Author: Sarah Heighton

Hertsmere marks Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day
The Mayor of Hertsmere has shown support for the men and women who make up the armed forces community, as part of a special event to commemorate Armed Forces Day.

Mayor Councillor John Graham led a small flag-raising event outside our Civic Offices today (Monday 20 June), ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday 25 June. He was joined by Mayoress Barbara Graham, Reverend Oliver Blease, bugler, Adrian Temple, Royal British Legion Representative, Brian Dee and other Hertsmere Borough councillors and staff for the occasion.

Armed Forces Day aims to raise public awareness of the contribution made by those who serve or have served in the armed forces, as well as those who support them.

If you would like to find out more about Armed Forces Day visit their website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk  

The Hertfordshire Armed Forces Covenant is a commitment from public and private organisations in the county to support the active and retired Armed Forces community living and working in Hertfordshire.

The covenant aims to support active personnel looking to leave service and settle in Hertfordshire, reservists living in the area or anyone with any other connection to the armed forces. Visit www.hertfordshireheroes.org to find out more.

Former service personnel living in Hertsmere can also benefit from discounted leisure centre membership at the Furzefield leisure centre in Potters Bar, Bushey Grove leisure centre and The Venue leisure centre in Borehamwood.

To find out more contact your local InspireAll leisure centre.

Latest Vacancies at Hertsmere

Job vacancy at Civic OfficeHertsmere is located in Southern Hertfordshire – we are 13 miles from Central London and within the M25. We adjoin Greater London with excellent road and rail links, making London and the Home Counties easily accessible. The council offices are situated in Borehamwood within Zone 6 and with a direct rail link into London Kings Cross St. Pancras. The area is an internationally renowned centre for film and television production, home to BBC Elstree and Elstree Studios (a council-owned asset).
Bushey Rose Garden Apprentice Salary £12,168

We are looking for an apprentice to work at the Bushey Rose Garden, which is an historic Grade II listed public garden situated in the heart of Bushey.  This vacancy is for an Apprenticeship position for work carrying out gardening duties.
 
You will undertake all garden maintenance tasks, to ensure the Rose Garden is kept to a high horticultural standard.  This includes rose care, herbaceous perennials, climbers, ornamental shrubs, hedge maintenance, weeding, planting, mulching, soil management, turf management, cleansing and cleaning. 

You will also act as the first point of contact for park users and to be the custodian of the Rose Garden on behalf of the council. 

You will undertake the following training as part of the Apprenticeship:

Level 1 functional skills tuition in English and Maths will be delivered in a 5 day intensive block at the beginning of the apprentices program of study.
 
Level 2 functional skills tuition in English and Maths will be delivered in a 5 day intensive block after 1 year on program.
 
Level 2 award in the safe use of pesticides PA 1 Emergency first aid at work.

During the Apprenticeship scheme, you will work with a qualified member of staff and be provided the support and guidance required to progress within the council. 

We are looking for somebody with excellent communication skills, customer care skills, initiative and physical fitness, who is a punctual, reliable, enthusiastic, well presented and responsible team player.

The role is physically demanding, and you will be expected to work throughout all weather conditions, sometimes outside of normal working hours, at weekends and during public holidays.  The Council will support you with your studies and allow time during working hours to complete necessary studies. 

The post is offered on a full time, permanent basis (36 hours per week).  Working days: Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm (summer) 9am-3pm (winter).

Benefits include 25 – 30 days annual leave (depending on the length of Local Government Service) plus one floating day per annum, local government pension scheme, free car parking, free use of leisure facilities, cycle scheme and season ticket loans.

Please click here to apply.  For further information on the borough and our benefits, visit www.hertsmerecareers.co.uk

Closing date:             Midday, 30 June 2022

Hertsmere News is out!

summer front page
The summer edition of our residents’ magazine, Hertsmere News, is out from this week.

It’s packed with news and information about our services and activities.

