Council 'will not postpone elections' despite backing merger

The Government’s English Devolution White Paper, published earlier this month, would see the nation’s two-tier authorities - covered by both county and district authorities - merged into single unitary bodies.

It would allow local elections to be postponed if that makes the restructuring process easier - but councils would need to submit their devolution plans by January 10 to scrap the county council elections in May.

Cllr Richard Roberts.Last week, the leaders of all 10 of Hertfordshire’s lower-tier councils signed off on a joint statement “to make it clear that we do not support the creation of one unitary council for Hertfordshire”.

Hertfordshire County Council leader Richard Roberts has now confirmed that he is not planning to meet the January 10 deadline.

The Conservative councillor said: “Following the publication of the government’s plans for devolution and future local government structures, I have been open about my view that a single council delivering services for everyone would best serve the interests of Hertfordshire’s residents and businesses.

“However, I recognise there are a range of views and believe that we need more time to jointly explore all the options with our district and borough council partners which is why I do not intend to formally respond to the minister’s letter which invited requests to fast-track the process of devolution and postpone forthcoming county council elections by 10 January."

St Albans City and District Council leader Paul de Kort/Welwyn Hatfield Council leader Max Holloway/Stevenage Borough Council leader Richard Henry /Watford mayor Peter Taylor. (Image: Watford, St Albans, Welwyn Hatfield, and Stevenage councils.) He continued: “The government has made it clear keeping the status quo is not an option.

“It is the responsibility of all local leaders to prioritise working together to develop an evidence-based way forward that will ensure local government in Hertfordshire can provide the best possible public services to our residents and support our businesses to grow.”

In their open letter, the district and borough council leaders highlighted that there are 1.2 million residents in the “diverse” county across urban, suburban, and rural areas, who should be consulted before any changes.

“A single unitary council for the county risks diminishing local representation, with decision-making that is remote from the communities we serve,” their statement added.

“We do not support postponing the county council elections scheduled for May 2025. The government has indicated that this will only happen in priority areas who have clear and agreed plans.

"This is not the case in Hertfordshire, so we cannot be in the first phase of these reforms.

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“We recognise that the government’s white paper sets a clear direction of travel. As Hertfordshire’s district and borough council leaders, we want to work collaboratively with others to agree how we respond to this.”

It concluded by warning against “rushed decisions that have not been given the serious consideration that they deserve”.

The government said efficient unitary councils would cover roughly 500,000 people or more each. Local government minister Jim McMahon has floated the idea that Hertfordshire could be covered by “two or even three councils” shortly after the paper was published.