Departing council officer praised

A longstanding county council planning officer received a round of applause after it was announced he was stepping down.

Councillor John Hardwick, who chaired the meeting, praised the good work case officer Roland Close had carried out at Herefordshire Council.

He said: “One of our planning officers will be leaving this authority toward the end of the year.

“From the chair and on behalf of the council I would just like to thank Mr Close for all the good work he has done for the many years he has worked for the authority and we would like to wish you well for the future.”