What Hertsmere Borough Council does

Hertsmere Borough Council is a second-tier statutory local government authority in Hertfordshire, England, serving residents, businesses, and visitors across the Hertsmere borough — a geographic area encompassing Borehamwood, Potters Bar, Bushey, Radlett, and surrounding villages. Founded in 1974 and headquartered at Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, the council delivers a broad portfolio of mandated public services including Council Tax administration, Business Rates collection, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support, Planning and Building Control, Waste and Recycling collection, Parking enforcement across 13 council-owned car parks, Housing and Homelessness services, Environmental Health, Business Licensing, Electoral Services, and Community Safety. The council employs 51–100 staff and is governed by elected councillors under the UK two-tier local government system, with Hertfordshire County Council providing upper-tier services.

The council's service delivery is built on a multi-channel digital platform centred on hertsmere.gov.uk, complemented by third-party integrations including PayByPhone for cashless parking payments, GovDelivery/Granicus for resident email communications, 3sixty Citizen for Penalty Charge Notice management, Objective (on AWS) for planning consultation databases, Silktide for accessibility testing, and Google Analytics/HotJar for website analytics. Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring property-based levies (Council Tax, Business Rates), central government grants, transactional fees (parking charges, planning applications, licensing), and service-specific charges. The council is currently undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and has selected the four unitary option to merge with Watford and Three Rivers into a new South West unitary authority by April 2028, while also participating in pan-Hertfordshire Mayoral Strategic Authority devolution discussions via the Hertfordshire Growth Board.

Name

Hertsmere Borough Council

Legal name

Hertsmere Borough Council

Website

https://hertsmere.gov.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hertsmere Borough Council is a second-tier UK local government authority delivering statutory public services — council tax, planning, parking, waste, housing, licensing, and environmental health — to residents, businesses, and visitors across Borehamwood, Potters Bar, Bushey, Radlett, and surrounding villages in Hertfordshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Council tax administration
• Waste management services
• Planning applications
• Housing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Borehamwood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: Levied on residential properties in the borough based on property banding. Residents of 18+ who own or rent property must register to pay Council Tax.
2. Business Rates: Levied on commercial properties and businesses operating in the borough.
3. Government Grants: Central government funding to support statutory local authority functions.
4. Parking Fees and Charges: Revenue from pay-and-display car parks, resident permits, penalty charge notices, and suspended parking bays throughout the borough.
5. Service Fees: Fees for various council services including planning applications, licensing, benefits administration, housing services, and environmental health services.
6. Housing Benefit Administration: Administering Housing Benefit under Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 and Council Tax Support scheme.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hertsmere Borough Council is a statutory local government authority that delivers council tax billing and collection, housing and benefits administration, recycling and waste collection, planning and building control, environmental health, licensing, electoral registration, parking enforcement and on-street parking services, and street naming and numbering to residents, businesses and visitors within the Borough of Hertsmere in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.

