Three Rivers District
Template:About Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox settlement
Three Rivers is a local government district in south-west Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Rickmansworth. The district borders Hertsmere, Watford, St Albans, Dacorum, Buckinghamshire, and the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Harrow.
History
Three Rivers District was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and most of a third, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
- Chorleywood Urban District
- Rickmansworth Urban District
- Watford Rural District, except the parish of Aldenham, which went to Hertsmere, and the part within the designated area of Hemel Hempstead New Town, which went to Dacorum.
The new district was named "Three Rivers", referencing the rivers Chess, Colne, and Gade which flow through the district and have their confluence in Rickmansworth, the largest town in the district.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
Governance
Hertfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the ten district councils (including Three Rivers District Council) providing district-level services, and Hertfordshire County Council providing county-level services. In some areas there is an additional third tier of civil parishes.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
Responsibilities
Three Rivers District Council carries out a variety of district council functions including:
- Benefits - Housing and Council Tax
- Car Parking
- Concessionary Travel
- Council Tax - Administration and Collection
- Elections and Electoral Registration
- Environmental Health
- Food Safety and Hygiene Complaints
- Noise Pollution and Pest Control
- Housing Administration
- Licensing
- Caravan Sites
- Town Planning
- Public Conveniences
- Health and Leisure Centres
- Refuse Collection
- Recycling
- Tourism and Visitor Information
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since a by-election in August 2024, having previously been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2018. The leaders of the council have been Liberal Democrats (or their predecessors, the SDP–Liberal Alliance) since 1986, including through some periods of minority administrations.
The first election to Three Rivers District Council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=electionscentre>Template:Cite web (Put "Three Rivers" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name=change>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 1974–1976 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1976–1986 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1986–1987 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1987–1988 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1988–1990 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1990–1999 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1999–2015 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2015–2016 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2017–2018 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2018–2018 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2018–2024 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2024- | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1986 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Ford | Conservatives | 1985 | 1986 |
| Ann Shaw OBE<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> | Liberal Democrats | 1986 | 1990 |
| Charles Grindell | Conservatives | 1990 | 1991 |
| Ann Shaw OBE<ref name=":0" /> | Liberal Democrats | 1991 | 1992 |
| Alan Littlejohn | Conservatives | 1992 | 1994 |
| Ann Shaw OBE<ref name=":0" /> | Liberal Democrats | 1994 | 2016 |
| Sara Bedford<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="14Jul2020" /> | Liberal Democrats | 2016 | 2020 |
| Sarah Nelmes<ref name="14Jul2020">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Liberal Democrats | 2020 | 2024 |
| Stephen Giles-Medhurst OBE<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Liberal Democrats | 2024 |
Composition
Following the 2024 election and by-elections and changes of allegiance up to March 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 19 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 11 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 3 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 3 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 3 | |
| Total | 39 | |
The next election is due in May 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Premises
The council's main offices are at Three Rivers House on Northway in the centre of Rickmansworth, which was purpose-built for the council in 1991. The site had been part of the grounds of Basing House, which had bought by the old Rickmansworth Urban District Council in 1930 to serve as its headquarters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Elections
Template:Further Since the last boundary changes in 2014 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 13 wards, each of which elects three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing one councillor from each ward each time. Elections to Hertfordshire County Council are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.<ref name=2014order>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
Wards
The wards of the district are:<ref name=2014order/> Template:Div col
- Abbots Langley and Bedmond
- Carpenders Park
- Chorleywood North and Sarratt
- Chorleywood South and Maple Cross
- Dickinsons
- Durrants
- Gade Valley
- Leavesden
- Moor Park and Eastbury
- Oxhey Hall and Hayling
- Penn and Mill End
- Rickmansworth Town
- South Oxhey
Wider politics
County council
For elections to Hertfordshire County Council, the district is divided into six divisions, three of which are held by the Conservatives, and three by the Liberal Democrats:
| Division | Councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbots Langley | Sara Bedford | Template:Party name with colour | |
| Croxley | Chris Lloyd | Template:Party name with colour | |
| Rickmansworth East and Oxhey Park | Reena Ranger | Template:Party name with colour | |
| Rickmansworth West | Paula Hiscocks | Template:Party name with colour | |
| South Oxhey and Eastbury | Christopher Alley | Template:Party name with colour | |
| Three Rivers Rural | Phil Williams | Template:Party name with colour | |
Parliament
For parliamentary elections, the entire district has been part of the South West Hertfordshire constituency since the 2024 general election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The constituency is not quite coterminous with the district, however, as it also contains the ward of Kings Langley from the Dacorum district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The current MP is Gagan Mohindra of the Conservative Party.
Rail
Train services are provided by Chiltern Railways and the Metropolitan line of the London Underground.
London Underground stations:
Chiltern Railways stations:
A special fare structure exists as the stations are outside the Greater London boundary.
London Overground stations:
West Coast Main Line stations:
Settlements
- Abbots Langley
- Chorleywood
- Croxley Green
- Loudwater
- Maple Cross
- Moor Park
- Rickmansworth
- Sarratt
- South Oxhey
Civil parishes
Three Rivers is partially parished. There are six civil parishes in the district:<ref name="os election maps">Template:Cite web</ref>
There are also two unparished areas in the district, both comprising parts of the former Rickmansworth Urban District which have not subsequently been added to a parish: one larger area including Maple Cross and Mill End, Rickmansworth; and a smaller area including part of Loudwater.<ref name="os election maps" />
Footnotes
External links
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