Who does what?

Sometimes the different levels of government and which council deals with what issues can be confusing, so we hope this helps. If you simply want to report an issue where you live please use our

leaflet (PDF 419Kb) to find the right contact.

Hertsmere Borough Council

We are responsible for providing the following services: benefits, car parking, community safety, elections, environmental health, housing needs, leisure and parks, licensing, planning, street cleaning and kerbside waste and recycling collections (not disposal). Information about all these services can be found via the menu on the left.

We work in partnership with other local authorities to improve the quality of life for residents but we do not have any control over services which are statutorily provided by other organisations. Want to keep up to date with us?

Hertfordshire County Council

Hertfordshire County Council is responsible for providing the following services: adoption and fostering, early years childcare, fire and rescue, health and social care, household waste recycling centres and the general disposal of waste and recycling, libraries, public transport, registry, roads, schools, street lights, trading standards and youth provision across the ten districts of Hertfordshire.

Town/parish councils

There are also town and parish councils that operate in some areas of Hertsmere, which are generally responsible for local events and some activities for young/older people, Christmas lights, some allotments, cemeteries and parks, public clocks and war memorials.

Council tax

As a Hertsmere resident you will pay all your council tax to us, but we only get 10% of it – the equivalent of just over £198 per year (for an average, band D property). Hertfordshire County Council gets 77%, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire gets 11% and if you have a town or parish council in your area they get 2%.