Elections 2021: How can county councillors help Hemel Hempstead?

Hemel Hempstead town centre is preparing to recover from a year of lockdowns

On the back of Covid lockdowns, the future of healthcare provision, town centres and planned development are three issues on the minds of much of the electorate. Ahead of county council elections set for next week, what are the views of candidates in Hemel Hempstead?

With a battle over the future of its hospital, uncertainty about its High Street and thousands of new homes proposed, there are plenty of unresolved issues in the Hertfordshire town.

It is due to elect county council representatives on 6 May who will have responsibility for issues like public health, roads and public transport.

Hemel Hempstead Hospital lost its A&E department in 2006 and now offers an urgent treatment centre and other local healthcare facilities

There is a longstanding row over health provision and its hospital. The West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust and Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group decided to replace buildings at Watford General and not build a new central hospital for the area.

Many fear the town's local plan - a blueprint for housing and infrastructure up until 2038 - is putting thousands of acres of green belt land at risk from development with more than 16,000 new homes planned.

And like all towns in England, its high street businesses are also facing a battle for survival.

Dacorum Borough Council and the local NHS will play the main part in deciding these issues, so how would county councillors standing in the Hemel Hempstead Town county council ward influence them?

'We need to think 40 years ahead and not four'

Dacorum Green Party spokesman Sherief Hassan said it is important for all green councillors to be "the green in the room"

Sam Deering is standing for the Green Party.

Party spokesman Sherief Hassan says the county council could help with town centre recovery but all investment should be "not just for the immediate future but, for far into the future".

"We need to think 40 years ahead and not four," he says.

He believes 15% of local government contracts should be awarded to local businesses so money comes into the area.

He says the county council needs to ask for government money to invest in public transport "to get people into town centres to spend money".

Some candidates have said residents are concerned about parking in the town

Mr Hassan says that as proposals in the latest local plan would "seriously increase the population", the "hospital provision has to change".

"We must ask if funds can be reallocated," he says. "The county council can put gentle pressure on because they can advise, but we can only make recommendations".

He says the county can also help with community health for the elderly and the young which would "take some weight off the hospital".

Underpinning everything, the county council "must have a green agenda", he says.

"What is important for all green councillors is being the 'green in the room'," he says. "We have to highlight to other councillors that they are not being as green as they should be."

'There are things you can do'

Liberal Democrat Adrian England says "there are things you can do at county level that will have an impact"

Liberal Democrat Adrian England says that while town centre recovery is an issue for the borough council, "there are things you can do at county level that will have an impact".

Residents are concerned about parking and the borough can work with the county council "to create a way to have more capacity" and also "create a way for people not to need so many cars" and, in doing so, contribute to public health, he says.

This means combining improvements in public transport with getting people to "get back on their feet and be healthier".

"Our town centres are going to be places of leisure, all the humdrum shopping will be done by delivery drivers, people will come into town centres to meet people and if we can combine that with walking there, it will be helpful," he says.

Adrian England wants to encourage people to use the disused railway line - known as the Nicky line - that runs from the industrial area to the town centre for commuting

As a co-founder of one of the groups calling for a new central hospital, he accepts that as a county councillor he "can't do anything" to change the trust's decision.

"The decision has been taken and unless that opens up again, then as a county councillor I can't resurrect that," he says.

County councillors cannot vote on the local plan but "should take part in other ways, and support proper awareness among residents" when those affected are consulted, he says.

"I think the role of a county councillor is to understand the changing demographics in relation to school catchment areas and represent the need for places, in view of planned housing development sites," he says.

'I want to be a fierce advocate for the hospital'

Born in Hemel Hempstead maternity ward in 1998, Tessa Milligan has "grown up with the hospital debate".

Labour candidate Tessa Milligan says that even for the areas the county council does not have direct power over, people can "still elect councillors who will represent the community and who will act as your advocate".

"I have thought about how town centres need to be a social and cultural hub, not just for retail, and make sure local people are at the heart of the decision-making," she says. "Even if you don't have direct responsibility, you can actively promote the town centre.

"Plus, roads and transport lead directly to those spaces, I want people to be able to get there, I would promote net-zero transport and encourage greater cycling and walking.

"I want to make sure Hemel has proper infrastructure and is properly interconnected especially after the last year. The town centre is a social space which can prevent social isolation and this will be the key to getting back into the swing of things."

Tessa Milligan wants to be "a fierce advocate for the hospital and for the people who work there"

Ms Milligan was born in Hemel Hempstead maternity ward in 1998 and so has "grown up with the hospital debate".

"I want to be the councillor who will bang on doors and demand better for our residents," she says.

"Trusts are the faceless bureaucrats but we are community representatives and will advocate for the people - anyone who says they can't do anything isn't trying hard enough.

"I want to be a fierce advocate for the hospital and for the people who work there and will do everything I can to support local services."

'Time to push for the eco-agenda'

Conservative William Wyatt-Lowe said he wants to "push the eco-agenda as much as possible"

Conservative William Wyatt-Lowe says while as a county councillor there is "not a great role we can play" in town centre recovery, the authority is "certainly taking it as a serious issue and everything we can do in terms of access we'll get involved in".

"During Covid, we've been involved in safer streets so people can shop safely and on the public health side we look for sites to provide services," he says.

As a member of the council's public health and prevention panel, he says he will be "doing his best to be encouraging people to be going walking". He also wants to see 20mph (32km/h) zones in the area to reduce noise pollution and improve air quality and push the eco-agenda as much as possible.

"People's attitudes are changing and now is the right time to push for the eco-agenda and that's where I'll be, councillor or not," he says.

Conservative William Wyatt-Lowe says he will be "doing his best to be encouraging people to be going walking"

Mr Wyatt-Lowe says he has been part of the campaign for a new hospital over the past 20 years.

"I want to stress how recuperative or palliative care should be done as close to home as possible because the cost of going to hospital is prohibitive for some people," he said.

He adds the county council "has no influence" in the local plan process but he is "totally opposed to building homes in the greenbelt".