Hertfordshire: driven by firm beliefs and a clear purpose

Richard Roberts is the Conservative Leader of Hertfordshire County Council and is Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board. He was first elected to the County Council in 2003 as the member for Kings Langley and has previously served as the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Cabinet Member for Partnerships and Performance. He is Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board and became Leader of the Council in May 2021.

Cllr Richard Roberts

Leader, Hertfordshire County Council

Lewis Cocking was elected to the council four years ago and became the Leader in May 2019. He is the youngest leader in Hertfordshire and is very passionate about sustainability and tackling climate change with ambitions to improve the Broxbourne economy so that local people have opportunities to find employment in high value jobs without the need to travel outside the borough.

Cllr Lewis Cocking

Leader, Broxbourne Borough Council

Jeff Stack is the Chief Executive of Broxbourne Borough Council in south east Hertfordshire. He joined the Council in 2008 as the Director of Environmental Services and became Chief Executive in 2013. Prior to this, he worked for a variety of councils and in the housebuilding industry. He is a chartered town planner and has been a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 1985.

Jeff Stack

Chief Executive, Broxbourne Borough Council

Andrew Williams is a county councillor for Hemel Hempstead East (Adeyfield East & Leverstock Green) and has lived in Hemel all his life. He is also a Dacorum borough councillor with 30 years’ experience of working on behalf of local residents. Andrew currently chairs the Dacorum strategic network which brings together public and voluntary groups to improve services across the borough.

Andrew Williams

Leader, Dacorum Borough Council

Claire Hamilton has over 25 years’ experience of working in the public sector, leading high-performing teams and developing positive partnerships to deliver complex regeneration initiatives. Claire’s previous role was Director of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, which is an exciting regeneration project, building on the heritage of Harlow to deliver 23,000 high-quality homes, 9,000 employment opportunities and sustainable travel infrastructure within the area. Claire has a background in housing development, estate regeneration and town centre regeneration and economic development.

Claire Hamilton

Chief Executive, Dacorum Borough Council

Linda Haysey has been the ward councillor for Hertford Rural North since 2005. She took over as the Leader of East Herts Council in May 2015 and has just been re-elected for her second term as Leader. Linda has lived in Hertford since 1987 with her husband and two children. She became a councillor following 25 years working in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Cllr Linda Haysey

Leader, East Herts Council

Richard is the Chief Executive at East Herts Council and has a wealth of experience, having worked in local government for over 30 years in a diverse range of roles linked to supporting communities, environment and public health at councils in London, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Richard Cassidy

Chief Executive, East Herts Council

Patsy has extensive experience of leading place-based approaches to growth and development in high growth areas as Assistant Director Growth and Place with Hertfordshire County Council and, before that, in lead roles for nine years in planning and sustainable development at Oxford and Cambridge City Councils.

Patsy Dell

Director , Hertfordshire Growth Board

Owen Mapley is Chief Executive of Hertfordshire County Council and Head of Paid Service. As such, he is the principal officer responsible for all aspects of the council’s day to day operations, leading 8,000 staff and a budget of around £1bn a year as well as leading the provision of policy advice and support for the Council’s Leader, Cabinet and all councillors. He is also the Chairman of the Hertfordshire Public Sector Chief Executives - a quarterly gathering of principal officers from across local government, NHS, further and higher education, the LEP and emergency services in the county.

Owen Mapley

Chief Executive, Hertfordshire County Council

Mark Bretton is Chair of Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the LEP Network, the national body that brings all 38 LEPs together. He is an independent consultant with 36 years of wide-ranging business experience, including in several high profile Government programmes. Until recently Mark was a Managing Director (Partner) in the leadership team of the professional services firm Accenture. He sits on the Business Leaders’ Council of the charity Teach First.

Mark Bretton

Chair, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership

Neil Hayes is Chief Executive of Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership. He has overseen its development from its inception, helping to ensure that its long term priorities set out in its Strategic Economic Plan (2017-2030) are delivered for the county, securing over £309m EU funding and UK government investment. The LEP’s Local Industrial Strategy continues to build on that vision by building on the county’s economic strengths to create opportunities for all its residents.

Neil Hayes

Chief Executive, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership

Morris Bright has been the Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council since 2007 and is the Deputy Leader of Hertfordshire County Council. Morris is Chairman of the Board of Directors at Elstree Studios - the only studios in the country owned by a local authority. Morris has worked as a journalist for 25 years and is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Morris Bright MBE

Leader , Hertsmere Borough Council

Sajida Bijle is the Managing Director of Hertsmere Borough Council. Prior to this she was the Director of Resources and Corporate Director for Hertsmere BC for over 15 years. Sajida is also Company Secretary to Elstree Film Studios Limited and an Accountant and Lawyer by profession.

Sajida Bijl

Managing Director, Hertsmere Borough Council

Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg is the Leader of North Herts District Council following the Local Elections in May 2021. First elected in 2016, Elizabeth has worked to improve the Recycling & Waste service in North Herts and is passionate about reducing food and other waste, especially single use plastics. Outside politics, Elizabeth works for the Financial Ombudsman Service, leading on emerging issues in the consumer rights and regulatory sector. A competitive figure skater since the age of five, Elizabeth is a strong advocate for sport and the arts, working to widen participation and champion their place in regeneration and growth of local enterprise.

