North Hertfordshire

Coordinates: 52°00′N 0°12′W / 52.0°N 0.2°W / 52.0; -0.2
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North Hertfordshire District
Non-metropolitan district
St Mary's Church from Market Place in Hitchin, the district's largest town
St Mary's Church from Market Place in Hitchin, the district's largest town
North Hertfordshire shown within Hertfordshire
North Hertfordshire shown within Hertfordshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast of England
Non-metropolitan countyHertfordshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQLetchworth
Established1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyNorth Hertfordshire District Council
 • LeadershipLeader and Cabinet (Labour-Liberal Democrat (council NOC))
 • MPsBim Afolami
Oliver Heald
Stephen McPartland
Area
 • Total144.9 sq mi (375.4 km2)
 • Rank91st (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total133,571
 • Rank174th (of 296)
 • Density920/sq mi (360/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code26UF (ONS)
E07000099 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTL2355435083

North Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth Garden City and the largest town is Hitchin. The district also includes the towns of Baldock and Royston and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Part of the district lies within the Chiltern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The neighbouring districts are East Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield, St Albans, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, and South Cambridgeshire.

History[edit]

North Hertfordshire was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]

The new district was named North Hertfordshire, reflecting its position within the wider county.[3]

Governance[edit]

North Hertfordshire District Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Daniel Allen,
Labour
since 25 May 2023[4]
Elizabeth Dennis,
Labour
since 26 May 2021[5]
Anthony Roche
since 18 July 2020[6]
Structure
Seats49
Political groups
Administration (34)
  Labour (19)
  Liberal Democrats (15)

Opposition (15)

  Conservatives (15)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
2 May 2024
Meeting place

Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3JF
Website
www.north-herts.gov.uk

North Hertfordshire District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hertfordshire County Council. Much of the district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[7][8]

Political control[edit]

The council has been under no overall control since the 2019 election, being led by a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition.

The first election to North Hertfordshire District Council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:[9]

Party in control Years
No overall control 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1994
No overall control 1994–1996
Labour 1996–1999
Conservative 1999–2019
No overall control 2019–present

Leadership[edit]

The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:[10][11]

Councillor Party From To
Bob Flatman[12] Conservative 1 Apr 1974 19 May 1992
Geoff Woods[13] Conservative 19 May 1992 1995
David Kearns Labour 1995 1999
F. John Smith[14] Conservative 1999 9 May 2010
Lynda Needham Conservative 20 May 2010 5 May 2019
Martin Stears-Handscomb Labour 21 May 2019 9 May 2021
Elizabeth Dennis Labour 26 May 2021

Composition[edit]

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was as follows:[15][16]

Party Councillors
Labour 19
Liberal Democrats 15
Conservative 15
Total 49

The next election is due in 2024.

Premises[edit]

When the council was created in 1974, it inherited five sets of offices from the five former authorities, spread across the four towns of Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock and Royston. Initially the new council used the former Hitchin Rural District Council's offices (later called Centenary House) on Grammar School Walk in Hitchin as its headquarters, with the other offices providing additional accommodation. In 1975, the year after the new council's creation, it consolidated most of its functions into a new six-storey building called Council Offices on Gernon Road in Letchworth, designed by Tony Walker of architects Damond Lock, Grabowski and Partners. The building was formally opened on 22 July 1975 by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.[17][18] The council rented the building until 2013, when it purchased it for £3.6 million.[19]

Towns and Parishes[edit]

North Hertfordshire contains four towns, being Baldock, Hitchin, Letchworth, and Royston. The district also borders the northern, western and southern edges of Stevenage, and some parts of the latter's urban area lie within North Hertfordshire rather than the borough of Stevenage, notably including much of the Great Ashby area. Knebworth is a post town, but its parish council has not formally declared it a town.

