Author: Alex-GroveCon

CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	PERCENTAGE
Colette Waytt-Lowe	Conservative	1133	42.61%
Lindsey Betts	Reform	701	26.36%
Goverdhan Silwal	Labour	493	18.54%
Nicolas Keay	Liberal Democrats	159	5.98%
Bill Burgar	Green Party	128	4.81%
Brian Hall	Independent	45	1.69%

Turnout was 26.06%.

Congratulations to County Councillor Colette Wyatt-Lowe.

Lib / Dem controlled Dacorum Borough Council is making some decisions which we simply can’t understand and which the Conservatives including Grovehill ward councillors Julie and Alex and County Councillor Colette Wyatt-Lowe, do NOT support. The cancelation of VE is just one. Deeply inappropriate, upsetting and even offensive, it demonstrates a severe lack of respect, decency and appreciation for sacrifice.

At the full council meeting of Wednesday 2nd April, members were horrified at the announcement of the cancellation. Several comments were made from the Conservative side of the floor, Labour’s Peter Hannell voiced his disapproval and not wanting to be associated with the administration, Alex walked out.

Yes, we understand that Gadebridge park is a bit of a building site at the moment but not all of it. It should also be noted that we’re very fortunate to have an abundance of green space in and around Hemel Hempstead which, if the will was there, could have allowed things to be rearranged.

COVID put unprecedented pressures on our communities but we simply cannot understand how a few mounds of earth and a couple of diggers, are in the same league!

The Lib / Dem led Dacorum Borough Council’s decision not to celebrate VE Day has now featured in the national press and brings shame on all of us. The reason for ‘banning’ the event has apparently been put down to elitism. SERIOUSLY? LIB / DEM MAYHEM… What are they on?!?!?

On a sidenote, we should mention that the council elected its third leader in under two years as the Lib / Dems continue to fight and bicker amongst themselves. For the sake of Dacorum residents, the Conservatives put forward Cllr. Andrew Williams but four out of the five Labour councillors voted FOR Lib / Dem leader, Cllr. Symingtom. One of those four was Labour Councillor for Grovehill, Cllr. Goverdhan Silwal. We're simply unsure as to why they did this, other than for party political reasons. With a shambolic track record since being elected in 2023, who the hell can and indeed would, support the Lib / Dem administration? Well, Labour, of course!

Pictured are some of the people who braved the grey skies to help clean up Woodhall Farm and Grovehill yesterday.

Thanks to County Councillor Colette Wyatt-Lowe and Councillor Berlinda Williams for organising all of this and a special thanks to all the residents that came out to help.

The skies were indeed very grey but the best of British weather held off until we'd collected a lot of bags!

See you there, everyone! 🙂

Due to the sad passing of Councillor John Bernie (Independent, Bennetts End) and the resignation of Councillor Sadie Hobson (Liberal / Democrats, Hemel Hempstead Town), a by elections were held in those wards on 21st November 2024.

The results were as follows:

Congratulations to Neil Harden who received more than the Labour and Lib / Dem votes, combined. Deep commiserations to our colleague, Margaret Griffiths, who we know worked tirelessly for this seat.

Whilst reassuring that Hemel Hempstead Town voters seemed to be concerned about the chaos created by the Lib / Dems at local government level, the broken pre-election promises of the national Labour party and the fact that a Conservative local council was actually doing okay, Bennetts End still tilted Labour but only just. Margaret Griffiths lost by a mere five votes.

Within just a few months of taking government, Labour has...

• Scrapped the Winter fuel allowance
• Scrapped inheritance tax relief for agricultural land
• Scrapped the £2 bus fare cap
• Increased the national insurance contribution from employers has increased to 15%
• Reasons to protect greenbelt. Well, there aren't any under Labour!

Pensions will be colder this Winter, farmers will have to sell up and Britain will lose any chance of becoming food secure, travel for many will be limited and small businesses will lay off staff as they won't be able to pay their NI.

Wait! There's more to come...

