What Stevenage Borough Council does

Stevenage Borough Council is the statutory local government authority for the Borough of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England, delivering mandatory public services to the borough's residents and businesses. The council was established as part of the post-war New Towns programme, with development of the town commencing in 1946 and the council constituted under the modern framework by 1976. It is governed by 39 elected councillors across five political groups (Labour 21, Reform 10, Liberal Democrats 6, Conservative 1, one Independent), with Councillor Richard Henry serving as Leader of the Council. It employs between 501 and 1,000 staff and operates from Daneshill House (Danestrete) as headquarters, with operational depots at Cavendish Road and a cemetery site at Almonds Lane.

The council's service portfolio is anchored in statutory functions: council tax administration, business rates (National Non-Domestic Rates) collection, council housing management and repairs, waste and recycling collection, local planning and building control, premises and event licensing, cemeteries, and community safety. It also runs commercial and transactional lines including local land charges searches (LLC1 and CON29), commercial property lettings (notably 4 Town Square retail units), garage and storage lets, event venue hire (Event Island), commercial trade waste disposal, and filming permits managed in partnership with the Hertfordshire Film Office. The Citizen Engagement layer is delivered through the stevenage.gov.uk website as the core digital channel, supplemented by an online payment portal, the GOV.UK-integrated Tell Us Once death-notification service, a digital newsletter via GovDelivery (three issues per year), the Chronicle magazine (delivered to all homes up to three times per year), and active social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr. The Customer Service Centre provides in-person access for benefits, housing, planning, waste, and commercial queries. The council is integrated into the UK central/local government data ecosystem via GOV.UK One Login, the National Land Information Service, HM Land Registry, and Thames Water Property Searches.

Stevenage Borough Council is funded primarily through council tax, retained business rates, and central government grants (including the Housing Revenue Account for council housing). Revenue is not publicly disclosed on its website. Pricing on transactional services is publicly disclosed and competitive — e.g., residential local land charges search at £130.20 (LLC1 £19.65 + CON29 £110.55) and commercial at £166.55, with additional parcels at £18.55 and individual CON29 enquiries priced between £9.25 and £43.45. The council holds the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award (2018), is GDPR-compliant (ICO registration Z631608X), complies with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility (reviewed 28 April 2025), and is subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act 2018. As of 2024–2025, the council is actively engaged in the Hertfordshire local government reorganisation process under the English Devolution White Paper, having submitted an interim proposal in March 2025 and with final proposals due to Government by 28 November 2025.

Name

Stevenage Borough Council

Legal name

Stevenage Borough Council

Website

https://stevenage.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Stevenage Borough Council is the statutory local government authority for the Borough of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England, delivering council tax, housing, waste, planning, licensing, and community services to borough residents and businesses, funded through council tax, business rates, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Administration

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Council tax administration
• Council housing management
• Waste collection services
• Planning application services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stevenage

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: Residential council tax collection from Stevenage residents
2. Business Rates: National Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) collection from local businesses
3. Service Fees: Fees for services including local land charges searches (£130.20 residential, £166.55 commercial), cemetery services, licensing, and other council services
4. Commercial Property Lettings: Rental income from commercial properties including 4 Town Square retail units

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stevenage Borough Council is the statutory local government authority for the borough of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England. It delivers mandated district-level services to residents and businesses including council tax billing and collection, social housing allocation and management, refuse and recycling collection, planning application processing, business rates billing, licensing, cemetery services, community venue hire, and local land charges searches. Service delivery combines a digital self-service website, an in-person Customer Service Centre, and operational depots supporting waste, housing, and community assets.

