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Buntingford on the brink? Community responds to council cuts




Residents of an East Herts community hard hit by council cuts are feeling neglected.

“The High Street has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride over the past few years,” says Tony, aged 60, who runs Trax Cycles in Buntingford.

“When Covid hit, everyone was looking after each other and I even found myself making sausages for the butcher because he couldn’t keep up with the sausage demand.

Buntingford High Street, Hertfordshire
Buntingford High Street, Hertfordshire

“We were all helping each other with deliveries. But since everything has returned back to normal, a lot of people have stopped using the High Street and it’s like everyone has vanished.”

A chalkboard hangs outside the Trax shop. “Please support our High Street,” it says.

A short distance away, Buntingford has a Young People’s Centre run by Hertfordshire County Council.

Trax Cycles in Buntingford, Hertfordshire
Trax Cycles in Buntingford, Hertfordshire

County Hall finance chiefs want to cut £990,000 from its ‘services for young people budget’ ahead of the 2024/25 financial year.

As part of the cut, Buntingford’s youth centre is one of four which will close for good without plans for an alternative set-up – along with similar spaces in Royston, Hitchin and Rickmansworth.

Ward Freman Swimming Pool is a 10-minute walk away. East Herts Council shut down the 48-year-old leisure centre at the end of 2023.

The pool tiles are cracked and ageing plant equipment means there is a risk of cryptosporidium in the water – a parasite which can cause diarrhoea.

Buntingford Swimming Club
Buntingford Swimming Club

The district authority plans to make £3m in loan repayments alone in 2024/25 and councillors have said they do not have the estimated £543,550 funding to fix it.

They have agreed a “community-led” solution is their only option to ever reopen the pool in the future.

The local tip closed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and Hertfordshire County Council opted to shut it permanently. Its size and location were “far from ideal”, the authority agreed.

John, aged 67, from Buntingford in Hertfordshire
John, aged 67, from Buntingford in Hertfordshire

A new site for the county’s smallest recycling centre would have cost in the region of £1.8m to build.

“This is very much a tight-knit community and everybody knows each other, which is lovely,” says Tony.

Buntingford High Street, Hertfordshire
Buntingford High Street, Hertfordshire

“But the overall experience is a little bit grey at the minute.

“There are positives – we are still here. It’s an incredible community. It’s not quite what it used to be, but maybe that’s grey clouds.”

Buntingford is among Hertfordshire’s 10 best places to live, according to lifestyle website Muddy Stilettos.

Amy, a former Buntingford Swimming Club member and swimming teacher, has had a link with the club for 20 years
Amy, a former Buntingford Swimming Club member and swimming teacher, has had a link with the club for 20 years

“I accept it for what it is,” says John, 67.

“I’ve never made a complaint to the council about anything, but I’m not a reactionary person.”

John, who has lived in Buntingford for around 20 years, added: “It is what it is.

“For the High Street, there’s no expansion or contraction in size. There are more cafes and restaurants – a few more than there were.

“But for local services, apart from Sainsbury’s Local and the Co-op, you’ve got to have a car if you want to retire here.”

Amy, aged 28, is a former coach at Buntingford Swimming Club.

She says the town stands to lose a “massive sense of community” if nobody comes forward to reopen the Ward Freman Swimming Pool.

“We will lose an outlet for kids and coaches to escape their work or school day,” Amy said.

“We have noticed that even when swimmers are doing their GCSEs or A-levels, they still come swimming because it’s just such a good release.”

Cllr Sue Nicholls
Cllr Sue Nicholls

Cllr Sue Nicholls represents Buntingford on the district council.

The Green Party member, who took on the role at the local elections in May last year, said: “Families and children can go to a wide variety of clubs if they have the money.

“There is a flourishing Buntingford School of Dance.

“Karate sessions are quite popular and there are a few local football clubs as well.

“But if you haven’t got the resources, I’m not sure there is much for some families.

“There is masses more housing in East Herts and the needs of people are not being met.”

Cllr Jeff Jones
Cllr Jeff Jones

Conservative Herts County Cllr Jeff Jones said: “I would really like to have seen our leisure centre improved.

“There was a plan to put in a gym recently and by investing in it, it would become profitable and wouldn’t need a subsidy.

“I was looking forward to that being improved but it’s vulnerable at the moment unless we can get money from somewhere.”

Cllr Jones, who has lived in the Buntingford area for 38 years, added: “We’ve put money into our library to make it a nice, up-to-date facility.

“The doctors’ surgery is an issue and with more development, a second surgery is probably something we need.

“Talking to longstanding residents, they say Buntingford is not quite what it was.

“But a lot of them have lived here since the 1970s, and imagine how much the town would have changed since then, with the arrival and departure of the Sainsbury’s depot [between the 1960s and 2000s].

“We’ve got some great pubs, but we could do with more of a food offering now that the Jolly Sailors has closed down.

“I do like living here – it’s very conveniently located, but it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.”

Councils can only invest in infrastructure if they can balance the books. If they cannot find the money to support its services by finding more income or making service cuts, finance chiefs must file a notice and effectively halt non-essential spending.

Several authorities have found themselves in this position, including Woking Borough Council in Surrey which has special permission from the government to increase its council tax share by 10% this year – higher than the ordinary 2.99% threshold.

A Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “We have been investing money in and around Buntingford, with a new HertsLynx on-demand bus service providing new public transport links centred on Buntingford, a new zero-carbon school in the town and a recently completed active travel scheme to make the town centre a more welcoming place for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as continuing to deliver local services such as the library and fire station.

“Like all councils, we face significant financial challenges which means we have to make some difficult decisions in order to protect and deliver services for the long term.

“This means we need to make sure we are spending taxpayers' money where it will do the most good for the most people across the county as a whole.”

All pictures courtesy of Will Durrant.



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