Children’s services protest held in Hereford

A group of Herefordshire parents, unhappy with failings at Herefordshire Council’s children’s services department, held a demonstration at the council’s Plough Lane office this morning.

The A Common Bond group planned the protest to coincide with a meeting between council officials and inspectors from Ofsted, the Government’s inspectorate for schools and children’s services.

Ofsted are currently in the middle of a two-week annual inspection of the department, which its head, Darryl Freeman, earlier warned would find it “inadequate”.

The Government served an improvement notice on the department over a year ago, while the previous Ofsted inspection last July found the council had “made little progress” since its highly critical inspection three years previously.

A Common Bond members, meanwhile, met North Herefordshire MP Sir Bill Wiggin last week to put their concerns to him.

“A huge thank-you to Sir Bill for today’s first meeting,” the group posted on its Facebook group afterwards.

“We are moving forward and being heard. Please keep coming forward!”

Sir Bill has been approached for comment.