Hertfordshire plans placed on hold
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner confirmed the change in a statement to Parliament on 7 September 2026.
Hertfordshire is one of 14 areas where local government reorganisation decisions announced in July will now be reviewed. Rayner has asked councils to pause reorganisation activity while a rapid review is carried out.
The Government has also confirmed that local elections will go ahead in May 2027 using existing council boundaries.
What had been planned?
The Government previously selected a four-unitary model for Hertfordshire, which would eventually replace Hertfordshire County Council and the county’s existing district and borough councils.
Under those plans, Hertsmere Borough Council, Watford Borough Council and Three Rivers District Council would have been brought together to form a new South West Hertfordshire Council.
Elections to the new shadow authority were expected to take place in May 2027, before the council formally took responsibility for services in April 2028.
That timetable is no longer proceeding as previously announced.
What does this mean for Hertsmere?
The South West Hertfordshire proposal has been paused while ministers reconsider the wider programme.
It is important to be clear that Hertfordshire’s reorganisation has not been permanently cancelled. Decisions affecting Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have been withdrawn, while Hertfordshire and 13 other areas have been paused and placed under review.
For Hertsmere residents, the immediate change concerns the May 2027 elections. These will now take place under the existing Hertsmere Borough Council arrangements rather than as elections to a new South West Hertfordshire shadow authority.
