Borough councillors are elected to Hertsmere Borough Council to represent residents within a specific local area known as a ward.
Unlike county councillors, who deal with services delivered across Hertfordshire, borough councillors focus on services provided within Hertsmere’s towns and communities.
Their role is to represent residents, help shape council policies, scrutinise decisions and oversee how local services are delivered.
What services does the Borough Council provide?
Hertsmere Borough Council is responsible for many of the services residents encounter within their local community.
These include:
- Household bin collections and recycling
- Planning and development
- Housing needs and homelessness support
- Parks, leisure facilities and open spaces
- Council-owned car parks, parking permits and enforcement
- Environmental health
- Licensing
- Street cleaning
- Community safety
- Council Tax and benefits administration
- Elections
The Borough Council collects household waste and recycling, while Hertfordshire County Council is responsible for recycling centres and the wider disposal of waste.
Hertsmere also manages parking services, including council-owned car parks, permits and enforcement. However, public roads, pavements, potholes and street lighting are generally the responsibility of Hertfordshire County Council.
Representing local residents
A borough councillor represents everyone living within their ward, regardless of whether those residents voted for them.
Residents may contact a borough councillor about matters such as:
- Missed bin collections or recycling problems
- Housing or homelessness concerns
- Planning applications and development
- Parks and local open spaces
- Parking and enforcement
- Noise, fly-tipping or environmental health concerns
- Licensing and community safety
A councillor can raise concerns with council officers, help residents find the correct department and ensure local issues receive proper attention.
However, councillors cannot personally guarantee a particular outcome or override council policies, legal requirements or professional decisions.
Planning and development
Planning is one of Hertsmere Borough Council’s most important responsibilities.
Borough councillors help shape planning policy and the Local Plan, which guides where development should take place across Hertsmere.
Most individual planning applications are determined by professional planning officers under delegated powers. Certain applications may be considered by the Planning Committee, where councillors examine the evidence and make a decision in accordance with planning law and policy.
Ward councillors can represent residents’ concerns, but they must not promise a particular planning outcome and must approach formal decisions fairly.
Making and scrutinising decisions
Borough councillors attend council meetings, examine reports and vote on decisions affecting Hertsmere.
Some councillors serve on committees covering areas such as planning, licensing, audit, standards and scrutiny. Others may become Cabinet members with responsibility for particular council services.
All councillors meet at Full Council to consider major policies, set the council’s budget and Council Tax requirement, and make other important decisions.
Councillors must consider the interests of their own ward while also making decisions for the benefit of Hertsmere as a whole.
Borough councillor or county councillor?
Knowing which councillor to contact can help you receive the right assistance more quickly.
A borough councillor is usually the correct person for concerns involving bin collections, local planning, housing, parks, parking, licensing or environmental health.
A county councillor is usually the correct person for concerns involving potholes, roads, pavements, street lighting, schools, social care, libraries or public transport.
Some matters involve both councils, so borough and county councillors may need to work together or direct residents to the appropriate authority.
