It appears today that work has paid off and flights will return to South Yorkshire.
In a joint statement the leaders of the county's 10 district councils said they "do not support the creation of one unitary council for Hertfordshire".Hertfordshire has retained a two-tier local governance system, but in September 2024 the Conservative-led county council submitted an "expression of interest" in a devolution deal that would have seen that system scrapped.
At the time Roberts said any arrangement would include its district and borough councils that provide services alongside the county council for about 1.2 million people.Neighbouring Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire both have single-tier unitary systems of local government, when one council provides all local services in their area.In December, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner announced an
, with local authorities encouraged to submit fast-track bids by 10 January.However, Roberts said he "recognised there are a range of views" on devolution and ruled out formally responding to that request.
"It is the responsibility of all local leaders to prioritise working together to develop an evidence-based way forward that will ensure local government in Hertfordshire can provide the best possible public services to our residents," he said.
Following the publication of the white paper, the leaders of the 10 district and borough councils released a"We want to do 50% affordable because you need to be breathing new life in to areas that are really struggling to get youngsters to come in," he said.
"It's horrifically expensive as an area."Concerns raised by residents via the council's planning portal included the "very bad precedent" that the development could set in the village given the site's green belt classification.
Others mentioned the "horrendous" traffic situation in Leatherhead Road, with both the M25 and the A3 nearby, and that the new homes may "considerably worsen the situation".Mr Estwick said he understood frustrations regarding transport and that plans would include mitigations like car clubs, cycle paths and better footpaths to the village.