Your council
Watford: 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.
Watford Borough Council: Non-metropolitan district (lower tier), England, East of England; within the county of HRT. GOV.UK lists it as a district council, within Hertfordshire County Council.
Council website · Publication scheme
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Bulky household waste collections: Applications for service
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Recycling bags and containers: Providing information
- Flytipping: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Band D set by Watford for 2026–27: £308.51 of a £2,446.70 total bill in the area.
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Changes to schools in this area recorded by the Department for Education Updated automatically
No school here is currently recorded as proposed to open or close.
In the last twelve months: 1 opened (1 academy converter), 1 closed (1 academy converter)
- Holywell Primary School (primary) — closed; reason recorded: academy converter, 30 November 2025
- Willow Tree Primary School (primary) — open; reason recorded: academy converter, 1 December 2025
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education services | none budgeted |
| Highways and transport services | £807,000 |
| Children's social care | none budgeted |
| Adult social care | none budgeted |
| Public health | none budgeted |
| Housing services (general fund only) | £6.2 million |
| Cultural and related services | £3.8 million |
| Environmental and regulatory services | £8.3 million |
| Planning and development services | £2.7 million |
| Police services | none budgeted |
| Fire and rescue services | none budgeted |
| Central services | £8.9 million |
| Other services | none budgeted |
| Total service expenditure | £30.6 million |
Watford in numbers
- Total population
- 107,171 people
- Median age
- 37 years
- Gross disposable household income per head
- £26,924
- Gross median weekly pay
- £713
- Children in relative poverty after housing costs
- 24.2%
- Claimant Count
- 4.4%
- Average house price
- £404,299
- Housing affordability ratio (residence-based)
- 9.8 affordability ratio
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- 2.9 tCO2e per capita
- Gigabit capable broadband
- 95.0%
- Public electric vehicle chargers
- 562.7 per 100,000 population
- Active businesses
- 5,600 number of enterprises
Who runs the council
36 seats in 2026. Run by: LD Mayor, with a majority.
Councillors by party: Liberal Democrats 32, Labour Party 4.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 36 councillors, by ward
- Dawn Allen-Williamson (Liberal Democrats) — Callowland
- Ian Stotesbury (Liberal Democrats) — Callowland
- Richard Short (Liberal Democrats) — Callowland
- Aga Dychton (Liberal Democrats) — Central
- Rabi Martins (Liberal Democrats) — Central
- Sam Summer (Liberal Democrats) — Central
- Emil Rowe (Liberal Democrats) — Holywell
- Favour Ezeifedi (Labour Party) — Holywell
- Nigel Bell (Labour Party) — Holywell
- Asif Khan (Labour Party) — Leggatts
- Monjuma Rahman (Liberal Democrats) — Leggatts
- Sham Begum (Liberal Democrats) — Leggatts
- Amanda Grimston (Liberal Democrats) — Meriden
- Annalisa Buraglio (Liberal Democrats) — Meriden
- Jennifer Pattinson (Liberal Democrats) — Meriden
- Mark Hofman (Liberal Democrats) — Nascot
- Mark Watkin (Liberal Democrats) — Nascot
- Tom Osborn (Liberal Democrats) — Nascot
- Iain Sharpe (Liberal Democrats) — Oxhey
- Karen Clarke-Taylor (Liberal Democrats) — Oxhey
- Shirena Counter (Liberal Democrats) — Oxhey
- Gabriel Duduta (Liberal Democrats) — Park
- Penelope Hill (Liberal Democrats) — Park
- Peter Kloss (Liberal Democrats) — Park
- Clara Ansong (Liberal Democrats) — Stanborough
- Rhoda Amezado (Liberal Democrats) — Stanborough
- Tim Williams (Liberal Democrats) — Stanborough
- Callum Robertson (Liberal Democrats) — Tudor
- Darren Walford (Liberal Democrats) — Tudor
- Sean Silver (Liberal Democrats) — Tudor
- Jagtar Dhindsa (Labour Party) — Vicarage
- Sandra Mano (Liberal Democrats) — Vicarage
- Sohail Bashir (Liberal Democrats) — Vicarage
- Ann Saffery (Liberal Democrats) — Woodside
- Glen Saffery (Liberal Democrats) — Woodside
- Richard Wenham (Liberal Democrats) — Woodside