A​shwell Parish Council Minutes and other items of interest

Royston Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team will be holding a Community Engagement Session as detailed below.

We are keen to hear about any concerns you have regarding Anti Social Behaviour, crime or any other issues affecting you or our local community.

If you can't attend this event, we are still keen to hear about any concerns through this short survey:

Please click here to complete the survey

For online crime prevention advice visit Crime prevention advice | Hertfordshire Constabulary (herts.police.uk)

R​ural Police Newsletter

C​lick here for latest Police Newsletter

B​eware of Winter Fuel Payment Scams

Between April and September 2025, Action Fraud has received 2,790 crime reports relating to Winter Fuel Payment scams, with victims reporting losses totalling over £27,000.

Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically, you do not need to do anything. If you receive any text messages about Winter Fuel Payments, it’s a scam.

A​ble Community Care

Help Keep an Older Person Safer in 2025 Did you know?

While cold calling itself is allowed, traders must respect "No Cold Callers" notices - it's actually against the law if they don't! As a dedicated home care provider since 1980, we've made it our mission to help protect older and disabled people in our community. We're proud to have distributed over 250,000 of these protective stickers since 2019.

Do you know of someone who would like to receive one of these? If so, simply reply to this email or call us on 01603 764567. Rest assured, we keep privacy in mind - we don't store any personal information or share it with others. If you have a Newsletter, Magazine or FB page and would like to mention this offer, we are happy for you to do so.

With warm wishes from Able Community Care your live-in care specialists, based in Norfolk, but supporting families across the UK since 1980.

www.ablecommunitycare.com

N​orth Herts Heroes Awards

We’re excited to announce that nominations for the North Herts Heroes Awards are now open! 🌟

The Chair, Cllr Keith Hoskins, together with North Herts Council, would like to celebrate individuals who have made a positive impact on the lives of others in our community in any way, big or small.

This year’s categories are:

• Caring Award – For those who have gone the extra mile to help others. (Sponsored by Nyaradzo Funeral Services)
• Dedication Award – Recognising long-term commitment to supporting the community. (Sponsored by Veolia)
• Health Award – Celebrating those who promote physical or mental wellbeing. (Sponsored by Altro)
• Green Award – For individuals making North Herts a cleaner, greener place. (Sponsored by John O’Conner)
• Young Star Award – Honouring young people who inspire and contribute to their community. (Sponsored by Willmott Dixon)

We would love you to nominate someone who has made a positive impact on their local community.

You can nominate as many people as you like, in as many categories as you wish.

📅 The deadline for nominations is 4 January 2026.

👉 Full details and link to the nomination form: www.north-herts.gov.uk/heroes

Saving waste and supporting our community!

Choose To Reuse

Did you know that all of Hertfordshire’s recycling centres take still-good items to be reused? Look out for the pink ‘Reuse Drop Off’ sign when dropping off furniture, bikes, toys, games and garden items.

What happens to the items in the Reuse Drop Off?

Most items are sold in Reuse Shops located at Harpenden, Stevenage, Waterdale (Watford), Ware and WGC Recycling Centres. Visit today and pick up a bargain! For more information see: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/reuse. All profits go back into the recycling centre service: saving waste and benefitting Hertfordshire residents.

Do you donate items to good causes?

Every week we donate items to vulnerable households, charities, schools and community groups. For more information see: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/communitydonations. Last year over £7000 of items were donated to support those in need in Hertfordshire.

Follow us on Facebook to find out more: www.facebook.com/HertfordshireReuseShops

N​HC Consultation on Herts Town Centres Strategy

We are inviting your participation in the consultation on the draft North Hertfordshire Town Centres Strategy, which sets out our vision for the future of the district’s four town centres: Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Royston, and Baldock.

The consultation period will run from 3 December 2025 to 30 January 2026.

This strategy aims to support sustainable development in and around our centres, ensuring they remain vibrant, distinctive, and competitive places to invest, live, and visit. The key areas of focus include:

1. Land Use and Retail Development
We seek to ensure that any significant development within the town centres contributes to economic, environmental, and social benefits while respecting their local character.

2. Built Environment
High-quality design is essential. Landowners and developers are expected to maintain and enhance buildings, public spaces, and open areas in ways that reflect local distinctiveness, mitigate climate change, support ecological networks, and comply with adopted and emerging design guides and codes.

3. Transport, Access, and Movement
The Council will work with key partners such to improve sustainable transport and active travel options to enable convenient movement for all users, to and within our town centres supporting economic vitality and encouraging healthy lifestyles.

4. Community
Through the planning system, we aim to foster social interaction and create healthy, inclusive communities. Town centres should provide secure environments, access to facilities, and opportunities for well-being and growth.

The Strategy is delivery and development focused. It is a planning-led document and provides the overall direction of travel with clear policy guidance and priorities for each town centre.

We recognise the importance of our town centes in supporting surrounding villages, and request your support in promoting the North Herts draft Town Centres Strategy to your residents and community to participate in the in this consultation. Your support and communication channels can help shape the future of our town centres by encouraging widespread participation.

How to take part:

The consultation document can be viewed using this link.

You can also use this link to make your comments by clicking on the questions in the document and responding directly. The document is divided into four sections including separate sections for each town centre, providing you with the option to either respond to all sections or those sections that are of interest to you.

More details about the Town Centres Strategy are available on the website and if you want to see a full version of the draft Town Centres Strategy is also available to view there.

You can also send your comments to towncentres@north-herts.gov.uk

Your input is vital to shaping the future of our town centres.

We are also currently consulting on revisions to the Developer Contributions SPD. We have extended the consultation period until Friday 16 January 2026. The consultation can be viewed on our website.