It’s the county that is home to one of the world’s oldest pubs, was behind Britain’s iconic red post boxes and brought the magic of JK Rowling‘s beloved Harry Potter franchise to the big screen.
But residents in Hertfordshire have been left furious after a string of ‘ludicrous’ decisions have sparked uproar locally, and led to the area being ridiculed across the country.
And now Hertfordshire has another title to add to its claim to fame – that of the ‘wokest county in Britain’.
The area has seen parents being arrested over a fiesty school WhatsApp chat, a council banning Christian prayers to be ‘more inclusive’, and compensation being awarded to an estate agent who resigned after moaning about his ‘low status’ desk at work.
And now a council has sparked outrage after refusing to stage a VE Day parade to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe amid fears hosting such an event would be ‘elitist’.
Furious at the decision to turn their backs on Britain’s heroes, army veteran and former spymaster, Colonel Philip Ingram last night ripped into the area, calling it the nation’s most ‘anti-British county’.
‘It’s a strong contender for the wokest county in Britain,’ the former military intelligence officer raged. ‘And the people behind these ludicrous decisions are up for the most pathetic individuals in the country as well.
‘People have to wake up to what’s really important in society: making sure people have the right housing and healthcare, and from a local council perspective that the bins are emptied and potholes are filled, rather than coming up with these pathetically stupid ideas.’
Victory in Europe Day, which remembers the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945. Pictured is a VE Day march in 2015 through London
Lana Templeton, 81, whose father served in the Royal Air Force , said: ‘The council has no right to do that. It’s absolute nonsense. I lost my father in the war. He was in the Royal Air Force’
A council has come under fire for not hosting a VE Day march in Hemel Hempstead (pictured)
Dacorum Borough Council faced a political maelstrom when the news emerged on Wednesday that no military march would be held to mark the 80th anniversary event in May.
Behind the scenes, a civil war seemingly erupted, with councillors blaming penny-pinching civil servants at the Liberal Democrat-run authority for scrubbing the event due to a lack of funds.
Flabbergasted locals reacted with horror to the news, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy branded the decision ‘ridiculous’.
Lana Templeton, 81, whose father served in the Royal Air Force, said: ‘The council has no right to do that. It’s absolute nonsense. I lost my father in the war. He was in the Royal Air Force.
‘And I never knew him. All I have left of him is the badge he wore. It’s important to remember.’
Ms Templeton was also disappointed that a British town would not celebrate VE Day.
She said: ‘I grew up in a British colony in Africa – Southern Rhodesia. And we were proud to be British. So I can’t believe Britain has changed so much. It makes me angry. It makes me bitter. It’s just wrong.’
Kevin Ridgers, 69, was also angered by the decision, describing it as ‘disgusting’.
Kevin Ridgers, 69, (right) was also angered by the decision, describing it as ‘disgusting’
Hertfordshire’s Dacorum Borough Council has come under fire for failing to put on a march to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe on May 8. Pictured is a Remembrance parade through Hemel Hempstead, which is in the borough
‘All families will have experienced some sort of loss or pain because of the war. What was the point if you can’t commemorate and celebrate their lives?
‘I think it’s also important to remember and keep what happened at the forefront of people’s minds – as that is what deters another war.’
His wife Debbie, 69, added: ‘It’s rubbish. Those men gave our lives for us. We should never forget that. And we should never be allowed to forget that. Otherwise history repeats itself.’
The local anger comes a week after it was revealed how a couple were arrested and faced a five-week police investigation over comments made about a school in a parents WhatsApp chat.
Maxie Allen, 50, and his partner Rosalind Levine, a 46-year-old TV producer, were held in a police cell for eleven hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications after a ‘trivial’ dispute.
Their ‘crime‘ was to send a few mocking and sarcastic comments about the recruitment process of a new headteacher at the primary school attended by their eldest daughter.
In their messages, the couple were disparaging of the hunt for a new head led by Jackie Spriggs, the chairman of governors. There was no offensive language, no threats, merely what Rosalind later called ‘a bit of a sarcastic tone’.
Rosaline Levine was arrested with partner Maxie Allen for malicious communications, harassment and causing a nuisance on school premises but no charges were brought forward
CCTV shows six uniformed police officers descending on their suburban home before they were led away in front of their crying daughter
Cowley Hill threatened parents with action if they did not stop talking negatively about the their daughter, Sascha’s (pictured), school on social media
In what’s been described as a clampdown on free speech, six uniformed police officers later turned up at their suburban home before they were led away in front of their crying daughters.
Hertfordshire Constabulary later dropped the probe after concluded there was no case to answer.
But the arrest drew comparisons to Stalinist Russia, and prompted troubling questions about the overreach by public bodies.
