Hertfordshire
§ This page provides an overview of an England's ceremonial county. Our website has 48 such county pages.
Overview ⁞ Hertfordshire, located just north of London, is a primarily commuter county with a blend of historic towns and modern development. Key centres include St Albans, Watford, Stevenage, and Hemel Hempstead. Despite its proximity to the capital, Hertfordshire retains areas of countryside and green belt. It has strong transport links, a growing tech sector, and is governed by Hertfordshire County Council alongside ten district and borough councils.
Is Hertfordshire a historic county? Yes—Hertfordshire is a historic county. Administratively, it is a shire county governed by Hertfordshire County Council with district and borough councils beneath it (no separate unitary authorities within the ceremonial county).
Hertfordshire has 10 Local Authority Districts. The chart below shows how this compares with other counties in England.
Local Authorities in Hertfordshire
- Hertfordshire County Council (County Council) 🔗 hertfordshire.gov.uk
- Broxbourne Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 broxbourne.gov.uk
- Dacorum Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 dacorum.gov.uk
- East Hertfordshire District Council (District Council) 🔗 eastherts.gov.uk
- Hertsmere Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 hertsmere.gov.uk
- North Hertfordshire District Council (District Council) 🔗 north-herts.gov.uk
- St Albans City Council (District Council) 🔗 stalbans.gov.uk
- Stevenage Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 stevenage.gov.uk
- Three Rivers District Council (District Council) 🔗 threerivers.gov.uk
- Watford Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 watford.gov.uk
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 welhat.gov.uk
Hertfordshire, in England’s East of England region, has a two-tier system of local government with Hertfordshire County Council delivering county-wide services such as education, transport, and social care, while ten district and borough councils manage local responsibilities like planning, housing, and waste collection. These are Broxbourne Borough Council, Dacorum Borough Council, Hertsmere Borough Council, North Hertfordshire District Council, St Albans City and District Council, Stevenage Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Watford Borough Council, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, and East Hertfordshire District Council. Together, the county and district councils oversee governance across a diverse area that includes the historic city of St Albans, the new towns of Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, thriving commuter hubs such as Watford and Hemel Hempstead, and wide stretches of countryside and villages, balancing strategic services with local community needs.
Districts in Hertfordshire
- Broxbourne
- Dacorum
- East Hertfordshire
- Hertsmere
- North Hertfordshire
- St Albans
- Stevenage
- Three Rivers
- Watford
- Welwyn Hatfield
(ITL 1) East of England
(ITL 2) ⇒ Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Luton ⁞ Bedford ⁞ Central Bedfordshire ⁞ North and East Hertfordshire ⁞ South West Hertfordshire
Constituencies in Hertfordshire
- Broxbourne
- Harpenden and Berkhamsted
- Hemel Hempstead
- Hertford and Stortford
- Hertsmere
- Hitchin
- North East Hertfordshire
- South West Hertfordshire
- St Albans
- Stevenage
- Watford
- Welwyn Hatfield
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 12 of them are in Hertfordshire.