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SPRING IS
BAA-RILLIANT
IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE                        Picture credit: Standalone Farm

SPRING 2022                         www.north-herts.gov.uk
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
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                                                                not your first language or you have difficulty reading this document
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                                                                please contact us to discuss how we may be able to assist you.
    accessed online. Find out the date of your next
    waste collection, apply for a licence, report an            Please call: 01462 474000, or email service@north-herts.gov.uk
    issue, register to vote or pay a bill, all through          Textphone (for textphone users) on: 01462 474800
    our website: www.north-herts.gov.uk
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                                                                                    Team, North Herts Council, Council Offices,
                                                                                    Gernon Road, Letchworth, SG6 3JF email
                                                                                    outlook@north-herts.gov.uk

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                                                                copyright of North Herts Council.

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    OTHER WAYS TO CONTACT US:                                   manager cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in
                                                                editorial content.
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           www.facebook.com/northhertsDC

                                                                    “      MAKING NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE
                                                                             A VIBRANT PLACE TO LIVE,
                                                                                                                    “
           @NorthHertsDC                                                        WORK AND PROSPER

    North Herts Council’s Leadership Team
    In this edition of Outlook we’re featuring North Herts
    Council’s Leadership team.                                                          Steve Crowley –
                                                                                        Service Director - Commercial
    North Herts Council is led by Anthony Roche,
                                                                                        My directorate works alongside other
    Managing Director and supported by six Service
                                                                                        service areas and external agents
    Directors. Find out a bit more about them below.                                    in a bid to generate income, create
                                                                                        savings, identify efficiencies and invest
                                                                                        on behalf of the council.
      Anthony Roche – Managing Director                                                 After finishing university, I worked in
       I work with councillors on the strategic                                         the leisure sector. I started working
       vision for the council and lead on the                                           for North Herts Council in 2001 as
       council’s response to the pandemic.                                              an Operations Manager at Hitchin
       My aim is that we are an outward-looking                                         Swimming Centre, then progressed
       and modern council that is easy to                                               to Contractors and Projects Manager.
       deal with.                                                                       In 2018 I was promoted to Service
                                                                                        Director – Commercial.
       My background is as a solicitor. I joined
       North Herts Council in 2008 as a solicitor                                       I love visiting the
       in the legal team, before progressing to be Monitoring Officer,                  North Herts Museum
       to Deputy Chief Executive and to Managing Director in 2020.                      with my family. I was
                                                                                        heavily involved in
       I have spent the majority of my life living in Hertfordshire and                 this project, so seeing
       have family who live in the district, so have a personal interest                people enjoying it fills
       that we deliver a brighter future together.                                      me with pride.

2   OUTLOOK                                        follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                                       SPRING 2022
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
Ian Couper - Service                                                    Jo Dufficy -
  Director - Resources                                                    Service Director -
  I am responsible for services that
                                                                          Customers
  include HR, accounts and property.                                      My priorities are focused
  These services are mostly there to                                      on making sure our wide
  support other staff to deliver their                                    range of services are
  roles, so may not be very visible externally, although                  available and accessible to all and that
  the property team recently installed solar panels                       as a council we are easy to deal with -
  on the roof of our office building. I started work at                   something we have committed to do in our
  Hertfordshire County Council in 2003, where I did                       newly launched Customer Service Strategy,
  an accountancy qualification, and joined North Herts                    by putting our customers at the heart of
  Council in 2016. I have two young children and spend                    everything we do.
  a lot of time in the district’s parks and play areas.
                                                                          I have just had my ten-year anniversary of
                                                                          working for North Herts Council and prior to
                                                                          that I worked at the City of London.
  Ian Fullstone – Service
  Director - Regulatory                                                   Although not originally from North Herts,
                                                                          I have lived in the district for many years.
  My key responsibilities include planning,                               I love living here and enjoy the open spaces
  parking, environmental health, housing                                  we have.
  and building control. I joined North
  Herts Council in 1990 as an apprentice
  within building control. The council supported me through
  my degree and professional qualifications to become                     Jeanette
  a qualified building control surveyor, a career which I                 Thompson -
  loved. My entire thirty-year local authority experience has
  been at North Herts rising to Building Control Manager,
                                                                          Service Director
  then Head of Service to Director of Regulatory today.                   – Legal and
  I’ve gained valuable experience as a school governor,                   Community
  supporting a school in Letchworth for almost 20 years,
  and have also had the pleasure of living in Letchworth.                 The areas I oversee cover front facing
                                                                          services like community protection,
                                                                          licensing and community engagement,
                                                                          as well as the support areas such as
  Sarah Kingsley –                                                        democratic services (arranging Council
  Service Director - Place                                                meetings and elections), the legal section
  I am responsible for overseeing our waste                               and policy. I am also the Monitoring
  and recycling services, leisure facilities,                             Officer, trying to ensure that officers and
  green spaces, our communications and                                    councillors maintain the highest standards
  emergency planning. I am passionate about                               of conduct.
  delivering customer focused services and ensuring we                    I have been with the council since 2015 –
  engage effectively with residents.                                      and having worked in other authorities I
  My background is in communications and public affairs with              can say that North Herts is a great place
  previous roles in renewable energy and transport. I joined              to work, with colleagues and elected
  the council in 2010 as Communications Manager and was                   councillors striving to do their best for the
  promoted to Service Director last year.                                 district. In the changing landscape of
                                                                          local government, we hope that the
  One of my favourite places in North Herts is Weston Hills               council is now more adept at engaging
  nature reserve near Baldock – a great place to get away from            with the community and trying to get
  it all with my dogs, as well as spotting the odd Longhorn cow!          it right.

