North Herts: May 2023 local elections party statements

The below statements are pledges, policies and ideas of the various parties running in North Herts Local Election 2023.

Here's what they had to say. 

Christian Peoples Alliance

"The CPA is standing in all the wards in Hitchin that are up for election this year with three candidates all prominent in the community in different ways.

"We will oppose all planning applications for building on farmland or on rural areas on the edge of Hitchin. We don’t have the infrastructure in place.

"We pledge to set up family hubs in Hitchin and do all we can to support the marriage process to create more stable families. This is already happening in Hungary Poland and Italy with great success. In the UK marriage is declining and crime rising.

"We will talk to all local schools about what materials they use in sex education and what books they have in their libraries on the subject and make sure all parents are fully aware and have a chance to express their view on it.

"We will advertise support for pregnant mothers so anyone who is considering abortion in Hitchin knows what help and support is available. We would hope to greatly reduce the number of aborted babies here.

"We will give full support to the local Foodbank and ensure the Government knows why people attend Foodbanks and what can be done to reduce usage.

"These are the biggest issues in the community and not one is being addressed by any of the other parties.

"We’ve had feedback that Labour say a vote for CPA will let the Tories in. The Tories say a vote for CPA will let Labour in. In the recent by-election this was false.

"If enough Labour voters had voted CPA, then CPA would have won not the Tories.

"So please vote for what you know is right. Don’t let the big parties demand for tactical voting based on fear of an alternative determine what you do."

Conservatives

"Conservatives in North Hertfordshire have spent the last four years holding a Labour-Liberal Democrat joint administration to account.

"We have opposed council tax, car parking and garden waste charges going up year after year and also this year the rise of councillor allowances by six per cent.

"The bin collection and street cleaning waste contract is now up for renewal but rather than remove, as they promised, the garden waste charging, the Labour-Lib Dems are proposing increasing the charge to £50 (+25 per cent) and their plan is to cut the residual waste collection to once every three weeks.

"We are concerned about the effect this will have on families and the environmental impact of having overflowing bins around the district. Conservatives will work to keep regular collections and tackle fly-tipping with harsher penalties for offenders. 

"The council has now approved our Local Plan which will provide much needed new homes throughout the district and will protect our Green Belt from inappropriate development.

"However, we must get on and review the plan against new government legislation and make our policies environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Conservatives will make this our priority and would, if we were in control, have already started this.

"We have watched as the Labour-Liberal Democrats administration have increased the costs of running the council by having more meetings (up 37 per cent) and wasting your money introducing a new council name and brand logo.

"The leader of the council took the decision to give away a homeless grant that enabled the Lord Lister Hotel to be turned into a hostel, and over £4million has been spent outbidding an investor to acquire the Hitchin Churchgate shopping centre without having a clear plan or budget to redevelop the site. 

"It’s time for a change on May 4 and let the Conservatives implement their ambitious plan for North Hertfordshire to ensure that your priorities are put first and the Council is run effectively and efficiently.

"Your Conservative Councillors - working for you."

Greens

"Our 12 North Herts candidates for the upcoming elections share a passion for creating fairer, greener communities. Most  are already active helping our towns and villages to become cleaner, safer and better places to live.

"For example, Anni Sander is our candidate in Cadwell, who founded the Plastic Free Hitchin initiative and has since with a team of volunteers run countless events to help people minimise their waste like Repair Cafes, clothes swaps and Hitchin Eco Day.

"Our candidate in Baldock Town, Tim Lee, supports local residents at the food bank and beyond.

"And Deolinda Elringham, standing in Hitchin Bearton, is not only actively campaigning for better air quality but also the coordinator of one of the most successful TerraCycling schemes in North Herts, turning unrecyclable waste into funds for local charities.

"Our candidates work hard all year round at the heart of our local communities. We want to give them the chance to take this voice into the council chamber to add a new perspective.

"A Green in the room has proven to be the most effective way to hold administrations to account, be it to take the climate emergency seriously or improving our social care and health services. Green policies are fact-based, fair and compassionate.

"In North Herts this means immediate work to improve the disastrous local plan the administration has waved through, allowing low standard and unaffordable homes to be built on precious Green Belt, action to properly monitor and improve air quality and support for local households to insulate and sustainably heat their homes.

