, bringing their pets to church for a bless- ing. Mr Winterton’s picture is clearly an artist's impres- sion, but I do recall horses in the churchyard for the service, one ridden by another clergyman. These annual services attracted a lot of media attention at the time — the American new magazine, Life once sending a reporter and photogra- pher to cover the event. The Reverend Snell was a great supporter of the RSPCA and his wife ran a small animal rescue shelter at the Vicarage. The screeching of a hawk in this shelter was said to have been instrumental in rais- ing an early alarm when Holy Trinity church caught fire in 1958 and may well have saved the building from serious damage. I think that the services may have ceased when the Reverend Snell left Holy Trinity to be Vicar of Onibury, near Ludlow. Michael Smith MALDON Essex Register for Brexit vote BEFORE the end of next year, we shall have had the EU referendum. While there may be eco- nomic arguments on both sides, leaving the EU is the only way to regain sover~ eignty, control our borders and negotiate our own trade deals. To remain in the EU is not to keep the status quo, but to embark upon a wild ride to political union: a United States of Europe. Anyone interested in reg~ istering support for Brexit would do well to contact Vote Leave at voteleavetake- controlorg. Fiona Stokes Audley Crescent Hereford Stuck with poor service RECENT articles in the Hereford Times about the renewal of the Hereford to Birmingham rail franchise demonstrates the problem facing us, the passengers. However much we moan, complain or campaign, rail companies operate in the interests of their share- holders rather than us, their passengers. If there was a genuinely competitive rail system, it could still potentially work in passenger favour, as train companies would need to be better than com- petitors. But there is no such competition, so even with well-meaning rail bosses, there is little incen- tive to spent money on improvements when we have to use the service how- ever bad it is. An over- crowded train makes more money than one with seats to spare. So we put up with poor service despite increased demand, our roads continue to be congested, and the urgent need to tackle air pollution and climate change is kicked further down the line. We need a publicly owned network as efficient as the German and French ones. Ironically, they own most of ours anyway! Rob Hattersley Hereford Green Party Park Street Dementia meetmgs MAY 1 take this opportunity through your letters page to invite those with dementia or affected by the condition to explore Leominster’s new service, the Meeting Centre. This project is opening its doors on February 1 and will offer support, activities and stimulation for people with dementia. It is looking for attendees, made up of people with dementia and their supporters, to use the service. The Leominster Meeting Centre is the second of its kind in the country and fol- lows on from a successful Dutch model enabling peo- ple with dementia to remain independent for longer. I am always eager to hear from anyone who would like to discuss the Meeting Centre. If you have a loved one with dementia then please consider this new service in Leominster. If you would like to find out more about the Meeting Centre or are interested in becoming a member, please call 01432 371137 or e-mail Deborah.Powney@alzhei— mersorguk. Debbie Powney Manager of Leominster’s new Meeting Centre service for people with dementia Many thanks from RBL ON behalf of the Royal British Legion I would like to stay a big thank you to all those who helped and con- tributed to the 2015 Poppy Appeal which raised in excess of £66,000. Many thanks. Geoff Hill British Legion Hereford Branch IT’S not surprising that Bill Wiggin has not responded to the Hereford Times regard- ing his extra earnings. I realise that he feels he may not be able to man— age on the £74,000 we pay him to be a full time MP. As he is our elected rep- resentative though, is there any ethical justifi- cation for his involve- ment in companies such as Bermuda based Emerging Asset Management Ltd, an off- shore fund management service? Is this what we’ve come to accept as acceptable standards of conduct from our MP3? Nick Spencer Kington YOUR article by Jessica Phillips (Extra earnings Example of contempt in which MP holds us for county MP3, Hereford Times, January 21), was, in the case of Bill Wiggin, yet another sad example of the apparent contempt in which the constituents of North Herefordshire are held. It was revealed that Mr Wiggin is now pocketing nearly £40,000 a year from a company which, my enquiries reveal, routinely uses offshore territories to minimise payment of tax. Your article followed on from the recent BBC doc- umentary following the small businesses of Crickhowell and their ‘Fair Tax’ campaign directed against the favourable tax treatment granted to multination- als who use offshore, or low-tax environments, in order to reduce their UK liabilities. The fact that Mr Wiggin ‘has not responded’ to your ‘repeated attempts’ to speak to him is dis- graceful and reminis- cent of the way in which he dealt with the enquiry into the abuse of the par- 11amentary expenses scandal. In the absence of any statement from the MP, those of us unfortunate enough to be represent- ed by Mr Wiggin are entitled to believe that the ‘eight hours a week’ are eight hours less that he Will be spending upon constituency and parlia- mentary business for which he is paid £74,000 plus expenses. Colin Boylett Kingswood Kington |
| Newspaper name | Hereford Times |