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Redrawing Hertfordshire: Two Beats Three for Herts

By the Hertstown Media Research team

Taking a step back from the noise of anti-illegal immigration demonstrations and flag-waving, there’s another issue quietly unfolding at our doorstep that few are talking about: the reorganisation of Hertfordshire County. Many have not paid it much attention, yet it carries the potential to reshape how local services are delivered, and its impact on our daily lives could be profound. Today, I want to bring this conversation back to the surface and redirect our focus to what truly deserves our attention.

When you strip away the jargon, local government reorganisation is about something very close to home. It is about who decides on the school place your child receives, how quickly a pothole is fixed, what happens when a loved one needs social care, and how your town grows. Over the past year, Hertfordshire has moved from what if to what next. Leaders have tested models, government has set milestones, and a full public conversation has begun. In this editorial we set out what has happened so far, what is happening now, and what is likely to happen next. We explain the options and their implications for services, give a clear picture of what may happen to council offices and elected members, and place everything in the context of lessons from other counties that have already travelled this road.

We also set out our own view. The Hertstown Media Research team prefers a model with two unitary authorities. We believe it provides the best balance between local responsiveness and the scale needed to run complex services well. This is our prediction and preference, not a foregone conclusion. Formal engagement and consultation across the councils and communities will shape the final proposal.

What has happened so far

First, the invitation. Government asked Hertfordshire to develop a proposal that can improve service quality and financial resilience while keeping a strong local voice. The guidance places strong weight on population scale, coherent geography, and the ability to work well with partners in health, policing, and the voluntary sector.

Second, the interim work. Councils across the county produced an interim submission that explored a range of structures. A county wide single authority was examined but set aside by leaders who judged that a council serving more than a million residents would feel too remote from community life. The focus therefore shifted to options that create either two or three unitaries.

Third, the engagement. Councils launched a first phase of stakeholder engagement. Residents, businesses, the NHS, police, schools, parish councils, and community groups were invited to share views on priorities and concerns. That feedback will inform the design of any final proposal.

A simple fact sits behind these steps. Hertfordshire has a population of roughly one million two hundred thousand. Any future structure must divide that number into authorities that are close enough to residents to feel local, yet large enough to carry the weight of social care, education, highways, waste, and other services without constant financial strain.

What is happening now

Work is under way to produce a single preferred model that can be submitted to government later this year. Options are being tested against common sense questions. Do they fit the places where people live and work. Do they align with how the county already plans housing and transport. Will they map cleanly onto the health and care partnerships that run across Hertfordshire and West Essex. Can they keep specialist services resilient. And can they be delivered within a realistic timetable.

Two patterns already exist in the county that help answer those questions. For strategic planning, the districts have long worked in two functional areas. South West Hertfordshire brings together Dacorum, Hertsmere, St Albans, Three Rivers, and Watford. North, East, and Central Hertfordshire brings together Broxbourne, East Herts, North Herts, Stevenage, and Welwyn Hatfield. These are not theoretical lines on a map. They reflect housing markets, commuter flows, and transport corridors along the M1 and the A1 with mainline rail links that shape daily life. They also mirror the way the NHS organises health and care partnerships. Any new structure that follows these footprints will face fewer seams when services and partnerships are transferred.

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What will happen next

The expected sequence is straightforward. Councils finalise a preferred model and submit it to government. Ministers consider the case, including evidence on service improvement, finance, and engagement feedback. If approved, shadow authorities are created to steer the transition and set the first budgets and policies. At vesting, the existing county and district councils are dissolved and the new unitary councils take legal responsibility for services. A boundary review follows so that future elections reflect the new map.

The exact dates depend on central decisions. Locally, planning has assumed a final submission in late autumn, a period of preparation through the following year, elections for shadow bodies the year after, and vesting in the spring that follows. The rhythm is familiar from Dorset, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, and Somerset, each of which moved from multiple councils to fewer, larger bodies in recent years.

The options in plain language

Option A: two unitary authorities

Illustrative geography
South West Hertfordshire Unitary would include Dacorum, St Albans, Watford, Three Rivers, and Hertsmere. North and East Central Hertfordshire Unitary would include Broxbourne, East Herts, North Herts, Stevenage, and Welwyn Hatfield. This mirrors the existing planning partnerships and matches the two health and care partnerships.

Population scale
Each authority would serve in the region of half a million to six hundred thousand residents. That scale meets government expectations and provides a sound base for high cost services.

Service logic
Fewer organisational boundaries mean simpler relationships with the NHS, police, and regional bodies. Specialist teams in adult and children social care are easier to retain and develop. Education and support for children with special educational needs remain on a strong footing. Highways, transport, and waste can be planned strategically across the main corridors without splitting budgets and projects.

Localness
A larger body can feel distant unless it deliberately builds strong locality structures. The model therefore needs visible local hubs, area committees with delegated budgets, and direct lines of accountability so residents can see decisions being made close to home. Other counties have made this work through community boards and local networks that bring councillors, parishes, and partners together with residents.

Option B: three unitary authorities

Illustrative geography
Three authorities would carve the county into smaller pieces that reflect more granular communities of place. A likely pattern would include a body focused on the urban south west centred on Watford and St Albans, a body along the A10 and A1 corridor in the east and centre, and a body anchored in the north around Stevenage and the market towns.

Population scale
At least one of the three would be close to or below the population size that government signposts as a guide. That does not make the option impossible, but it does require stronger evidence on how resilience will be assured.

