Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of the the frequently asked questions about Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) are shown below.

What does the County Council do?

Hertfordshire County Council are responsible for county-wide services such as:

  • Social services
  • Education
  • Highways.

 

What do District and Borough Councils do?

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is one of ten district or borough councils in Hertfordshire. We provide services including:

  • Housing
  • Planning
  • Parking
  • Rubbish and recycling collections.

 

 

What is changing

From April 2028, the way your local council services are organised will change. The services currently provided by the county council and district or borough councils will be brought together and delivered by one council, called a unitary authority.

On 16 July 2026 the Government announced that that Hertfordshire will be split into four unitary authorities as set out below:

  • 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

 

 

What are the key dates?

  • May 2027 - Elections to new shadow authorities (these will enable the future leaders to plan for the new council)
  • April 2028 - Vesting Day when new councils go live (Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will cease to exist)

 

 

Why is this changing?

The Government asked all areas with two levels of local government (county and district councils) to put forward new arrangements. These will bring all council services together under one authority, known as a unitary council.

The reorganisation aims to:

  • simplify how councils are structured

  • make access to services more consistent

  • improve transparency in decision‑making

  • strengthen the local voice

The aim is to keep what works well in Hertfordshire and improve what could work better. The new councils would be better placed to plan and deliver services for the future.

All 11 Hertfordshire councils are committed to ensuring there is no disruption to frontline services during the transition.

 

Why has the Government decided that four unitary councils will be created in Hertfordshire?

Following extensive review of the submitted proposals and of the public feedback from the statutory consultation, the Government believes that four unitary councils will offer the best balance between financial stability, local decision-making and robust delivery of services.

 

Will my council services be affected?

At the moment, nothing is changing. Hertfordshire County Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will continue to provide all services as usual until 1 April 2028.

The responsibility of these services will then be transferred to the new councils.

 

What happens to the existing county, borough and district councils?

From 1 April 2028, Hertfordshire County Council and the 10 borough and district councils will no longer exist and will be replaced by four unitary councils.

All of their responsibilities will transfer to the new unitary councils, which will deliver all local services.

 

 

Who will be the councillors for the new councils?

Elections will take place in May 2027 to elect councillors for the new councils.

These new councils will be known as ‘Shadow Authorities’.

These councillors will oversee the transition from the existing 11 councils to the four new unitary councils and will take formal responsibility for council services when the new councils go live in April 2028.

 

Where will my new council be based, and where will meetings be held?

This has not yet been decided.

However, councils across Hertfordshire have a shared commitment to ensure that decision making remains close to local communities.

 

 

How will changes be communicated to me?

You will be kept informed through this website and your council’s usual communication channels, including:

  • local media

  • council websites

  • social media

  • council magazines

 

Do residents have a say in this?

Local Government Reorganisation is a Government-led initiative.

All 11 Hertfordshire councils engaged with residents in September 2025 to gather views on the opportunities, risks and options for Local Government Reorganisation prior to submitting three potential options to Government in November 2025.

The Government ran a statutory public consultation on the submitted proposals from 5 February to 26 March 2026, inviting feedback.