Local Government Reorganisation in Hertfordshire

Local Government Reorganisation in Hertfordshire 

LGR Quarterly Briefing-Host Speaker Helen Standen, EHDC

Time: Aug 13, 2026 10:30 AM London

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UPDATE 16th July 2026 Government Decision Made 

The Government has announced its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Hertfordshire, confirming it will create four new unitary councils, subject to parliamentary approval.

Local government reorganisation: decision letter to Hertfordshire council leaders

The new unitary authorities will be:

North West Hertfordshire – serving the communities of the existing Dacorum Borough Council and St Albans City & District Council

South West Hertfordshire – serving the communities of the existing Hertsmere Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council

Central Hertfordshire – serving the communities of the existing North Herts Council (minus five district council wards), Stevenage Borough Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (minus the Northaw & Cuffley borough council ward)

Eastern Hertfordshire – serving the communities of the existing Broxbourne Borough Council and East Herts District Council, plus the Northaw & Cuffley borough council ward from the existing Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council area and Royston Heath, Royston Palace, Royston Meridian, Ermine, Weston and Sandon district council wards from North Herts Council.

Further resources can be found on the links below

Local Government Reorganisation | Shaping Hertfordshire’s Future

Background

In December 2024, the government published the English Devolution White Paper which sets out proposals for major changes to the way local government is structured and run.

In February 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution issued a statutory invitation to all Borough, District and County Councils in Hertfordshire to develop unitary proposals which will bring together lower and upper tier local government services into new unitary councils.

Hertfordshire County Council and the 10 Borough and District Councils submitted final proposals to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on Friday 28 November 2025. View the proposed options submitted

Central government recently ran a consultation on the differing Unitary model proposals. All Parish, Town and Community Councils were invited to submit responses. HAPTC submitted its response to the LGR consultation on the 24th March 2026. View the HAPTC submission

The Government consultation on Local Government Reorganisation in Hertfordshire closed on Thursday 26 March 2026.

We now await the Government’s decision on which of the three proposals will be taken forward in Hertfordshire. This decision is expected in Summer 2026.

Currently Hertfordshire is working to the following government timescales

• May 2027 – elections for shadow authorities. Shadow authorities are the new unitary council(s) before they formally take on all responsibilities.
• April 2028 – when each new authority formally takes on all responsibilities (this is sometimes called “vesting day”)