Labour’s timetable for local government reorganisation set to put Herts councils under pressure

The leader of Hertfordshire County Council has voiced concerns about Labour’s timetable to reorganise local government.

The Government wants the authority to submit initial plans in March, followed by full proposals in November.

The English Devolution White Paper, published in December, sets out Labour aspirations for all areas of the country to have an elected mayor. All 21 two-tier areas like Hertfordshire should be reorganised into unitary authorities.

The Indie understands the proposals have divided the county council and Hertfordshire’s 10 borough and district councils, including East Herts.

Conservative County Hall is thought to favour a single cross-Herts unitary authority, responsible for all 1.2 million residents, to maximise financial savings as a minimum. Collaborations with neighbouring counties could also be on the table.

The districts and boroughs are believed to back smaller, more democratically accountable authorities.

They would be formed from three or four existing authorities, representing a population of up to 500,000 each. There is speculation that Green and Liberal Democrat-run East Herts Council could link with North Herts, where Labour is the biggest party but has no overall control, and Labour-run Stevenage.

Essex County Council’s decision to join the first wave of reorganisation is believed to have scotched any suggestion of East Herts joining Harlow and Uttlesford.

As Hertfordshire is carved up, it is already clear that party politics will help forge allegiances and sour possible solutions.

In a statement, Cllr Richard Roberts, the Conservative leader of the county council, said: “I am ambitious for our county and our country. Hertfordshire is England’s county of opportunity and I am determined to make sure it continues to be a great place to live, work and invest.

“My priority remains to ensure that any changes benefit Hertfordshire’s residents and businesses, maintain our excellent local government services and enable strong democratic accountability to our communities.

“The Government’s plans represent the biggest transformation of local government and public services for half a century. The impact will be felt for generations to come and the timescales they have set present a significant demand on all councils in Hertfordshire.

“With financial and staffing pressures on every council in the county, I am concerned about the need to now balance continuing to provide high-quality services with the significant work required to prepare proposals for new council structures.

“I also recognise there are differing views on the future model for local government in Hertfordshire.

“I am committed to working together with district and borough councils to find the best way to protect and enhance services to our residents, support our businesses to grow and provide value for money.

“All 11 councils in Hertfordshire, with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, are already collaborating to develop a shared evidence base to inform the options available to our county. We will now carefully consider the Government’s request and jointly develop our response.

“This work is at an early stage and the views of residents, businesses, local government partners, our colleagues and other stakeholders across the public and private sectors will be essential as it develops. We are also committed to providing updates at every step.

“I have not been actively seeking changes to the structure of local government in Hertfordshire, but the Government is now clear that keeping the status quo is not an option.

“Unlike some areas, Hertfordshire County Council did not ask the Government to delay this year’s elections nor apply for the fast-track devolution priority programme.

“This was to allow as much time as possible to gather and analyse the necessary information to develop proposals and build consensus where possible. It was also to ensure that the local democratic cycle was not interrupted at this vital and historic moment for our county.

“The negotiation of this significant change with the Government requires a depth of understanding, engagement and delivery based on an honest electoral mandate and we will uphold that with elections on May 1.”

Once agreed, Cllr Roberts expected the new structures to be formally implemented in April 2028.