Service logic
Smaller authorities are often nimble, and residents can feel closer to decision making. The cost is added complexity. Every extra split creates more interfaces with the NHS, more safeguarding boards to staff, more education and special needs systems to connect, and more contract and IT transitions. Specialist teams risk being thinner on the ground unless authorities enter formal sharing arrangements.

Localness
Representation is naturally closer to communities. The price is weaker scale economies and greater pressure on management overhead, unless savings are found elsewhere through deep collaboration.

Side by side comparison

A personal report from the frontline of reform

Our team spent time speaking with officers, councillors, and community leaders in counties that have recently reorganised. Four patterns stand out.

First, keep the public face of services local during the early years. Dorset moved to two authorities and did not switch off local counters on day one. It kept service points open while pushing digital access and appointment systems so that residents could still walk in for help. Over time, customer journeys improved and the estate could be sized to fit actual demand.

Second, create visible locality structures to keep the large organisation rooted in place. Buckinghamshire set up community boards that bring local councillors, parishes, voluntary groups, and public services into one room. Somerset built local community networks that serve a similar purpose. These bodies control modest budgets and can influence service priorities. They make the unitary feel real in towns and villages rather than just in a civic centre.

Third, do not underestimate the back office merge. Finance, HR, and IT are the plumbing that keeps the house liveable. Counties that fared best sequenced migrations carefully, avoided big bang IT switches where possible, and used disciplined programme management to move staff and processes step by step. The prize is significant, with single finance systems, single procurement teams, and aligned contracts that drive down costs over time.

Fourth, be honest about what will change and what will not. Residents care less about structures than outcomes. If bin rounds stay reliable, if school transport is planned with care, if care packages remain stable, trust grows. Clear communication during the transition earns patience when the occasional wobble happens.

What a two authority Hertfordshire would feel like

Imagine two councils that align with the existing planning geographies. In the south west, the authority speaks with one voice for the Watford, St Albans, and Hemel arc. It can plan bus priority, active travel, town centre renewal, and strategic housing growth across a connected urban area with strong rail links to London. In the north and east central area, the authority can hold together the needs of new towns and market towns, manage the A10 and A1 corridors as coherent routes, and coordinate investment in skills and employment land.

Both authorities would carry the scale to keep specialist social care teams intact, to invest in family support that reduces demand on crisis services, and to commission complex placements without over reliance on high cost spot purchasing. Both would also be large enough to maintain a strong special needs offer, with predictable funding for high needs and the ability to plan specialist places across realistic travel to school distances.

The risk, of course, is distance. Residents will forgive a larger council if it shows up locally. That means area committees with money and teeth, councillor surgeries in familiar buildings, and service hubs that remain easy to reach by public transport. It also means simple digital journeys that work on a phone at a bus stop and assisted support for people who find online forms hard to use.

What will likely happen to offices and staff

Expect evolution rather than a cliff edge.

1. Transition years
   Most existing civic buildings remain open. Each new authority designates a primary headquarters where the leader, cabinet, and senior officers are based. Other offices operate as customer hubs and meeting spaces. Staff teams are reorganised but many remain in their current locations while systems are merged.

2. Stabilisation years
   Digital first access matures. Appointment booking, assisted digital, and improved online case management reduce footfall for routine tasks. The estate is reviewed. Buildings that are expensive to maintain or poorly located are assessed for disposal, lease, or community use.

3. Optimisation years
   The property portfolio is reduced to the right size. Remaining sites become multi service hubs that bring together registrars, benefits advice, housing help, planning advice, and local policing or health partners where appropriate. Savings are released and reinvested in frontline priorities.

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What will likely happen to councillors

Representation changes in three steps.

1. Shadow period
   If government approves reorganisation, shadow authorities are formed. They bring together existing councillors to run the transition and set the first budgets and policies. Committees, scrutiny, and audit are established in shadow form.

2. Vesting
   On vesting day the new authorities take legal control. The old county and district councils are abolished. Interim warding and representation arrangements are used if needed until the boundary review completes.

3. Boundary review and first full elections
   The Local Government Boundary Commission reviews the new map to ensure fair representation. The first full elections on the new boundaries follow. Under a two authority model the indicative range of councillor numbers per authority sits around the late seventies to around ninety. Under a three authority model the range sits around the forties to seventies. Final numbers depend on the boundary review.

Our conclusion and our preference

Two unitaries fit Hertfordshire. They align with how the county already plans housing and transport. They map neatly onto health and care partnerships. They deliver scale for social care, education, highways, and waste without stretching the link between councillors and communities to breaking point. They also offer a clearer path for property and IT consolidation which protects frontline budgets.

The trade off is that larger bodies must work harder to feel local. That is not a flaw in the design, it is a design choice. With visible local hubs, empowered area committees, and clear accountability, the distance can be closed. Other counties have done it. Hertfordshire can too.

This is the view of the Hertstown Media Research team, based on detailed reading and conversations with people who have delivered change in other places. It is our prediction and our preference. The formal consultation and the voices of residents, partners, and staff will rightly shape the final choice. Whatever model is selected, we will continue to scrutinise the evidence, explain the implications in plain language, and tell the story of how the change touches daily life on every street in this county we call home.

💬 Have Your Say
The reorganisation of Hertfordshire is set to reshape how our local services are delivered, but how much do residents really know about it? Do you feel informed and carried along in the process or left in the dark? Has there been enough coverage and clarity on what these changes mean for everyday life in our borough?

We’d love to hear your views. Share your thoughts with us and let’s keep this important conversation alive.

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Editor-in-chief | Emeka Ogbonnaya

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