Welwyn Hatfield
§ This page gives an overview of the Welwyn Hatfield local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Welwyn Hatfield encompasses a mix of historic and modern towns in Hertfordshire. Welwyn Garden City, one of the earliest planned garden cities, is notable for its tree-lined boulevards, green spaces, and modernist design, while Hatfield has historic links through Hatfield House, a grand Jacobean mansion set in extensive parkland. The River Lea flows nearby, and smaller villages such as Welwyn preserve ancient churches and archaeological sites. The combination of historic estates, innovative town planning, and scenic countryside defines the district.
Welwyn Hatfield Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Welwyn Hatfield local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Welwyn Hatfield can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Welwyn Hatfield.
Key Facts about Welwyn Hatfield
What region is Welwyn Hatfield in? Welwyn Hatfield is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Welwyn Hatfield in? Welwyn Hatfield is located in the county of Hertfordshire.
Is Welwyn Hatfield a city? No, Welwyn Hatfield is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Welwyn Hatfield? The local authority for this district is: Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Hertfordshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Hertfordshire County Council.
▶ Official website of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council 🔗 welhat.gov.uk
Which police force covers Welwyn Hatfield? Policing in Welwyn Hatfield is provided by Hertfordshire Constabulary 🔗 herts.police.uk, which serves 10 local authority districts: Broxbourne ⁞ Dacorum ⁞ East Hertfordshire ⁞ Hertsmere ⁞ North Hertfordshire ⁞ St Albans ⁞ Stevenage ⁞ Three Rivers ⁞ Watford ⁞ Welwyn Hatfield.
Constituencies in Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield is divided into 16 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Brookmans Park and Little Heath
- Haldens
- Handside
- Hatfield Central
- Hatfield East
- Hatfield South West
- Hatfield Villages
- Hollybush
- Howlands
- Northaw and Cuffley
- Panshanger
- Peartree
- Sherrards
- Welham Green and Hatfield South
- Welwyn East
- Welwyn West
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield is part-parished: 8 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Ayot St Lawrence
- Ayot St Peter
- Essendon
- Hatfield
- North Mymms
- Northaw and Cuffley
- Welwyn
- Woolmer Green
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Welwyn Hatfield
Below is a list of post towns in Welwyn Hatfield, grouped by postcode area:
- AL ▸ Hatfield (AL9 / AL10) ⁞ Welwyn (AL6 / AL7) ⁞ Welwyn Garden City (AL7 / AL8)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Brookmans Park
- Colney Heath *
- Cuffley *
- Datchworth *
- Essendon
- Hatfield *
- Knebworth *
- Newgate Street
- North Mymms *
- Northaw
- Oaklands *
- Potters Bar *
- Tewin Wood *
- Welham Green
- Welwyn
- Welwyn Garden City *
- Woolmer Green
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Welwyn Hatfield.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Welwyn Hatfield Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Govia Thameslink Railway (Great Northern) ▸ Welwyn Garden City (AL8 6HA) ⁞ Hatfield (Herts) (AL9 5AB) ⁞ Cuffley (EN6 4HY) ⁞ Welwyn North (AL6 0AS) ⁞ Brookmans Park (AL9 7SS) ⁞ Welham Green (AL9 7HF)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Welwyn Hatfield compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Welwyn Hatfield compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Welwyn Hatfield has 16 electoral wards.
Welwyn Hatfield has a population of 122,819 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Welwyn Hatfield
This chart shows the population trend for Welwyn Hatfield from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Welwyn Hatfield can be found on the ONS statistics for Welwyn Hatfield.