"Voting for your local Green candidate in North Herts, means supporting their invaluable work in our towns and helping them to carry this work into the council. We will only get a safer, greener future with choosing a fairer present!"

Labour

"Labour has led North Herts through the pandemic, putting communities and people at the heart of everything we do.

"As we face new and emerging challenges, we’re committed to turning these into opportunities to create a fairer, greener North Herts.

"We know the pressure everyone faces, which is why we’re setting up a community investment fund which will support local charities, groups and organisations access essential funding to increase their capacity and invest back into our communities.

"Labour councillors are leading on the development and delivery of a Women’s Safety Charter, making North Herts a safe place for women and girls to live, work, and enjoy.

"We are working closely with the police and community safety partners to ensure your priorities on crime and safety are delivered.

"The cost-of-living crisis shows no sign of easing. We know how hard ordinary working people are finding things. That’s why we’ve committed to ensuring our staff, and those of the partners we work with, are paid the real living wage wherever possible.

"Easing the squeeze on North Herts taxpayers means taxing fairly and spending wisely. That’s why we’ve revised the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, ensuring those who are less well-off have the support they need. We’re also revising our approach to concessions across council services so everyone can afford and access the things they need.

"We need quality homes built in the right place, for the right price, to support the future of our communities and the local economy. Our new masterplanning process will deliver this.

"We have an ambitious plan for North Herts looking not just to the next 12 months, but further into the future. We’re building on our successes and will work with you to deliver a fairer, greener North Herts for everyone."

Liberal Democrats

Cllr Steve Jarvis said: "Over the past four years Liberal Democrat councillors have worked in a joint administration to make North Herts greener and make the council listen to and support local people better.

"But much remains to be done.

"Liberal Democrats want to see the council move further and faster on reducing emissions and helping the residents and businesses of North Herts do the same.

"As well as making progress with cutting the council's own energy use there are real opportunities for the council to help householders and small businesses cut their energy use - which will not only reduce climate impact but will also cut energy bills.

"Now the Local Plan has been adopted the council is in a much better position to stop developments in unsuitable places and ensure that affordable housing is built - although the Local Plan prepared by the Conservatives is far from satisfactory in some respects.

"We must ensure that the review of the plan addresses not only housing need but the impact on the environment and the infrastructure of our towns and villages.

"The council has made great progress turning the shambolic bin service inherited from the Conservatives into a reliable service that residents tell us performs well.

"In the coming years we need to help people recycle more, expanding the range of materials that can be recycled so that less material goes to landfill.

"We need to make sure that the bin service becomes even more efficient - both to avoid wasting council tax-payers money and to reduce its impact on our environment.

"Finally, we need to work with others to ensure that the district's town centres remain succesful places which people want to visit and where they want to stay longer.

"We believe that our programme will deliver a greener and fairer North Herts."

Reform UK

Steve Adelantado said: "Reform UK are a relatively new party, but are already polling as high as nine per cent. Our membership is growing rapidly. We believe that will grow even more as our message spreads.

"Reform UK are fielding two candidates in the North Herts Council elections on May 4. Myself in Letchworth Grange, and Garry Warren in Letchworth South East. You may see us out and about introducing ourselves to residents. If you do, feel free to tell us your concerns. We want to represent you.

"We will act in your best interests. We recognise that elected representatives at all levels are elected to work for the people. The power belongs to you, not politicians. everything we do will be lead by that fact.

"Reform UK has a comprehensive set of policies, which can be found on our website. These policies include:

• A radical, ambitious, yet achievable plan to get to zero waiting lists in two years.
• Replacing damaging net zero targets with sensible, realistic policy.
• Tackling high energy costs.
• Lifting the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles.
• Helping one million people on out-of-work benefits back into work within two years.
• Lifting around six million of the lowest paid from paying income tax, by raising the threshold from £12,500 to £20,000.
• Reducing wasteful government spending, scrapping much of the EU burdensome regulations and ensuring every penny of tax raised is spent to best effect.
• We will leave the ECHR, and Reform UK will stop the boats.

How we will achieve these plans and details on our other policies, and how to join Reform UK, can be found at www.reformparty.uk.