HITCHIN

TOWN  COUNCIL

OUR CHANCE to have a Town Council.

Hitchin town, with its c.35.000 residents, has no meaningful community voice, unlike the surrounding villages of Ickleford & St. Ippolyts that have Parish Councils and most other towns in the country, who have their own councils.

But, WHAT IS A TOWN COUNCIL?  

The role of a Town Council is to represent the interests of the community and help lobby and advise other tiers of government on local matters and spending decisions.

What form would a Town Council take?

It would consist of elected, unpaid councillors from Hitchin and a small executive team headed by a Town Clerk, supported by volunteers.

WHY NOW?

Government is looking at the whole structure of local administration. Regional Councils are constantly squeezed by funding, which is most felt at community level. A Town Council will generate its own funds to make a difference locally.

SO. HOW COULD A TOWN COUNCIL BENEFIT HITCHIN?

It would complement and extend the management and improvements achieved by Visit Hitchin in the Town Centre, to the rest of Hitchin. This infographic illustrates what a Town Council could do to support our town, alongside North Herts Council and Hertfordshire County Council.

TOWN COUNCIL BENEFIT IN MORE DETAIL …

There are many things that a town council could support the residents of Hitchin with…

The true extent of the projects worked on will be the gift of future town councillors, working collaboratively with the statutory authorities.

How WOULD A town council BE funded?

Similarly to the parishes of St. Ippolyts and Ickleford, North Herts Council would take an annual fee (a precept) of c.£50 a year (Band D property) which would raise about £600,000 to spend on the town and our community.

WHO IS PROPOSING THE FORMATION OF A HITCHIN TOWN COUNCIL?

Hitchin Initiative - a group of local business people who set about trying to revive the town centre, which has been very successful, so they have turned their attentions to the rest of Hitchin.

Hitchin Initiative Ltd was set up as Hitchin Town Centre Initiative Ltd in 1995 as a not-for-profit guarantee company. They provided the initial funding and management (with a small grant from the local authority) and subsequently was funded by membership donations from local businesses and individuals, together with some events.

Its first objective was to appoint a town centre manager, one of the first in the country. Most will agree it has been very successful – one indicator is the very much lower volume of empty shops than most of the country through recessions and crises.

15 years ago the Initiative sponsored Hitchin BID, again, one of the first in the country. That stabilised the town centre finances. BID took on town centre management and allowed activities to be expanded. Its work has been supported enthusiastically and its renewal has been voted in 3 times at 5 yearly intervals.

About the same time, it sponsored Hitchin Markets Ltd, another social enterprise, which took on the running of the market on behalf of the local authority.

Hitchin Initiative still has the support of voluntary donations from Hitchin businesses and residents and has fewer regular obligations, but acts as a catalyst for the town’s development. It has worked relentlessly to enable the completion of the town’s riverside walk and that may soon come to fruition. It continues to control the market’s operation and is lobbying for a major upgrade alongside Churchgate changes.

Ah, Churchgate. The Initiative brings together town businesses and activists and is a voice in its hoped for redevelopment.

Now, a major activity is promoting the formation of a Town Council.

SUPPORT THE IDEA OF A HITCHIN TOWN COUNCIL?

Please let us know by signing the form, as this will help us to prove that there is support from the wider Hitchin community.