Hertsmere

History

Hertsmere was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of three former districts and a single parish from a fourth district, which were all abolished at the same time:

• Aldenham parish from Watford Rural District
• Bushey Urban District
• Elstree Rural District
• Potters Bar Urban District The Potters Bar Urban District (which coincided with the parish of South Mimms) was historically part of Middlesex, but had been transferred to Hertfordshire on 1 April 1965 when Greater London was created and Middlesex County Council abolished.

The name "Hertsmere" was coined for the new district by combining the common abbreviation of Hertfordshire ("Herts") with "mere", an archaic word for a boundary, referencing the area's location on Hertfordshire's border with Greater London and also the fact that it straddles the historic county boundary between Middlesex and Hertfordshire. The name is reflected in the council's coat of arms, which shows a hart upon the battlements of a boundary wall.

The district was awarded borough status on 15 April 1977, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

The borough was originally in the Metropolitan Police District, despite being outside the modern Greater London boundaries. It was transferred to Hertfordshire Constabulary in 2000.

Film studios

Hertsmere is the location of Elstree Film and TV Studios, which produces such shows as Strictly Come Dancing, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Dancing on Ice, and was the location for the Big Brother house. The studios were bought by Hertsmere Borough Council in 1996 and are now operated via Elstree Film Studios Limited, a council-controlled company.

Hertsmere is also the location for BBC Elstree Centre, the site of EastEnders, Holby City, and formerly the home to Top of the Pops, before its move to BBC TV Centre.

The area was also home to other TV and film studios, including MGM, until this was demolished for residential development, and is now an area called Studio Way.

Governance

Hertsmere First Labour ;Administration (20) : : ;Other parties (19) : :

Hertfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the ten district councils (including Hertsmere Borough Council) providing district-level services, and Hertfordshire County Council providing county-level services. In some areas there is an additional third tier of civil parishes.

Political control

The council went under no overall control at the 2023 election. Prior to that election the Conservatives had held a majority of the seats on the council since 1999. Whilst the Conservatives were still the largest party on the council, a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition formed to take control of the council instead. Labour group leader Jeremy Newmark became leader of the council and Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Richards became deputy leader of the council. Newmark narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in his leadership when a call from the Conservative group for Newmark to resign lost by a single vote at a council meeting on Wednesday, March 26.

The first elections to Hertsmere District Council were held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Hertsmere, and is usually held by a different councillor each year. Alpha Collins, a member of independent Hertsmere First group, is the present incumbent. He was elected unanimously at the council's Annual General Meeting held on 14 May 2025. Labour Group leader, Councillor Newmark, backing the choice of an independent mayor said he had taken the message from recent election results that people were looking to political leaders to do things differently.

Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:

The three independent councillors sit together as the 'Hertsmere First Group'. Hertsmere First's stated priorities include protecting the green belt, supporting another GP surgery in Borehamwood, and calling for regular inspections of housing association properties. The next election is due to be held in 2027.

Premises

The council inherited offices at Rudolph Road in Bushey, Darkes Lane in Potters Bar, and Shenley Road in Borehamwood from its predecessor authorities. A new building, called Hertsmere Civic Offices, was built in 1975–1976 on Elstree Way in Borehamwood to serve as the council's principal offices and meeting place.

Elections

Main article: Hertsmere Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019, the council comprises 39 councillors elected from 16 wards, each of which returns either two or three councillors. Elections for the whole council are held every four years.

Wards

The borough's 16 wards are:

• Aldenham East
• Aldenham West
• Bentley Heath and The Royds
• Borehamwood Brookmeadow
• Borehamwood Cowley Hill
• Borehamwood Hillside
• Borehamwood Kenilworth
• Bushey Heath
• Bushey North
• Bushey Park
• Bushey St James
• Elstree
• Potters Bar Furzefield
• Potters Bar Oakmere
• Potters Bar Parkfield
• Shenley

Wider politics

Prior to 1983, the borough was included in the parliamentary constituency of Hertfordshire South. In 1983 the constituency was renamed Hertsmere, whose current MP is Oliver Dowden of the Conservative Party, who served as deputy Prime Minister from 2023 to 2024.

