The local authorityCouncil · district · England · 1 of 164 councils (district)

Dacorum.

Liberal Democrats-controlled district. £20m net revenue. 25 wards across 3 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats51 councillors · 25 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Net revenue · 2025-26
£20m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,294
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
28/51
Liberal Democrats 55%
Westminster
3
constituencies overlap · 3 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Liberal Democrats chamber, 3-party MP geography.

Dacorum is a district controlled by Liberal Democrats (28 of 51 seats). Net revenue is £20m for 2025-26. It covers 25 wards spanning 3 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 3 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.51 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

LD 28Con 18Lab 3Independent Berwick Hills Resident 2

Liberal Democrats 55% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Andrew WilliamsConAdeyfield East2023
Barbara Brucelia PeschLabAdeyfield East2023
Adrian EnglandLDAdeyfield West2023
Ron TindallLDAdeyfield West2023
Paul David ReynoldsLDAldbury Wigginton2023
Carrie LinkLDApsley Corner Hall2023
David DeaconLDApsley Corner Hall2023
Toni CoxLDApsley Corner Hall2023
Terry DourisConAshridge2023
John BirnieIndBennetts End2023
Pete HannellLabBennetts End2023
Ian BristowLDBerkhamsted Castle2023
Showing 12 of 51·All 51 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

71%
Council tax
£14.3m · median 61%
21%
Central grants
£4.2m · median 26%
9%
Business rates
£1.8m · median 11%

This is a high-council-tax councils (district): 71% of revenue from council tax, above the cohort median (61%).

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£236
County / upper-tier£1,770
Police£265
Fire & rescue£0
GLA precept£0
Parish average£23
Total Band-D£2,294

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.6 buckets · vs 163 other councils (district)

How does Dacorum split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (district)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Waste & Recycling37.4% of net spend · cohort median 32%
43 of 158+17% vs median
Planning & Economic Development20.0% of net spend · cohort median 14%
37 of 158+39% vs median
Corporate & Central19.1% of net spend · cohort median 27%
125 of 158-29% vs median
Culture & Leisure15.4% of net spend · cohort median 13%
57 of 158+15% vs median
Housing & Homelessness9.7% of net spend · cohort median 14%
122 of 158-31% vs median
Highways & Transport-1.6% of net spend · cohort median -2%
71 of 158
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.25 wards split across 3 parliamentary seats

Dacorum’s territory crosses 3 Westminster constituencies, with 3 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Hemel Hempstead1456% David TaylorLab
Harpenden and Berkhamsted1040% Victoria CollinsLD
South West Hertfordshire14% Gagan MohindraCon
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 1 Ind, 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Liberal Democrats-controlled district — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 163 other councils (district)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for Dacorum
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level