Full Council — without the council jargon
Hertsmere Borough Council meets for Full Council on Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 7pm at the Civic Offices in Borehamwood.
There is a lot for councillors to get through.
The agenda covers major development proposals, investment in community facilities, changes affecting planning decisions, local governance, questions from residents and councillors — and a substantial amount of unfinished business carried forward from the previous Full Council meeting.
Towards the end of all that sits one of the most politically significant items of the evening:
Reform UK’s Motion of No Confidence in the Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council.
It is the first motion under Item 31.
But before we get to that, here's what else is happening.
Development and community investment
Councillors will consider a Development Agreement with Hill Group and Griggs Homes for the redevelopment of Bushey Golf & Country Club and delivery of a new Community Hub.
There is also proposed CIL funding for a new café at King George Recreation Ground, including demolition of the existing café.
Other decisions concern the redevelopment of Aycliffe Pavilion, further funding and work relating to Paxton Court, and proposals involving the Catterick Way development, including temporary accommodation and a resettlement home.
These may sound like routine agenda items, but they involve Council assets, public money, community facilities and decisions with potentially long-term consequences for residents.
Boreham Wood Football Club
Councillors will also consider proposals concerning Boreham Wood Football Club, including consolidating the club's lease arrangements and authorising officers to negotiate detailed terms.
Potters Bar and Bushey local democracy
There are important decisions concerning how communities are represented locally.
For Potters Bar, councillors will consider the final recommendations of the Community Governance Review, including establishing a Shadow Parish Council.
For Bushey, the Council is being asked to approve the process and budget for its own Community Governance Review following a valid petition concerning the unparished area.
With Parish and Town Council elections now expected again in 2027, local representation has taken on renewed importance.
Changes to planning
Planning is also back on the agenda.
Councillors will consider the implications of Government reforms affecting Planning Committees and the National Scheme of Delegation, including changes required to Hertsmere's Constitution and Scheme of Delegation.
For residents already following Hertsmere's Local Plan and development across the borough, changes affecting how planning decisions are made deserve close attention.
Then comes the unfinished business
This is where the size of Wednesday's agenda becomes particularly important.
From Item 19, councillors return to business deferred from the previous Full Council meeting in July.
That includes another 14 councillor questions and further unfinished Council business.
There are also three Notices of Motion carried forward from July — submitted by Liberal Democrat, Labour & Co-operative and Conservative councillors.
Only after dealing with the deferred section does the published agenda state:
“Resumption of normal agenda 16 September 2026.”
And Reform UK's motion still hasn't been reached.
Councillors then have further business including the Leader's Report, which can include up to 45 minutes of questions and answers, followed by Committee Chair and Scrutiny Chair reports.
Then, eventually, comes Item 31.
Item 31 — Reform UK's Motion of No Confidence
The first motion under Item 31 is from the Reform UK Group:
“No Confidence in the Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council and Proposal to establish a Strategic Alignment Administration.”
At the heart of Reform UK's motion is the argument that, following the recent Bushey Park by-election, the current administration no longer commands the support of a majority of Hertsmere's elected councillors.
But the proposal isn't simply about replacing one party administration with another.
Reform proposes a Strategic Alignment Administration in which political groups could cooperate in areas where common ground can be found, while retaining their own political identities and freedom to vote according to their principles.
Its priorities include the Local Plan, planning governance, protecting frontline services, responsible management of taxpayers' money and improving openness and accountability.
Put simply, Reform believes Hertsmere needs an administration capable of putting residents first and party politics second.
The Government's latest U-turn changes the picture
There has also been an important development since Reform's motion was submitted.
The Government has now paused its decisions on Local Government Reorganisation, including Hertfordshire.
The previously anticipated May 2027 elections for new shadow unitary authorities will therefore not take place.
Instead, the normal 2027 local election cycle is set to return while the Government carries out its review — meaning Hertsmere residents are currently due to elect Borough councillors and Parish/Town councillors in May 2027.
That makes the question of who governs Hertsmere — and how they govern — more relevant, not less.
Over the coming months councillors will make decisions concerning planning, public spending, services and the future direction of the borough.
Residents will then have the opportunity to judge that record at the ballot box.
But will Item 31 actually be heard?
This is where an obscure Council procedure becomes important.
Hertsmere operates what is known as a guillotine for unfinished Council business.
Put simply, Council meetings cannot continue indefinitely. When the applicable constitutional cut-off is reached, special rules determine what happens to business that remains outstanding.
And there is an important consequence for a Motion on Notice:
If it hasn't been reached, it can fall without being debated.
It can subsequently be resubmitted, but the opportunity for councillors to debate and vote on it at that meeting is lost.
This isn't just a theoretical possibility. Hertsmere's own Council records show previous occasions when the guillotine has been reached and outstanding motions have fallen without debate.
That creates a very simple question for Wednesday evening:
Will councillors actually get the opportunity to debate Item 31?
Reform's Motion of No Confidence is on the Council's published agenda.
Councillors from other political groups are perfectly entitled to disagree with it.
They can challenge Reform's arguments.
They can defend the existing leadership.
They can oppose the proposed Strategic Alignment Administration.
And they can vote against the motion.
That is democracy.
But Reform UK Hertsmere believes residents deserve to see the debate take place.
If councillors believe the current Leader should continue to lead Hertsmere, they should be able to make that argument publicly.
If they believe Reform's alternative is wrong, residents should be able to hear why.
And if councillors believe change is needed, residents deserve to know that too.
What should not determine an issue this important is simply whether the clock reaches Item 31.
Reform UK Hertsmere will be seeking to ensure councillors have the opportunity to debate and vote on the motion.
And we'll report back to residents on what happens.
