Dacorum

Dacorum was one of the hundreds of Hertfordshire. The term 'Dacorum' literally means "of the Dacians", with Dacia being an ancient territory of south-east Europe centred on modern Romania. However, in medieval Latin, 'Dacorum' came to be used to mean "of the Danes", based on an old legend (since dismissed by modern historians) that the Danes were descendants of the Dacians.[https://www.online-latin-dictionary.com/latin-dictionary-flexion.php?lemma=DACUS200 Latin Dictionary, accessed 10 August 2022]

The name appears to reference a period in Saxon times when the area formed part of the Danelaw which covered much of what is now eastern England, although the duration and extent of Danish occupation in this area is unclear and continues to be debated by historians. In 1086, the Domesday Book records a hundred called Danais (also meaning "of the Danes") and a neighbouring hundred called Tring; the two had merged into a single hundred by about 1200 which was thereafter called Dacorum.{{cite book |last1=Williamson |first1=Tom |title=The Origins of Hertfordshire |date=2010 |publisher=Hertfordshire Publications |location=Hatfield |isbn=978-1-905313-95-2 |pages=106, 226}} From the seventeenth century onwards, hundreds gradually declined in importance as administrative divisions, with their functions passing to other bodies such as the county courts. The final administrative functions of hundreds were extinguished in 1886.Riot (Damages) Act 1886 (49 & 50 Vict. c. 38), s.2

The modern local government district of Dacorum was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of five former districts and parts of another two, which were all abolished at the same time:{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=12 May 2023}}

• Berkhamsted Rural District
• Berkhamsted Urban District
• Hemel Hempstead Municipal Borough
• Hemel Hempstead Rural District
• St Albans Rural District (part within designated area of Hemel Hempstead New Town only)
• Tring Urban District
• Watford Rural District (part within designated area of Hemel Hempstead New Town only)

The new district was named Dacorum after the medieval hundred, which had covered a similar area.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|access-date=12 May 2023}}

The district was granted borough status in 1984, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. Hemel Hempstead had maintained Charter Trustees from 1974 to 1984. The amalgamation of the former local authorities was symbolised in the seven oak leaves which surround a Tudor rose on the Dacorum coat of arms, issued in 1992.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1525 |title=About Dacorum |access-date=13 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218202812/http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1525 |archive-date=18 December 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}

{{Infobox legislature

| name = Dacorum Borough Council

| native_name =

| transcription_name =

| legislature =

| logo_pic = Dacorum Borough Council.svg

| logo_res = 140px

| house_type = Non-metropolitan district council

| body =

| houses =

| leader1_type = Mayor

| leader1 = Catherine McArevey

| party1 =
Liberal Democrats

| election1 = 14 May 2025{{cite web |title=Council minutes, 14 May 2025 |url=https://democracy.dacorum.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=156&MId=3843 |website=Dacorum Borough Council |access-date=26 May 2025}}

| leader2_type = Leader

| leader2 = Sally Symington

| party2 =
Liberal Democrats

| election2 = 2 April 2025

| leader3_type = Chief Executive (interim)

| leader3 = Darren Welsh

| party3 =

| election3 = March 2025{{cite news |last1=Ford |first1=Martin |title=Borough council appoints interim chief |url=https://www.themj.co.uk/borough-council-appoints-interim-chief |access-date=29 March 2025 |work=Municipal Journal |date=6 March 2025}}

| house1 =

| seats = 51 Councillors

| structure1 = Dacorum_Borough_Council_2023.svg

| structure1_res = 250px

| political_groups1 =

;Administration (18)

: {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} Liberal Democrats (18)}}

;Other parties (33)

: {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} Conservative (18)}}

: {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} Labour (5)}}

: {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Independent}}|border=darkgray}} Independent (10)}}

| committees1 =

| committees2 =

| joint_committees =

| voting_system1 = Plurality voting system

| voting_system2 =

| last_election1 = 4 May 2023

| next_election1 = 6 May 2027

| session_room = File:The Forum, Dacorum Borough Council.jpg

| session_res = 250px

| meeting_place = The Forum, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP1{{nbsp}}1DN

| website = {{url|http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/}}

| footnotes =

|}}

Hertfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the ten district councils (including Dacorum Borough Council) providing district-level services, and Hertfordshire County Council providing county-level services. Most of Dacorum is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government in their areas.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|access-date=3 March 2023}}{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=29 March 2025}}

The Liberal Democrats won a majority of the seats on the council at the 2023 election. Following changes of allegiance, the party lost its majority in September 2024. Since then, the party has formed a minority administration.{{cite news |last1=Day |first1=Christopher |last2=Fullbrook |first2=Danny |title=Female councillors resign over harassment complaint |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6w394051lo |access-date=29 March 2025 |work=BBC News |date=26 September 2024}} Prior to 2023 the Conservatives had held a majority of the seats since 2003.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:{{cite web |title=Compositions Calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/composition_calc.html |access-date=5 March 2025 |website=The Elections Centre |publisher=University of Exeter}} (Put "Dacorum" in search box to see specific results.){{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/26uc.stm | title =Dacorum | access-date = 24 February 2010 | work = BBC Online}}

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Dacorum. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1995 have been:

Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to November 2024, the composition of the council was:{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2023/may/04/elections-2023-results-live-local-council-england#le-full-results|title=Local elections 2023: live council results for England|work=The Guardian|date=9 May 2023 |last1=Voce |first1=Antonio |last2=Leach |first2=Anna |last3=Hoog |first3=Niels de |last4=Torpey |first4=Paul |last5=Clarke |first5=Seán }}{{cite news |last1=Boothroyd |first1=David |title=Somerset turns another Page |url=https://www.localcouncils.co.uk/2024/03/somerset-turns-another-page/ |access-date=11 May 2024 |work=Local Councils |publisher=Thorncliffe |date=29 March 2024}}{{cite web |title=Dacorum |url=https://www.localcouncils.co.uk/councils/?council=dacorum |website=Local Councils |publisher=Thorncliffe |access-date=29 March 2025}}

The next election is due in 2027.