‘It was hard to shake off the sense that I was living in a police state,’ Maxie told the Mail.
He added: ‘I certainly never set out to be a poster boy for free speech. This just happened to us. These were private conversations, at no point abusive or even offensive, on email and WhatsApp.’
For four years Maxie was a parent governor, although had stopped when, in November 2023, the head teacher announced his retirement. According to Maxie, the vacancy was not advertised immediately, which he believes was against Department for Education guidance (Hertfordshire County Council insists proper process was followed).
‘Essentially a state school is a public authority and its governance is a matter of legitimate inquiry, so I asked a few questions. You could say I was being a bit of a busybody – but there’s no law against that,’ he said.
Describing the moment the couple was arrested, Rosalind said: ‘My first thought was Francesca. I called to her to come to me but she was too scared and just whimpered from the hallway. It was utterly horrible.’
‘It was hard to shake off the sense that I was living in a police state,’ Maxie says
Maxie, meanwhile, described what unfolded as ‘surreal, incomprehensible, nightmarish’. Even so, the couple managed to remain calm, although this did not stop the police trying to deploy handcuffs. ‘I argued against it and they gave in on that at least,’ Rosalind said.
After calling her bewildered 80-year-old mother to look after Francesca – ‘I wasn’t even allowed to touch the phone, I had to give them the code so they could call her,’ she recalled – the couple were taken in separate squad cars to a custody suite in Stevenage.
‘We didn’t see each other again until we were released about 12 hours later,’ Maxie added. Both were fingerprinted, had DNA, mugshots and shoeprints taken before being led to the cells.
‘I felt like I was in a terrible nightmare,’ said Rosalind. ‘I did not know how it had come to this.’
No charges were ever brought against the couple.
Last month also saw a council triggering uproar after voting to ban prayers before meetings as part of an ‘equality and inclusivity’ drive.
Traditionally, a Christian prayer has been said at the start of all St Albans City and District Council meetings.
But this has now been dumped after local officials voted 25-20 in favour of abolishing religious words before full council meetings – even though almost half the population there is still Christian.
The motion was proposed by Lib Dem councillor Sinéad Howland, who said the inclusion of prayers before the meetings ‘may inadvertently exclude or alienate individuals of different faiths or those without religious beliefs’.
Traditionally, a Christian prayer has been said at the start of St Albans City and District Council meetings (file image)
The motion was proposed by Liberal Democrat councillor Sinéad Howland, who said the inclusion of prayers before the meetings ‘may inadvertently exclude or alienate individuals of different faiths or those without religious beliefs’
St Albans City and District Council (pictured) voted 25-20 in favour of abolishing religious words before full council meetings last week
She said it contradicted the Hertfordshire city council’s commitment to ‘equality and inclusivity’ and ‘disrupts the start of the meeting’.
In a separate incident, a senior estate agent who furiously resigned after being given a ‘low status’ desk he believed undermined his authority won damages against his employer.
Nicholas Walker, 53, was left feeling ‘upset’ at Robsons Estate Agents in Hertfordshire after being told he would sit at a ‘middle’ desk rather than the ‘back’ desk – typically where the manager sits.
When Mr Walker’s boss heard about his opposition to the arrangements, he said he could not believe ‘a man of his age’ was ‘making a fuss’ about where he would sit.
But having now won his case at an employment tribunal, the ruling means senior employees who are given a desk they see as being beneath their status could pursue successful legal action.
Sitting near junior staff in the office could ‘logically’ lead to more experienced employees feeling like they have been demoted or are not respected, the panel said.
As a result, this could ‘destroy or seriously damage’ their relationship with bosses.
The 53-year-old, who was also a director of the firm, submitted his resignation after a bust-up with his boss and is now set for a payout after successfully suing the employer for unfair constructive dismissal.
Nicholas Walker (pictured) had been asked to move branch but was ‘upset’ after being told he would sit at a ‘middle’ desk rather than the ‘back’ desk – typically where the manager sits
The desk at the back of the Rickmansworth office (pictured) was said to have ‘practical and symbolic’ significance as it had always been used by the branch manager and was where financial documents were stored
The hearing, held in Watford, heard that Mr Walker was branch manager at Robsons in Rickmansworth from 2017.
In 2022 he was moved to the nearby Chorleywood branch but in May 2023 was asked to return because his replacement there had resigned.
Sales Director Daniel Young decided Mr Walker would share the branch manager role with a more junior colleague but did not inform him.
The desk at the back of the Rickmansworth office was said to have ‘practical and symbolic’ significance as it had always been used by the branch manager and was where financial documents were stored.
But the junior colleague, Matthew Gooder, had already moved to the back desk by the time Mr Walker arrived there, leaving him with nowhere but the middle desk to sit.