Product overview

Stevenage Borough Council operates a unified citizen service platform comprising the main website as the core digital channel, supplemented by integrated sub-services including online payment processing, the Tell Us Once death notification service, local land charges search services, and the Chronicle resident magazine. The council's digital ecosystem connects residents to council tax management, benefits administration, housing services, waste and recycling collection scheduling, planning applications, licensing, cemetery services, and community programs. All services are accessible through the central website portal, with specific functions distributed across dedicated service pages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Council Tax Administration Annual billing, collection, and account management of council tax for all residential dwellings in the Stevenage borough, delivered via online accounts and direct debit, with band-based pricing set by the council.
• Business Rates Administration Annual billing and collection of National Non-Domestic Rates (Business Rates) from commercial properties in the borough, including rate relief administration for eligible businesses.
• Council Housing Management Management of the council's social housing stock, including tenancy management, online repair reporting, allocation of homes via a waiting list, and homelessness and housing advice for residents in housing need.
• Refuse and Recycling Collection Scheduled kerbside collection of refuse, recycling, and garden waste from residential properties in the borough, with an online portal to look up collection days and report missed bins.
• Commercial Trade Waste Disposal Commercial waste and recycling collection service offered by the council to local businesses in Stevenage, charged per scheduled collection.
• Planning Application Service Receipt, consultation, and determination of local planning applications within the Stevenage borough, including an online register enabling residents and businesses to search and track live applications.
• Local Land Charges Search Service Official LLC1 and CON29 property search service providing solicitors and property buyers with charges, planning history, and notices affecting a property, priced at £130.20 (residential) and £166.55 (commercial) with a 5–10 working-day turnaround, also orderable via the National Land Information Service.
• Online Payment Portal Council-operated online payment service that lets residents and businesses pay council tax, parking fines, and other council charges digitally.
• Stevenage Chronicle Magazine Resident magazine delivered to every home in the borough up to three times per year, covering council initiatives, services, and community news, available as downloadable PDF editions.
• Cemetery Services Burial and cemetery services operated at Almond Lane Cemetery and the council's Cavendish Road Depot, including grave purchase and burial administration for residents.
• Commercial Property Lettings (4 Town Square) Lettings of council-owned commercial retail units in Stevenage Town Centre, marketed through the council's commercial property channel with rent set per lease.
• Garage and Storage Lettings Application service for renting council-owned garages and storage spaces to residents and businesses, with a Friday-to-Tuesday bidding window managed online.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hertfordshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2025Stevenage Borough Council working with Hertfordshire County Council and other 10 district/borough councils on local government reorganisation. County council responsible for highways, transport, adult social care and children's services while district councils handle bin collections, leisure and housing. Joint submission of interim Local Government Reorganisation proposal to government.
• Hertfordshire District and Borough CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Joint working among 11 Hertfordshire councils (district and borough leaders) on local government reform proposals. Leaders made joint statement rejecting single unitary council proposal for Hertfordshire. Working collaboratively on devolution and reorganisation responses.
• Armed Forces CovenantcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 November 2022Stevenage Borough Council is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, holding the silver award of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme. The covenant is a voluntary promise that those who serve or have served in armed forces and their families should be treated fairly and not disadvantaged.
• Hertfordshire Film OfficeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Hertfordshire Film Office for managing filming applications in Stevenage. The area has featured in productions including Eyes Wide Shut, Spy Game, The Big Sleep, and TV dramas Poirot, Inspector Morse and Foyle's War.
• Language LineminorOthersTelephone interpreting service providing interpreters for 28 most used languages for customers requiring language assistance when accessing council services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Three Rivers District Council: Small Hertfordshire district council delivering statutory housing, waste, planning, and council tax functions. Direct peer given shared county, comparable scale, and joint reorganisation context.
• Watford Borough Council: Borough council in Hertfordshire offering identical statutory local authority services. Direct peer in operating model, scope, and the shared reorganisation engagement.
• Dacorum Borough Council: Borough council within Hertfordshire delivering housing, waste, planning, and council tax services. Direct peer in scale, function, and reorganisation involvement.
• St Albans City and District Council: Hertfordshire district council performing the same statutory functions. Comparable peer in service scope, scale, and participation in the county's reorganisation process.
• Hertsmere Borough Council: Hertfordshire borough council providing statutory services to its residents. Direct peer given shared county governance, similar size and service scope, and joint reorganisation engagement.
• Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council: Neighbouring Hertfordshire district council providing the same statutory local government functions — council tax, housing, waste, planning — to its residents. Most directly comparable given shared county, similar population size, and joint involvement in the Hertfordshire reorganisation process.
• Broxbourne Borough Council: Borough council in Hertfordshire delivering the same set of statutory services including council housing, waste collection, planning, and council tax. Comparable in size and function, and a fellow participant in the county-wide reorganisation process.
• East Hertfordshire District Council: Adjoining Hertfordshire district council with comparable statutory responsibilities for housing, council tax, planning, and waste collection. Directly comparable peer given shared county-level reorganisation context and similar mid-sized district profile.
• North Hertfordshire District Council: Another Hertfordshire district council delivering identical statutory services under the same two-tier framework. Directly comparable as one of the 11 councils jointly engaged in local government reorganisation alongside Stevenage.

Broad incumbents

• Hertfordshire County Council: The upper-tier county authority responsible for highways, transport, adult social care, and children's services across Hertfordshire. While Stevenage handles district-level functions, this is the broader incumbent operating in the same geography and currently leading the reorganisation partnership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StevenageBC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SBCComms
• Facebookfacebook.com/stevenageboroughcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stevenage-borough-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/stevenageboroughcouncil

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Stevenage Borough Council