Lib Dems react to government decision on Local Government Reorganisation for Hertfordshire

Responding to today’s (16 July) government announcement to merge the functions of Hertfordshire County Council and all district and borough councils into one layer of government and create four new unitary councils in Hertfordshire, Councillor Paul de Kort, Liberal Democrat Leader of St Albans District Council, said:

“We Liberal Democrats opposed this top-down reorganisation of local government boundaries as it has nothing to do with devolution. Until we receive more powers and more resources from central government, local services will continue under the current pressures.

“By choosing to create four unitary councils in Hertfordshire rather than two, the government has chosen to ignore its own guidance surrounding population size and value for money requirements. 

“This represents great risk for residents. It could disrupt a range of essential services like social care and special educational needs currently run by Hertfordshire County Council, and might require even bigger council tax increases in the future.

“At the moment, the Liberal Democrat administration at St Albans District Council has for years protected discretionary services that we know residents really value, such as leisure and culture provision, CCTV protection, and fly-tipping prevention and prosecution. We’re concerned that the additional financial pressures created by this reorganisation could put these discretionary services under threat in the new unitary system. We Lib Dems will fight tirelessly to protect them. 

“As St Albans District Council is effectively abolished and merged with Dacorum Council, we will nonetheless work closely to ensure that we make the best of what has been decided by central government as residents would expect and deserve.”

Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat MP for St Albans, said:

“This is a top-down reorganisation of local government that Hertfordshire does not need or want. It risks disrupting vital services for some of our most vulnerable residents and will move decision-making further away from St Albans.

“In recent years, the Liberal Democrat administrations at both St Albans City and District Council and Hertfordshire County Council have made significant progress in repairing the damage left by years of Conservative mismanagement. 

“We have protected valued local services, invested in community facilities, upgraded social housing and made real improvements to SEND services, including securing the lifting of the SEND improvement notice imposed on the previous Conservative failed administration.

“This reorganisation puts much of that progress at risk. Reorganising council boundaries without providing any additional powers or funding is simply reorganisation for its own sake. While some residents may welcome dealing with a single council rather than two, they will lose something equally if not more important: accessible, local decision-making and services that are rooted in their community.

“By abolishing St Albans District Council and merging it with Dacorum to create a larger unitary authority, government is taking power further away from local people, not bringing it closer. 

“Residents are likely to find it harder to access council services and to hold decision-makers accountable.

“There are also serious financial risks. Splitting Hertfordshire into four new councils without additional funding creates uncertainty about their long-term viability, raising the prospect that one or more authorities could face severe financial pressures from the outset. At the same time, vital services such as social care and support for children with special educational needs could face significant disruption during the transition.

“Our Liberal Democrat team at the District Council has worked hard to respond to the priorities of local residents, protecting services such as leisure centres and CCTV while continuing to invest in community facilities. Many of these discretionary services could now be put at risk.

“This imposed reorganisation is a major distraction from the important work both of our Liberal Democrat-run councils are doing. As the local MP, I am determined to work with both councils to make the best of a bad situation, while continuing to campaign for genuine devolution that brings real powers and real resources closer to our communities. I hope the new PM will be listening.”

Victoria Collins, Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, said:

“What our communities need is more power and resources closer to them, not further away. 

"This reorganisation of local government is another step of this Labour government taking influence away from local communities at a time when they need it most. 

"Whether it comes to planning, infrastructure and services our councillors are working hard in difficult circumstances and this is another pull on resources. 

"I know during this transition they'll do all they can for local residents. I'll keep fighting in parliament to get them the support they need for our communities.”