Until 2024, the constituency was coterminous with the district, but since the boundary changes which took effect at that election, this has no longer been the case.

All but one of the wards in Hertsmere district still belong to the constituency of the same name, but Bushey North ward in Hertsmere district is instead now part of Watford constituency, whose current MP is Matt Turmaine of the Labour Party. All but one of the wards in Hertsmere constituency are part of Hertsmere district, but the seat now also includes the Northaw & Cuffley ward from Welwyn Hatfield district.

Civic Awards

In 2003, the Borough Council started to present a small number of Civic Awards to people who live or work in Hertsmere 'in recognition of work undertaken for the benefit of residents of the Borough'.

Parishes

The borough contains five parishes:

• Aldenham (includes Radlett)
• Elstree and Borehamwood (Town)
• Hertsmere Meriden
• Shenley
• South Mimms and Ridge

Four of the parishes have parish councils, with Hertsmere Meriden instead having only a parish meeting. Bushey and Potters Bar are unparished areas, being directly administered by Hertsmere Borough Council.

Demographics

The 2011 census showed that Hertsmere was the second most Jewish local authority area in the United Kingdom, with Jews comprising one in seven residents (the area with the highest Jewish population being the London Borough of Barnet). In the 2021 census Hertsmere overtook Barnet to become the most Jewish local authority area, with Jews comprising one in every six residents. Jews form a plurality of the population in two wards of the borough, Bushey Heath and Elstree.

References

References

1. "Hertsmere Local Authority".
2. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
3. {{cite legislation UK. (1963)
4. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
5. "Alterations of Area and Status of Local Authorities December 1976 – May 1977". Department of the Environment.
6. "Our History".
7. "Council meeting, 14 May 2025".
8. (15 May 2025). "Independent Alpha Collins becomes Hertsmere mayor". Essex Live.
9. (26 January 2020). "First woman and member of BAME community appointed as managing director of Hertsmere Borough Council". Welwyn Hatfield Times.
10. "Management Team".
11. "HERTSMERE BOROUGH COUNCIL (HERTS)". Robert Young.
12. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
13. (6 May 2023). "Local elections 2023: Tories lose Dacorum, Hertsmere, East Herts and Welwyn Hatfield". BBC News.
14. "Council meeting, 17 May 2023".
15. Day, Christopher. (2025-03-27). "Hertsmere council leader clings on after surviving no confidence vote".
16. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
17. (2008-04-19). "Hertsmere". [[BBC News Online]].
18. Day, Christopher. (2025-05-15). "Independent Alpha Collins becomes Hertsmere mayor".
19. (26 July 2009). "Obituary: Bryan Stanley". The Guardian.
20. "Council minutes, 26 May 1999".
21. "Council minutes, 17 October 2001".
22. "Council minutes, 20 September 2006".
23. (20 September 2007). "Council leader resigns 'with heavy heart'". Borehamwood and Elstree Times.
24. "Council minutes, 19 September 2007".
25. "Council minutes, 8 October 2007".
26. "Council minutes, 17 May 2023".
27. "Hertsmere election result". BBC News.
28. "Hertsmere". Thorncliffe.
29. "Your councillors by political grouping".
30. First, Hertsmere. "Hertsmere First".
31. Planning Application 75/209: Offices and ancillary accommodation of Hertsmere District Council at Elstree Way, Borehamwood. Permission granted 3 April 1975. (Referenced in planning application TP/13/0014.)
32. {{cite legislation UK. (2018)
33. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern".
34. [https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/E07000098/], Accessed 30 June 2024
35. [http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rpt-religion.html#tab-Differences-in-religious-affiliation-across-local-authorities Office for National Statistics 1 June 2006] accessed 1 January 2012