South West Herts receives the thumbs-up in an online poll

An online poll exploring local views on South West Hertfordshire has revealed that four in five people are happy living in the area.

The SW Herts – Your Future poll which took place last year, was set up by six councils to find out what improvements residents wished to see locally.

The online poll which received over 10,000 visits also looked at why people like living in South West Hertfordshire.

It found that:

• 86% of participants who took part felt positive about living and working in South West Hertfordshire.  

• Almost 70% of all respondents stated that parks and open spaces were their favourite thing, whilst closeness to London appealed to over 60%. The latter was a greater factor for younger age groups, with 70% of under 25s liking the proximity to London more. 

• The most popular responses regarding priorities for improving South West Hertfordshire were better health facilities (65%), being able to get around easier (46%) and climate change (36%), with better housing choice also appealing to under 25s.

Additionally, over 600 people expressed interest in being involved in future discussions about South West Hertfordshire.

The results from the poll will be used to help form the emerging SW Herts Strategic Plan – which aims to look at the long-term future of the area.

In particular, the work carried out by Hertsmere Borough Council, Dacorum Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Watford Borough Council, St Albans City and District Council, along with Hertfordshire County Council to improve local infrastructure.

Hertsmere Borough Councillor Dr Harvey Cohen, Portfolio Holder of Planning, said: “This piece of work has enabled us to gain a clearer understanding of the priorities for people living and working in South West Hertfordshire, across a wide range of ages.

“The innovative approach to the use of social media will also no doubt shape consultation work going forward. Obviously, the world has turned upside down since this poll was launched, just under a year ago.

“However, if you were to ask people the same questions now, I suspect their feelings about their local area will only have been confirmed and strengthened by the pandemic.

“I want to thank everyone who took the time to take part. Your responses will help shape future work around planning for a better Hertsmere and South West Hertfordshire.”

Councillor Chris White, Chair of the SW Herts Member Group, added: “It is really encouraging that so many people have responded to this poll and told us what they like about living in SW Herts.

“It is also important that they have told us what they would like to improve. We will now consider these responses as we move forward as a group of authorities and work towards making the future of SW Herts a great place to live, work and play.”