SPRING 2022                           like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/northhertsDC                           OUTLOOK   3
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
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                           For more information, visit www.sll.co.uk/free-pass or scan below.

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 4         OUTLOOK                                                                             SPRING 2022
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SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
Are you ready
to commit to                                                                            The key to
                                                                                        success is
an active you?                                                                          setting ourselves
                                                                                        up to form
With spring around the corner, it might be time to review,                              healthy habits.
restart or refresh how active you are in your day-to-day life.
You may have started the year with a resolution, but now is
the time to turn this pledge into a habit.

We all have daily habits that we        To create a new habit the best         range of equipment and facilities
might not even think about – such       way to succeed is to start small,      to help you get active. The teams
as brushing our teeth, that morning     make it easy, do something every       can help you to develop your
cup of coffee, commute to work or       day and reward yourself with mini      activity plan which might include an
a set nighttime routine. But how do     milestones. You might start with a     early morning gym session, a pilates
you make keeping active a habit?        morning stretch session after you      class to help you unwind and relax,
                                        have brushed your teeth, walking to    or even a dip in the pool.
Many people try and create healthy
                                        work, or walking the kids to school
habits the wrong way, such as
                                        instead of jumping in the car.
making a bold New Year resolution                                              SLL is offering a free gym or
to start exercising and lose weight     Stevenage Leisure Limited (SLL)        swim pass at your local leisure centre
or complete a marathon by the           is on hand to help you form your       so you can see how healthy habits
summer, without running a mile.         new habits and succeed. The group      and keeping active can help
Some people succeed at continuing       operate the North Herts Leisure        improve your lifestyle. For
their resolution throughout the year,   Centre in Letchworth, Archers Health   more information on
others may find that after a few        & Fitness in Hitchin and the Royston   how to get your pass,
months the commitment dwindles.         Leisure Centre under a contract        take a look at the ad
The key to success is setting           with North Herts Council. All their    on the opposite page.
ourselves up to form healthy habits.    leisure centres have a fantastic

SPRING 2022                                                                                                  OUTLOOK    5
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
WASTE &                                                                               Amp up your
    RECYCLING                                                                             recycling – don’t
                                                                                          forget those batteries
                                                                                          They may be small but they are

    Save your clothes
                                                                                          highly toxic and when old batteries
                                                                                          are thrown away in your household
                                                                                          rubbish, they end up in landfill where

    from landfill and                                                                     they could corrode and leak harmful
                                                                                          chemicals into our soil and waterways.

    help the planet                                                                       It’s easy to recycle alkaline batteries
                                                                                          through your kerbside recycling
                                                                                          collections. Pop them in a plastic bag
    The fashion industry accounts for                                                     you cannot reuse such as a bread
    about 10% of global greenhouse gas                                                    bag, tie it up and place on top of the
    emissions – that’s more energy than both flying                                       lid of your grey recycling bin. They
    and shipping – and it is estimated that £140 million                                  have to be kept separate as they go
    worth of clothing is sent to landfill each year.                                      to a different recycling centre.

                                                                                          You can also
    So instead of throwing out old clothes and buying
                                                                                          drop them off in
    into fast fashion, think about repairing, donating, selling,
                                                                                          dedicated bins
    swishing or swapping. Unwanted clothing can also be recycled
                                                                                          at supermarkets
    via your kerbside recycling collections. You can include clothes,
                                                                                          and other
    paired shoes, towels and bed linen – just put them in non-
                                                                                          shops as well
    reusable plastic bags (please don’t use black sacks or charity
                                                                                          as your local
    donation bags), tie them up to keep the contents dry and put
                                                                                          recycling centre.
    them next to your grey bin on your usual collection day.

