The Royston and Villages Community Forum met to hear presentations on the Burloes development and local government reorganisation, as well as to discuss community grant applications. The forum was also scheduled to receive updates from Royston Town Council and Hertfordshire County Council. Finally, the forum was expected to discuss general ward matters, and topics for future meetings.

Local Government Reorganisation

Councillor Daniel Allen, Leader of the Council, was scheduled to give a presentation and answer questions on local government reorganisation (LGR).

The government requires all local authorities in areas with two tiers of local government to develop proposals for reorganisation to establish a single tier. According to the LGR Briefing Note, the objectives for LGR are:

• Simplified, more efficient and more resilient council structures
• More consistent service access
• Greater transparency in decision-making
• A stronger local voice in how councils operate

A single unitary council for the whole of Hertfordshire has been ruled out because with a population of 1.2 million, it would be too large. Instead, councils are working together to explore options that are more locally focused and responsive, including multiple unitary authorities that better reflect the identity of different parts of the county.

The briefing note stated that Hertfordshire's 11 councils have developed three potential options for how local government could be structured in the future, and that a survey is available online for residents to give their feedback on the proposals. The deadline for submissions is 28 November 2025.

Burloes Development

Ian Keith from Vistry and David Fletcher from Ceres Property were scheduled to give a presentation regarding planning application 24/01013/HYA for the Burloes development.

Community Grants

The forum was scheduled to consider community grant applications for recommendation to the Executive Member for Governance. According to the Report for Recommendations by Royston Villages Community Forum, the community grant budget for the Royston and Villages Community Forum for 2025/26 is £10,825. Payments totalling £4,503 have already been made, leaving a remaining budget of £6,322.

The forum was asked to consider the following applications:

• Barkway Parish Council – £1,350 towards display units for The Reading Room.
• Barley Community Garden – £1,043 towards standing veg trugs¹ and gardening tools. The report noted that the raised beds would assist those with mobility issues, therefore making Barley Community Garden more accessible for other members of the community.
• Resolve – £1,000 towards the costs of key worker staff members who run Group Therapy and Key Work sessions.

Community Updates

The forum was scheduled to receive an update on the work of the Community and Partnerships Team. According to the Community Updates report, the team had:

• Presented and held a stall at the North Herts & Stevenage Centre for Voluntary Service's Funding Summit.
• Co-ordinated various local and district wide Network Groups including Youth Action, Food Provision, Arts and Culture and Green and Growing Group.
• Coordinated voluntary support response to Asylum Seekers based in North Herts.
• Continued to facilitate NHC Councillors' Community Surgeries.
• Shared and disseminated information on social media and to mailing lists, keeping in touch with the community, voluntary, statutory, and non-statutory agencies

The Community Partnerships Officer had also:

• Met with a group who are interested in the format of the Royston Community Breakfast for Hitchin.
• Visited various groups in the community including Barley Community Garden, Royston Coombes Association, Royston Day Centre and Parkinsons Royston.
• Continued to attend Parish Council meetings to make closer links with the parishes and local groups.

Other Business

• Mayor Luke Haugh of Royston Town Council, and Councillor Steve Jarvis, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, were scheduled to give presentations.
• The forum was also scheduled to discuss ward matters and topics for future meetings.