What Watford's council shake-up means for residents in 2028

At the time, Theresa May was prime minister and Javi Garcia was the Watford FC manager.

On 20 July, Andy Burnham became the sixth Prime Minister during my time in this role and Alessio Dionisi has just taken over as Watford’s 17th manager in eight years.

It will be interesting to see who is in those roles when the position of Elected Mayor of Watford is abolished in April 2028.

One of the final decisions of Kier Starmer’s government was to announce how councils in Hertfordshire will be arranged in the future.

Peter Taylor reflects on the future of Watford as council reorganisation brings major changes in 2028 (Image: Peter Taylor)

From April 2028, new authorities will take over responsibility for delivering the services currently provided by Hertfordshire County Council and the district and borough councils in our area.

Watford will be part of the new South West Hertfordshire unitary council, along with the areas that currently make up Three Rivers and Hertsmere councils, stretching from Rickmansworth to Potters Bar.

Elections to this council will take place next spring.

The new councillors will be part of a ‘shadow council’ that will have a year to organise itself before it takes on its full responsibilities in 2028, at which point Watford Council and the role of Elected Mayor will cease to exist.

I was re-elected this year and will make sure the commitments I made – such as increasing the number of Green Flag parks, pressing for Watford General to be rebuilt and keeping Watford’s share of council tax as low as possible – are delivered successfully.

It’s been an enormous honour to serve as elected mayor.

I am determined to make sure that over this period we deliver the best possible services and ensure that the new council gets off to a good start.

• Peter Taylor is the mayor of Watford.