       Recycling electrical and
       electronic equipment
       Small household appliances              •   if it isn’t working, could it be     If none of
       such as vacuum cleaners, irons,             repaired via a local repair          these options
       kettles and toasters as well as             person or repair café?               work for you,
       TVs and computer equipment                                                       please recycle
                                               •   does it need a replacement
       should not go in your purple bin.                                                your WEEE
                                                   part? Parts can be much
                                                                                        at your local
       Waste electrical and electronic             cheaper than buying new.
                                                                                        recycling
       equipment (known as WEEE)
                                               •   can it be returned to the            centre.
       cannot be sent to landfill so
                                                   supplier? Some items such
       before disposing of it please
                                                   as TV set top boxes and
       consider:
                                                   larger white goods
       •   if the item is still working, can       can be picked up
           it be passed on to someone              by your new or old
           else you know or online?                supplier.

6   OUTLOOK                                        follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                                  SPRING 2022
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
Love food, hate waste
     Want to save £100s this year and help save the planet at the same time?
     Food waste is one of the largest contributors to climate change and it is
     estimated that families waste around £720 worth of food a year.
    By adopting small changes in our      •    introduce an ‘eat me                  For more ideas, tips and
    behaviour – planning our meals             soon shelf’ in your fridge,           information follow us on social
    better, only buying what we                so you know exactly what              media and join our Facebook
    need, storing food properly and            needs eating first                    group Waste Warriors or visit
    knowing the difference between                                                   www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
                                          •    swap some
    best before and use by – we can
                                               fresh fruit and
    all make a big difference, and fill
                                               veg to frozen
    our wallets and stomachs instead
    of our bins!                          •    unless you know
                                               you can get
    Food Waste Action Week takes
                                               through it all,
    place from 7 to 13 March, so why
                                               store bread in
    not use this week to start some
                                               the freezer.
    good food habits:

Eat more veggies                                                 The Great British Spring Clean - the nation’s biggest
With spring in the air it’s a great time to think about          mass participation environmental campaign takes
how you can eat more fruit and vegetables and less               place between 25 March and 10 April – grab a litter
meat, not only for health reasons but it will also help          picker and get involved!
tackle climate change. Here are some top tips:
                                                                 As well as local parish and town councils, we have over
Grow your own fruit and veg – it is likely to be more            70 volunteers in our Adopt an area scheme who look
nutritious as you can eat it when it’s completely fresh          after areas of land in North Herts.
so it won’t have lost as many nutrients or have a
                                                                 If you want to get involved in the
carbon footprint through being transported.
                                                                 annual Keep Britain Tidy Spring
Buy local and eat what’s in season – this reduces                Clean check locally if something is
the carbon footprint of transporting food over long              happening already. Please register
distances. Challenge yourself to create a meal entirely          any events taking place on our        Therfield Residents’ Group
out of locally-sourced food!                                     website. We have litter picking kits available for
                                                                 groups to borrow and can also arrange to collect
Eat more plant-based meals – try using plant                     your bags of rubbish.
proteins like beans, nuts, pulses or meaty mushrooms.
                                                                 Thank you to the wonderful groups, volunteers and
                                                                 organisations who have litter picked throughout the year!

                                                  Give your street a spring clean
                                                                      For more information and to book your
                                                                      litter pick visit: www.north-herts.gov.uk/
                                                                      community-litter-picking

SPRING 2022                          like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/northhertsDC                                OUTLOOK    7
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
World Water Day:
                                               5 ways you can conserve water at
                                               home and make a big difference
                                               Every year World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March in

    Catching rays                              a bid to increase awareness about saving water. Here are
                                               some suggestions of how you can reduce your water usage.
    on the roof
    Solar panels have been installed
                                                            Taps                            Showers
                                                Turning off the tap when you          A five-minute shower uses half
    on the roof of our office building
                                              brush your teeth can save up to        the water of a full bath. Consider
    in Letchworth to help reduce our
                                               6 litres of water a minute and         timing yourself in the shower to
    carbon emissions and save money.
                                               a dripping tap can waste up to         keep it as short as possible and
    They are expected to generate more        15 litres of water a day, which is    turning the water off when you’re
    than 10,000 kWh of electricity and         5,500 litres of water in a year!     not rinsing. Putting a plug in when
    save around 5.3 tonnes of carbon          Try to turn off the tap when you         you shower can also show you
    each year. The estimated financial         brush your teeth and get that         how much water you are using –
    saving during the 25-year lifetime of             dripping tap fixed.           you can even use this saved water
    the panels is over £60,000.                                                             to water your plants!

