When I was first elected back in 2019, I wanted to work hard to fix problems and make Hertford, Ware and the surrounding villages even better.
Speeding on London Road in Hertford Heath was a prevalent issue in my inbox on Day One, so I got straight to work.
It was clear that a camera system was the favoured traffic-calming measure locally with a big majority asking me to pursue this. At first, this manifested itself as an average speed check system, but after speaking with David Lloyd, our Police and Crime Commissioner, it was clear that a different multi-camera system would be more effective.
Mr Lloyd financed cameras in the village and these have been up and running for a little while now. I hope that residents are noticing a reduction in dangerous speeding as a result and there is even a video of how these cameras work on my website.
I am so pleased that we were able to get this over the line. It is important that when we as politicians make promises, we deliver them.
That brings me onto the issue of the planned closure of the Hertford branch of HSBC. The bank’s CEO wrote to me at the end of November to let me know of this closure and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.
The branch will close on 20th June 2023. The nearest HSBC branches to Hertford are in Welwyn and Harlow. There are also Post Office branches in and around town for everyday banking services.
I have written to Andrew Griffith, the Treasury Minister responsible for access to cash. I am very worried that what happened in Ware is now happening in Hertford.
For those who may not be aware, Ware lost all six of its high street banks in recent years and now is even set to lose its Post Office too. While there are other banks in Hertford, I am concerned that we are losing banks which are absolutely critical to local communities.
We do not live in a cashless society so even with the best will in the world, we need banks. No town the size of Hertford or Ware should be without banks.
On Ware, I have been working to relocate the Post Office to premises on or close to the High Street. This is such a fast-moving situation that I have been updating residents via a dedicated Facebook group. If you are not part of this group but would like to be, please email me. My email address is julie.marson.mp@parliament.uk.
The reason why I have been acting at such pace here is because the Martin’s shop with the Post Office inside is set to close on 15th January 2023. In an ideal world, Ware would not be without a Post Office at all but, being realistic, keeping the time gap between the Martin’s shop closing and a new Post Office opening as short as possible has been my utmost priority.