12 Jun 2025
The battle lines have been drawn in the campaign for local government reorganisation, with all 11 Herts council leaders rejecting one unitary authority for the whole county.
The Labour Government invited all councils in all two-tier areas to submit an interim plan for moving to a single tier of unitary councils.
The previous Conservative administration at County Hall favoured one unitary council covering the whole of Herts, but following the election of a new administration in May this has now been ruled out.
It was considered that a single unitary council covering Hertfordshire’s 1.2m residents would be too remote from the county’s diverse communities.
Leaders want to ensure any changes benefit residents and businesses, that excellent local government services are maintained, residents are kept safe, and strong democratic accountability is available to communities across the county. They will continue to explore the evidence and refine the options to be considered ahead of submitting final proposals to the Government by November 28 for Ministers to consider.
A team of officers drawn from HCC and all 10 district and borough councils has been established to develop the options and make recommendations for leaders to consider. The views of residents, businesses, local government partners, colleagues, and other stakeholders across the public and private sectors will be considered essential as proposals develop and significant engagement will take place over the coming months.
SADC deputy leader Cllr Helen Campbell said: “The 11 local authorities in Hertfordshire are of one mind, namely that one unitary body for the whole of the county is not in the best interests of residents. This unanimous view follows the Hertfordshire County Council elections last month which saw a change in its political leadership.
“Now the single unitary option has sensibly been scrapped, we will all work together to carefully assess the pros and cons of the other three options we have collectively decided to put on the table. Firmly at the forefront will be what is best for residents across the county. In addition, we will focus on continuing to deliver the quality services our residents need and the facilities they value.”
HCC leader Cllr Steve Jarvis added: “I have always felt that Hertfordshire is too big for a single council to provide all services to our 1.2 million residents and true local representation for our diverse communities. Without the support of the new county council administration this proposal is now off the table.
“Our focus is working together with district and borough councils, our partners, residents and businesses to understand which of the remaining options will best serve our county in the future while also making improvements to services like Highways and SEND that really matter to people today.”