In this edition, you’ll see how we supported platinum jubilee celebrations across the borough, the wonderful achievements of this year’s Hertsmere Civic Award winners,  how we support our communities to manage money worries, our support of Ukrainian people who have been displaced to our borough, and a whole host of other updates including fun summer activities. 

If you live in Hertsmere, a copy of the magazine will be delivered to your door. Alternatively, you can access the magazine on our website.

Hertsmere Police Cadets are recruiting

The Hertsmere Police Cadet Unit are recruiting ready for the new term starting September 2022. It is open to children living and schooling in Hertsmere aged between 13 and 17 this coming September.

The Police Cadets are involved in a wide range of activities and events including: camps, court visits and outdoor activities and play a vital role in community events. Additionally, they learn about police procedures and the law and receive talks from specialist departments, including the tri-force Armed Police Unit and Dog Unit.

The groups usually meet every two weeks on a Tuesday evening and are led by Police Officers, PCSO’s and volunteers who support young people in their development.

No prior knowledge is required and isn’t limited to only those who have ambitions to work within the police force.

Expressions of interest should be emailed to HertsmereHVPC@herts.police.uk with the following information included:

  • Young person name, date of birth and address
  • Parent/guardian name and contact number

Solar Farm – 22/0948/FULEI

Another planning application has been lodged for the solar farm. Please look at the new plans and make your comments to Hertsmere Planning Dept.

If you wish to make any comments about this application, you can do this by:

Logging onto the website using this link https://www6.hertsmere.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application

Emailing consult.planning@hertsmere.gov.uk please quote the application number 22/0948/FULEI

Posting your comments to The Planning and Economic Development Department, Hertsmere Borough Council, Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 1WA, please quote the application number 22/0948/FULEI

Your comments need to be received by 23rd July 2022.

Aldenham Parish Council are committed to at the same time to appeal the original application when the planning inspector considers the developers appeal in October and have employed a barrister to represent it.

Plastic Free Periods & World Refill Day




Different reusable bottles
World Refill Day
World Refill Day is a global campaign to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste.
Single-use plastic is everywhere but one of the biggest uses is for drinks bottles. Here’s a few facts to shock you!
Plastic bottles: fast facts

A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.

13 billion plastic bottles are used each year in the UK – this includes all fizzy drinks, milk and toiletry bottles. A shocking 60% of these are water bottles – that’s 7.7 billion bottles that could be easily avoided.

If just 1 in 10 Brits refilled their drinks bottles every week, 340 million plastic bottles would be saved every year.
Less than 30% of people refill their reusable water bottles, even though we have some of the best quality tap water in the world.
Over the last 15 years, the consumption of bottled water has doubled in the UK.

Every day in the UK an estimated 700,000 plastic bottles are littered.
So  join the Refill Revolution and ditch the single use  bottles, opting for a reusable alternative instead.

Thanks to a fantastic initiative called Refill, topping up your water bottle when out and about is even easier. Refill allows public places – such as cafés, pubs, takeaways and restaurants – to register as Refill Stations that will happily refill your bottle with free tap water on request.

They have an app which shows where you can get coffee refills with a discount for bringing your own cup, shops where you can refill your own containers, and lunch venues where you can order to go in your own containers too. 

There are more than 65 Refill Stations registered in Hertsmere so download the Refill app or keep an eye out for Refill window stickers in around the shops near you.
 

Reusable period products
EVENT: Plastic Free Periods
11am to 1pm
Thursday 16 June
@ Vimi’s Eco Store, Watling Street, Radlett, WD7 7LA

If you’ve ever wondered how period pants work or what exactly a mooncup is, then come along to our Plastic Free Periods event at a wonderful refill shop – Vimi’s Eco Store in Radlett.

We will be on hand to chat about everything period related with samples of all the different reusable period products, from period pants and pads to menstrual cups and discs! And Vimi’s Eco Store will be discounting their period cups by 40% on the day!

Plus don’t forget to grab your refillable containers as you may as well fill up with anything from nuts and dried mango to hand wash and laundry soap while you’re there!