    The reduction of carbon is roughly the
    equivalent of more than 6,500 trees                Toilets                             Drinking
    growing for one year so this is great      The older your toilet, the more              Water
    news for the environment.                     water it is likely to use for       Waiting for the tap to run cold
                                              flushing. Old toilets can use over      is estimated to waste up to 10
    Installing solar panels is just one of
                                               10 litres for one flush. Whether         litres of tap water a day per
    a number of measures the council
                                                 your toilet is old or new, you      household. Consider filling a jug
    is taking as part of our Climate
                                                 can still save up to 5 litres of    with tap water and keeping it in
    Change Strategy, having declared
                                                water a day by using a cistern       your fridge – this will also help
    a climate emergency in May 2019.
                                              displacement device in your toilet        to keep your fridge cool and
    We have already switched to
                                              – this can be as simple as placing               use less energy!
    renewable electricity and green gas
                                               a small bottle filled with stones
    in our buildings and we are looking
                                                and water (with the bottle lid
    at providing additional electric car
                                                   on) in your toilet cistern.
    charging points in our car parks.                                                   It is worth considering
                                                                                        investing in water-efficient
    Look out for details of a new
                                                                                        goods when you need to
    innovate scheme the council is               Dishwasher                             replace household goods.
    exploring for residents who would            and Washing                            Installing a water butt to
    like solar panels installed.                   Machine                              your drainpipe can also
                                                  Did you know that washing a
                                                                                        collect around 5,000 litres
                                              full machine load of clothes uses
                                                                                        of water a year which can
                                                less water and energy than two
                                                                                        be used to water your plants
                                              half-loads? The good news is that
                                                                                        or clean your car and wash
                                             dishwashers and washing machines
                                                                                        your windows.
                                                 are better for the environment
                                                 than cleaning by hand, but it is       For more information
                                               important to ensure, as much as          and ideas, check out
                                             possible, that they are fully loaded       www.waterwise.org.uk/
                                                    before we turn them on.             save-water

8   OUTLOOK                                  follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                          SPRING 2022
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
Into the wild                                                                                10,000
                                                                                             extra
As the weather gets warmer,               will be going out six to nine times
you may notice that some                  a year instead of 12 to 14, resulting
                                                                                             trees
highway verges are being left to          in a positive impact on the local                  growing
grow a bit longer and may look            environment. You may notice the
wilder than usual.                        difference more in the summer                      Thanks to everyone
                                          with cutting taking place once a                   who took part in our tree
As part of our efforts to increase                                                           giveaway and planted a
                                          month rather than every two to
local biodiversity and wildlife                                                              sapling at home.
                                          three weeks.
habitats, we have instructed our
grounds maintenance contractor            Traditionally North Herts has had                  By nurturing a tree, you
John O’Conner to reduce the               a relatively high frequency of grass               have helped improve local
frequency of grass cutting in             cuttings compared to other areas                   biodiversity and air quality,
some areas of our four main               so this will bring us more in line                 and reduced your own
towns, Letchworth, Hitchin,               with other                                         carbon footprint to help
Baldock and Royston. With fewer           councils.                                          tackle climate change.
vehicle journeys taking place, the
                                          Grassed                                            One resident sent us this
move will also dramatically reduce
                                          areas in                                           lovely comment: "One of
the council’s contribution to
                                          parks and                                          your fantastic hazel trees has
carbon emissions.
                                          cemeteries                                         been happily planted in its
On average we’ll be halving the           will not be                                        new home (pictured), thank
frequency of grass cutting of             affected.                                          you for this great initiative."
certain highway verges, so vehicles

Check out the sensory trail
at Howard Park this spring
Have you taken your kids to the       “I have been here before
new and improved Howard Park          but I love the new stuff.
in Letchworth yet?                    My favourites are the mirrors,
                                      they’re really fun.”
A wobbly bridge, concave
and convex mirror panels              We worked with Groundwork
and sound cones – so you              East on this project.
can hear the faintest whisper         We regularly review how we
across the playground – help          can improve our greenspace
form a brand new sensory trail        and Howard Park – which
designed to stimulate the senses      includes play areas for all ages
which include sight, hearing,         and abilities – was identified
movement and balance.                 for improvements through
Additions to the play area            consultation with residents.
also include a roundabout             We have just carried out a
designed for older children           greenspace survey which was
and a sand pit climbing frame,        open to all residents to find
or giant sandcastle!                  out what you value most
                                      and what our priorities for
Six-year-old local resident           greenspace should be – the
Matylda (pictured) said:              results will be published soon.