Mr Walker told the tribunal he was ‘upset’ at this news as it indicated he would be merely an ‘assistant manager’.
He messaged Mr Young and said: ‘I am not going back…and sitting in the middle.’
Mr Young, who did not realise the ‘significance’ of the back desk nor understand how Mr Walker was concerned about his status being ‘undermined’, drew the conclusion that the estate agent had found work with a competitor.
He asked an external HR service for advice and was told to ‘express disappointment’ that Mr Walker said he would resign if he didn’t get to sit at a specific desk.
Mr Young was also advised to consider if there was a ‘genuine reason’ for it and that it could lead to a disciplinary issue if he refused to move.
By the time the company director arrived at Chorleywood to speak to Mr Walker he was ‘angry and upset’ and had convinced himself the estate agent was going to resign.
The tribunal found that their meeting ‘escalated quickly’ and the tribunal heard Mr Young either said he could not believe ‘a man of your age’ or ‘a f*****g 53-year-old man’ was making a fuss about a desk.
Eventually, Mr Walker threatened to resign and Mr Young told him ‘go on then’ and walked him back to his desk to write up his resignation.
Sales Director Daniel Young (pictured) decided Mr Walker would share the branch manager role with the less experienced colleague but did not inform him
Matthew Gooder (pictured), a more junior colleague, sat at the ‘back’ desk after the company made a structural change without informing Mr Walker – leaving him ‘upset’
Two days after the meeting Mr Walker tried to recover the situation and retract his resignation but Mr Young did not return his call and instead his leaving date was brought forward and he was given payment in lieu of notice.
The tribunal concluded Mr Walker had been right to see the desk issue as a ‘demotion’.
Employment Judge Aku Reindorf said: ‘From [Mr Walker’s] point of view, finding out that Mr Gooder was sitting at the back desk and he would be sitting at the middle desk amounted to being told that he would be assistant manager and Mr Gooder would be branch manager.
‘This was a logical conclusion for him to draw in circumstances where communication with him about the logistics of the Rickmansworth move had been poor.
‘The Tribunal finds [it was] conduct that was likely to destroy or seriously damage the relationship of trust and confidence.
‘Either becoming assistant manager or becoming joint manager with Mr Gooder would have amounted to a demotion by comparison to the role he was performing at Chorleywood and that which he had performed at Rickmansworth previously, since at both offices he had been the sole manager in charge of the branch.
‘Mr Young lost his temper and did not manage the situation in an appropriate manner, in part because the HR advice he had received had exacerbated the crisis.’
Mr Walker’s claim of age discrimination was dismissed and his compensation will be decided at a later date.
And in Hertforshire, locals are fed up with changing attitudes – and hope that a U-turn over the cancellation of the VE Day parade is a sign of things to come.
Terry Yates, 80, was shocked by the move – and confused by VE Day being deemed ‘elite’.
Terry Yates, 80, was shocked by the move – and confused by VE Day being deemed ‘elite’
Colin Horn, 73, was also disappointed by the news – and was certain the council would receive a lot of complaints
His daughter Justina Horn, 35, added: ‘I’m surprised by that. It definitely should be held’
He said: ‘It’s wrong to cancel that. It really is. I’m surprised as Hemel Hempstead are usually good on this kind of thing – and especially on the 80th anniversary.
‘I don’t understand it being ‘elitist’. What makes VE Day elite? I’m sure people will hold their own celebrations. As we should.’
Colin Horn, 73, was also disappointed by the news – and was certain the council would receive a lot of complaints.
He said: ‘I would say it’s a sign of the times. It feels that everything is getting cancelled in Hemel Hempstead now.
‘But to cancel VE Day. Well, that’s disappointing. I was in the Army Cadets so I’ve been to these parades before. I’m sure a lot of people will be complaining.’
His daughter Justina Horn, 35, added: ‘I’m surprised by that. It definitely should be held.
Such was the outrage, it even prompted an apparent intervention from the Lib Dem ‘s national leader, Sir Ed Davey , who insisted there would be a u-turn
‘They’ve been cancelling a lot of things in the town recently. They used to hold a Halloween event for the kids but that’s gone. It’s a shame.’
Such was the outrage, it even prompted an apparent intervention from the Lib Dem’s national leader, Sir Ed Davey, who insisted there would be a u-turn.
‘There will be a VE parade, I’m delighted to say,’ Sir Ed told journalists during a local election campaign visit to Gloucester.
‘The council wants that. It would be daft not to have one, absolutely daft… I think apparently a council officer took a decision without talking to the politicians.
‘The politicians are now really clear, the VE parade will go ahead.’
The council row is the latest head-scratching madness to have blighted Hertfordshire.
