Elections 2022: Where will people be voting in Hertfordshire?

Voting will take place in areas across Hertfordshire on 5 May 2022

Voters will head to the polls to elect councillors across Hertfordshire on Thursday 5 May.

In most councils where polls are being held, a third of council seats are up for grabs, except in St Albans where there are elections for all seats due to boundary changes.

A review of ward sizes has reduced the number of councillors in the district by two.

In Watford, voters will also choose a directly-elected mayor.

Watford Council Mayor

The elected mayor position has been held by Liberal Democrats since it was created in 2002 with Dorothy Thornhill and then Peter Taylor being elected.

Mr Taylor is seeking re-election.

St Albans City and District Council

Following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, there will be elections for all of St Albans' seats due to boundary changes. The vote will see the number of councillors reduced from 58 to 56.

The council is currently run by the Liberal Democrats, with the Conservatives the second largest party.

A full list of candidates is available here and you can find out what the boundary commission review means for St Albans here.

The rest of the authorities will elect a third of the council each.

Broxbourne Borough Council

Broxbourne Borough has been a Conservative stronghold and the party cannot lose control, even if they lose all nine seats they are defending.

North Hertfordshire Council

North Herts Council, whose district includes Hitchin, Letchworth, Royston, Baldock, Codicote, Kimpton and Knebworth, is currently run by Labour and the Liberal Democrats who have a pact, but the Conservatives have more councillors than either of those parties and need to gain two seats to have a majority, although they are defending eight seats.

Lists of candidates in the 18 wards can be found here.

Stevenage Borough Council

Stevenage Borough Council has a Labour majority, but the party lost a few seats to the Tories in 2021.

The Conservatives would have to win all 13 seats up for election to take control of the authority.

The Labour council leader Sharon Taylor is defending her seat in this election.

Three Rivers District Council

Three Rivers, which covers an area including Abbots Langley, Chorleywood, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth and Leavesden, has a Liberal Democrat majority and council leader Sarah Nelmes is defending her seat.

The Conservatives would have to win 12 of the 13 seats up for election to take control while the Liberal Democrats need to win five seats to keep their majority.

A full list of candidates can be found here.

Watford Borough Council

Watford Borough is represented by 36 councillors, with three councillors in each of the 12 wards.

It has been a Liberal Democrat stronghold at a council which currently has no Conservative members.

There will be 12 seats up for grabs in May (one in each ward) and the Liberal Democrats cannot lose full control, even if they do not win any seats this time round.

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Welwyn Hatfield has a Conservative majority and the party needs three of the 17 seats up for election to keep full control. No other party will be able to gain full control.

Sixteen wards have elections with 15 having one seat filled, and one having two seats filled which includes a casual vacancy in Handside ward following the resignation of Anthony Dennis.

Of the 17 seats up for election, last time round the Conservatives won six of them, Labour and the Lib Dems won five each and one was won by an independent candidate.

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