Welwyn Hatfield

Welwyn Hatfield is a local government district with borough status in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Welwyn Garden City. The borough borders Hertsmere, St Albans, North Hertfordshire, East Hertfordshire, Broxbourne, and the London Borough of Enfield.

For the constituency, see Welwyn Hatfield (UK Parliament constituency).

Welwyn Hatfield
Non-metropolitan district, Borough
Official logo of Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield shown within Hertfordshire
Welwyn Hatfield shown within Hertfordshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast of England
Non-metropolitan countyHertfordshire
Admin HQWelwyn Garden City
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyWelwyn Hatfield Borough Council
 • MPsGrant Shapps (Conservative)
Charles Walker (Conservative)
Area
 • Total50.02 sq mi (129.55 km2)
 • Rank176th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total119,538
 • Rank196th (of 296)
 • Density2,400/sq mi (920/km2)
 • Ethnicity
89.0% White
4.0% South Asian
2.4% Black British
1.8% Mixed Race
2.9% Chinese or Other
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code26UL (ONS)
E07000241 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTL245135

The borough includes the two towns of Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, along with numerous smaller settlements from Woolmer Green in the north to Cuffley in the south. The borough has six railway stations on the Great Northern Railway; five being on the main line and one on the Hertford loop line. The Digswell Viaduct is a local landmark. The A1 road passes through the borough.

Much of the borough lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt which surrounds London. Welwyn Garden City is notable as being one of only two Garden Cities in the country, and is uniquely both a Garden City and a designated New Town. The University of Hertfordshire has its main campus at Hatfield.

History

Welwyn Hatfield was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[1]

The new district was named Welwyn Hatfield.[2] From 1974 to 2006 the council was called Welwyn Hatfield District Council. The council petitioned for borough status in 2005, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. The petition was agreed to by the Privy Council and a charter conferring borough status was issued which took effect on 22 May 2006, when John Hawkins was appointed the first mayor and the council's name changed to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.[3]

Governance
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Pankit Shah,
Labour
since 22 May 2023[4]
Paul Zukowskyj,
Liberal Democrat
since 22 May 2023[5]
Ka Ng
since July 2021[6]
Structure
Seats48
Political groups
Administration (26)
  Liberal Democrats (14)
  Labour (12)

Opposition (22)

  Conservatives (22)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
2024
Meeting place
Council Offices, The Campus, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6AE
Website
www.welhat.gov.uk

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

Political control

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:[8][9]

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–1976
Conservative1976–1979
Labour1979–1992
Conservative1992–1994
Labour1994–1999
Conservative1999–2000
Labour2000–2002
Conservative2002–2019
No overall control2019–2021
Conservative2021–2023
No overall control2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Welwyn Hatfield, and is usually held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2005 have been:[10]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
John Dean ConservativeMay 20056 May 2018
Mandy Perkins Conservative21 May 201829 Sep 2018
Tony Kingsbury Conservative19 Nov 201822 May 2023
Paul Zukowskyj Liberal Democrats22 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council is as follows:[11]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative22
Liberal Democrats14
Labour12
Total48

Prior to the 2023 election the Conservatives held 26 seats, giving them a narrow majority on the council.[12] After the 2023 election the council was under no overall control.[13] The Conservatives are the largest party, but the Liberal Democrats and Labour formed a coalition to take control of the council, with Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Zukowskyj becoming leader of the council and Labour group leader Lynn Chesterman becoming deputy leader of the council.[14]

The next elections are due to be held in 2024.

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on The Campus in the centre of Welwyn Garden City, which it inherited from the old Welwyn Garden City Urban District Council. The building was completed in 1937.[15]

Towns and Parishes

Welwyn Hatfield contains eight civil parishes. The town of Welwyn Garden City is an unparished area. The parishes are:

Elections
See also: Welwyn Hatfield local elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 16 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.[16]

Wards

The wards of the borough are:[16]

Wider politics

The borough boundary differs from Welwyn Hatfield parliamentary constituency only by the single ward of Northaw and Cuffley being within the borough, but in the parliamentary constituency of Broxbourne. All other Welwyn Hatfield wards are the same for Borough and Constituency. Since 2005 Welwyn Hatfield Constituency has been represented by Conservative Grant Shapps.

Arms
Coat of arms of Welwyn Hatfield
Notes
Granted 11 February 1976 [17]
Crest
On a Wreath of the Colours within a Circlet of eight Roses Gules each charged with another Argent barbed and seeded proper a Garb Or between two Wings displayed Azure.
Escutcheon
Or a Fess wavy between in chief a Bar wavy Azure surmounted of two Willow Trees couped and in base an Oak Tree couped fructed proper.
Supporters
On either side a Hart Royal proper that on the dexter charged on the shoulder with two Pairs of Dividers in fess inverted and extended the interior points contiguous Argent and that on the sinister with a representation of a Roman Wine Jar Or within a Cage Sable.
Motto
By Wisdom And Design
Badge
On a Bezant environed of a Torse Or and Azure two Pallets Azure surmounted of a Bar dancetty of two points downward counter-changed.

References
  1. Parish council takes the style of "town council".
  1. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 12 May 2023
  2. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 12 May 2023
  3. "Orders in Council: Meeting 15 November 2005". Privy Council Office. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. "Council meeting, 22 May 2023". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  5. "Minutes, Council 19 November 2018". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  6. "Council minutes, 14 July 2021" (PDF). Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  7. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 3 March 2023
  8. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  9. "Welwyn Hatfield". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  10. "Council minutes". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  11. "Welwyn Hatfield election result". BBC News. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  12. "Local elections 2023: Tories lose Dacorum, Hertsmere, East Herts and Welwyn Hatfield". BBC News. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  13. "Make up of the council". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  14. "Joint Administration and Cabinet line-up announced". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  15. "New Council Offices". Hertfordshire Mercury. Hertford. 8 January 1937. p. 7.
  16. "The Welwyn Hatfield (Electoral Changes) Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2016/116, retrieved 12 May 2023
  17. "WELWYN HATFIELD DISTRICT COUNCIL (HERTS)". Robert Young. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
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