East Herts District Council

What East Herts District Council does

East Hertfordshire District Council, operating under the brand East Herts District Council, is a UK statutory local government authority delivering public services to approximately 150,000 residents across roughly 480 square miles in the eastern half of Hertfordshire, with main centres of population in Hertford, Ware, Bishop's Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, and Buntingford. The council discharges statutory responsibilities spanning waste and recycling collection, planning and building control, council tax administration, business rates, housing allocation and homelessness prevention, parking enforcement, environmental health, food and licensing regulation, benefits administration, and community safety. Headquartered at Wallfields, Pegs Lane in Hertford, with a secondary office at Charringtons House in Bishop's Stortford, the council employs between 251 and 500 staff and operates under a 'Leader with Executive' governance model with Overview and Scrutiny and Audit and Governance oversight committees.

The council's core technology platform centres on the My East Herts citizen account portal (powered by Granicus), the East Herts mobile app for bin collection lookups and service requests, the Adelante SmartPay payment gateway for council tax, business rates, parking PCNs and BID levies, the Mod.gov application for committee administration, and YouTube live webcasts of Development Management Committee meetings. The website runs Google Analytics for visitor tracking and conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards with a measured accessibility score of 72/100. Digital Interactive supports Freedom of Information workflow handling, and Achieveservice provides online form processing across waste, environmental, and vehicle-related service requests. The council is registered as an ICO data controller (Z6717508), holds Park Mark accreditation across all managed car parks, and participates in the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.

The council's revenue model combines council tax levied on district households, retained business rates from commercial properties, central government grants, and transactional fees from planning applications, parking charges (re-structured in April 2025 with £1.20 first-hour tariffs in major towns and 70p hourly base rates in smaller towns), garden waste subscriptions, environmental health licences, and housing-related charges. The council is funded through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Launchpad Business Centres, which provides co-working and office space in Bishop's Stortford to support new and small businesses. Strategic partners include Hertfordshire County Council (highways, parking enforcement, blue badge administration), the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, the Cabinet Office, and community transport providers. The Corporate Plan 2024-2027 establishes four LEAF strategic themes — Listening/open/transparent, Environmentally focused, Acting with the community, and Fair and inclusive — directing service delivery priorities including air quality, carbon reduction, EV charging, active travel infrastructure via the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, and housing affordability.

Name

East Herts District Council

Legal name

East Hertfordshire District Council

Website

https://eastherts.gov.uk

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

East Hertfordshire District Council is a UK statutory local government authority providing council tax, planning, waste, housing, parking, environmental health, and licensing services to approximately 150,000 residents across the East Hertfordshire district, headquartered in Hertford.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Housing Programs (92511), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ), Taxpayer Services, Education & Outreach (BPAIADAM)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Council tax administration
• Waste and recycling collection
• Planning and building control
• Housing and benefits services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hertford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: Primary local taxation revenue collected from residential properties within the district to fund council services
2. Business Rates: Levies collected from businesses operating within the district based on rateable value of commercial properties
3. Parking Fees and Charges: Revenue from pay and display car parks, parking permits, resident permits, and penalty charge notices across the district
4. Planning Application Fees: Charges for processing planning applications, building control consultations, and planning enforcement
5. Waste Collection Services: Garden waste subscription service providing charged collections for households
6. Environmental Health Licences: Fees for food premises registration, alcohol and entertainment licences, taxi licensing, and other regulatory permits
7. Housing Services: Charges related to housing applications, housing advice services, and housing assistance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

East Herts District Council is a statutory local government authority providing statutory and discretionary services to approximately 150,000 residents and businesses across the East Hertfordshire district. Its core offerings include council tax and business rates administration, waste and recycling collection, planning and building control, housing services, parking enforcement and permits, environmental health licensing, benefits administration, and community engagement, delivered through a website, the My East Herts citizen portal, and a mobile app.

Product overview

East Herts District Council provides a comprehensive digital service portfolio through its website and My East Herts citizen portal. The council operates a platform model offering over 30 distinct service modules spanning waste management (bin collections, recycling, garden waste), planning and building control, council tax, business rates, housing services, parking enforcement, benefits administration, and regulatory services including food safety and licensing. Key digital touchpoints include the My East Herts online account platform, the East Herts mobile app, and various third-party integrated payment and form processing systems. The council also supports local businesses through Launchpad co-working centres in Bishop's Stortford.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Launchpad Business Centres: Co-working, office and meeting space community located in Bishop's Stortford supporting new and small businesses
• My East Herts

