Good Morning {{first_name | Reader}},

Two arguments about money and space dominate this week. The county council spent yesterday deciding whether to even look at "County of Sanctuary" status, with an 11,000-signature petition against it and Broxbourne's council leader asking why it is a priority. In Goffs Oak, a plan for 225 homes at the end of Jones Road has residents, a ward councillor and the MP all asking the same question: where does the traffic go?

Further down: Cedars Park volunteers are rebuilding the stage, CHEXS had Google drop in, and Hoddesdon's street food day is this Saturday.

A brighter note to start with, though. Residents from Waltham Cross to Cheshunt woke up this week to freshly resurfaced roads, and plenty took to social media to say thanks to the county and borough councils for getting them done.

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Hertfordshire County Council's Public Health and Community Safety Cabinet Panel met on Monday 14 September to decide whether to investigate applying for County of Sanctuary accreditation, a scheme run by the City of Sanctuary charity. No decision to apply has been made: the panel was asked to weigh the requirements, the support the council already gives refugees and asylum seekers, and the benefits, risks and cost, which includes a £2,700 administration fee if accreditation goes ahead. The charity says accreditation has no effect on asylum dispersal, housing allocations or who enters the UK, all of which stay with central government, and that the process reviews existing services rather than creating new ones.

Opposition has been loud. A Change.org petition calling for a county-wide referendum passed 11,000 signatures, Broxbourne MP Lewis Cocking called the idea a "grandstanding gesture", and Cllr Peter Colley (Restore Britain, Bedwell) said residents should get the final say. Broxbourne Council leader Cllr Corina Gander added her own statement: with SEND provision, adult social care and highways all under strain, she says the county should focus its officer time and taxpayers' money on services existing residents already struggle to access.

Croudace Homes wants to build 225 homes at the end of Jones Road near the junction with Broadfields, and ward councillor Jim Clune has come out against it. After watching traffic near Woodside School, he estimates the development would add around 900 vehicle movements a day to a road he says was never designed for them. MP Lewis Cocking raised the same infrastructure concerns in a Commons debate with the housing minister last week, so this is now a live question at both council and Westminster level.

If you live near Jones Road, Broadfields or use Woodside School, this is the one to watch.

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Lewis Cocking will meet constituents at Cleaous Bites inside the Laura Trott Leisure Centre, Cheshunt. Housing and infrastructure are likely to dominate given the Jones Road proposal, and his new role at Westminster. Join the MP on Wednesday 16th September, between 10:30 - 12:00.

Friends of Cedars' Men's Shed group is revamping the stage area at Cedars Park for community use, alongside other repair projects around the park. Gardening volunteers Joan, Linda and Linny have been restoring the Rose Arch, and the group is asking for more gardening helpers. Everyone involved is a volunteer; message Friends of Cedars on Facebook if you can give a few hours.

CHEXS, the Cheshunt charity that runs projects in local schools and the community, brought its whole team together for two days of training, covering AI, safeguarding and new policies on day one and teamwork on day two. Monique Picou and Michael Blake from Google made a surprise visit to meet the team. Coaching came from Debbie Denyer, and the LEGO animal-building challenge was, by all accounts, the highlight.

Broxbourne Borough Council says its AI-powered search bar has handled 12,803 resident queries since launching earlier this year, an average of 753 a week. The tool, called Agent-Ex: Search and built for the public sector by supplier Jadu, either summarises an answer or points you to the right page, and the council says 97.4% of responses were rated good. It only draws on public content from the council website and has no access to personal data; you can try it any time at broxbourne.gov.uk.

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Broxbourne resident Andy Lopata has been named to the 2026 Coaches50, a list published by Thinkers50 recognising 50 executive coaches making a significant contribution to leadership and organisations worldwide. A relationship strategist, international speaker and author of six books including Connected Leadership, Lopata has spent nearly 30 years helping leaders strengthen professional relationships and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today. He is named alongside his friend and co-author Dr Ruth Gotian.

Rye Meads nature reserve will remain open to visitors and community groups after Thames Water agreed to take over running the site, following the RSPB's decision to end its lease from early November. The commitment came after a heated public meeting organised by the Hoddesdon Society last week, and Thames Water says it is working "at pace" to put the arrangements in place and will share more detail in future. The reserve is nationally important for its wildlife and habitats, and has long depended on local volunteers, so continued public access is a significant win for the people who use and care for it.

Arts in East Herts is back for a third year with a programme of creative workshops and events running across the district through September and October, most of them free or at a reduced rate. Sessions range from pottery, printmaking and life drawing to a new Ware Kindness Project, mural-making at Much Hadham Forge Museum, and pottery poppies for Remembrance Day, with activities for all ages including children and carers. The full programme and booking details are online.

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Construction has begun on a satellite site for Amwell View School in Buntingford that will create 100 specialist places for pupils aged 11 to 19 with severe learning difficulties and disabilities. Delivered by Kier and due to open in 2028, the single-storey school will have specialist facilities and outdoor learning spaces, and is part of Hertfordshire County Council's wider SEND Provision Plan, which councillors are due to approve at Cabinet on 16 September. Headteacher Neil Ward said the ambition is a full learning community rather than just a building, one where every young person is supported to prepare for adulthood.

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Townstead AI, a new venture launching out of Cheshunt, aims to help small businesses, charities and local services turn repetitive admin into AI-powered workflows, with a person checking the output rather than letting the system run unsupervised. Its focus is on working out which tasks are actually worth automating before implementing anything, pitched as a route into automation for organisations with no in-house tech team. As with any vendor, the questions worth asking are the same: what data it touches, who reviews what it produces, and what happens when it gets something wrong.

