Council restructure news still on track for July

A group of councils has been told the resignation of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should not delay a decision over their futures.

The county council, and the 10 district and borough councils that operate across Hertfordshire, are due to be replaced by between two and four unitary authorities by April 2028.

There was suggestion that Number 10 would not make any major policy or spending commitments until a new prime minister was in place.

But a spokeswoman for the councils said the government had confirmed "the timings are still in place" for a July announcement.

As part of local government reorganisation, the current two-tier system of councils in Hertfordshire could be divided into either two, three or four smaller unitary authorities.

These councils would be responsible for all local public services, including waste collections, road maintenance and social care.

Hertfordshire has already consulted on those plans but ultimately the decision on the number of new authorities will be made by government.

The proposed reorganisation has already caused a three-way split among the councils.

Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield asked to cancel May's local elections so they could have more time to prepare - a decision that was originally agreed by government but then overturned.

It also saw a political row in Welwyn Hatfield when the Liberal Democrats threatened to scratch out their coalition agreement with Labour over the situation.

Although no official date has been set for an announcement, councils have been expecting one before Parliament rises for the summer recess.

Andy Burnham could be given the keys to Number 10 as early as 17 July if no MP stands against him in the leadership contest, with potential candidates having from 9 July to 15 July to collect the backing of 81 MPs to challenge him.

The spokeswoman for the councils told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that they were still working towards an announcement from government in mid-July.

"We have approached the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and they have confirmed the timings are still in place," she said.

LDRS also asked the MHCLG whether the timetable would be impacted by Sir Keir's resignation. No response has yet been received.

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