The Hertsmere Borough Council cabinet met on 10 September 2025, and among the decisions made, they agreed to dispose of land at Dove Lane in Potters Bar for residential development, and to recommend to the Policy Review Committee a draft financial strategy for 2025. The cabinet also reviewed the updated Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) spending process and guidance for applicants.

Updated Community Infrastructure Levy Spending Process

The cabinet reviewed and agreed to recommend to the council an updated approach to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) spending process and guidance for applicants. The Updated Community Infrastructure Levy Spending Process and Guidance for Applicants aims to make the decision-making process for funding infrastructure more transparent.

Key changes to the CIL process include:

• Continuous open bidding, reviewed at four CILIP¹ meetings per year, instead of specific bidding windows.
• Open bidding for both Strategic CIL and Neighbourhood CIL in Potters Bar and Bushey.
• Publishing CILIP meeting dates and submission deadlines on the council's website.
• The council's website will highlight best practices and examples of successful bids.

The CIL Process and Guidance for Applicants document merges previous guidance into an easier-to-read guide for both prospective NCIL and Strategic CIL bidders, and highlights the procedure that bids will go through and their respective routes towards a decision.

The Strategic CIL Bidding Form and Strategic CIL Scoring Criteria were updated to help organisations apply for Strategic CIL funding.

The Neighbourhood CIL Bidding Form and Neighbourhood CIL Scoring Criteria were updated to help organisations apply for Neighbourhood CIL funding.

Disposal of Site at Dove Lane, Potters Bar

The cabinet approved the disposal of a council-owned parcel of land at Dove Lane in Potters Bar for residential use, subject to the purchaser obtaining planning permission. The sale of the 13.3 acre site, comprising grazing land and woodland, is expected to yield approximately 100 homes, with 50% designated as affordable housing.

The council expects costs of sale, including legal fees, agent's fees, technical reports and marketing costs, to be around £100,000.

The reasons for recommending disposal of the site included:

• The site is surplus to operational requirements.
• The sale will generate a substantial capital receipt.
• The development will deliver new homes and affordable housing.
• The development will bring an underutilised asset into productive use.
• The development will stimulate the local economy.
• The development aligns with the Local Plan's housing growth objectives.

Financial Strategy 2025

The cabinet considered the draft Financial Strategy 2025 and recommended it to the Policy Review Committee for review and comment. The strategy considers changing government policy in relation to the fair funding review, business rates review, and local government reorganisation (LGR). The Draft Financial Strategy 2025 also presents an updated Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for the period to 2028/29, which shows a current funding gap of £804,000 over the next four years.

The key strategic objectives outlined in the financial strategy are:

• To deliver the council's priorities set out in the Corporate Plan.
• To apply a strategic approach to how the council's services are prioritised, managed and delivered.
• To procure goods and services in the most economical, effective and efficient way.
• To deliver services that provide best value to its residents, within the resources available.
• To maintain the level of capital, revenue and earmarked reserves and balances at an appropriate level.
• To utilise reserve balances and grant funding in the most efficient way.
• To secure a reasonable rate of return on investments and projects which are considered as invest to save .
• To support subsidiary companies to operate efficiently and effectively.
• To maintain adequate governance arrangements to ensure the legality of decisions and transactions that may have a financial consequence.

Hertsmere Vision Performance Report – Quarter 1 2025/26

The cabinet reviewed and noted the Hertsmere Vision Performance Report – Quarter 1 2025/26. Councillor Christian Gray, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Neighbourhoods, Enforcement, Economic Development and Transformation, presented the report, which sets out the performance of the council over Quarter 1 2025/26 against the Hertsmere Vision.

Of the 14 indicators that have a target set, 11 (79%) were green indicators (met or exceeded target), 0 (0%) were amber indicators (close to target), and 3 (21%) were red indicators (not meeting target). The red indicators for this period are:

• E192 Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting – Hertsmere Estimate: Q1: 43.5% against a target of 50%.
• SPA10b Number of missed collections per 100,000 collections: Q1: 234.8 against a target of 60.
• FIN7 Percentage of Council Tax collected: Q1: 27.9% against a target of 28.6%.

Other Matters

• The cabinet considered a report on the proposed development at 33A High Street, Bushey, but deferred making a decision to a later meeting.
• The cabinet considered a report on capital investment in the underground car park at Elstree Film Studios.