15/06/2026
🚨🏘️ STATEMENT FROM THE HERTSMERE BOROUGH COUNCIL CONSERVATIVE GROUP🏘️🚨
The designation of Hertsmere Borough Council is a significant development that will have real consequences for our communities, our planning process and local democracy.
This decision has not happened in isolation. It comes against the backdrop of sweeping changes to national planning policy introduced by the Labour Government, including the expansion of the so-called Grey Belt concept and a relentless drive to accelerate development. These changes have fundamentally altered the planning landscape and weakened the protections that many residents believed existed for the towns and villages they call home.
The Conservative Group believes that every community has the right to understand, question and challenge what these policy changes mean in practice. Simply creating a new planning designation and expecting residents to accept it without meaningful engagement is not good enough. People deserve transparency, clear explanations and a genuine opportunity to have their voices heard.
What is particularly concerning is the assumption that simply writing housing targets and development ambitions into national policy somehow makes them achievable. It does not. Putting guidelines and targets on paper does not create the infrastructure, schools, healthcare provision, roads or public services needed to support sustainable growth. Nor does it guarantee that homes will be delivered in the right places, at the right pace, and with the support of local communities.
The designation means that major planning applications may now be dealt with differently, with some decisions potentially moving away from the local authority process. This raises important questions about accountability, local influence and the financial implications for Hertsmere taxpayers. Residents have every right to expect clarity on what this means for the future of planning decisions in our borough.
Throughout discussions on planning governance, we fought for a Planning Committee that was large enough to make meaningful and balanced decisions on behalf of all our communities. Planning is not whipped. Planning Committee members are not there to follow political instructions; they are there to carefully consider the evidence before them and make the best decisions they can in the public interest.
Sometimes those decisions will differ from officer recommendations, and that is entirely appropriate within a democratic planning system. Officers provide professional advice, but councillors are ultimately responsible for weighing all the evidence and exercising their judgement. It is also important to recognise that planning officers themselves are increasingly constrained by changes in national policy, limiting the flexibility they once had when assessing applications and advising committees.
In the coming weeks and months, you will hear a great deal of political point-scoring from various quarters. That is not where the Conservative Group will focus its efforts. We will continue to deal in facts, transparency and honest scrutiny. Our priority is to ensure residents understand what is happening, why it is happening and what the consequences may be for their communities.
We firmly believe that these national policy changes have damaged long-standing protections for our towns and villages. Local people should not be sidelined in decisions that will shape the places where they live, work and raise their families. Planning must be done with communities, not to them.
There is much more to say on this matter, and we will continue to keep residents informed as the full implications become clearer. I encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out, engage in the conversation and make their voice heard. We may not all agree on every issue, but we all care deeply about the future of Hertsmere.
Let us approach the challenges ahead with openness, respect and a shared determination to do what is best for our borough. Together, as One Hertsmere, we will navigate these changes and continue to stand up for the communities we are proud to represent.
As Conservatives, we will continue to stand up for local voices, challenge decisions where necessary and hold those responsible to account. Our residents deserve nothing less.
