Watford Borough Council

Watford Borough Council is the local authority for the Watford non-metropolitan district in the south-west of Hertfordshire, England. The council is based in the Town Hall on Hempstead Road. The council comprises 36 councillors plus a directly-elected mayor.

Watford Borough Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
Leadership
Chair	Dawn Allen-Williamson, Liberal Democrats since 21 May 2024[1]
Mayor	Peter Taylor, Liberal Democrats since 7 May 2018[2]
Chief Executive	Donna Nolan since 2019[3]
Structure
Seats	36 councillors plus elected mayor
Political groups	Administration (31)   Liberal Democrats (31) Opposition (6)   Labour (6)
Elections
Voting system	Plurality voting system
Last election	2 May 2024
Next election	7 May 2026
Meeting place
Town Hall, Hempstead Road, Watford, WD17 3EX
Website
www.watford.gov.uk

History

Watford's first elected council was a local board established in 1850, prior to which the town had been administered by the parish vestries.^[4] Such local boards were converted into urban district councils in 1894. Watford Urban District was granted borough status in 1922, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.^[5] The Local Government Act 1972 reconstituted Watford as a non-metropolitan district with effect from 1 April 1974; it kept the same boundaries and its borough status, but there were changes to the council's responsibilities.^[6]

Responsibilities

Hertfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the ten district councils (including Watford Borough Council) providing district-level services, and Hertfordshire County Council providing county-level services.^[7]

Watford Borough Council's responsibilities include:

• Benefits - Housing and Council Tax
• Car Parking
• Concessionary Travel
• Council Tax - Administration and Collection
• Elections and Electoral Registration
• Environmental Health
• Food Safety and Hygiene Complaints
• Noise Pollution and Pest Control
• Housing Administration
• Licensing
• Caravan Sites
• Town Planning
• Public Conveniences
• Health and Leisure Centres
• Refuse Collection
• Recycling
• Tourism and Visitor Information

Political control

The Liberal Democrats have held Watford's elected mayoralty since 2002 and have had a majority of the seats on the council since 2003.

The first elections to the borough council as reformed under the Local Government Act 1972 were held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:^[8]

Party in control		Years
	Labour	1974–1988
	No overall control	1988–1990
	Labour	1990–2000
	No overall control	2000–2003
	Liberal Democrats	2003–present

Leadership

Prior to 2002, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council, and the mayor was a more ceremonial position. The last leader of the council from 1995 was:^[9]

Councillor	Party		From	To
Vince Muspratt		Labour	1995	5 May 2002

In 2002 the council changed to having a directly-elected mayor as the political leader, following a referendum the year before. Vince Muspratt stood as Labour's candidate in the first mayoral election in 2002 but was defeated by the Liberal Democrat candidate, Dorothy Thornhill. The directly-elected mayors of Watford since 2002 have been:

Mayor	Party		From	To
Dorothy Thornhill		Liberal Democrats	6 May 2002	6 May 2018
Peter Taylor		Liberal Democrats	7 May 2018

Composition

There are 37 seats on the council, being 36 councillors plus the elected mayor. Following the 2024 election the composition of the council is as follows (excluding the Liberal Democrat mayor):^[10]

Party		Seats
	Liberal Democrats	30
	Labour	6
Total		36

The next elections are due to be held in 2026.

Premises

The council is based at Watford Town Hall on Hempstead Road at the northern end of the town centre. The building was purpose-built for the council in 1939.^[11]

Elections

See also: Watford Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 36 councillors (in addition to the elected mayor), representing 12 wards, each of which elects three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing one councillor from each ward each time. Elections to Hertfordshire County Council are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.^[12]

Wards

The wards of the borough are:^[12]

• Callowland
• Central
• Holywell
• Leggatts
• Meriden
• Nascot
• Oxhey
• Park
• Stanborough
• Tudor
• Vicarage
• Woodside

Arms

Coat of arms of Watford Borough Council

Notes Granted 16 October 1922. Escutcheon Gules on a pale wavy Argent between two escallops Or a pallet wavy Azure charged with a fasces erect of the second on a chief of the third a hurt charged with a saltire also of the third between two harts statant of the first. Motto Be Bold [13]

The coat of arms of Watford Borough Council features a fasces.