North Hertfordshire contains 35 civil parishes. Six of the smaller parishes do not have parish councils, having instead a parish meeting, being those marked with asterisks(*) below.[20] In addition, the three towns of Baldock, Hitchin, and Letchworth are unparished areas, as no successor parishes were created for those three former urban districts on their abolition in 1974. A Letchworth Garden City Parish was subsequently created in 2005, but was abolished in 2013.[21]

  1. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Newnham
  2. ^ Council styled "Community Council"
  3. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Caldecote
  4. ^ Council styled "Town Council"
  5. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Wallington
  6. ^ Shares grouped parish council with Rushden

Elections[edit]

See also: North Hertfordshire District Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2007, the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 24 wards, electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing approximately a third of the council each time. Elections to Hertfordshire County Council are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[22]

From the 2024 election, all seats on the council will be elected for the first time following new ward boundaries.[23]

Wards[edit]

The wards of the district are:[22]

  • Arbury (1)
  • Baldock East (1)
  • Baldock Town (3)
  • Cadwell (1)
  • Chesfield (2)
  • Codicote (1)
  • Ermine (1)
  • Hitchin Bearton (3)
  • Hitchin Highbury (3)
  • Hitchin Oughton (2)
  • Hitchin Priory (2)
  • Hitchin Walsworth (3)
  • Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo (3)
  • Kimpton (1)
  • Knebworth (2)
  • Letchworth East (2)
  • Letchworth Grange (3)
  • Letchworth South East (3)
  • Letchworth South West (3)
  • Letchworth Wilbury (2)
  • Royston Heath (2)
  • Royston Meridian (2)
  • Royston Palace (2)
  • Weston and Sandon (1)

Arms[edit]

Coat of arms of North Hertfordshire
Notes
Granted 16 January 1975
Crest
On a wreath of the colours two sprigs of oak in saltire fructed Proper enfiling a mural crown Or perched thereon a hooded crow (Corvus cornix cornix) close Proper.
Escutcheon
Chevronny of six Or and Gules a pale Ermine on a chief Vert a fleece between two garbs of barley Or.
Supporters
On either side a hart attired of ten tynes Proper gorged with a coronet pendent therefrom a pentagon Or charged with a cogwheel Sable
Motto
Memores Acte Prudentes Futuri[24]

[edit]

Former logo used c. 1990–2021.

In 2021 the council adopted a new logo of four hearts (shown in the infobox above) and the style "North Herts Council" instead of its full formal name of "North Hertfordshire District Council". Prior to this, the council had used a logo of the initials "NHDC" in a green and purple square for approximately thirty years.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – North Hertfordshire Local Authority (E07000099)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2023
  3. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 March 2023
  4. ^ "Council meeting, 25 May 2023". North Herts Council. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Minutes, Council 26 May 2021". North Herts Council. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Council departments". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 3 March 2023
  8. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Council minutes". North Herts Council. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  11. ^ Pre-2005 leaders taken from the council minute books available for inspection at the council offices in Letchworth.
  12. ^ "Bob's top job". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 28 May 1993. p. 111. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Council elects new chairman". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. 22 May 1992.
  14. ^ Suslak, Anne (7 January 2022). "Town pays tribute to 'Mr Royston' who made huge contribution to community". Royston Crow. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Local elections 2023: full council results for England". The Guardian. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  16. ^ "North Hertfordshire election result". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  17. ^ "A royal welcome". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 24 July 1975. p. 1.
  18. ^ "History". DLG Architects. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  19. ^ Scott, James (12 December 2013). "NHDC buys own Letchworth GC offices for £3.6M". The Comet. Archant. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Parish Councils and Meetings". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Council minutes, 22 November 2012". North Hertfordshire District Council. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  22. ^ a b "The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2006", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2006/3112, retrieved 4 March 2023
  23. ^ "New political map for North Herts Council | North Herts Council". www.north-herts.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  24. ^ "East of England Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  25. ^ "Council Plan 2022–2027" (PDF). North Herts Council. Retrieved 22 November 2021.

52°00′N 0°12′W / 52.0°N 0.2°W / 52.0; -0.2

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