News

A copy of this news letter should come through every door in South Mimms and Ridge before the end of January. If you do not get a paper copy please let us know so we can ensure that your address is added to the distributors list.

The order sets out the legal notification of the dissolving of South Mimms Parish Council and the creation of a new South Mimms and Ridge Parish Council. Press HERE to view and see the maps.

It is with great sadness that South Mimms Parish Council has learned of the death of Her Majesty, The Queen.

The Council and residents of the parish extend deepest condolences to members of the Royal Family.

In light of this sad news today, Thursday 8th September, our Parish Council Meeting this evening has been cancelled as a mark of respect.

The five councils that make up South West Hertfordshire are working together to produce a Joint Strategic Plan (JSP).  This plan will address some of the biggest issues and challenges facing the area to 2050.  The councils are Dacorum Borough, Hertsmere Borough, St Albans City and District, Three Rivers District and Watford Borough, supported by Hertfordshire County Council.

The plan will create a vision for South West Hertfordshire, setting out the priorities for the area, ensuring transport, education and healthcare infrastructure is co-ordinated and ensure new homes and jobs are delivered in the right places.

What is this consultation about?

The ‘Realising our Potential’ document marks our first formal consultation as we begin preparation of the JSP.  We are asking for feedback on a draft vision and objectives for the area, and for views on some very high level growth types we could consider.  We are not asking about specific development sites, or asking for views on housing or jobs numbers at this early stage in the plan preparation process. This ‘Realising our Potential’ document is accompanied by a Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report which we are also inviting comments on.

How can I comment?

The consultation begins on Monday 5^th September and comments must reach us by 5pm on 4^th November 2022.

We are encouraging residents to submit their comments online at www.swhertsplan.com/consultation, where all of the consultation material is available to view. Hard copies of the consultation documents are also being held at local libraries and at your local borough / district main council office reception.

If you do not wish to submit your comments using the online consultation platform, please see our website for the postal and email address to use when submitting comments.

You may also receive a duplicate notification about this consultation direct from our website, if you have directly registered on that system.

How can I find out more?

We have prepared some FAQs which should answer any questions you may have about this consultation and the JSP more broadly.  These are available on our website.

Date for your diary: Friday 16th September 2pm-4pm in the Parish Room at the village hall as part of September’s Book Swap.

Everyone should have had a news letter delivered to them by the end of August.

If you didn’t get one please do let us know.

To see a pdf of the newsletter please press here.

Second Round of Consultations

Having completed the first round of public consultations and consolidated their recommendations, Hertsmere Borough Council have now launched a second round of public consultations, A news letter about this can be found here.

The deadline for the second round of public consultation is midnight on Sunday 17 July. To view the recommendations and have your say, please visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/CGR

In the interim, South Mimms Parish Council has put together a brief document, outlining our strategy should the merger with Ridge take place. We hope that this will assure residents of Ridge that they will not be overlooked or discounted, due to the smaller number of homes, in any shape or form.

South Mimms Parish Council has already engaged significantly with the Master Builders for the proposed Bowman’s Cross development which will largely be within the Civic Parish of Ridge and we believe that together we will have a stronger voice to raise concerns and make requests.

Hertsmere Borough Council have made an initial recommendation that Ridge joins South Mimms under a combined Parish Council, with effect from May 2023. This would mean having 4 Councillors from South Mimms and 1 Councillor from Ridge.

However, no final decisions have been made and there is still time to have

your say :

https://www.hertsmere.gov.uk/Your-Council/Democracy-Elections/Community-Governance-Review-2022.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1uXXL-Jy6p24J7F1tNCe-pkdpF9EpYaqe8e0zwGsLVP1bFYTHVp_gLcgI

From the 2022/2023 Financial Year, Natalie, your Parish Clark will be working increased hours to serve the electoral parish of South Mimms.

Natalie has already been working some overtime and we hope you’ve noticed the difference with how proactive SMPC has been with getting things sorted and engaging with the community.

With so much uncertainty at the moment, with the local plan in disarray and the possibility of speculative development, not to mention Bowman’s Cross on our doorstep, SMPC has taken the decision to formalise the Clark’s increased hours to give the role enough scope to fully undertake all the work required. This will also mean that should we merge with Ridge under the Governance review that the Clark’s role can already facilitate this.

To off set the increase in the Clark’s wages, we have removed all the budgets for Community Works and Grants this year and these obligations will be met from our existing reserves. Any Community Infrastructure Levy funds or Section 106 monies received from Hertsmere will of course still be spent on on improving the village.

In summary, you will have seen an increase in the Parish Section of your overall Council Tax bill this year, but we believe that this is money well spent and means that South Mimms will continue to have a strong voice within the Hertsmere community. Natalie makes herself available to answer your emails 5 days a week (and often even at evenings and weekends), and we think that bringing this kind of services that is truly resident focused.