Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

General News

Save up to £720 and win a meal by reducing your food waste

Dacorum Borough Council is excited to support the Hertfordshire-wide #WorthSaving campaign, which is encouraging residents to follow 4 Steps to Save food waste and money by developing better habits: www.wasteaware.org.uk/worthsaving.  

The campaign aims to reduce the amount of food thrown away unnecessarily, with every household able to save up to £720 a year, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).  

By signing up to the campaign newsletter – to receive hints and tips on making the most of your food via email – and participating in two quick surveys, you could win a cooking experience with a professional chef and a meal out, all paid for by the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership. You can find more information and terms and conditions on the WasteAware website: www.wasteaware.org.uk/worthsaving.  

The campaign follows a study in 2020 by the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership, which showed that around 24 per cent of the rubbish in Hertfordshire’s refuse bins was made up of food that could have been eaten.  

Cllr Robin Bromham, Dacorum Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Operations, said:  

“At a time when household budgets are being stretched by rising costs of living, including the increasing costs of food, it’s more important than ever to reduce the amount of food we throw away.  

“On top of rising living costs, we continue to receive stark warnings and local examples of what the climate crisis will mean for us all. Reducing our food waste is a simple, cost-saving way to live more sustainably and help us reach our net-zero targets.”  

Discarding food has a huge impact on the environment, wasting all of the land, fertiliser, transport and water needed to produce the food, with wasted edible food generating around 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  

To learn the 4 Steps to Save and to enter the prize draw, visit the WasteAware website and sign up to the #WorthSaving challenge to receive weekly tips and guidance on how to reduce food waste over the course of five weeks: www.wasteaware.org.uk/worthsaving.  

If you would like to support the campaign by displaying posters, sharing leaflets or organising a talk to a community group from a WasteAware representative, please email recycle@dacorum.gov.uk.  

Transfer to Secondary and Upper School in 2024 – Open Events

Applications for children due to start at secondary and upper school in September 2024 are now open. 

To help make your application, you can attend school open events where possible. All details can be found on the online school directory at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/schoolsdirectory

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 31 October 2023. It is vital that parents make their applications on time.

Hertfordshire County Council Residents’ Survey 2023 – deadline extended

You may recall that Hertfordshire County Council’s 2023 Residents’ Survey was launched this summer, which will be closing shortly.

Our survey is key in building a dialogue with Hertfordshire residents about their lives in the county. To make the right decisions in how we allocate our resources, we are undertaking a survey of residents’ views to establish perceptions of the council and residents’ opinions on their communities, priorities, concerns and wellbeing. Parish, district and county councillors are also being invited to share their views. You can complete the survey here www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/residentsurvey

The deadline for responses to the survey has now been extended slightly to the 18th of September 2023 (11.59pm).

The findings of the survey will be used to help the council shape its priorities and will inform planning of the budgets and services to help to meet residents’ needs and expectations. It will also enable the council to measure progress against key priorities set in the Corporate Plan 2022-2025.

Cybercrime and Fraud Awareness Event

Advice for consumers  
Are you cybercrime and fraud aware?  

Speak to a crime prevention expert to stay safe and secure online.  

Hertfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Libraries have partnered to help citizens countywide protect themselves from Cybercrime.  

This free drop-in event features talks from Hertfordshire Police and Hertfordshire County Council Trading Standards, as well as opportunities to ask questions of cyber and fraud crime prevention experts.  

Get advice on keeping your devices and accounts safe through passwords and 2-step verification, get better at spotting phishing and social engineering, keep up to date with the latest online, phone, email and text scams, and more.  

The next Cybercrime and Fraud Awareness Event is at:  

Hemel Hempstead Library
The Forum
Marlowes
Hemel Hempstead
Hertfordshire
HP1 1DN  

on Friday 8 September 2023.  

Talks will take place at the following times:  

• 11am to 12.00pm – Victim Support – VST/Fraud Hub & Hertfordshire Beacon Victim Care
• 12.30pm to 2.00pm – Cyber Crime Awareness- Police
• 2.30pm to 3.30pm – ScamAware – Trading Standards  

FREE to attend – drop-in, no booking required.  

These events are planned at libraries across the county throughout the year.   For advice on scams, and if you need to speak to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 11 33.  

Herts Family Centre Consultation

Family Centre Service Consultation
In 2024/2025, the council’s contracts for the Family Centre Service are due to finish and we want to hear your views on our proposals for the Family Support Service element in Hertfordshire. The consultation is live now and will be available until Tuesday 10 October 2023.

We want to capture the voice of children, parents, carers, and other professionals through this consultation process. We will use the feedback to develop the service and to confirm which of the current premises we should continue to use.
For more information and to leave your opinion visit Family Centre Consultation | Hertfordshire County Council

Herts Residents’ Survey Now Open

Hertfordshire County Council’s Residents’ Survey is now open!
If you live in Hertfordshire, we’d like to hear from you!  

We are inviting you to share your views on the services we provide and what matters to you. Our survey is available at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/residentsurvey until the 15th of September 2023.  

To provide excellent services for all, we need to hear from residents from all walks of life. Every response counts and will help shape how we do things in the future.  

