BRIEFING

Use of Hertfordshire’s recycling centres to be restricted to local residents only

Access to Hertfordshire’s 16 recycling centres is to be restricted to residents only, Hertfordshire County Council has decided. Users will now need to take proof of address to gain entry, with staff set to be stationed near to site entrances to greet drivers. There will be a ‘grace period’ of several weeks before active enforcement to make sure as many centre users as possible are aware of the change, and for the council to discuss the change with neighbouring local authorities. While the use of its recycling centres by non-residents might not require additional staff to be employed, there is still a large potential cost to Hertfordshire in the transportation and disposal of additional waste.

As part of its research, the council obtained data from a major mobile phone provider for the period September 2019 to February 2021 which revealed the postcode areas that phones were registered to for devices identified at each of its recycling centres. This gave a picture of who was visiting them. It revealed that overall the proportion of non-Hertfordshire residents using the centres was 29% but at some, Bishop’s Stortford for example, non-Hertfordshire visitors made up 58.6% of users. In Turnford the figure was 31% and in Hoddesdon 28.2%.

At the time of the survey the Ware centre was closed for redevelopment and the Cole Green one closed for long periods due to the pandemic.

Hertfordshire residents do use other local authority recycling centres although at a much lower level. Data showed the overall proportion of Hertfordshire residents using non-Hertfordshire facilities to be 8.7%, although for Harlow’s recycling centre in Essex the figure was 33.6%.

Hertfordshire County Council’s Director of Transport, Waste and Environment, Simon Aries, said:

“The decision taken is the start of the process, and we will now take steps as resources allow to implement this policy across our recycling centres. Like many other council-run services, our recycling centres are experiencing additional costs and it is only prudent that we look at all possible forms of mitigation for Hertfordshire taxpayers who are currently paying for waste arising outside of Hertfordshire. “We anticipate that once the changes have bedded-in, restricting non-resident access will mean less traffic through our centres leading to an improved experience for our residents.”

Seventh new village for garden town is approved

East Herts Council’s development management committee has voted to approve plans for the last of seven villages that will make up the Gilston area’s contribution to the planned new Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.

Harlow and Gilston was designated a garden town by the then named Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government in January 2017 and will comprise new and existing communities in and around Harlow.

As part of it, 10,000 new homes are planned to be built to the north of Harlow on land which falls within the East Herts district. In February the council approved plans from developer Places for People for six villages that will contribute 8,500 of these homes. Taylor Wimpey’s application for a seventh village of up to 1,500 homes, which was approved on 23rd March, includes provision for a primary school, local village centre, leisure and sports facilities including a football hub, and the restoration of Grade II listed Brickhouse Farm Barn.

The 117.4 hectare site is to the north of the A414, south of Hundonsbury and Hunsdon village and to the west of Eastwick village. The land sits to the east and west of Church Lane. Development will begin next spring.

County’s children’s services rated as Outstanding by Ofsted

Ofsted has rated Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services as Outstanding in its overall effectiveness, placing it among the best in the UK.

The department’s role is to support and protect the county’s children, through work including family support, child protection, fostering and adoption and help for young people leaving care.

Following an inspection in January, Ofsted’s latest report on the service was published in March and said that children and young people benefit from consistently highquality, excellent care and support. The service was previously rated as Good. l See advert on page 10 for more information about fostering or adoption in the county.

Inspectors described Hertfordshire’s social workers and practitioners as experienced and skilled, praised their commitment to children and noted the positive relationships they have with them.

They also noted that social workers enjoyed working in the county and found their work rewarding.

A council spokesperson said the county council was always looking for people who are passionate about making a real difference to local children and families to join the Children’s Services team in a variety of roles. You can find details at Hertfordshire.gov.uk. Click on the Jobs category followed by Work with Children and Families.