ANNUAL REPORT 2014/15 Review of Civic Year 2014/15 It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as Mayor of Hertford for 2014/2015. As always it has been a busy year with a number of highlights. I have had the wonderful opportunity to experience some of Hertford’s finest cultural institutions at their best: Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society’s performances and running of Hertford Theatre Week, Hertford Symphony Orchestra’s diverse programme throughout the year, Hertford Choral concerts, wonderful displays of art from Hertford Art Society and Courtyard Arts, the second Hertford Book Festival. Hertford Museum has provided a wonderful mixture of events and exhibitions from Open Night at the Museum to Wallace Exhibitions touring the country. Cllr Miss Chantal Geall Mayor of Hertford 2014 /2015 This year has also been a year of firsts in Hertford. We have seen the first Hertford Passion Play performed at St Andrews Church. We’ve also seen the start of a new weekly event in Hertford: the Panshanger Park Run. The run which is volunteer led, celebrated its 100th event in May with 272 runners doing the 5k run through the park, with lots of children taking part and a few dogs! Another first is that Hertford Football Club formed a Ladies Football team which won their league in their first season. The club has also formed a new U21 team. We were honoured to welcome the Royal Anglian Regiment to exercise their freedom of our town in July 2014. The troops marching through the streets of Hertford provided a great spectacle and they were warmly welcomed by residents before being entertained in the Hertford Castle grounds with a wonderful marquee provided by Fergus McMullen our High Sheriff for the year. In August and September the town came together to commemorate the start of WW1. Moving remembrance services were held at the War Memorial and All Saints Church as the people of Hertford reflected on the service and dedication of our forefathers. An important part of the year was fund raising for my chosen charities – the Isabel Hospice and Hertford and Ware Street Pastors. Fund raising events included fine wine and dining at the Castle, wine tasting, the Mayoral quiz and more recently the civic dinner. I would like to thank everyone who supported these events and gave generously to the good causes. I am also glad to report that my goal of planting a tree in each of the Hertford wards was achieved. One of these was planted at Pinehurst on the night of the opening of the new play area which Hertford Town Council contributed to and is now responsible for maintaining. If you have not tried it already – I can recommend the zip wire there! I would like to thank all the organisations and charities who have welcomed me to events large and small during my civic year. I would like to thank all the volunteers who make Hertford the wonderful place it is – particularly those working with children – Guiding and Scouting movements etc and the more vulnerable or elderly in our community. My mayoral year has given me a much greater insight into the varied and significant contributions that volunteers make to enhance the wellbeing of all in our town. During the year I have received strong support from my Deputy Cllr Sally Newton and officers of Hertford Town Council for which I am grateful. Thanks go to the Mayor’s Chaplain Barbara Evans-Routley for her encouragement and practical support. Finally my warmest thanks go to my Mother, Jill Geall, a former Mayor of Hertford for acting as my consort for the year. Overview of the year 2014/15 It is my pleasure to give the annual report for the year 2014-2015, the last year in this current term of office. Reflecting on the year I see that we have achieved a great deal. The constitution of Hertford Town Council outlines the statutory requirements which the Town Council is required to perform but indeed we have managed far more than just the basics. Cllr Dr Linda Radford Leader of the Council The Community Services committee, amongst other duties, oversees the management of the town’s allotment sites and in addition to letting plots to aspiring gardeners, it has three semi-independent plot holding groups – The North Road Group, Mudlarks and the Lovely Grub Community Gardeners at Sele Road. The committee takes great delight in hearing regular progress reports from these groups. The grounds’ staff, who care for the cemetery and the closed churchyards, are extremely professional in their work and are constantly praised and thanked by the public. Work on Block J in the cemetery is now complete and this area is now open for burials and provides a tranquil and peaceful setting for people to remember their loved ones. The Youth Town Council is monitored by the Community Services Committee and has been remarkable as an institution of its kind, having been the first to be set up in such a way in England. Its members consider all manner of aspects of town life, not just those related to young people and they give freely of their time when called upon. The Youth Town Council has been successful in giving some young people an effective role in local government, but after 30 years, a fundamental review of the constitution and ongoing youth links are recommended by the outgoing Community Services Committee as a priority for the incoming administration. Nonetheless, there have been some recent good initiatives by the Youth Town Council. Our Development and Leisure Committee has had a very busy year. Under their guidance the Hertford Town Council website has been re-branded and re-launched to give a more modern and attractive image. Alongside this, a dedicated venue hire website for Hertford Castle was launched, generating much interest in using the Castle as a historic setting for weddings, baby naming ceremonies and other celebrations. This year saw the first Open Air Cinema at Hertford Castle, which sold out in advance and made a profit. By popular demand it will be returning later this year. The Hertford Arts Festival was launched, thereby increasing footfall into Hertford which helped promote local venues and traders as well as raising the profile of local artists. In addition the event promoted arts based projects around Hertford, such as Hertford Theatre, Courtyard Arts and Hertford Art Society. The Town Council has supported the Hertford Entrepreneurs Network, a scheme to encourage local innovation in business and hosting meetings where guest speakers give presentations and there is an opportunity for local business people to network, share experiences and help expand knowledge. This year a £3,000 grant was secured as prize money for the Hertford Growth Awards and this helped local businesses with funding and publicity. This year we secured event sponsorship totalling more than £8,000 in income. New Christmas lights were installed and many positive comments and words of appreciation were received about the quality of the display. Funding has been obtained for town centre signage which will be erected by mid 2015 and the Development and Leisure Committee has approved finance for the introduction of free WiFi in the town. The Finance, Policy and Administration Committee manages the overall budget and through prudence it has been possible to freeze Hertford Town Council’s portion of the Council Tax for a further year, despite rising costs and responsibilities. The committee has awarded grants to local organisations and this year has supported around thirty community initiatives, including high profile events such as the Children’s Book Festival at Hertford Theatre. The Town Council accounts have been revamped with the ‘big picture’ which helps overall visibility of income and expenditure. Also under the wing of Finance, Policy and Administration a lease was negotiated which enabled Hertford Town Council to take responsibility for Pinehurst Field from Hertfordshire County Council. This involved partnership working with all tiers of local Councils, Riversmead Housing Association and the local community group. Hertford Town Council organised the steering group, bid evaluation, contract award and necessary oversight. This amenity was opened in November and is much appreciated as a green space and play area by many residents in the area. The Planning Subcommittee has met very regularly – almost every fortnight in fact, and receives all planning applications which have been submitted to East Herts District Council and which are pertinent to Hertford. Each one is carefully considered and although mindful that change is inevitable and often desirable, the committee try to ensure that care is taken with due regard for the historic fabric and the street scene and comment accordingly. In closing my report I would like to thank my fellow Councillors, some of whom will be stepping down this year, along with the Officers at Hertford Town Council, for their hard work and dedication, without which, all that we have achieved would not have been possible. Together we have made great strides forward for Hertford Town. HERTFORD TOWN COUNCIL SERVICES Allotments The Town Council rents out allotments at sites in Bengeo, Cromwell Road, Folly Island, Hertingfordbury, North Road, Sele Road and supports the ‘Lovely Grub Garden' at Sele Road. Cemeteries and Closed Churchyards The Town Council maintains the beautiful St Leonard’s Garden in Bengeo and All Saints’, St Andrews, Holy Trinity and St Leonard’s churchyards. The Town Council is also the burial authority for the town, providing a comprehensive burial and cemetery service at Hertford Cemetery. CCTV and Taxi Marshalls The Town Council has provided CCTV cameras in Hertford for several years.