Product overview

Hertsmere Borough Council is a local government authority providing a broad portfolio of public services to residents and businesses in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire. The council does not offer a single unified software product; instead it delivers services through its website as a multi-channel access point. The core service offering spans benefits and council tax administration, planning and building control, parking and transport management, waste and recycling collection, housing services, electoral services, environmental health and pollution control, business licensing, community services, and health and wellbeing programs. The council's online presence (hertsmere.gov.uk) acts as a platform through which residents access transactional services including making benefit claims, submitting planning applications, paying parking fines, booking bin collections, and requesting information. Services are delivered through a combination of the council's own systems and third-party integrated platforms (PayByPhone for parking payments, GovDelivery for email alerts, Objective for planning consultations, and 3sixty Citizen for PCN management). The offering is best characterized as a suite of government service portals rather than a packaged software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Council Tax administration Statutory council tax billing, collection, discounts and exemptions; new residents are required to add themselves to the council tax register, and existing residents can manage their account online through the digital portal.
• Benefits & financial support Support including welfare assistance and discretionary funding for Hertsmere borough residents who are struggling financially.
• Household recycling, waste and bulky waste collection Weekly and scheduled collections covering food waste, garden waste, clinical waste, bulky waste collections and missed bins for residents of Hertsmere borough.
• Commercial waste collection Commercial waste and recycling collection services for businesses operating within the Hertsmere borough, with pricing available on application.
• Council housing and housing services Provision and management of council housing in Hertsmere borough, including allocations and tenancy services for residents.
• Supported Living service Supported Living service provided directly by Hertsmere Borough Council, supporting vulnerable residents in independent living arrangements.
• Planning applications, policy, enforcement and planning committee services Submission and determination of planning applications, planning policy and enforcement, and public planning committee meetings.
• Building Control approvals Building control approvals, advice and inspections for building projects within Hertsmere borough.
• Licensing services (alcohol, entertainment, gambling, taxi and street trading) Premises licences and personal licences covering alcohol and entertainment, gambling, hackney carriage and private hire (taxi) licensing, and street trading licensing for businesses and individuals in the borough.
• Animal-related licensing (pet shops, dog warden) Pet shop and other animal-related licensing, supported by a dog warden service for stray and nuisance dog issues across Hertsmere borough.
• Environmental Health (food safety, air quality, contaminated land) Environmental health functions including food safety inspections, air quality monitoring and contaminated land management for Hertsmere borough.
• Electoral Services (register to vote, postal and proxy votes, election results) Electoral registration including register to vote, postal voting, proxy voting, and publication of election results for Hertsmere borough.
• Cemeteries services Administration of cemeteries within Hertsmere borough, including burial arrangements for residents and their families.
• Street naming and numbering Statutory assignment of street names and property numbers for developments and properties in Hertsmere borough.
• Car parks and parking services (season tickets, permits, penalty notices) Management of council car parks, on-street bays and season tickets, with penalty notice processing and permit administration for visitors, businesses and residents.
• Online council account and digital self-service portal Online account where existing residents can log in to access council services, make payments and report issues; new residents are required to create an account to set up services such as council tax.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• South and West Herts Health and Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2026Healthcare partnership providing support for the proposed Brian's House stroke rehabilitation clinic in Aldenham. The partnership has expressed support for the privately funded clinic which would provide approximately 4,500 hours of therapy annually to fill a gap in NHS long-term stroke care.
• UK Stroke AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2026National stroke charity supporting the Brian's House stroke rehabilitation clinic planning application. The clinic addresses the identified gap in NHS long-term stroke care described as currently limited in council reports.
• AECOMminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and infrastructure consulting firm involved in processing local plan representations as part of the plan-making process.
• SEC NewgateminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStrategic communications firm involved in processing local plan representations during the consultation and examination process.
• DVLAminorOthersDriver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. May receive information from the Parking Services Team for enforcement of parking restrictions.
• Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT)minorOthersIndependent tribunal for challenging parking penalties. May receive information for processing appeals against Penalty Charge Notices.
• Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC)minorOthersGovernment body responsible for traffic enforcement. May receive information for penalty charge notice enforcement.
• National Fraud Initiative (NFI)minorOthersData matching exercise under Part 6, Schedule 9 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. Council participates to prevent and detect fraud.
• Hertfordshire Growth BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership comprising leaders of all eleven Hertfordshire local authorities, business, academia, health, and Police and Crime Commissioner. Supporting Local Government Reorganisation and expressing interest in becoming a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA).
• Impower ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal consulting firm facilitating collaboration between Hertfordshire councils on Local Government Reorganisation proposals and sharing information to develop proposals.
• Cabinet OfficeminorOthersGovernment department managing the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service. Personal data is shared for identity verification during electoral registration.
• Department for Work and PensionsminorOthersGovernment department. Personal data shared during electoral registration for identity verification. Also involved in benefit administration.
• Department for Work and PensionsminorOthersGovernment department for welfare benefits. Share information with the council for housing benefit and council tax support administration.
• Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC)minorOthersTax authority. Share information with the council for housing benefit and council tax support administration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Broxbourne Borough Council: Smaller Hertfordshire borough council providing comparable statutory services including waste collection, housing, planning, and parking. Operates under the same two-tier governance and serves a similar commuter-belt population profile at a slightly smaller scale.
• Dacorum Borough Council: Hertfordshire borough council covering Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, and Tring. Delivers the same statutory service portfolio under the same two-tier framework, with comparable population size and a similar mix of urban and rural settlement patterns.
• Watford Borough Council: Neighbouring Hertfordshire borough council and proposed unitary merger partner under LGR. Operates the same statutory local authority functions (waste collection, planning, housing, parking, council tax) for a similar commuter-belt population, making it the closest direct comparable.
• Three Rivers District Council: Neighbouring Hertfordshire district council and the third proposed partner in the South West unitary authority under LGR. Comparable in size, demographic profile, and service scope, with similar reliance on commuter-belt council tax and business rates.
• Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council: Hertfordshire borough council providing directly comparable statutory local authority services. Similar population scale and mix of urban centres (Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield) with surrounding rural parishes, sharing the same upper-tier relationship with Hertfordshire County Council.
• St Albans City and District Council: Neighbouring Hertfordshire district council delivering the same portfolio of statutory services including waste collection, planning, housing, and parking. Comparable population scale and similar commuter-belt demographic, operating under the same two-tier governance framework with Hertfordshire County Council.
• Barnet London Borough Council: Adjacent London borough providing the same full suite of unitary-equivalent local authority services (Hertsmere sits on the Barnet boundary). Comparable demographic and economic profile with significant commuter-belt overlap, though operating under London-wide governance frameworks.

Regional players

• Elmbridge Borough Council: Surrey borough council serving a comparable affluent commuter-belt population outside London. Offers a useful peer benchmark on council tax base composition, parking revenue strategies, and service delivery models in similar high-value residential boroughs under a different county-tier authority (Surrey County Council).
• Spelthorne Borough Council: Surrey borough council of similar scale serving Staines, Ashford, Sunbury and surrounding areas. Comparable commuter-belt population profile with similar parking, waste collection, and planning service pressures, providing a useful cross-regional benchmark for Hertsmere's service delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Hertfordshire County Council: Upper-tier authority providing county-level services (education, social care, highways, fire) that sit above Hertsmere's district-level functions. Will play a central role in the LGR transition and represents the broader governance structure against which the new unitary authority will be defined.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HertsmereBC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/hertsmerebc
• Facebookfacebook.com/hertsmere
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hertsmere-borough-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/HertsmereBC
• TikToktiktok.com/%40hertsmere

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hertsmere Borough Council