Peter Taylor criticises Government's handling of Local Government Reorganisation as plans to abolish existing councils in 2029 remain in place

The Government has announced a further delay to Local Government Reorganisation in Hertfordshire, confirming that existing councils will be abolished in 2029 but withdrawing its previous decision to create four new unitary authorities.

The announcement, made on 29 October, means Hertfordshire County Council and all district councils, including Watford Borough Council, will still be abolished. However, the Government has yet to confirm how many new unitary authorities will replace them.

Elections to the new unitary councils are currently scheduled to take place in May 2028.

The Government has said it will make a series of further announcements over the next three to four months, during which it will review the finances, population growth and other assumptions underpinning existing reorganisation proposals.

Watford's Elected Mayor, Peter Taylor, has criticised the latest development, describing the process as a “shambles” and warning that the continued uncertainty is creating additional pressure for councils and local communities.

He said: “This whole process has been a shambles. Today’s announcement creates even more uncertainty for councils and local communities.

“Proper assessments of the various reorganisation proposals should have been done before the government announced their decision in July. Hard-pressed councils have already spent a lot of time and money on this. Now we’re left with even more uncertainty and rising costs. This is a terrible way to treat councils and communities.”

Mayor Taylor said he hoped the latest extension would allow the Government to properly assess the proposals, but warned that repeated changes to the timetable were damaging trust.

He has also written to the Secretary of State requesting Government funding for the additional local election that councils will now need to hold in 2027.

He said: “I hope that this further extension of the pause signifies they will do things properly this time, but the constantly changing timelines does little to improve trust in the Government.

“I have already written to the Secretary of State to ask that the Government provides funding for the additional election in 2027 that councils will now have to hold. This is the very least that they could do to support councils with the additional costs we have to bear from their mishandling of the process.”

Under the previous plans announced in July, Hertfordshire's councils were due to be abolished in 2028 and replaced with four unitary authorities. Watford was set to become part of a new South West Hertfordshire authority.

However, the programme was paused in September, with the latest announcement withdrawing the decision on the four-authority model.

The reorganisation programme is anticipated to cost £23 million across Hertfordshire, with only a small proportion expected to be covered by the Government. Ongoing costs across the county are currently estimated at £180,000 a month, excluding the time and resources spent by council officers.

The changes also mean that the 2027 local elections will now take place for existing Watford Borough Council wards, rather than for a new Shadow Authority as previously planned.

The most recent comparable elections, held in 2024/25, cost Watford Borough Council more than £100,000 to run.