Why would we want to live and work anywhere else?

What is it like to have a business based here?

The district was formed in 1974 combining the former urban districts of Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock and Royston with Hitchin Rural District. It occupies the low chalk hills of the north-eastern Chilterns, extending north into the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire plain around Ashwell and Hinxworth, and south to the valley of the River Lea around Codicote.

Each of North Hertfordshire’s towns has a distinctive character. Hitchin, Baldock and Royston are medieval market towns with historic buildings, while Letchworth is world famous as the first Garden City.

Hitchin

The earliest reference to the town dates back to the 7th century, although the first reference to the name of Hitchin was made in the 17th century. St Mary’s Church is the largest parish church in Hertfordshire and its tower dates back to 1190. The market place is cobbled and surrounded by old traditional buildings dating back to the 15th century and Tudor and Georgian buildings surround the town.

Baldock

Rich in archaeological heritage, Baldock has been continuously occupied since historic times and boasts the highest quantity of finds of ancient coins in Hertfordshire after the Verulamium region. Baldock was founded by the Knights Templar as a medieval market town in the 1140s. Due to its location, the town was a major staging post between London and the north and many old coaching inns remain.

Letchworth Garden City

Letchworth was an ancient parish appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086, remaining as a small rural village until the start of the 20th century. Known for being the first garden city, the development of the modern town began in 1903, when much of the land in Letchworth and the neighbouring parishes was bought by First Garden City Limited, founded by Ebenezer Howard. The aim of the new garden city was to create a new type of settlement which provided jobs, services and good housing, whilst retaining the environmental quality of the countryside.

The towns have an attractive mix of well-known high street names and traditional markets, fascinating antique and craft centres and small speciality shops. Farmers’ markets are held regularly at Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City and Royston selling a range of produce from fresh fruit and vegetables to tempting treats.

And you don’t have to venture too far for the larger shopping centres of Stevenage, Luton, Welwyn Garden City and Watford, while Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Lakeside and Bluewater are less than an hour by car.

The rural section of the North Hertfordshire district covers 127 square miles around the towns of Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth and Royston and has boundaries with Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Essex. Important as an agricultural area, it has also grown considerably as a residential area.

CSD Automation

CSD AUTOMATION specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of bespoke process automation and manual handling equipment. The company’s products range from conveyors, robotics and bespoke industrial manipulators to other bespoke process automation equipment.

The team includes design engineers, project engineers, sales managers and specialist in-house manufacturing, assembly and installation engineers.

Their diverse range of customers in a variety of industries include aerospace and defence, automotive, logistics, healthcare, pharmaceutical and material processing. They have delivered products to Airbus, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Boots, Amazon, Honda, John Lewis and Ocado to name a few.

“CSD has been in Hertfordshire since incorporation in 2007,” said Chris Pykerman, founder and managing director of CSD Automation.

Chris Pykerman

“As the business has expanded, we have moved premises a number of times but always remaining in Hertfordshire.

“Our most recent move was in January this year to a new, larger facility in Letchworth and we work from here to serve customers both in the UK and overseas.

“The two directors of CSD grew up and live in Hertfordshire and have children attending local schools so it is natural to have the business in Herts too.”

The firm is committed to being part of local business activity and is holding a Business Breakfast for local businesses at the end of April with guest speaker Sir Oliver Heald MP (North Herts).

“Although there is a perception that London and the south-east is primarily a financial region, a substantial amount of manufacturing also occurs here,” he added.

“From Letchworth, it is easy to reach clients in the manufacturing heartland of the Midlands and other UK industrial areas where many of our customers are located.

“Further key advantages include the fantastic range of local suppliers available to us, with whom we have long-established relationships; plus the calibre of candidates when we need to recruit: 70% of our team reside within Hertfordshire. With our network in the community and the opportunity to generate new business contacts, we do not see any reason to move.”

Tate

TATE is an award-winning recruitment consultancy firm specialising in professional office roles, both temporary and permanent, with physical and virtual offices across England, including at St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City, Hitchin and Luton.

The move towards more virtual offices was the brainchild of managing director David Clubb.

“The recruitment industry has changed, recruitment is done online,” said David.

“You don’t have to have a physical office as clients want to communicate via Skype, Teams, email or phone.. We have kept our staff in the area but they work virtually now so if a candidate wants to meet in town for a coffee, or a client invites us in for a job briefing this can still be arranged locally, quickly and easily”.

With the company estimating that only 1% of their clients came to their offices post pandemic, moving towards a virtual offering made good business sense.

“Clients want flexibility, they don’t mind not being face-to-face, they would rather have the flexibility to take a call or meet us online around usual office hours or stay connected by email,” added David. “Flexibility is the way forward.”

“Hertfordshire is quite an affluent area, with a fantastic choice of industries and employers,” added Emma Tarbox, Operations Manager.

“We recruit office professionals who want to progress their careers in well paid, meaningful jobs.

“We are a champion for business and candidates in the local area. There are eight of us strategically located across the county with local market knowledge, such as local employer brands, salaries, transport links, realistic travel to work time, further education facilities, specialist businesses.

David added that his Hertfordshire team is the longest serving in Tate too.

“The length of service in the business is six-and a-half years but for the local area, it’s nine-and a-half years,” he said. “Our experienced team are enjoying our new way of working”

David introduced flexible working, which works for both our employees and clients.

“If a client wants a Teams meeting or call out of hours then we can accommodate that,” said Emma.

“And if a member of staff wants to walk their dog, run some errands or go to the gym during work hours, they have that freedom and choice to manage their time.” added David. “Everybody has smartphones with access to their emails so they’re not tied to a desk.

“We know a good network of local training providers the how the apprenticeship levy benefits upskilling and staff retention so feel well placed to offer advice and direction.”