Parish Council Report – June 2026
Walkern Parish Council Report
The Parish Council Meeting was held on Wednesday June 3rd 2026 at Walkern Sports and Community Centre. This report covers some of the issues we have been dealing with over the last few months. The full minutes of the meeting are available on the Parish Council website and on the Parish Council Notice Board outside Budgen’s shop.
Dave Standing
The Parish Council wish to extend our grateful thanks to Dave who resigned as a Councillor last month.
Dave is now working with another colleague to produce an archive of Walkern in Pictures which can be accessed from the History Society website.
Dave is still a strong supporter of the Parish Council and other village organisations so we say again “Thanks Dave.”
Wilder Walkern
On June 11th we welcomed our MP, Chris Hinchliffe, to a well-attended meeting at the Walkern Sports and Community Centre. He came to talk about his Red Lines for Nature Campaign, his wider environmental work and his experience on the Environmental Audit Committee.
His opening remarks, he admitted, were somewhat depressing as he listed a number of species that are in decline due to loss of habitat, and he talked about the importance of biodiversity in nature not only for flora and fauna but for the well-being of us all.
Chris suggested that most politicians find nature a strange subject and are rather embarrassed by it, but if we are to achieve the objectives of food security, meeting climate change and securing the beauty of our world then we must have policies not just mitigating but actively reversing the damage. There is a need for a fully funded nature recovery plan.
Biodiversity Survey
On Wednesday June 10thseveral Councillors and representatives from St Mary’s Church and the United Reformed Church met with Kallum Wright from Hertfordshire County Council’s Land management, Countryside and Rights of Way team. We walked areas around the churches and the green spaces owned by the Parish Council discussing various ways these sites could be improved for nature recovery. Kallum was extremely knowledgeable and his suggestions were practical and achievable. We are awaiting his report so that we can start to act on his advice.
East Herts Local Plan
East Herts Council have launched the first stage of its new Local Plan Scoping Consultation and this is your chance to have a say! The early consultation will shape how the district grows, how infrastructure is planned and how our natural environment is protected in the years ahead.
At this stage they are seeking views on such aspects as:
· what the local plan should include
· the issues and priorities the plan should address
· the draft vision and key themes
· how the Council should engage with communities
Please refer to the article on the Parish Council website for more details and to enter the consultation by following the link given. You can also access the consultation by using a search engine to find East Herts Local Plan Scoping Consultation.
The Parish Council will be taking part in this consultation and we welcome you to the next Parish Council meeting when in the open public forum there will be a chance for you to put forward your ideas. However, we also want to encourage residents to respond, but time is short as comments are needed by July 10th 2026.
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Thursday 2nd July 2026 at the Walkern Sports and Community Centre commencing at 7.00 pm.
Christine Nudds, Parish Councillor