To keep our county cleaner and greener our survey is online. Residents who require a printed copy can pop in to their local library in the next week or so, or phone our Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 4040 and we will post a copy.

Dacorum’s Den 2023 Launch

Dacorum Borough Council launches Dacorum’s Den 2023  
Make your business idea a reality with a £1,000 grant  

Budding entrepreneurs have the chance to get a head start in business by pitching for up to a £1,000 grant from Dacorum’s Den.  

The Dacorum Borough Council initiative, based on the popular TV series Dragon’s Den, is a grant giving initiative to help local small businesses develop and grow.   

Now in its tenth year the scheme has seen more than £90,000 awarded to over 70 local businesses, creating additional jobs within the borough.  

Dacorum’s Den is aimed at individuals and businesses who have:  

• less than 10 employees and under £500,000 turnover
• have a great business idea
• are keen to expand their business in Dacorum  

Sponsored by local businesses, applications are now open until Friday 1 September 2023. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to put their ideas before a panel of judges, led by The Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP, who will hear their pitch and decide whether or not to award the grant.  

The Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP for Hemel Hempstead said: “Dacorum’s Den is one of the highlights of my year. It is fascinating to meet new entrepreneurs and learn about their fledgling businesses. This year is the 10th anniversary and I am very proud that it has been such a great success and enables larger corporations to support small local businesses. Many times I have visited a local business that benefited from Dacorum’s Den when they first started up. This is just one of several innovative initiatives that Dacorum Borough Council offers to support local businesses to help them grow and thrive.”  

Councillor Ron Tindall, Leader of Dacorum Borough Council said: “Dacorum’s Den is an excellent opportunity for anyone with a great business idea to get on the first step of the business ladder and bring their concept into reality.  Funding can be a real barrier to business growth or for new start-ups to gain momentum, so a cash injection can be the helping hand to unlocking future potential.”  

This year’s sponsors are Sopra Steria, Epson, Abode Bed and Beeches Group, and winners will also receive free coaching from Action Coach and Hemel Hempstead Business Ambassadors membership.  

Dacorum’s Den 2023 is a fantastic opportunity for anyone with a business idea to get a helping hand into making it reality, or for existing small companies to grow and adapt their business models to unlock future potential.    

Lucy Baker owner of Shaggy ‘n’ Chic dog groomers, who won a grant in 2022, said, “The funding Dacorum’s Den provided has been such a relief for me – there’s no way I could have bought the new dog bath without it. In turn, the new bath will dramatically reduce the electricity usage therefore saving me money in the long run – this is so important for us right now as the bills have increased by 500%!  The whole Dacorum’s Den experience was invaluable to me – it gave me a much needed boost to keep going with my business and to always strive for more.”  

For more information and to apply for Dacorum’s Den 2023 visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/dacorumsden, contact business@dacorum.gov.uk  Terms and conditions, and eligibility criteria apply, see website.

Twitter and Instagram @DacorumBC

Facebook: @Dacorum

Fly-tipper fined for dumping green waste

Fly-tipper fined for dumping green waste in country lane  

A Flamstead man has been fined for fly-tipping green waste in a rural lane near Markyate in November last year.   On 5 July 2023, at St Albans Magistrates’ Court, Edward Meredith, of Priory Orchard, Flamstead, pleaded guilty to the unauthorised deposit of controlled waste in Caddington Common on 5 November 2022. Meredith was ordered to pay a total of £2,222, which consisted of a £1,230 fine, £500 costs and a victim surcharge of £492.  

Magistrates heard that on 8 November 2022, one of Dacorum Borough Council’s Environmental Enforcement Officers attended a fly-tipping hot spot at Caddington Common. There, the officer found a pile of green waste dumped by the roadside. Footage from a covert surveillance camera, which had been deployed previously in the area to catch fly-tippers, showed a driver of a white pick-up truck deposit the waste.  

The defendant was traced through the vehicle and was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £400. However, despite making contact with the Council’s Environmental Enforcement Team and being sent a reminder, the FPN was not paid. The Council then pursued the matter through the courts.  

Cllr Robin Bromham, the Portfolio Holder for Communities, said:  “It’s a great shame that a minority of people profit and incur costs to Council Tax payers by fly-tipping, rather than disposing of waste properly. Our Environmental Enforcement Officers are doing a great job in detecting these offenders, so that fixed penalties can be offered. Offenders have the option of having their case heard in court, and in this case the court decided that the offence should attract a larger fine and awarded costs to us with a victim surcharge.”  

The Council is part of the Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group (HFTG). This is a multi-agency taskforce including the borough, district and county councils as well as Hertfordshire Constabulary, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Herts Fire and Rescue, the Environment Agency and the National Farmers’ Union.  

These organisations have come together to improve how Hertfordshire responds to fly-tipping. The HFTG is delivering improvements in enforcement capability across the county, as well as rolling out new technology to assist in identifying and prosecuting fly-tippers.  

The HFTG is also behind the award-winning #SCRAPflytipping campaign, which is used across Hertfordshire to help educate residents, and has been provided to other local authorities across the UK (free of charge) to help promote a consistent message.    For more information please visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/flytipping.