Products and services

• My East Herts Citizen Portal Online self-service portal where East Hertfordshire residents can view accounts, make payments, look up bin collection days, report missed bins, submit service requests, and access council forms.
• East Herts Mobile App Mobile application for residents to look up bin collection days, report missed bins, and access council services on Android and iOS devices.
• Bin Collection and Recycling Service Statutory waste collection service for households across East Hertfordshire covering residual waste, recycling, opt-in paid garden waste subscriptions, communal property collections, and bulky waste removal.
• Planning and Building Control Services Online and offline services for submitting, viewing, commenting on, and deciding planning applications and building control consultations within East Hertfordshire.
• Council Tax Administration Administration of council tax for residential properties in East Hertfordshire, including online payments, account set-up, e-billing, and moving in/out notifications.
• Business Rates Administration Collection of business rates from commercial properties in East Hertfordshire, including relief and exemption guidance, rateable value changes, and revaluation information.
• Housing Services Housing register applications, homelessness advice, housing options, and allocation policy administration for residents of East Hertfordshire.
• Parking Services Management of council car parks, resident parking permits, visitor vouchers, penalty charge notice handling, and parking dispensations across East Hertfordshire towns.
• Benefits and Financial Support Administration of council tax support, housing-related benefits claims, change-in-circumstances reporting, and cost of living assistance for eligible residents.
• Launchpad Business Centres Wholly-owned council co-working, office, and meeting space community in Bishop's Stortford providing flexible workspace to new and small businesses.
• Food Business Registration and Hygiene Services Food premises registration, food hygiene rating scheme administration, safety training, and compliance guidance for new and existing food businesses in the district.
• Information Requests Service (FOI/EIR/SAR) Handling of Freedom of Information, Environmental Information Regulations, and Subject Access Requests with online submission and a public disclosure log.
• Licences and Registration Service Statutory licensing for alcohol and entertainment, taxis, market traders, food premises, and betting premises within the district.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hertfordshire County Council and Five Hertfordshire CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Herts Council is working with Hertfordshire County Council and five other Hertfordshire councils in a shared service arrangement to investigate, detect and prevent fraud across council services. The joint team is based at the county council's Stevenage offices and covers fraud prevention in areas including business rates avoidance, blue badge fraud, tenancy fraud, housing waiting list fraud, contract and procurement fraud, and council tax discount/reduction/exemption fraud.
• Hertfordshire Local Enterprise PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHertfordshire LEP provides information through its Better Business for All initiative on how businesses can access support from Local Authorities including East Herts Council.
• Hertfordshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHertfordshire County Council is responsible for highways in East Herts (except trunk roads), makes Traffic Regulation Orders for speed limits and traffic restrictions, and manages blue badge scheme. The councils coordinate on parking enforcement and road safety matters.
• Community Transport SchemesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with community transport providers including Dial-A-Ride, Stortford Shuttle, and Community Car Scheme to provide transport options for elderly and disabled residents who cannot access public transport.
• Cabinet Office (National Fraud Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in Cabinet Office's National Fraud Initiative data matching exercises carried out under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 to assist in prevention and detection of fraud.
• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)minorOthersEast Hertfordshire District Council is registered as a data controller with the ICO (registration number: Z6717508) and complies with UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 requirements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dacorum Borough Council: Hertfordshire district council offering the same council tax, planning, waste, and licensing services. Direct peer in the shared Hertfordshire partnerships.
• Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council: Hertfordshire district council bordering East Herts to the west. Provides the same statutory district-level services and shares the Hertfordshire-wide partnership infrastructure.
• Broxbourne Borough Council: Neighbouring Hertfordshire district council sharing the same county council and shared fraud investigation service. Operates comparable functions (council tax, waste, planning, licensing) for a similar population base adjacent to East Herts.
• North Hertfordshire District Council: Northern Hertfordshire district council bordering East Herts with comparable scale, rural-urban mix, and service portfolio. Joint participant in the Hertfordshire shared fraud service.
• Three Rivers District Council: Hertfordshire district council with comparable population, mix of towns and rural areas, and identical service mandate. Participates in the same shared county-level partnerships.
• Hertsmere Borough Council: Adjacent Hertfordshire district council with similar population scale and identical service mandate (council tax, planning, waste, housing, licensing). Participates in the same shared fraud investigation partnership.
• Watford Borough Council: Hertfordshire district council providing the same statutory borough-level services. Operates within the same county council framework and shared partnerships.
• Stevenage Borough Council: Hertfordshire district council with similar statutory responsibilities, sharing the Hertfordshire County Council partnership framework and the joint fraud investigation service.
• St Albans City and District Council: Hertfordshire district council providing the same statutory services under the same upper-tier county council. Comparable urban-rural composition and service demand profile.

Regional players

• Chichester District Council: English district council of similar population size and rural-urban composition. Operates an analogous service portfolio (council tax, planning, waste, housing) outside Hertfordshire, providing a benchmark for service delivery and digital transformation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eastherts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@EastHertsDistrict/streams
• Facebookfacebook.com/EastHertsDC
• Instagraminstagram.com/easthertscouncil/?hl=en

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East Herts District Council