SPRING 2022                           like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/northhertsDC                         OUTLOOK     9
SPRING IS BAA-RILLIANT IN NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE Picture credit: Standalone Farm - North Herts Council
Repair café @Hitchin
          s p a c e s e t t o re t u r n
     Hack                           h
      on Saturday 19 Marc

                                                                                       New-look
                                                                                       website
                                                                                       You may have noticed that
                                                                                       our website has recently had a
                                                                                       makeover and been rebranded
     Do you have something that                  Every year                            with our new logo and shorter
     needs fixing? Prefer to mend                thousands                             name (North Herts Council).
     it than throw it away?
                                                 of repairable                         We hope you agree the visual
     Following a successful event                household items                       design of the new site is a vast
     at Hitchin Hackspace back in
     November, the Repair café @
                                                 go to landfill                        improvement on the old one. It
                                                                                       has been designed to be more
     Hitchin Hackspace, in collaboration                                               accessible than the previous site,
     with Plastic Free Hitchin, will                                                   meaning it can be used by people
     host its first event of the year on                                               with a more diverse range of
                                            crockery, housewares, bicycles and
     Saturday 19 March 2022 from 11am.                                                 needs and abilities.
                                            toys etc. Anything that’s broken
     The repair cafe operates out of        (which you can manage to carry
                                                                                       We’re also in the process
     Hackspace, located at 67 Bancroft.     on your own to the Repair Café) is
                                                                                       of reviewing and rewriting
     The building was renovated using       welcome and has a good chance of
                                                                                       information across the site, but
     funds from North Herts Council’s       getting properly repaired. If it can’t
                                                                                       we’re keen to get your feedback
     Hitchin committee and locality         be repaired on the day, you can
                                                                                       now. If you have any comments
     budget from a Hitchin County           get advice as to what needs to be
                                                                                       or come across any issues then
     Councillor. North Herts Council        done and how to attempt to repair
                                                                                       please get in touch (www.north-
     are keen supporters of the cafe and    it safely yourself.
                                                                                       herts.gov.uk/contact-us). You
     has assisted the group with signage                                               can send us your comments about
                                            Book your repair online and enjoy a
     for their events and promotion.                                                   a specific page by clicking on the
                                            cuppa and a cake whilst you wait.
     Every year thousands of repairable                                                feedback link which appears at the
                                            The event is also an opportunity for       bottom of every page.
     household items go to landfill
                                            the community to get together, get
     because their owners don’t have the                                               Our new logo – four hearts
                                            to know each other, help and learn
     time, skill or tools to repair them.                                              representing a flower and our drive
                                            from each other!
     The Repair Cafe is run entirely by                                                for sustainability – was launched
                                            If you have a talent for fixing            alongside the new website and
     volunteers and enables members
                                            electrical, electronic or mechanical       was designed in house. You’ll see
     of the public to bring their
                                            items, garden tools, bicycles,             it being rolled out gradually across
     damaged items for volunteers
                                            textiles, jewellery or clothing and        things like signs and vehicles as
     to give them a new lease of life,
                                            you’d like to help at the repair           and when they need to updated
     preventing thousands of repairable
                                            sessions, please get in touch.             or replaced, so as to avoid
     household items from going to
     landfill every year.                   For more information visit:                unnecessary additional costs.
                                            www.facebook.com/
     Suggested items to bring to the
                                            plasticfreehitchin1 or contact:
     Repair Café include electrical
                                            hitchinrepaircafe@gmail.com
     appliances, clothing, furniture,

10   OUTLOOK                                      follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                            SPRING 2022
Support local good causes and
be in with a chance of winning
a weekly £25,000 jackpot!
We’re launching a Community Lottery as a fun and creative way
for local voluntary and community groups to raise much-needed
funds. The Community Lottery allows players to choose the charity,
voluntary group or community organisation they want to support
when they purchase their lottery ticket(s).

Tickets cost just £1 per week with 50p from every ticket sold going to a chosen
charity, voluntary group or community organisation across North Herts. As well
as supporting a good cause, players have the chance to win a weekly jackpot of
£25,000 if they match six numbers. Other weekly prizes are also on offer such
as £2,000, £250, £25, or three free tickets.

How to purchase North Herts
Community Lottery tickets

Visit www.NorthHertsCommunityLottery.

