Annual report

Our Objectives:

• Keeping our streets clean
• Reducing waste and improving recycling
• Enhancing our green spaces
• Managing the borough's parking

Our Achievements:

We completed a very successful and smooth transfer of key streetscene services, such as waste, recycling and grounds maintenance work from Serco to our new service providers Urbaser and Continental at the end of March 2020. This achievement was even more recognisable as a success, as the transfer of these major frontline services took place during the national lockdown for Covid 19.

The borough's success at the 2019 Anglia in Bloom Awards has been described as exceptional by their panel of judges. We took home three Special Awards after the judges shortlisted ten local initiatives against hundreds of entrants from across the region. The borough then went on to claim two bronze, three silver and two golds in the Category Awards including a best in the region accolade for Sherrardspark Wood. The judges also described the colourful view of Parkway in Welwyn Garden City as very special.

We became one of only a handful of local authorities in the country to secure the prestigious 'Tree City of the World' accreditation, which recognises the council's commitment to planting and high standards in caring for the borough's urban trees. A recent Tree Council report estimated it would cost around £27 million to replace all of the borough's trees and they capture 3,384 tonnes of CO2 per year.

As part of the climate change agenda and our drive to enhance the environment, we are encouraging the natural regrowth of wildflower in some of the open space areas. This work will improve on the bio-diversity in the borough.

We have teamed up with the County Council to submit a planning application for a new Household Waste Recycling Centre in Welwyn Garden City. Modern depot facilities will be developed to replace and improve on the existing site at Cole Green just off the A414.

Residents helped the borough recycle or compost over 18,000 tonnes of waste in 2019-20. In Hertfordshire, each person on average places around 195kgs of rubbish in their dustbin, Welwyn Hatfield residents in comparison sent 175kgs, or 20kgs less than would have otherwise gone to landfill.

Residents were encouraged to have their say on proposals to preserve the heritage of the Peartree area in Welwyn Garden City by designating it as a conservation area. These areas are places of special architectural or historical interest and would ensure extra emphasis is given to their special character, history and development.

As part of our ongoing work to help improve the parking experience of our residents in our borough roads; we continue to invest in our Parking Improvement Programme. In 2019-20, 98 off street parking bays were designed and constructed. As part of the improvement work consultations were completed and implemented in the Aldykes area (over 1200 properties), French Horn Lane area (over 700 properties) Hatfield town centre car park (over 450 properties) and Lemsford Road area (over 400 properties).