Government withdraws plans for four unitary authorities in Hertfordshire but is still considering reorganisation and devolution continues

The Government has withdrawn plans to replace Hertfordshire’s current two-tier council system with four new unitary authorities.

The decision was announced in late October 2026 after a review of the Local Government Reorganisation programme. The Government had paused the programme in September to consider legal issues.

The announcement means that plans to replace Hertfordshire County Council and the county’s 10 district and borough councils are not going ahead. However, the Government is still considering other options. It expects to make further decisions by early 2027.

Councillor Steve Jarvis, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, welcomed the announcement. He said: “I am pleased the Government has withdrawn its previous decision to create four new unitary authorities in Hertfordshire, which we have consistently argued is not in the best interests of our county.”

He said the four-unitary model was the most expensive, complex and disruptive option for Hertfordshire.

Any Shadow Authority elections are expected to take place in May 2028. The new arrangements would come into effect on 1st April 2029, one year later than intended.

The Government has also confirmed that Hertfordshire will receive around £2 million in transition funding in November 2026. This is half of the funding allocated to the county. The remainder will be released when a final decision has been made.

The Government has also said it is in the final stages of agreeing a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Hertfordshire and nine other areas.

Learn more on the Government website via this link – Local Government Reorganisation.

What does this mean for carers?

At this stage, nothing is changing for carers or the services that you or the person you support receive.

If you are an unpaid carer, you should continue to access support, information and services as normal.

Local elections scheduled for May 2027 are expected to go ahead using existing council boundaries.

Our commitment to carers

Carers in Hertfordshire will continue to:
• Support unpaid carers across the county.
• Work closely with local councils and partner organisations.
• Monitor developments, represent carers’ interests where possible and share updates as further information becomes available.

Background

In December 2024, the Government proposed that areas in England with two tiers of local government – a county council and district or borough councils – move to a single-tier system. This would be through the creation of unitary authorities and includes Hertfordshire, which currently has:
• Hertfordshire County Council, responsible for services including education, highways, libraries, children’s services and adult social care.
• 10 district and borough councils, responsible for services such as housing, planning, waste collection, leisure facilities and car parks.

The aim of local government reorganisation was to simplify council structures. It was also intended to bring decision-making closer to communities, make savings and improve financial efficiency.

For Hertfordshire two, three and four unitary authorities were proposed, and following consultation, the Government announced in July 2026 that Hertfordshire would move to four new unitary authorities from April 2028, subject to parliamentary approval. Elections to shadow authorities were due to take place in May 2027.

The proposed authorities were:
• West Hertfordshire: covering the current Dacorum and St Albans council areas.
• South West Hertfordshire: covering the current Hertsmere, Three Rivers and Watford council areas.
• Central Hertfordshire: covering Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield (excluding Northaw & Cuffley) and most of North Herts.
• East Hertfordshire and Broxbourne: covering the current Broxbourne and East Herts council areas, together with Northaw & Cuffley from Welwyn Hatfield and six wards from North Herts around Royston and surrounding villages.

The programme was paused in September 2026, to enable the Government to look into legal challenges to the proposals that several councils had launched or said they were considering.  After the review, Hertfordshire was one of the areas where the original proposals were withdrawn, while reorganisation in five areas will continue.