                                                  Council Meetings
co.uk where you will be able to choose a
good cause, set up a preferred payment
method and purchase a ticket!
                                                  All meetings are held at 7.30pm
If players do not wish to support a
specific organisation, they can still take        unless specified below. Please
part and donate 50p of their ticket price         check our website for venue details
to the ‘good causes fund’, which will be          www.north-herts.gov.uk
distributed by North Herts Council via a
community grants scheme.                           DATE                 COMMITTEE
Are you part of a local good cause,                1/03/2022            Hitchin Committee
and interested in signing up?                      2/03/2022            Standards Committee

Each organisation that signs up will               3/03/2022            Southern Rural Committee
receive a personalised webpage on our              8/03/2022            Royston Committee
North Herts Community Lottery website,             9/03/2022            Joint Staff Consultative Committee (11am)
as well as a range of marketing material
                                                   9/03/2022            Letchworth Committee
to promote and encourage your
supporters to play.                                14/03/2022           Baldock Committee
                                                   15/03/2022           Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Visit www.NorthHertsCommunity
                                                   16/03/2022           Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
Lottery.co.uk to sign up online or
alternatively please contact support@              17/03/2022           Planning Control Committee
NorthHertsCommunityLottery.co.uk                   22/03/2022           Cabinet
or 01462 520015.
                                                   23/03/2022           Council
The first draw will take place on                  31/03/2022           Planning Control Committee
Saturday 19 March.                                 20/04/2022           Planning Control Committee
Terms and Conditions apply. Visit:                 26/05/2022           Annual Council
www.NorthHertsCommunityLottery.co.uk

SPRING 2022                          like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/northhertsDC                           OUTLOOK   11
Lights, camera, action!
     From previous productions               policy to encourage more film
     including Dr Foster and The World’s     and television companies to come
     End, to the recent Landscapers          to the area and to promote our
     series on Sky featuring Olivia          lovely District. Filming production
     Colman, North Herts is the place        can generate a great revenue
     to be for filming!                      stream for the council and we
                                             know residents love spotting local
     The latest programme to hit TV
                                             hotspots once productions air.
     screens will be teen drama, Tell Me
     Everything, featuring rising British    North Herts offers a diverse
     talent as well as the main council      range of locations – rural
     building in Letchworth! It’s due to     settings, woodlands, picturesque
     air on ITV2 soon.                       villages, historic market towns
                                             and the world’s first garden city,
     There’s always an exciting buzz
                                             Letchworth.
     when filming is taking place in one
     of our towns or sites. We welcome       If you are looking to do any
     filming in the district and do all we   filming in North Herts, we
     can to ensure that any filming is       would welcome your
     carried out with as little disruption   request via our website:
     to residents as possible. We are        www.north-herts.gov.uk/filming
     currently working on a filming

     Love your North Herts High Street
     The pandemic has had a big effect        economic and environmental
     on our town centres, which is why        benefits to be gained. The latest
     we’ve been doing all we can to           research2 reveals that for every
     support local traders and those          £1 spent with a local independent
     working in the hospitality industry.     business, between 50p-70p
                                              circulates back into the local
     In the lead-up to Christmas we
                                              economy, that includes more               across North Herts to encourage
     launched a campaign to encourage
                                              employment in the area. Heading           shoppers to reuse shopping bags
     residents to support their high
                                              into town and supporting local            when popping into town.
     street, as part of our Welcome
                                              businesses helps to cut unnecessary
     Back project.1                                                                     1. Supported by the North Herts
                                              mileage from delivery vans and
                                                                                        Reopening the High Streets Safely
     To help boost sales for our towns’       goods being sourced from
                                                                                        and Welcome Back projects which are
     traders we urged residents to            overseas, which in turn reduces
                                                                                        receiving up to £264,340 of funding
     support their high street and buy        our carbon footprint.
                                                                                        from the England European Regional
     Christmas presents locally. The
                                              The campaign included a series of         Development Fund as part of the
     consumer shift to online shopping
                                              free ‘Love Your Herts High Street’        European Structural and Investment
     has been widely reported, however
                                              bag giveaways, where we handed            Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
     if residents make the switch back
     to town centres there’s many             out free tote bags at events in towns     2. Independent Retail Month

12   OUTLOOK                                       follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                            SPRING 2022
Royston & Hitchin
                        community wellbeing days
                            from the North Herts Healthy Hub
                            FREE WELLBEING TALKS AND FAMILY ACTIVITY SESSIONS

               Royston                                                                          Hitchin
                                                                      Westmill Community Centre, John Barker Place, Hitchin, Herts, SG5 2PG
Market Hill Rooms, Fish Hill, Royston, SG8 9JL
                                                                      7 Mar - Fun with food for under 5’s
2 Mar - Messy Play for under 5’s
                                                                      4 Apr - Fun with food for Easter for 1-10 year olds
16 Mar - Dance workshop for 1-4 year olds                             9 May - (am) Movement to music for 1-4 year olds
30 Mar - Low impact exercise class for adults                         9 May - (pm) Low impact exercise class for adults
6 Apr - Fun with food for Easter for 1-10 year olds                   Free NHS health checks for age 40 to 74 years
20 Apr - Pottery painting for adults                                  Session times vary - please contact the hub for more info
4 May - Movement to music for 1-4 year olds                           and booking.
18 May - Low impact adult movement class                            Numbers are limited so must be pre-booked by emailing
                                                                    healthyhub@north-herts.gov.uk or calling 01462 474111
Session times vary - please contact the hub
for more info and booking.

