The Hereford Issue

The Hereford Issue is campaigning for a new, fare-free bus service across Herefordshire, to help reduce congestion on our roads and pollution in our atmosphere. Please sign the petition, and please share with friends : http://chng.it/Vn2Bx9VBym Herefordshire's roads are getting busier and busier. And Hereford in particular has a traffic problem that needs to be fixed. Public transport is one solution. We know that more people on buses means fewer cars on the roads and less pollution in our atmosphere. But Herefordshire's bus fares are too expensive and services don't run frequently enough. This has to change. We need a county-wide bus service that runs more often. And, as many other cities have already done around the world, we need a bus service that is fare-free! Fare-free buses give the best incentive for drivers to leave the car at home. Being free means that riders are saving money on petrol and, over a number of journeys, this can have a big impact on household spendi...

Progress is being made on a project that will deliver community-owned, affordable housing and an artists' and makers' space in Hereford city centre. At the end of last year Hereford Community Land Trust surveyed over 100 people to gauge interest in the potential project, to be built in the Aubrey Street–Berrington Street area. Now they have now formed a steering group to take the project forward and will open discussions with land owners. Local charity Rural Media will also be supporting work on a business plan.

Herefordshire needs a brand new fleet of electric buses. We could be a model for sustainability, providing low-carbon travel options throughout our towns and villages. Jesse Norman and Bill Wiggin need to secure government funding for new buses for Herefordshire, to reduce local car journeys and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

This is serious. Climate change is causing more rainfall and, as a result, more flooding. Because we are now more than 1C warmer as a whole versus pre-industrial times, every degree means 7 per cent more water in the atmosphere, and more rain in these heavy rain events. If temperatures rise by 3C – an increase that the world is currently on track for – storms could bring about 20 per cent more rain than they would have done without climate change.

Yes to Shirley and yes to feminism.

Parliament publishes MPs' voting records so the public can see how they've voted on key issues. Does the same thing happen with Herefordshire's county councillors? No. The council must make its meetings fully transparent and report how our councillors have voted. Secrecy does not build trust; it doesn't build a healthy, progressive democracy. We must be able to hold our councillors to account.

With the Old Bridge in Hereford still closed, it is time to make it permanent. Since its closure, cycling and walking on the Old Bridge has increased. It has made the area quieter and safer and, in time, will help breathe new life into the Bridge Street–St Martins Street thoroughfare. If towns and cities are to meet the government's target of 50% of all urban journeys made on foot or bike by 2030 then we will need more pedestrianised streets. Keep the bridge closed.