The council is based at The Forum on Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead. From the council's creation in 1974 until 2017, the council was based at Dacorum Civic Centre, also on Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead. That building had previously been called Hemel Hempstead Town Hall, having been built for Hemel Hempstead Borough Council in 1966 to replace the Old Town Hall on High Street. On 16 January 2017 the council opened its new headquarters at The Forum, on the corner of Marlowes and Combe Street, immediately south of the Civic Centre, which was demolished shortly afterwards.{{cite news |title=New £15m home for Dacorum Borough Council and library officially opens in Hemel Hempstead |url=https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/new-aps15m-home-dacorum-borough-council-and-library-officially-opens-hemel-hempstead-748411 |access-date=25 December 2021 |work=Hemel Today |date=16 January 2017}}

File:Hemel Hempstead Civic Centre (geograph 7392439).jpg

{{also|Dacorum local elections}}

Since the last boundary changes in 2007 the council has comprised 51 councillors, representing 25 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. The whole council is elected together every four years.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Borough of Dacorum (Electoral Changes) Order 2007|year=2007|number=139|access-date=17 May 2023}}

The borough's wards are:

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Adeyfield East
• Adeyfield West
• Aldbury and Wigginton
• Apsley and Corner Hall
• Ashridge
• Bennetts End
• Berkhamsted Castle
• Berkhamsted East
• Berkhamsted West
• Bovingdon, Flaunden and Chipperfield
• Boxmoor
• Chaulden and Warners End
• Gadebridge
• Grovehill
• Hemel Hempstead Town
• Highfield
• Kings Langley
• Leverstock Green
• Nash Mills
• Northchurch
• Tring Central
• Tring East
• Tring West and Rural
• Watling
• Woodhall Farm

{{div col end}}

Hemel Hempstead is an unparished area. The rest of the borough is divided into 16 civil parishes, with Berkhamsted and Tring parish councils taking the style "town council". The civil parishes are:{{cite web |title=Community connections |url=https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/community-living/community-connections/town-and-parish-council-websites |website=Dacorum Borough Council |access-date=17 May 2023}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Aldbury
• Berkhamsted
• Bovingdon
• Chipperfield
• Flamstead
• Flaunden
• Great Gaddesden
• Kings Langley
• Little Gaddesden
• Markyate
• Nash Mills
• Nettleden with Potten End
• Northchurch
• Tring
• Tring Rural
• Wigginton

{{div col end}}

{{Infobox COA wide

|image = Dacorum_Coat_of_Arms.svg

|escutcheon = Or seven oak leaves stalks inward Vert radiating from a Tudor rose Proper.

|crest = A sprig of seven oak leaves Proper and acorns Or inflected to the sinister out of a mural crown Or.

|mantling = Or and Gules.

|supporters = Two stags in trian aspect Proper attired and unguled Or gorged with a wreath Or and Gules ribbons flowing outward depending therefrom a bezant charged with oak leaves and a Tudor rose as in the Arms standing on a compartment Vert strewn with sprigs of oak leaves Proper and acorns Or.{{cite web|url=http://civicheraldry.co.uk/east_of_england.html |title=East of England Region |publisher=Civic Heraldry of England |accessdate=8 March 2021}}

|notes = Granted 21 January 1992.}}

In terms of television, Dacorum is served by BBC London and ITV London with television signals received from the Crystal Palace transmitter {{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Crystal_Palace|title=Full Freeview on the Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) transmitter| date=May 2004 }} and the Hemel Hempstead relay transmitter.{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Hemel_Hempstead | title=Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }} However, Tring receives regional overlaps of both Sandy Heath (BBC East/ITV Anglia) {{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sandy_Heath|title=Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=21 April 2024}} and Oxford (BBC South/ITV Meridian) transmitters. {{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Oxford|title=Full Freeview on the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate= 21 April 2024}}

Radio stations for the area are:

• BBC Three Counties Radio
• Heart Hertfordshire
• Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts (covering Tring)
• Mix 92.6
• Community-based radio stations: Radio Dacorum {{Cite web |url=https://www.radiodacorum.org.uk/ |title=Radio Dacorum |access-date=21 April 2024}} and Tring Radio {{Cite web |url=https://www.tringradio.co.uk/|title=Tring Radio|access-date=21 April 2024}}

Local newspapers are Hemel Hempstead Gazette and St Albans Observer.

• The Borough of Dacorum is twinned with:
• {{flagicon|Germany}} Neu-Isenburg, Germany

Two of the civil parishes in the borough also maintain their own separate twinning arrangements:

• Berkhamsted Town Council is twinned with:
• {{flagicon|France}} Beaune (France)
• Kings Langley Parish Council with:
• {{flagicon|Gambia}} Bakau (Gambia).

{{Portal|England}}

• Primary schools in Dacorum

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.dacorumheritage.org.uk/ The Dacorum Heritage Trust] The Trust is the museum organisation for the Borough of Dacorum.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041019163719/http://www.hertsmuseums.org.uk/dacorum/page2.htm Hertfordshire Museums] More local museums.

• [http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/ Dacorum Borough Council - official website]
• [http://www.dens.org.uk/ Dacorum Emergency Night Shelter - Night Shelter, Day Centre, Foodbank, Rent Aid,warehouse ]

{{Hertfordshire}}

{{East_of_England}}

{{Civil parishes of Hertfordshire}}

{{coord |51|46|N|00|32|W|region:GB|display=title}}

Category:Districts of Hertfordshire

Category:Boroughs in England