The government has withdrawn the July plan to merge St Albans council with Dacorum. Any new council now starts on 1 April 2029 at the earliest, a year later.
The government has withdrawn its decision to split Hertfordshire into four unitary councils. That decision would have abolished St Albans City and District Council and merged it with Dacorum in a new West Hertfordshire Council in April 2028.
Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government, announced it on Thursday 29 October in a letter to council leaders in nine areas, Hertfordshire among them. He said further time was needed to consider them.
Nothing has been decided in its place. The letter says “all options and proposals in your area will remain under consideration”. The earliest any new council could now start is 1 April 2029, a year later than planned.
What the minister set out
The letter and a written statement to Parliament the same day give this timetable for every area still under review:
- May 2027: elections go ahead to the existing councils, as announced in September
- May 2028: elections to the new councils
- 1 April 2029: the new councils take over, which the statement calls vesting day
The minister promised outcomes for “another set of areas by Christmas” and an outcome for every area “by early next year”. He did not say which areas would come first.
Hertfordshire’s councils do not know either. A statement issued for all of them by Angie Ridgwell, the senior officer running the county’s reorganisation programme, is on the district council’s news page. It says: “We do not yet know when Hertfordshire’s decision will be made.”
What changes from the July plan
The July decision, which we reported at the time, had set firm dates. Most of them have now gone.
| July 2026 decision | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Four unitary councils; St Albans and Dacorum become West Hertfordshire Council | Withdrawn; every option back under consideration |
| May 2027 election | To the new council | To St Albans City and District Council as it is now |
| Elections to the new councils | May 2027 | May 2028 |
| New councils take over | 1 April 2028 | 1 April 2029 |
| Transition money | £900,000 per new council | Half paid now, about £2 million for the county in November; the rest after a final decision |
The county statement gives the £2 million figure. The minister’s letter says the first half “is guaranteed” and “is not contingent on the outcome of the Review”.
The committee system question
This matters more in St Albans than in most of the county. The district council does not have a leader and cabinet. It is run by committees of councillors. Under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, Thursday’s statement says, every council run that way must switch to a leader and cabinet by 29 June 2027, unless it is protected or due to be dissolved under legislation already made.
On 14 October, Full Council noted that the council “will likely have to transition to a Cabinet System of Governance by 29th June 2027”. It set up a working group of the political group leaders to plan the change. Both decisions were carried without dissent, according to the printed draft minutes published this week.
Thursday’s statement opens a possible way out. The Secretary of State can extend the deadline by up to a year. She can do so if she thinks the legislation to reorganise a council is likely to be made between 29 June 2027 and 29 June 2028. The statement says that includes an area with a “minded to” decision envisaging legislation in that period.
The stated aim is that councils “would not have to move from the committee system to a leader and cabinet executive shortly before being dissolved”. Hertfordshire has no “minded to” decision yet, so whether St Albans qualifies depends on what the government decides for the county, and when.
City status
St Albans is a city. The July papers said the word “City” could not appear in a new council’s legal name, and that Charter Trustees were the usual way to keep the status.
The new statement goes further. It says the government will work with places “to protect their city status, by reviewing all available options and relevant precedents, including bringing new legislation to this House where it is necessary to do so”.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes in your services. The district council still collects your bins, sets your council tax and decides planning applications. Hertfordshire County Council still runs schools, social care and roads.
- You vote for the district council in May 2027, as we reported when the review paused the plan in September. Check you are on the electoral register and bring photo ID.
- The merger with Dacorum is no longer decided. It could come back, change shape or be replaced. When the government publishes a “minded to” decision for Hertfordshire, there will be a short period in which anyone can send in views before it becomes final.
We will report the Hertfordshire decision when it is published.
Sources
- Letter to council leaders in nine areas, Jim McMahon, 29 October 2026, on the GOV.UK publication page, for the withdrawal, the timetable and the funding.
- Written statement HCWS432, Local Government Reorganisation, 29 October 2026, for the committee system extension and city status.
- Update on Local Government Reorganisation, St Albans City and District Council, 29 October 2026, carrying the statement on behalf of Hertfordshire’s councils, for the £2 million and the unknown decision date.
- Council, 14 October 2026: printed draft minutes, item 9, for the vote on the move to a cabinet system.
- Decision letter to Hertfordshire council leaders, 16 July 2026, and the implementation letter to chief executives, 21 July 2026, for the July plan.
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