News from Ashwell Parish Council

V​egan Camp Out at Bygrave Woods

T​he Camp Out is taking place from Thursday 28th August - Monday 1st September. Click here for full details

P​arish Council News - September 2025

C​lick here for newsletter

U​rban & Civic Baldock Expansion Meeting

T​he next meeting open to the public to discuss the Baldock Expansion run by Urban & Civic is scheduled for 15th September at 7.30pm. The venue is Baldock Community Centre, Simpson Drive.  We have been informed that representatives from Water Companies will be present at the meeting.

A​ny feedback or comments to Urban & Civic regarding the expansion should be addressed to baldock@urbanandcivic.com

Notice from Hertfordshire Constabulary

The Herts Constabulary police force restructure comes into effect on 15^th September 2025. This restructure will better equip us to prevent, investigate and solve crime, in line with our new force mission.

We will be moving to a two geographical area structure (East and West). Within each area, there will be 3 districts, some which incorporate pairings of the currents CSPs. North Herts will be paired with Stevenage, and it will have 1 Chief Inspector overseeing the 2 CSP areas.

I would therefore like to introduce Sarah Gilbertson, who will be the new Chief Inspector for North Herts & Stevenage. Sarah is an experienced police office, with nearly 20 years’ service. She brings a wealth of policing experience from all corners of the force, including intervention, case investigation, safeguarding, mental health and Male Violence Against Women and Girls. Following a recent successful promotion process, I will be stepping up as the new Ops Support Superintendent for the West area and so will sadly wave goodbye to North Herts.

I can confirm that our Neighbourhood Policing Inspectors will remain aligned to the 10 CSPs and we will be benefitting from the addition of Service Delivery Inspectors, who will support the district Chief Inspectors in increasing local accountability.

Due to the realignment of the force, there will be a slight reduction in access to your local Chief Inspector, so they can focus on local issues and crime fighting challenges. However, as described above, they will be supported by the NPT and Service Delivery Inspectors to ensure local and appropriate accessibility.

Meeting attendance will be covered by either your local Chief Inspector, or one of the supporting Inspectors. Meeting schedules are currently being reviewed for attendance suitability.

I would like to reassure you that local partnership working remains essential to our structure and working model but also wanted to manage expectations and provide some detail as to details of and rationale for change.

After we go live on 15^th September, there will be opportunities for feedback to be submitted so we can include the partnership voice as our new model evolves.

Ultimately, these changes are an opportunity for us to get to crimes quicker and have a new system that maximises all opportunities to catch criminals and keep our local communities safe.

Lastly, I wanted to express my thanks for all your continued hard work and passion for making North Herts a safer place to live.

L​icensing Policy is open to Public Consultation

Under the Licensing Act 2003, the Council regulates the retail sale of alcohol, the supply of alcohol at club premises, the provision of regulated entertainment, and the sale of hot food and hot drink between 23:00hrs and 05:00hrs.

At least every 5 years, the Council must review and adopt a Statement of Licensing Policy that details how the Council will undertake its licensing functions. The current Statement of Licensing Policy has been in effect since 7 January 2021, therefore the Council has undertaken a full review. The proposed policy sets out the approach the Council will take when determining applications for new licences, variations and reviews. It also states the Council’s vision for licensing and how the policy integrates with other statutory functions.

The Council believes that well-managed premises are an integral part of a vibrant night-time economy and are often at the centre of village communities, therefore playing an important role in attracting a wide range of people who want to work, visit or live in North Hertfordshire. The Council are equally aware that licensing decisions must seek to balance the wider community benefit of licensed premises against any unreasonable disturbance to local residents and businesses.

Have your say

The Statement of Licensing Policy is open to public consultation between Monday 28 July 2025 and Friday 19 September 2025.

A copy of the policy and details for responding to the consultation are available at the following link: Licensing consultations | North Herts Council