Hednesford Town Council 2021/22
Hednesford Town Council provides services for the residents, businesses and town, additional to those already provided for by the district and county Council. These additional services are funded through the local precept or council tax payment.
As well as running an efficient and financially responsible organisation your Town Council is focused on the residents of Hednesford feeling the positive impact of having a non-political independently run authority through the energy and excitement of a town on the rise. Your Town Council seeks to achieve these outcomes through a focus on regeneration, community cohesion and better facilities including the community centre all delivered through value for money from this portion of your council tax.
The regeneration agenda will build upon the longstanding agreement with the District Council to provide free short and long stay car parking in the shopper car park on Anglesey Street and in the parking bays along Market Street. We consider this as vital support for the town centre, local businesses and will help to encourage residents to shop locally. The cost of this is offset by a contribution to the expense of the CCTV provision and monitoring in the town centre. Helping to ensure that Hednesford is a safe place to visit day and night.
2020 saw the appointment of Regeneration Manager working full time for your Town Council to build on these foundations and already sees the profile of Hednesford and local businesses being raised through the Visit Hednesford social media platforms, regular press releases and maintaining the Hednesford Town Council website to keep you up to date on local plans and news. A monthly Farmers and Craft Market on the last Saturday of the month in the town centre is building a high profile event that helps to boost footfall which also benefits local businesses. Grant funding support provided directly from your Town Council for 20 local businesses to assist with the journey out of Covid restrictions is a demonstrable action in support of local, small business.
2021 already has an amazing year planned to help the town with the recovery from the impact of Covid as a brand new Hednesford Business Forum is established to create a single business voice for companies across all sectors. A new Pop-up shop scheme will be launched to encourage new business start-ups in the town centre and reduce the number of void premises. The environment in the town centre will be enhanced further with more floral displays including new hanging baskets and flower towers and regular graffiti removal. Helping to ensure that Hednesford is an attractive place to visit.
This year Hednesford Town Council will also be undertaking projects such as the installation of new cycle storage in the town centre to encourage cyclists to visit Hednesford, new way-finding signage to raise the profile of the location of the town centre and a new collective outdoor food court to enable local eateries to offer alfresco dining. These projects will be funded from the Community Infrastructure (CIL) levy and Section 106 funding from the historic Tesco, Aldi and housing developments in Hednesford.
Fantastically organised and supported events have grown to be a key feature of our town and these will continue with your Town Council remaining as the principal sponsor for the annual Summer Festival in Hednesford Park and the town’s Christmas lights display and switch-on event. Both of these popular events attract visitors and families alike to boost the local economy and brings the community together for all ages. Your Town Council is building the community events diary further with a 3-day Open Air Cinema in Hednesford Park. This is new for 2021 and aims to raise the profile of the town whilst also creating an event for the whole community.
Connecting this through our amazing community groups is essential to achieve a connected town where a huge amount of work, effort and energy goes in to supporting each other. Your Town Council has further invested in a Community Officer to help join these groups together and deliver on projects and volunteering in our community. The annual grant pot in 2020 supported 25 community organisations and projects the highest number in the Council’s history and grant funding will again be available for 2021. All this work bringing our community together builds on the ongoing support for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau which holds a weekly outreach at Pye Green Community Centre.
This Council inherited a fantastic but underutilised facility in Pye Green Community Centre and during 2021 your Council is undertaking a root and branch review of the facility, its use and value to the community.
Finally, communication with, to and from residents is of critical importance to your Town Council as an Independent, non-political council which takes its priorities from the priorities of the community. A quarterly town magazine was launched known as “Hednesford Life”. This is delivered for free to every household in the town and supported by advertisements from the businesses in the town to keep resident’s up to date on news and information. The content will build further as it becomes an established part of life in Hednesford through 2021. Further up to date information can be found through your Town Council’s social media presence in particular its two Facebook Pages “Visit Hednesford” and “Hednesford Town Council” and for a copy of the 2021/22 events guide please see www.hednesford-tc.gov.uk
Your Town Council works to agreed priorities across the range of our Principal Speaker areas. These are informed by consultation with the residents of Hednesford from what you have told us you believe to be important. If there are other issues you want us to work on please come along to one of our Town Council meetings on the first Tuesday of every month.
We also respond to emerging and urgent matters raised by our community and will receive these and report on these at our meetings or through contact via email or one of our social media platforms.