Townstead is opening free weekly pilot clinics in Cheshunt to businesses and charities across the region, starting next week, to help you find where AI could help your organisation and where it should not. Space is limited.

Sign up for a pilot clinic →

Rhys James: Chop Logic
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Wednesday 16 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Introduction to Digital Marketing
📍 Online
🗓️ Wednesday 16 September 2026
⏰ 1pm
🎟️ £35
👉 Register

An Introduction to Facebook Skills Webinar
📍 Online
🗓️ Wednesday 16 September 2026
⏰ 10am
🎟️ Free
👉 Register

The Take That Experience
📍 The Spotlight, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Thursday 17 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Tom Brace's Magic Roulette
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Thursday 17 September to Thursday 29 October 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Social Media for Business
📍 Online
🗓️ Thursday 17 September 2026
⏰ 1.30pm
🎟️ £35
👉 Register

Waltham Cross Town Centre Business Forum: Lights, Camera, Revenue
📍 Skills & Learning Centre, 59 Pavilions Shopping Centre, Waltham Cross, EN8 7JU
🗓️ Thursday 17 September 2026
⏰ 1pm
🎟️ See booking
👉 Register

The Best of Queen
📍 The Spotlight, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Friday 18 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Strange, But True Crimes
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Friday 18 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

AI Coffee & Conversation, Emerging TEC Soft Launch
📍 Theobalds Enterprise Centre, Platinum Way, Cheshunt, EN8 8YD
🗓️ Friday 18 September 2026
⏰ 10am to 12pm
🎟️ Free, ticket required
👉 Register / Details

The Overtures LIVE!
📍 The Spotlight, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Saturday 19 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

General Medical Emergency Ward 10
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Saturday 19 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Hoddesdon Food & Drink Fest
📍 Hoddesdon Town Centre, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Saturday 19 September 2026
⏰ 10am to 6pm
🎟️ Free entry
👉 Details / Updates

BArts presents A Song To Sing
📍 The Spotlight, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Sunday 20 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Susie Dent: Word Perfect
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Sunday 20 September 2026
⏰ See booking
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👉 Details / Book

On Your Bike Baffo
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Sunday 20 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Hertford Castle Heritage Day
📍 Hertford Castle, Hertford
🗓️ Sunday 20 September 2026
⏰ 12pm
🎟️ Free
👉 Details / Updates

Creating a Website using Wix, Skills Webinar
📍 Online
🗓️ Monday 21 September 2026
⏰ 10am
🎟️ Free
👉 Register

Daniel Kitson: Thrum
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Tuesday 22 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Vox Lumiere: Metropolis
📍 Beam, Hertford
🗓️ Wednesday 23 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Dr Bike Free Bike Check
📍 Wormley Community Centre, Fairfield Drive, EN10 6DX
🗓️ Wednesday 23 September 2026
⏰ 2.30pm
🎟️ Free
👉 Details / Updates

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Setting Up Your Own Business
📍 Online
🗓️ Wednesday 23 September 2026
⏰ 1pm
🎟️ £35
👉 Register

Cashflow Management Skills Webinar
📍 Online
🗓️ Wednesday 23 September 2026
⏰ 10am
🎟️ Free
👉 Register

Community Alliance Broxbourne & East Herts Autumn Conference
📍 Fletchers Lea, Ware Priory, Ware, SG12 9AL
🗓️ Wednesday 23 September 2026
⏰ 9.30am
🎟️ See booking
👉 Register / Details

Fred Dinenage's Ronnie, Reggie & Me
📍 The Spotlight, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Thursday 24 September 2026
⏰ See booking
🎟️ See booking
👉 Details / Book

Pickleball Sessions, All Abilities
📍 Laura Trott Leisure Centre, Cheshunt
🗓️ Every Tuesday
⏰ 3pm to 4.30pm
💷 £3.50 per session, equipment provided
👉 To book: email [email protected]

Children's Library Session
📍 Hoddesdon Library, Hoddesdon
🗓️ Saturday 26 September 2026
⏰ 11am to 11.45am
💷 £4.40 per child
👉 Book at Hoddesdon Library

Green Belt Protest, Goffs Oak Community Association
📍 Cuffley Community Centre, 70 Station Road, Cuffley, EN6 4EY
🗓️ Sunday 4 October 2026
⏰ Congregate at 12.30pm
🎟️ Free, open to all
👉 Parliamentary petition

Cyber and Fraud Awareness Talk with Hertfordshire Police
📍 Goffs Oak Library, Goffs Oak
🗓️ Monday 5 October 2026
⏰ Talk: 11am to 12pm | Drop-in: 12pm to 2pm
🎟️ Free, no booking required
👉 Hertfordshire Libraries

Hoddesdon

Tuesday 15 September 21°C 🌡️ 15°C | 🌦️ Light drizzle, cloudy | ☀️ Sunrise 06:34 | Sunset 19:14
Wednesday 16 September 18°C 🌡️ 12°C | ☁️ Overcast, dry | ☀️ Sunrise 06:36 | Sunset 19:12
Thursday 17 September 21°C 🌡️ 14°C | 🌦️ Light drizzle, cloudy | ☀️ Sunrise 06:37 | Sunset 19:10
Friday 18 September 18°C 🌡️ 11°C | ☁️ Overcast, dry | ☀️ Sunrise 06:39 | Sunset 19:07
Saturday 19 September 17°C 🌡️ 13°C | 🌦️ Light drizzle, cloudy | ☀️ Sunrise 06:41 | Sunset 19:05
Sunday 20 September 18°C 🌡️ 11°C | ⛅ Sunny spells | ☀️ Sunrise 06:42 | Sunset 19:03

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Editor-in-chief | Emeka Ogbonnaya

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