Cllr Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg

Leader, North Herts District Council

Anthony Roche has been Managing Director of NHDC since July 2020, having previously served as Deputy Chief Executive from 2017. A lawyer by background, he started in private practice before switching to the public sector and NHDC in 2008.

Anthony Roche

Managing Director, North Herts District Council

Chris White has been Liberal Democrat councillor for Clarence Ward since 2008 and is currently Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group and Leader of the Council. He chairs the council's policy committee and is the lead member for Planning. Chris qualified as a chartered accountant in 1984. He was elected a county councillor in Hertfordshire in 1993 and group leader in 1994. Chris is Vice Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board.

Chris White

Leader, St Albans City and District Council

Amanda Foley is Chief Executive at St Albans City and District Council. She was appointed in 2017, previously holding the post of Head of Corporate Services. Amanda, who lives in the district with her family, joined the Council in 2009 from Ofsted – the Government’s Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. She was Ofsted’s Head of HR Strategy and has worked across a range of sectors and industries including banking, retail and the Civil Service.

Amanda Foley

Chief Executive , St Albans City and District Council

Sharon Taylor OBE is Leader of Stevenage Borough Council; a position she has held since 2006. Councillor Taylor is a member of the Local Government Association Resources Board, the District Council’s Network Board and additionally she is a Localism Commissioner and was appointed Chair of the Co-op Council’s Innovation Network in 2017. Sharon Taylor is second Vice Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board.

Sharon Taylor OBE

Leader , Stevenage Borough Council

Matt is the Chief Executive of Stevenage Borough Council and has over 35 years local government experience in a variety of front-line and strategic leadership roles. In his current role, Matt is responsible, in conjunction with the Leader, Executive and the Senior Leadership Team, for the ongoing development and implementation of the Council’s Cooperative Corporate Future Town Future Council Plan.

Matt Partridge

Chief Executive, Stevenage Borough Council

Sarah Nelmes was appointed Council Leader for Three Rivers District Council, taking over from Sara Bedford in July 2020. Councillor Sarah Nelmes has been a councillor for over 15 years and represents the Penn and Mill End ward. She is currently Chair of the Planning Committee, and chaired the majority Liberal Democrat group.

Sarah Nelmes

Leader, Three Rivers District Council

Joanne Wagstaffe, was appointed as Three Rivers’ new Chief Executive Officer on 3 February 2020 and was shared Director of Resources with both Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council from 2013. Previously, Jo was the Director of Resources at Wyre Forest District Council; Director of Resources and Transformation at Copeland Borough Council; and an Assistant Director at Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. Jo also has extensive private sector experience.

Joanne Wagstaffe

Chief Executive, Three Rivers District Council

Peter Taylor has been the Elected Mayor of Watford since 2018 and joined Hertfordshire LEP Board in September 2019. Before becoming Elected Mayor, he worked as a teacher and Assistant Director for the Catholic Education Service. He served as a councillor in Watford since 2012 and lives in Oxhey with his wife and three young children.

Mayor Peter Taylor

Leader, Watford Borough Council

Donna Nolan joined Watford Borough Council as its first female Managing Director in February 2020. Former Deputy Chief Executive of Mendip District Council, Donna has led a range of successful regeneration and commercial programmes in both the public and private sector. Donna works closely with Watford’s Elected Mayor to ensure the council’s strategic commitments can be implemented, including its ambitious plans for sustainable regeneration.

Donna Nolan

Managing Director , Watford Borough Council

Tony Kingsbury is Leader of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. A near lifelong resident of the county, he worked as an electronics engineer for a large defence company. Tony has served as a councillor and Cabinet member for over a decade, overseeing a wide range of portfolios including leisure and housing.

Tony Kingsbury

Leader, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Ka Ng is Chief Executive of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and the lead Chief Executive on Hertfordshire Growth Board. She began her career at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council in 2009 as a management accountant. After a few periods outside the council, she returned in 2016 to take on her current role, along with being the council's chief financial officer.

Ka Ng

Chief Executive , Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Paul has a wide range of public policy and leadership experience. He currently holds a number of non-executive leadership roles across the health and social care sector. As the Independent Chair at Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System he is working with system partners across local government, NHS and community and voluntary sector to develop population health working and integrated care. He has also been appointed as Chair of St Andrew’s Healthcare, a charity providing specialist mental healthcare for patients with complex mental health needs. He is also Chair of the independent charity SCIE (The Social Care Institute for Excellence) which works with local government, independent sector and Government by sharing knowledge about what works, translating policy into practice and supporting transformation to improve the lives of people who use care services.

Rt Hon Professor Paul Burstow

Chair, Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System

A chartered surveyor, Charles has held various senior commercial property related roles over 15 years in the private sector, before moving to public sector housing focused delivery, latterly with Homes England. Charles has extensive experience across the south and east of England leading teams through the process of acquiring, de-risking, providing infrastructure and disposing of public sector land in the market for residential led development. Currently, Charles is leading one of Homes England’s new business and relationship management teams focused on supporting private and public sector partners in unlocking the building of new homes in the South-East and South-West. This includes working up a pipeline of opportunities where use of the Agency’s funding, people, powers and know-how can serve to overcome barriers to delivery.

Charles Amies

Acting Director, Markets Partners and Places, Homes England