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North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) provides a huge range
of services to residents, from waste and recycling to street cleaning
and maintaining parks and gardens, licensing activities and events
from pop concerts to casinos, issuing bus passes, running leisure
centres and swimming pools, providing public toilets, helping with
benefits, deciding on planning applications, and more.
NHDC works in partnership with other public sector organisations
such as the police, the local health service, North Herts College,
North Herts Homes and other housing associations, voluntary organisations
such as Citizens Advice and other not-for-profit bodies. Together
they are known as the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) which has
as its vision “Making North Herts a vibrant place to live,
work and prosper.”
Currently the Council is focusing on three priorities to deliver
that vision - town centres, sustainable development and green issues.
These reflect the changing nature of our town centres with altered
shopping habits, the long term pressure for more housing, and the
concern which we all share for the environment.
Services
A wide range of information about the Council and its services can
be found on its website, www.north-herts.gov.uk. Phone numbers for
individual departments are listed on pages 45-46 of this booklet.
If you cannot find the information you require, the main Council
telephone number is 01462 474000.
Finances
NHDC collects the Council Tax from residents on behalf of Hertfordshire
County Council and the police. About three quarters of this goes
to Hertfordshire County Council which provides services including
schools, social services, highways and fire cover. About 14% of
council tax is kept by NHDC, and the rest goes to the police and
parish councils.
NHDC also receives money from central government, either to cover
its statutory duties such as Housing Benefit payments or for specific
projects. Some money comes from grant making organisations such
as the Heritage Lottery Fund and some from fees and charges for
its services such as from swimming pools.
How the Council works
NHDC is made up of elected councillors, who decide on policy, and
paid officers, who put the policy into effect and run the services
day to day.
Councillors
North Herts District Council has 49 councillors representing 24
wards. Following the elections of May 2010, the political make-up
of the council is:
Conservative 33
Liberal Democrat 9
Labour 7
NHDC councillors serve for four years. One third are elected at
a time, with District Council elections held three years out of
four in early May. In the fourth year there is an election for the
nine councillors who represent the North Hertfordshire area on Hertfordshire
County Council.
NHDC administers all elections in the district, including parish,
national and European elections and compiles the electoral roll
each year. If you are not on the roll you cannot vote. Every household
is contacted each year and asked to confirm their details for the
electoral roll.
The majority party appoints a leader, deputy leader and Portfolio
Holders to lead the different services. They form the Cabinet which
meets six times a year. Large scale and contentious decisions are
considered at full council meetings where every councillor has a
vote.
The Portfolios cover:
• Finance and IT
• Community Engagement and Rural Affairs
• Leisure
• Housing and Environmental Health
• Waste, Recycling and Environment
• Policy
• Planning, Transport and Economic Development
North Herts is divided into five local committee areas which regularly
meet to discuss local issues. All councillors sit on one of these
committees covering the ward they were elected to represent. They
are:
• Hitchin
• Letchworth
• Baldock
• Royston
• Southern Rural
Councillors also serve on other committees. The main ones are:
• Planning - decides planning permission for specific sites.
• Overview and Scrutiny - monitors and reviews council policy
and services, helping to plan for the future, and how the council
delivers its services.
• Audit and Risk - reviews the Council’s approach to
these matters.
• Licensing and Appeals - decides licence applications.
As well as these duties, many councillors serve on other bodies
such as highway liaison, housing organisations, the Letchworth Garden
City Heritage Foundation and dozens of voluntary groups catering
for a wide range of interests and charitable causes throughout our
communities.
How the Council is managed
The day-to-day work of the Council is carried out by about 420 full
and part-time staff, headed by a Chief Executive and three Strategic
Directors covering Customer Services, Planning, Housing and Enterprise
and Financial, Policy and Governance.
Between them, they are in charge of the following service areas:
Finance, Performance and Asset Management
Revenues and Benefits
Policy, Partnerships and Community Development
Legal
Democratic Services
Development and Building Control
Housing and Public Protection
Planning & Enterprise
Community and Cultural Services
Leisure and Environmental services
Customer Services and IT
Human Resources
The Council awards many thousands of pounds in grants each year
to local organisations. If your organisation needs assistance it
is worth asking the council if it can help. Ring 01462 474000 and
ask for the Community Development team.
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