What’s It To Me?

Your council

East Hertfordshire: what’s happening where you live

What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.

Read on 25 September 2026. Councils publish at different rates and in different places, so “nothing found” means nothing found, not nothing happening.

Council plan · Budget · Meeting papers · Councillors · Register of interests · Consultations

Housing

East Herts' adopted District Plan (2011–2033) provides for a minimum of 18,458 new homes.

“(a) Provide for a minimum of 18,458 new homes in the District up to 2033.”

East Herts District Council, undated. Read 25 September 2026. Policy DPS1 Housing, Employment and Retail Growth ('In the period 2011 to 2033 the Council will:'). District Plan adopted 23 October 2018 (https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/east-herts-district-plan-2018). Verified with curl + pdftotext (served from cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com).

Transport

The council's Executive approved changes to car park hours, tariffs and maximum stays, which took effect from 6 April 2026.

“From 6 April 2026, changes will be introduced to operational hours, tariffs, and maximum stay periods across East Herts Council-managed car parks.”

East Herts District Council, 14 January 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Executive decision on Tuesday 13 January 2026, after consultation in October 2025. Verified with curl.

Council tax

Band D set by East Hertfordshire for 2026–27: £207.03 of a £2,454.78 total bill in the area. MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (Open Government Licence).

East Herts Council approved a 2.99% council tax increase for 2026/27; its Band D charge is £207.03 a year.

“To help meet the rising cost of providing services, councillors agreed a council tax increase of 2.99%. This is below inflation and will see the average Band D household pay an extra £5.99 a year, bringing the total yearly cost for East Herts Council services to £207.03.”

East Herts District Council, 5 March 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Published 5th March 2026, about Full Council on 4 March 2026. District share only. Verified with curl.

Environment

In 2023 the council committed to cutting its own carbon footprint to an absolute minimum by 2027 and setting out a pathway to offset what remains.

“The new motion now commits the council to reducing its own carbon footprint to an absolute minimum by 2027 whilst at the same time identifying a pathway to offset its residual carbon.”

East Herts District Council, 27 July 2023. Read 25 September 2026. Same article: 'Councillors previously made a climate declaration in 2019, committing the council to becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030.' Declaration text at https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/about-east-herts-0/vision-and-corporate-priorities/our-declaration-climate-change says the commitment was brought forward 'from 2030 to March 2027'.

Education

East Herts is a district council and does not run schools; school changes are a matter for Hertfordshire County Council. Where we looked

Who runs the council

50 seats in 2026. Run by: a coalition or arrangement of Greens and Liberal Democrats. Open Council Data (public domain).

Councillors by party: Green Party (E&W) 16, Conservative and Unionist 14, Liberal Democrats 10, Labour Party 5, Independent / Other 3, Reform UK 2.

Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.

Elections here now: Hertford Kingsmead ward (22 October 2026).

All 50 councillors, by ward
  • Tom Deffley (Conservative and Unionist) — Aston, Datchworth & Walkern
  • Tony Stowe (Conservative and Unionist) — Aston, Datchworth & Walkern
  • Chris Wilson (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford All Saints
  • Martin Adams (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford All Saints
  • David Jacobs (Labour Party) — Bishop's Stortford Central
  • Yvonne Estop (Labour Party) — Bishop's Stortford Central
  • Mione Goldspink (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford North
  • Miriam Swainston (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford North
  • Sarah Copley (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford North
  • Calvin Horner (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford Parsonage
  • Richard Townsend (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford Parsonage
  • Diane Hollebon (Conservative and Unionist) — Bishop's Stortford South
  • Simon Marlow (Liberal Democrats) — Bishop's Stortford South
  • David Willcocks (Labour Party) — Bishop's Stortford Thorley Manor
  • Graham McAndrew (Reform UK) — Bishop's Stortford Thorley Manor
  • John Wyllie (Conservative and Unionist) — Bishop's Stortford Thorley Manor
  • Stan Bull (Conservative and Unionist) — Braughing & Standon
  • Terry Smith (Reform UK) — Braughing & Standon
  • David Woollcombe (Independent / Other) — Buntingford
  • Sue Nicholls (Green Party (E&W)) — Buntingford
  • Vicky Burt (Green Party (E&W)) — Buntingford
  • Joseph Dumont (Liberal Democrats) — Great Amwell & Stansteads
  • Peter Boylan (Conservative and Unionist) — Great Amwell & Stansteads
  • Alex Daar (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Bengeo
  • Ben Crystall (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Bengeo
  • Vicky Smith (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Bengeo
  • Rachel Carter (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Castle
  • Sarah Hopewell (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Castle
  • Tim Hoskin (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Heath & Brickendon
  • Carl Brittain (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Kingsmead
  • Maura Connolly (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Kingsmead
  • Vicky Glover-Ward (Green Party (E&W)) — Hertford Kingsmead
  • Bob Deering (Conservative and Unionist) — Hertford Rural
  • Carolyn Redfern (Labour Party) — Hertford Sele
  • Nahum Clements (Labour Party) — Hertford Sele
  • John Dunlop (Green Party (E&W)) — Hunsdon
  • Jeff Jones (Conservative and Unionist) — Little Hadham & The Pelhams
  • Ian Devonshire (Conservative and Unionist) — Much Hadham
  • Angus Parsad-Wyatt (Conservative and Unionist) — Sawbridgeworth
  • Eric Buckmaster (Conservative and Unionist) — Sawbridgeworth
  • Ruth Buckmaster (Conservative and Unionist) — Sawbridgeworth
  • Aubrey Holt (Conservative and Unionist) — The Mundens
  • George Williams (Green Party (E&W)) — Ware Priory
  • Graeme Hill (Green Party (E&W)) — Ware Priory
  • David Andrews (Conservative and Unionist) — Ware Rural
  • Martin Butcher (Independent / Other) — Ware St Mary's
  • Steven Watson (Green Party (E&W)) — Ware St Mary's
  • Chris Hart (Independent / Other) — Ware Trinity
  • Nick Cox (Green Party (E&W)) — Ware Trinity
  • Joe Thomas (Liberal Democrats) — Watton-at-Stone

Each councillor’s register of interests is on the council’s own site, linked rather than summarised, because summarising means choosing. Councillors from Open Council Data as recorded after the May 2026 elections; a by-election since then may have changed one seat. Attendance and allowances are not shown.

This council’s meeting papers could not be read automatically (the site blocks or did not answer), so decisions and motions are not listed here; the meeting papers hold them.

Cite this page

Harvard style. Every figure on the page also names its original source, which is usually the better thing to cite.

Every council page has the same five headings in the same order. Sources are the council’s own publications and official statistics. Corrections: hello@whatsittome.org.