 Keep warm and save money
 With the rise in energy costs, did          •   biomass boilers
 you know you might be eligible
                                             •   thermostats and heating
 for help with the costs of energy
                                                 controls.
 efficiency measures in your home?
                                             Energy Efficient Home Scheme
 You could save money, be warmer
                                             01422 880100
 and help fight climate change!
                                             This scheme offers grants to
 Warmworks                                   households on low incomes and
 0808 196 8255                               means tested benefits. In some
 This government funded scheme               cases, qualifying homeowners and
 is open to homeowners, private              private renting tenants can get the
 tenants and people in social rented         full cost covered for:
 accommodation, where the home
                                             •   first time central heating
 has a low energy rating and a low
 annual income. Measures include:            •   cavity wall and loft insulation.

 •    wall, loft and hot water tank          Scam warning: Please be cautious              Trading Standards advise not to do
      insulation                             if you receive any phone calls,               business at the door and don’t be
                                             texts, emails or doorstep calls from          rushed into
 •    double/triple glazing to replace       any traders presenting themselves             making a
      single glazing                         to you. Our contractors may                   decision before
                                             approach you if they think you are            ensuring you
 •    energy-efficient doors
                                             eligible, but they won’t make you             are satisfied
 •    air source, ground source, and         sign anything on the spot. You can            they are
      hybrid heat pumps                      then contact the provider or the              legitimate.
                                             council to check the details.

 SPRING 2022                             like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/northhertsDC                               OUTLOOK       13
One day without genocide
     Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD)          Charlie, age 15, won the creative
     takes place internationally           writing with some dramatically
                                                                                     North Herts
     every year on 27 January, the         imaginative diary entries from            heroes honoured
     anniversary of the liberation of      April 1945, written in the first
                                                                                     Community-minded residents who
     Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest       person of a concentration camp
                                                                                     have gone above and beyond to
     Nazi death camp. It’s for everyone    survivor. He dedicated it to one
                                                                                     make a real difference will be
     to remember the six million           of his relatives whose tank was
                                                                                     celebrated in March at the Chair’s
     Jewish people murdered during         the first to enter Bergen-Belsen
                                                                                     Community Recognition Awards.
     the Holocaust and other mass          concentration camp during the
     genocide.                             liberation.                               Judges included Cllr Val Bryant, Chair
                                                                                     of the Council, representatives from
     To help younger generations           For more information visit
                                                                                     Willmott Dixon as sponsors, and
     deepen their understanding of         www.north-herts.gov.uk/HMD
                                                                                     Georgia Barrow, Editor of The Comet.
     genocide and ensure that it forms
     no part of their future, we invited                                                              Winners will receive
     children and young people from                                                                   a beautiful, engraved
     across the district to enter a                                                                   glass trophy and gift
     competition, based on the 2022                                                                   voucher.
     theme ‘One day’.
                                                                                                      Find out who won at
     The winning art pieces (pictured)                                                                www.north-herts.
     were featured during the council’s                                                               gov.uk/awards
     HMD event, in partnership with
     North Herts Interfaith Forum.

14   OUTLOOK                                    follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                              SPRING 2022
WHAT’S
                                             EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
ON
t his Spri n g
                                              8 May
                                              Ashwell at Home –
                                              A day of wellbeing
                                                                                             Holwell
                                                                                             2-9 July
                                              Open gardens, free workshops,                  Holwell Scarecrow Festival
Hitchin Town Hall                                                                            Join Holwell’s 6th annual
                                              live music, funfair. £8 adults
25 March, 8pm                                 (under 18s free with paying                    Scarecrow Festival and vote for
80s vs 90s Pop Night                          adult) or £7 in advance                        your favourite scarecrow! All
8pm-midnight, £8pp (over 18s only).           from the website, proceeds                     money raised goes straight to
Tickets on sale: wegottickets.com             go to Ashwell Museum,                          The Garden House Hospice to
                                              Church and School.                             support their incredible work.
Hitchin
                                              www.ashwellathome.org.uk                       http://holwellscarecrows.org
14 May
Hitchin Eco Day                               Baldock
                                                                                             Kimpton
A fun day for the whole family
                                              5 June                                         29 April-2 May
to explore sustainability. Shop                                                              Kimpton Art Show
eco-friendly products, learn about            The Baldock Big Lunch
                                              Baldock high street                            St Peter & St Paul Parish Church
environmental campaigns and                                                                  An exhibition/sale of artwork from
                                              www.baldockeventsforum.org.uk
have fun at the interactive activities.                                                      a wide genre of talented artists,
The event is a collaboration of               Barkway                                        part of Kimpton May Festival.
Plastic Free Hitchin and Hitchin BID.                                                        www.kimptonartshow.co.uk
                                              7 May
Ashwell                                       Barkway Village Market
5 March                                       Church Lane
Ashwell’s Famous Flea Market                  Over 120 stalls including craft fair,
All sorts of weird and wonderful              refreshments and entertainment.
things for sale. Free entry,                  £3 per adult. @barkwaymarket
tea/coffee available.                         on Facebook and Instagram.

