With the borough council elections looming, we have taken a closer look at the make-up of local authorities within our patch.

Prospective councillors in Watford, Hertsmere, Three Rivers and Dacorum have been battling it out for voters’ support ahead of tomorrow’s vote.

The political landscape is particularly interesting in Hertsmere and Dacorum – where there are “all out” elections – while in Watford and Three Rivers there are 12 and 14 seats up for grabs respectively.

Here’s how things currently stand in each:

Watford

One seat in each of the town’s 12 wards will need to be filled when voters elect the people and parties they want to represent them.

The Herts local authority is made up of 36 members. The majority of these – 27 members – belong to the Liberal Democrat Group. The Labour Group is the only political opposition in the town, with nine seats.

Watford is also one of 16 local authorities in England to have a directly elected council leader – the Mayor. Peter Taylor (LD) was re-elected into post last year and will not face an election again until 2026.

The full list of Watford candidates can be found here.

Hertsmere

Every seat is up for election in each of the borough’s 16 wards.

Hertsmere Borough Council – which covers Borehamwood, Bushey, Potters Bar and Radlett – is currently controlled by the Conservative Group, with 28 councillors on the authority benches.

The Labour Group is the largest party in opposition, with seven authority members.

The Liberal Democrat Group fields three councillors who are all in Bushey North, while a seat in Shenley was left vacant following the death of Conservative councillor Anthony Spencer earlier in 2023.

With an “all out” election, Hertsmere’s political map could all change in the coming days.

The full list of Hertsmere candidates can be found here.

Three Rivers District Council

Fourteen district council seats in Three Rivers could change hands at the local elections this May.

One seat in every ward will be contested on Thursday, May 4, except in Chorleywood South and Maple Cross, where voters have a choice of two candidates.

Each ward is usually represented by three councillors.

Three Rivers District Council – which is based in Rickmansworth – is under Liberal Democrat control, and the party has 22 members on the authority’s benches.

The Conservatives are the largest party in opposition, with 12 councillors.

The Labour Party has three members on the council, all in South Oxhey, with one Green Party councillor in Dickinsons, incorporating Croxley.

An additional vacancy in Chorleywood South and Maple Cross has come about following the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Trevett, who stepped back due to ill health.

The full list of Three Rivers District Council candidates can be found here.

Dacorum Borough Council

Dacorum’s political map could also all change with an “all out” election this spring.

For the first time since 2019, every single borough council seat is up for election.

A total 51 seats are being contested across the Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Kings Langley and Tring areas, where the Conservatives hold a comfortable majority with 31 seats.

The Liberal Democrats – who launched their national election campaign in the borough earlier this year – are the main party in opposition, with 19 seats on the authority.

There is one independent councillor in Nash Mills (Hemel Hempstead).

The full list of Dacorum Borough Council candidates can be found here.