And if you’re still undecided about swapping to reusables have a quick read through these fast facts:

It is estimated that between 1.5 -2 billion disposable period products are flushed down toilets each year – 4.6 million every single day! Apart from being harmful to marine life, disposable products flushed down the toilet contribute to another problem – fatbergs. Fatbergs are huge masses of period products, wet wipes, nappies, fats and oils. Every year the UK spends about £100m clearing an estimated 300,000 fatbergs.

10% of sewage related debris on beaches is composed of period pads, liners/backing strips, tampons, and applicators. Switching to reusables means much less waste.

Many period products can contain up to 90% fossil-fuel based plastic. Most tampons contain plastic too (not just the applicator but the absorbent part too).

Non-organic disposable period products can contain toxic industrial chemicals like BPA, dioxins, pesticides, bleach and fragrances – manufacturers don’t legally have to state what is in their products.

During lockdown 30% of girls in the UK aged 14-21 years struggled to afford or access period products. With reusables, they are always available.

Each period can cost on average £10, that’s £130 a year and £4940 over a lifetime. In comparison, a menstrual cup costs around £20 and lasts up to 10 years offering an enormous saving.
More than 11,000 disposable products are used in a menstruating lifetime – based on an average of 38 years using 22 items of menstrual products per cycle, with 13 cycles per year.

Planning changes to protect jobs and homes

Office buildings and cars in Cranborne Road industrial estateFurther changes to local planning regulations are being introduced to help protect some of Hertsmere’s major employment sites and distinctive homes.

We’re rolling out new ‘Article 4 directions’ in order to prevent buildings in designated employment areas in Borehamwood, Potters Bar, Shenley, Elstree and Bushey being converted into housing, without the need for planning permission.

Original Article 4 directions were confirmed just over two years ago, but changes in national legislation mean the directions have to be updated in order to protect against redevelopment or conversion of premises in business parks or industrial estates.

In addition, we’re implementing new directions to protect a number of bungalows across Radlett, which are deemed of value in the recently adopted Radlett Neighbourhood Plan.

This follows recent changes in national legislation which allow for an extra storey to be built on homes, without the need for planning permission, as long as it complies with certain criteria.

A copy of the new Article 4 directions for employment areas and a set of frequently asked questions can be found at www.hertsmere.gov.uk/article4.

A copy of the new Article 4 directions for Radlett and a set of frequently asked questions can be found at www.hertsmere.gov.uk/RadlettArticle4

The new directions will come into force in May next year. Until then all interested parties can give their views in a public consultation by emailing at local.plan@hertsmere.gov.uk.

Responses can also be submitted in writing to Planning department, Hertsmere Borough Council, Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood WD6 1WA.

Flying the Progress flag with Pride in Hertsmere

Pride ceremony

June is Pride month and we are sending a clear message of support to Hertsmere’s LGBTQ+ community.    

The Pride Progress flag was raised outside the Civic Offices in Borehamwood today (Tuesday 7 June) by the Mayor of Hertsmere, Councillor John Graham. He was joined by council staff, councillors and colleagues from the NHS, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Herts Fire and Rescue Service. A collection for the Herts Mind LGBTQ+ online support group has raised more than £100 so far, with donations continuing over the month.

Pride Progress is an updated version of the rainbow Pride flag, which better represents diverse communities. Pride flags are also being raised in Aberford Park in Borehamwood, Parkfield in Potters Bar, and King George Recreation Ground in Bushey.

Data from the Home Office shows that LGBT hate crime based on sexual orientation have risen every year since 2016/17 to 2020/21. More locally, homophobia was behind one in eight reported hate crimes in Hertfordshire, in the year that ended in March 2021.  

We are offering community grants to voluntary organisations and community groups that celebrate Hertsmere’s diverse communities and promote inclusion across the borough. These groups could qualify for a funding boost of up to £2,000.

Throughout June, our staff are invited to wear Progress Pride badges to show support to the LGBTQ+ community. These were purchased from The Pride Shop, where donations from sales support The Pride Fund – raising funds for Pride events across the UK.

For more information about Pride month and how it aims to support LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, click here.