Paddington comes to town!
                                     TM

The brilliant touring exhibition from           by Michael Bond – including Bond’s
the British Library, Paddington:                typewriter used in the 1960s –
The Story of a Bear, is coming to               and original illustrations of
North Herts Museum from 19                      Paddington stories by artists
March to 26 June. Follow his trail              including Peggy Fortnum,
of marmalade splats to explore                  David McKee and R.W. Alley.
his tales of adventures in this
                                                Join us for a marmalade
educational and fun exhibition.
                                                sandwich-fuelled trip down
Celebrate one of the world’s most               memory lane – an average
beloved fictional characters over 60            visit lasts 30 minutes.
years on from when he was first
                                                North Herts Museum is located in
introduced in 1958. Featuring over
                                                Brand Street, Hitchin, open Tue-Sat
50 books, documents and original
                                                10.30am-4.30pm and Sun 11am-3pm,
artworks, highlights include the first
                                                admission is free.
edition of A Bear Called Paddington
by Michael Bond given to his parents,           Visit: https://northhertsmuseum.org
a selection of memorabilia owned                for more information.

SPRING 2022                               like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/northhertsDC                          OUTLOOK   15
Elections May 2022
     Elections to North Herts Council will be taking place on
     Thursday 5 May 2022 as well as some Town/Parish elections.

     You must be registered to vote            elections@north-herts.gov.uk.              instead of the current system of
     in order to have your say at these        Alternatively, you can post them           electing ‘by thirds’.
     elections. If you are not already         to Electoral Services, North
                                                                                          District councillors at North Herts
     registered, the quickest and              Herts Council, Gernon Road,
                                                                                          Council are currently elected ‘by
     easiest way to do so is online, at        Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3JF.
                                                                                          thirds’, meaning that elections take
     www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
                                               Would you like to work at the              place in three out of every four
     The process takes only a few minutes
                                               elections?                                 years, with one third of councillors
     - you just need your national insurance
                                                                                          being elected each time. The new
     number to hand. Applications must be      If you are interested in working for       arrangement from May 2024 will
     submitted before midnight on Thursday     us at the elections either on a polling    mean that all district councillors are
     14 April 2022 to be able to vote on       station or at the count please express     elected at the same time for a
     5 May 2022.                               an interest by emailing elections@         four-year term of office.
     Voters have the choice of voting in       north-herts.gov.uk with your
     person at their local polling station,    contact information, the role that         The decision to move to whole
     by post or by proxy. There will be        you are interested in and any              council elections as of May 2024 was
     covid safety measures in place at the     experience you have previously.            made at an Extraordinary meeting
     polling stations.                         We will add you to our staff               of Council on 7 December 2021
                                               database and contact you should            and applies only to district council
     If you would prefer to vote by post,      a position arise.                          elections. Prior to the decision, a
     the deadline to apply is 5pm on                                                      public consultation was carried out
                                               The way you vote in district
     Tuesday 19 April 2022. Postal Vote                                                   with 54% in favour of the change
                                               elections will change in May 2024.
     application forms can be downloaded                                                  and 46% wanting the system to
     from www.north-herts.gov.uk/              From May 2024, district councillor         stay as it is. To find out more visit:
     voting-post-or-proxy and                  elections in North Herts will be held      www.north-herts.gov.uk/
     may be scanned/photographed               once every four years (known as            electoral-cycle-changes
     and returned via email to                 ‘all-out’ or ‘whole council’ elections),

            Voters have the choice
            of voting in person at
            their local polling station,
            by post or by proxy.
            There will be covid safety
            measures in place at
            the polling stations.

16   OUTLOOK                                        follow us on twitter @NorthHertsDC                                 SPRING 2022
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