Potholes in Hemel Hempstead are a concern for many drivers, especially considering that they can cause serious damage to cars, namely, the tyres and wheels. Hemel resident Sammy Barry is one of several people who have recently had a tyre damaged by a pot hole in the area. The sheer number of them is at a disgracefully large number thanks to the winter and County Council budget cuts.
Dacorum Borough Council says it is trying to save money, but at the same time it continues to waste Officers' time (and time is money) pursuing it's confused and unworkable Public Space Protection Order for the Marlowes and Water Gardens.
Nor, it appears, is he prepared to explain why he has gone back on his own aspiration to take over transport connections outside London that lead into the capital. At last week's Hertfordshire Council Meeting the Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, Stephen Giles-Medhurst, asked the Council Leader for an update on the Metropolitan Line Extension intended to link Watford Junction with the London Underground system. The Leader of the Council, David Williams, confirmed that he had written as agreed on 15th February, jointly with the Mayor of Watford and the Chairman of the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to the Mayor of London. The letter expressed the deep disappointment of Hertfordshire County Council and the other two signatories that the Mayor of London had decided not to honour the commitment made by the Mayor of London's Office to deliver the project within the funding package agreed in 2015. Hertfordshire County Council, Watford Borough Council and the Hertfordshire LE
Shortly before the last Hertfordshire County Council Meeting (27th March, 2018) Nick Hollinghurst, the Liberal Democat County Councillor for Tring met some of the Go 20 Northchurch Group to discuss their petition to the County Council for a 20mph Zone and other safety improvements in Northchurch.The Group pointed out a section in the existing policy where, with a small change to the wording, a useful increase in flexibility could be brought in to enable 20mph Zones to be considered for A and B roads in rural areas.
The Liberal Democrats are very happy to support the bid by Go 20 Northchurch for a 20mph zone in Northchurch.
Three Rivers Planning Committee approved plans for the new Croxley Danes School at the end of January. Construction can now go ahead providing outstanding drainage issues are resolved. Croxley Danes School initially opened in September 2017 with 120 Year 7 students in temporary accomodation at St Clement Danes School. When its new premises are ready it will be an all-ability, co-educational state secondary school serving South West Hertfordshire with a capacity of 1206 students aged 11-18.
Transport for London (TfL) recently announced the names of 13 more London Underground stations to be made step-free. But when it came to South West Hertfordshire the list included Rickmansworth - but not Croxley. TfL claimed that Rickmansworth is a cheaper and less complex scheme than Croxley. Nick Hollinghurst, Lib Dem County Councillor for Tring, who is a member of the HCC Cabinet Panel dealing with transport, said, "That may be true but both stations need step-free access - and anyway, if one station needs a complex scheme it clearly indicates that there is a greater need there. So actually, what TfL thought was an excuse for failing to make Croxley step-free, was really an admission that they'd got it wrong twice. In fact Croxley is the station they should be doing first!"
Including of course the Liberal Democrat's spectacular win in Dacorum's Northchurch Ward with a 36% swing, the Tories actually lost all of the six council seats they were defending that night. This is symptomatic of their steady decline as a viable political party.
Conservative complacency took another hit on Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) on Thursday night (8th March 2018) as Liberal Democrat Lara Pringle won a decisive victory in two local By-Elections. One was to fill the vacant Northchurch Ward on DBC and the second to fill a vacancy on Northchurch Parish Council. Both vacancies had resulted from the death in January of Cllr Alan Fantham who had held both seats.
Lara Pringle lives in Northchurch and has done for over 15 years.
Lockfield, off New Road, Northchurch is being considered for development after 2031, though this could be earlier. At the moment it is railway land and provides access to the track from a public road. As such it is infrequently used and generates very little traffic.
