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

East Hertfordshire.

Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled district. £19m net revenue. 26 wards across 4 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats54 councillors · 26 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Net revenue · 2025-26
£19m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,340
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
19/54
Conservative and Unionist Party 35%
Westminster
4
constituencies overlap · 2 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Conservative and Unionist Party chamber, 2-party MP geography.

East Hertfordshire is a district controlled by Conservative and Unionist Party (19 of 54 seats). Net revenue is £19m for 2025-26. It covers 26 wards spanning 4 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.54 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Con 19Green 19LD 11Lab 5

Conservative and Unionist Party 35% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Tom DeffleyConAston Datchworth Walkern2023
Tony StoweConAston Datchworth Walkern2023
Chris WilsonLDBishops Stortford All Saints2023
Martin Paul AdamsLDBishops Stortford All Saints2023
Chris WilsonLDBishops Stortford All Saints2019
David John JacobsLabBishops Stortford Central2023
Yvonne Roger EstopLabBishops Stortford Central2023
Norma Jean SymondsConBishops Stortford Central2019
Mione GoldspinkLDBishops Stortford North2023
Miriam Joy SwainstonLDBishops Stortford North2023
Sarah Ann CopleyLDBishops Stortford North2023
Calvin Laurie HornerLDBishops Stortford Parsonage2023
Showing 12 of 54·All 54 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

71%
Council tax
£13.2m · median 61%
21%
Central grants
£3.9m · median 26%
8%
Business rates
£1.6m · 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£201
County / upper-tier£1,770
Police£265
Fire & rescue£0
GLA precept£0
Parish average£104
Total Band-D£2,340

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 East Hertfordshire 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.

Corporate & Central46.6% of net spend · cohort median 27%
15 of 158+73% vs median
Waste & Recycling18.4% of net spend · cohort median 32%
152 of 158-43% vs median
Planning & Economic Development17.2% of net spend · cohort median 14%
59 of 158+20% vs median
Housing & Homelessness13.3% of net spend · cohort median 14%
87 of 158-5% vs median
Culture & Leisure10.1% of net spend · cohort median 13%
105 of 158-24% vs median
Highways & Transport-5.5% of net spend · cohort median -2%
105 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.26 wards split across 4 parliamentary seats

East Hertfordshire’s territory crosses 4 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Hertford and Stortford1662% Josh DeanLab
North East Hertfordshire727% Chris HinchliffLab
Broxbourne28% Lewis CockingCon
Stevenage14% Kevin BonaviaLab
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 3 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Conservative and Unionist Party-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 East Hertfordshire
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level