Labour will be imposing a levy on so called luxury cars. Any new car over £40,000 will be subject to a £2,000 levy to be paid over six years. A Ford Kuga plugin hybrid costs about £45,000. We don't consider that to be a luxury car but hey, what do we know. Motorists will be unable to consider going green and people like Sadiq Khan will simply be able to carry on robbing us because there won't be a choice.

You can read all about the broken Lib / Dem party here.

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It's not an opinion, it's a fact, that the world is in a very turbulent place right now. After decades of encouraging, developing and even reaping the benefits of a global economy, many nations now find themselves if not short of resources, very concerned about their availability. The Russian invasion of Ukraine very quickly threatened energy supplies in Europe and fuel prices shot up.

Energy, water and food security are things that Britain must develop and quickly as no one knows just what's around the corner. It would appear that Labour isn't worried about any of that.

Green agenda? What green agenda? In a generation or two, Britain might not have any farms! Instead, we'll be flying our food half way around the world to be in our supermarkets when we want them. Hmmm... Nice one, Mr. Starmer.

If you want to help develop our nation's independence and believe that farmers should if anything, be supported to provide for the nation, then please consider signing the petition here.

Yes, we know it's a bit early. In fact, it's very early and we've never brought out a Christmas In Touch six weeks before Christmas! On the other hand, we simply had to bring you the news about the Regulation 19 public consultation. It's your opportunity to have your say about development in the borough.

If for whatever reason, you've missed our Christmas 2024 In Touch, don't worry. You can download it here. And of course, you can download past In Touch editions here.

While out catching up with Grovehill residents, some are asking about Goverdhan Silwal so we feel obliged to tell you...

Julie, Alex and Colette were quite taken back when, some time after last year’s local elections, Goverdhan resigned from the Conservative party. Standing as an independent councillor for several weeks, Goverdhan’s next move was a complete shock. In fact, many feel that it was actually his intention all along, to join the Labour party.

Julie, Colette, Alex and many other who have worked with Goverdhan over the years, feel quite let down but more importantly, there is a sense that he’s betrayed the very residents he was elected to represent and who have voted for him since 2015.

Party politics aside, the attribute ‘integrity’ comes to mind, as does the adjective ‘lacking’.

Yes, groups such as political parties go through their ups and downs but the only way things are going to change is if good people stay committed and encourage change and redirection from within. Obviously, Goverdhan doesn’t see things that way. In fact, one would be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Goverdhan’s only agenda, is well, Goverdhan!

Recently asked if he'd changed his political philosophy, beliefs or even principles, he said no, which is even more confusing and only reinforces the idea that perhaps he felt that the Conservative party no longer could help him with his own personal agenda.

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UPDATE - 8th September 2024

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UPDFATE - 28th October 2024

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UPDATE - 10th November 2024

Well, it seems that we didn't have to wait quite as long as we have done in the past to get the entrance to Henry Wells Square resurfaced. With the first 5m from the road coming under Hertfordshire Highways, we feel that Country Councillor Colette Wyatt-Lowe may have had something to do with this. 🙂

Residents will also be very aware of the considerable upheaval in the carpark at the moment. Indeed signs are up informing visitors that electric vehicle charging points are being installed.

Local councillors wanted the new charging points to be near the so-called seating area, where the old recycling bins used to be. Apparently due to technical reasons, putting the charging points there wasn't possible.

This year, Henry Wells Square has been given the best Christmas lights ever! They look amazing. DBC's Clean Safe & Green team have been out regularly, keeping the heart of Grovehill nice and tidy. So it's a shame that a group of five adults who are NOT homeless and who live in an adjacent ward, are choosing to pretend to be homeless outside our shops.

Residents have been bringing them food that they don't want. What they want is your money. They have strewn an array of belongings across our shops, including brand new sleeping bags, etc.

After being alerted to the issue, local councillors have liaised with the police and Dacorum Borough Council to try to get the situation under control.

Please do NOT offer the beggars food or money. They are NOT homeless or rough sleepers. If you want to help actual homeless people, then please donate to DENS.