Awards presented at Annual Town Meeting

Hertford Town Council hosted the annual town meeting at Hertford Castle on Thursday 26th March, attended by Councillors and over 27 Hertford Residents.

In his report, the Mayor of Hertford, Councillor Steven Watson, reflected on the work of the Mayoral Office over the past civic year and his term as Mayor of Hertford. He also spoke about the variety of events that had taken place and those still planned. A key theme for the Mayor this year was ‘community’ and this has been reflected in the many types of events that he has attended and hosted over the past year. Special mention was given to the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Maura Connolly, the Sergeants at Mace, the Mayor’s air cadet, sea cadet and the Mayoral Scouts.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Alex Daar, presented a report on the work of Hertford Town Council from May 2025. Attendees heard of the busy programme of work over the civic year, including highlights such as:

• Being recognised as a Gold standard Council, in the Local Council Award Scheme, organised by the National Association of Local Councils
• Being awarded £3.5 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to improve the grounds of Hertford Castle via the Hertford Castle Greenspace Renewal Project
• Allocating over £47,000 to18 worthwhile groups/organisations through the Council's Community Fund
• Welcoming over 77,000 people through Hertford Castle's gates to its free community events, including the 20th anniversary of Rock at the Castle.

Councillor Alex Daar also spoke on local government reorganisation in Hertfordshire, commenting: "As a Council, we are looking forward to making the most of any opportunities that come our way, to better serve our community. At the heart of whatever changes are afoot, we hope the focus is not on which organisation does what, but on the access to and consistency of the core services that really matter to local people. We know first-hand, that these services make a meaningful difference to people’s lives and are proud to continue being the closest tier of local government to the people of Hertford – serving our local community to the best of our ability, just as we have done, since 1974."

The meeting also incorporated the Mayor of Hertford's Community Awards. Shortlists for eachof the categories was produced from the many nominations made by the public. The winners were selected by the Mayor of Hertford, Councillor Steven Watson, who presented the Awards to the worthy winners.

There were winners across three categories:

• Mayor’s Community Award - Hertford Men Shed, for their work repairing, repurposing and supporting projects in the local community
• Mayor’s Nature and Environment Award – Viv Jones and the River Beane Restoration Association, for their work improving the condition of the River Beane
• Mayor’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Award – Paul Barnett and Andrew Brookman, for their work in the local music scene, particularly for organising free monthly lunchtime acoustic music sessions at BEAM

Speaking about the Community Awards, the Mayor of Hertford, Councillor Steven Watson commented: "It was a challenging task to select winners from so many worthy nominations from Hertford's caring and dedicated community. It is great testament to our town that so many people and groups work so diligently to ensure it remains such a wonderfully vibrant place to live, work and visit."