The Town & Tourist Information Centre has launched the fourth Hertford Calendar Competition.

There is no specific theme this year, just photos of Hertford at its best.

Thirten photographs will be picked - one for each month and one for the front cover.

Anyone interested can pick up and entry form from the TIC in  Market Place. Images hould be landscape orientation, with a maximum of two images per person.

The closing date is Friday 17th August 2012.

Work starts today converting East Herts streetlights to part-time operation.

The money-saving measure means some streetlights will only be switched on from dusk to around midnight and, during the winter, in the morning rush hour. While up to 80 per cent of the county's street lights will switch to part-night lighting, areas where there is significant pedestrian activity after midnight and busier road junctions will remain lit throughout the night. Areas covered by CCTV and those with high crime will also escape the measure.

Hertford Town Council is inviting members of the public to submit photographs of scenes in the town for inclusion in the 2012 Hertford calendar.

Hertford Town Council's Town and Tourist Information Centre is running the competition, which is in its fourth year. The closing date of the competition is Friday 17th August 2012, after which 13 photographs will be selected for inclusion – one for each month, and one for the cover of the calendar.

The Mayor of Hertford, Cllr Jane Sartin, will be one of the competition judges, and commented: "Hertford offers a rich source of photographic opportunities, in its buildings, its open spaces and its people. This competition gives people a great excuse to really explore the town, and perhaps look for unfamiliar scenes which capture Hertford in a different way to some of the more classic views. I also hope people will look back at photographs they've taken during other seasons, as we will be looking to match suitable photographs to each month in the calendar."

Photographs must be submitted with an entry form, which can be obtained from Hertford Town and Tourist Information Centre by the Shire Hall, or from www.hertford.gov.uk.

There will be opportunities for local businesses to advertise on the pages of the calendar, and the Town & Tourist Information Centre can provide further details.

Hertford's new Mayor, Cllr. Jane Sartin has launched a blog to document her year as mayor and to shine a light on the duties that come with the role.

The first entries in the blog cover the Mayormaking ceremony, a police awards ceremony and the laubch of Hertford Music Festival.

You can find the Mayor's blog at www.mayorofhertford.com.

Groundwork Hertfordshire and Hertford Town Council are working together to help turn a disused area of land on Sele Road in to community allotments.

On Thursday 24th May a drop-in consultation meeting will be held so residents of Sele Road and the local community can input their ideas and thoughts on the proposed designs.

The event will be part of the Marks and Spencers Legacy project, which is funded by Marks and Spencers @ My Urban Green. Hertford Town Council is also providing project funding.

Groundwork Hertfordshire is engaging local community groups Mudlarks and Sele Youth and Community Forum to help with clearing the space at community clearance days in May and June. A number of community growing workshops will then take place on site this summer.

Tom Carman, Community Project Officer at Groundwork Hertfordshire said "The disused land on Sele Road is the perfect location for a community food growing space. The residents and communities will really benefit from the increased health and social contact when growing food together."

Cllr Matthew McCormick, Chairman of the Community Services Committee said: “Transforming this overgrown area of land into community allotments represents one of the Town Council’s aims and objectives for 2011 to 2015. Allotment gardening in Hertford remains ever popular and the new site will allow more local residents and community groups to experience the benefits associated with this activity."

Residents and visitors are being encouraged to enjoy the markets, history, culture and street ambience of the county town during the first Hertford Live! Week, organised jointly by Hertford traders and Hertford Town Council.

Alongside street performance, the first Herford Live! Week programme builds on some of the strong Hertford cultural offer already planned, including the Hertford Art Society's Annual Open Exhibition and Courtyard Arts Exhibition, a Herts Symphony Orchestra concert, Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society's Arabian Nights performances, and the weekly Soundbites Lunchtime concert series at All Saint's Church. At lunchtime on Wednesday 16 th May students of Performing Arts from Harlow College will be performing at three sites around the town. On Saturday 19th May a number of musicians and street performers will be performing around the centre throughout the day.

A Live Cookery Demonstration by Andrei Lussman of Lussman's restaurant in Fore Street will take place alongside the Farmers' Market on Saturday 12th May, and fitness demonstrations are amongst the events planned to add to the street ambiance and to promote the various markets that operate in Hertford.

A number of walks have been arranged including the first of a new historic Crime and Punishment walk to be run this summer. This will be held on Friday 18th May at 7.30pm. East Herts Ramblers have also arranged an Orbital Walk around Hertford on Tuesday 15th May, starting from Panshanger Picnic site, Thieves Lane at 10.00am.

Clothes left at council recycling points are being resold in upmarket "vintage" shops, with a cut of the profits going in to council coffers.

An investigation by a Sunday newspaper has revealed that clothes left at recycling points operated by Waste Aware are being sold in "trendy boutiques" and "fashionable stores".

Councils in the county have removed charity clothes banks and signed deals with recycling companies to run replacement banks and sell the clothes on the open market, netting some £160,000 for the councils.

Residents are advised to take unwanted clothes directly to charity shops rather than using the council recycling points.

The next Mayor of Hertford is to be Jane Sartin, who will take on the role from Cllr Sally Newton on Thursday 17th May.

Cllr Sartin has been a Town Councillor since 2004, and has served as Chairman of the Development and Leisure Committee since 2005.

She has lived in Hertford for most of her life, attending St Joseph’s in the Park primary school in Hertingfordbury, and Presdales School in Ware. She was also a member of the Brownies and Guides in Hertford.

Jane now works in London, joining the hundreds of commuters from the town each day.

Cllr Jane Sartin said: "It will be a huge honour to take on the office of Mayor of Hertford. Having been aware of the position for most of my life, it is hard to believe that I will become the person wearing the Mayoral chain! I am passionate about Hertford, its history, and its community today, and I hope that during my year in office I will have the opportunity to get to meet many of those who give their time to help make our town the fantastic place it is to live."

This year's intake at Bengeo Primary School will be increased to meet demand for school places in Hertford.

Three schools were identified for potential expansion - Hollybush, Morgans and Bengeo.

Bengeo Primary School was been chosen following analysis of the primary application process, as well as taking into account where parents have expressed a preference for and the data of where children live.

Hertfordshire County Council secured a significant contribution from the developers of the homes adjacent to the primary school to ensure sufficient primary places in the Hertford area.

Frances Button, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills said: "This is good news for Hertford. It ensures that every reception child in Hertford will have a school place in the town.

"With so many different views from residents, we knew we would not be able to take a decision which would please everyone. However, this is the best possible solution, given the constraints of planning issues and the suitability of sites, to ensure that the additional places have been provided as close as possible to where they are most needed.

"Bengeo is a highly successful oversubscribed school and we are confident that the school will work hard to ensure a positive experience for all their pupils."

The additional 30 places will be available from September 2012.

There will be no rise in Hertford's Council Tax or parking charges this year.

At a full meeting of the District Council on 22nd February, concillors pledged to hold the council's precept to 2010 levels and to maintain the existing parking charges for the coming year. Subject to any unplanned reduction in government grants,, tehy also hope to maintain the existing level of tax through to 2013/14 also.