Elections to Hertfordshire County Council took place on 6 May 2021 alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. All 78 seats to the council were elected.

The Conservative Party won 46 of the 78 seats, winning a majority and thus retaining control of the council, despite making a net loss of five seats, with leader David Williams losing his seat of Harpenden North East. Deputy Leader of the Council Teresa Heritage became acting leader in the aftermath of the election, and Cllr Richard Roberts was ratified as Leader of the Council on 25 May 2021.

Background

In the 2017 election, the Conservative Party held overall control of the council, winning 51 of the 78 seats. The Liberal Democrats were the second largest party with 18 seats. The Labour Party won 9 seats.

Several by-elections took place between the 2017 and 2021 elections:

+By-electionsDivisionDateIncumbentPartyWinnerPartyCauseGoffs Oak and Bury Green22 February 2018Robert Gordon Lesley Greensmyth DeathSt Albans North3 May 2018Charlotte Hogg Roma Mills Resignation due to work commitmentsThree Rivers Rural25 October 2018Chris Hayward Phil Williams Resignation

Roma Mills, councillor for St Albans North, resigned from the Labour Party in April 2020 after Keir Starmer was elected Leader of the Labour Party, citing her disagreement with his changes in policies. Andrew Stevenson, councillor for Hertford All Saints, resigned from the Conservative Party in December 2020 due to his opposition to the two-tier local government structure in Hertfordshire and having failed to be reselected by the Hertford and Stortford Conservatives.

As a result, the Conservatives had 49 councillors and 2 councillors sat as independents, giving the Conservatives a majority of 20 before the 2021 election.

In the 2019 general election, the Liberal Democrats won St Albans for the first time since the party's formation, defeating the incumbent Conservative Member of Parliament.

Campaign

Environment

The Conservatives pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and that by 2030, Hertfordshire County Council would be carbon-neutral and waste would no longer be sent to landfill.

The Liberal Democrats pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 by introducing solar powered lighting on walking and cycling routes, and a £2.5 million fund for charging stations for electric vehicles.

Local government structure

In 2020, Leader of the Council David Williams advocated merging Hertfordshire County Council and the ten district councils into a single unitary authority. Hertfordshire County Council suggested that the proposal could save £140 million per year.

Labour committed to opposing any plans for a Hertfordshire unitary authority.

Transport

Labour supported an increase in the number of late night buses, and would reinstate bus subsidies. The party also supported the reopening of a passing loop on the Abbey Line to increase the railway's capacity, and would push for Oyster card functionality for railway stations close to London. Leader of the Labour group Judi Billing stated that she believed that a 20 mph speed limit should be the default on roads in Hertfordshire.

The Green Party and the Liberal Democrats also supported the introduction of a default 20 mph speed limit on residential roads.

Procedure

The elections were held during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Hertfordshire County Council advised that the ballot boxes should not be opened for 24 hours after the polls closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Borough of Broxbourne began counting the votes on 7 May, while the other nine districts of Hertfordshire began counting on 8 May. Some districts also opted to not count the votes for the district council elections until 9 May to reduce the number of people required to be present, and make social distancing easier.

Summary

Election result

The Conservatives won 46 of the 78 seats, remaining in control of the council and giving them a majority of 14, despite making a net loss of five seats. The Liberal Democrats remained the second-largest party, winning 23 seats, the highest number of seats since the party's formation. The Greens won a seat for the first time since the 2009 election.

Results by division Broxbourne

The election was held alongside an election to Broxbourne Borough Council.

+Broxbourne district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 6 13,461 62.2 +0.3Labour 0 5,273 24.4 +4.0Liberal Democrats 0 1,777 8.2 +1.8Green 0 885 4.1 +2.2Independent 0 236 1.1 N/ATotal621,632

Division results

Dacorum

+Dacorum district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 5 3 16,966 42.1 –5.7Liberal Democrats 4 2 12,112 30.0 +5.5Independent 1 1 1,405 3.5 +1.3Labour 0 6,054 15.0 –1.8Green 0 3,700 9.2 +5.0Reform UK 0 73 0.2 N/ATotal1040,310

Division results

East Hertfordshire

+East Hertfordshire district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 8 2 20,328 50.5 –7.5Green 1 1 6,005 14.9 +8.8Liberal Democrats 1 1 5,911 14.7 –2.1Labour 0 7,512 18.6 +3.0Independent 0 262 0.7 N/AADF 0 133 0.3 N/AReform UK 0 94 0.2 N/ATUSC 0 38 0.1 N/ATotal1040,283

Division results

Hertsmere

+Hertsmere district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 3 14,365 50.1 –9.5Labour 2 2 7,689 26.8 +6.1Liberal Democrats 1 1 4,292 15.0 +3.1Green 0 1,581 5.5 +2.9Independent 0 653 2.3 N/AUKIP 0 81 0.3 –4.8TUSC 0 21 0.1 ±0.0Total728,682

Division results

North Hertfordshire

The election was held alongside an election to North Hertfordshire District Council.

+North Hertfordshire district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 5 2 18,317 43.3 –3.4Labour 2 1 10,577 25.0 +2.5Liberal Democrats 2 1 9,439 22.3 +0.2Green 0 3,649 8.6 +2.5CPA 0 178 0.4 N/AReform UK 0 91 0.2 N/ATUSC 0 22 0.1 ±0.0Total942,273

Division results

St Albans

The election was held alongside an election to St Albans City and District Council.

+St Albans district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Liberal Democrats 6 1 23,043 46.2 +8.2Conservative 4 17,293 34.7 –4.2Labour 0 1 5,315 10.7 –5.6Green 0 4,041 8.1 +3.8Reform UK 0 152 0.3 N/ATotal1049,844

Division results

The St Albans North division had been gained by Labour in a 2018 by-election.

Stevenage

The election was held alongside an election to Stevenage Borough Council.

+Stevenage district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 1 9,379 40.6 +0.6Labour 1 1 8,402 36.3 –1.7Liberal Democrats 1 3,481 15.1 +0.4Green 0 1,322 5.7 +2.5TUSC 0 338 1.5 +0.3UKIP 0 122 0.5 –2.5Reform UK 0 71 0.3 N/ATotal623,115

Division results

Three Rivers

The election was held alongside an election to Three Rivers District Council.

+Three Rivers district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 3 10,767 40.1 –0.9Liberal Democrats 3 1 10,015 37.3 –1.7Labour 0 1 3,634 13.5 +0.1Green 0 2,260 8.4 +5.7Independent 0 127 0.5 N/ATUSC 0 32 0.1 N/ATotal626,835

Division results

The Three Rivers Rural division had previously been gained by the Liberal Democrats in a 2018 by-election.

Watford

The election was held alongside an election to Watford Borough Council.

+Watford district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Liberal Democrats 4 10,151 39.8 –4.9Labour 2 7,632 29.9 +2.8Conservative 0 6,895 27.0 +4.4Green 0 515 2.0 –1.4TUSC 0 182 0.7 +0.2Reform UK 0 67 0.3 N/AHeritage 0 60 0.2 N/ATotal625,502

Division results

Welwyn Hatfield

The election was held alongside an election to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

+Welwyn Hatfield district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 8 4 14,280 48.8 +6.1Labour 0 2 7,524 25.7 +1.9Liberal Democrats 0 2 6,748 23.0 –2.3Green 0 550 1.9 –0.6Independent 0 179 0.6 +0.1Total829,281

Division results

By-elections

References