Dacorum

The Borough of Dacorum is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England that includes the towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and the western part of Kings Langley. The district, which was formed in 1974, had a population of 137,799 in 2001.[1] Its name was taken from the old hundred of Dacorum which covered approximately the same area. It is the westernmost of Hertfordshire's districts, being bordered to the west by the Chiltern and Aylesbury Vale districts of Buckinghamshire.

Not to be confused with Decorum.

Dacorum

Borough of Dacorum
Borough, Non-metropolitan district
Dacorum shown within Hertfordshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast of England
Administrative countyHertfordshire
Founded1974
Admin. HQHemel Hempstead
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district
 • BodyDacorum Borough Council
 • Leadership:Leader & Cabinet
 • MayorTerry Douris
 • LeaderAndrew Williams
 • MPs:Gagan Mohindra
Mike Penning
Area
 • Total82.0 sq mi (212.5 km2)
Area rank156th
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total154,763
 • RankRanked 128th
 • Density1,900/sq mi (730/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Postcode
HP
ONS code26UC (ONS)
E07000096 (GSS)
Ethnicity93.1% White
3.2% South Asian
1.4% Black
1.5% Mixed
Websitedacorum.gov.uk

History

The name Dacorum comes from Latin and it means "hundred of the Dacians". The latter word was used mistakenly in the Middle Ages for 'Danes'. This happened because of a legend asserting that certain tribes from Dacia had migrated to Denmark.[2] The hundred of Dacorum was first recorded in 1196, although it has existed since the 9th and 10th centuries, when it lay near the southern boundary of the Danelaw, on the River Lea. In 1086, the Domesday Book records the hundreds of Tring and Danais in places that became parts of the hundred of Dacorum.

In 1974, the modern district of Dacorum was formed under the Local Government Act 1972. Major components were the municipal borough of Hemel Hempstead, the urban districts of Berkhamsted and Tring, the rural districts of Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead and those parts of the rural districts of St Albans and Watford which were within the designated area of Hemel Hempstead new town.

The district was granted borough status in 1984. 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.[3]

Main settlements

The main towns and villages of the borough are:

Aldbury, Bovingdon, Berkhamsted, Bourne End, Bulbourne, Chipperfield, Cow Roast, Dudswell, Flamstead, Flaunden, Frithsden, Gaddesden Row, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley, Little Gaddesden, Little Tring, Long Marston, Markyate, Nettleden, New Mill, Northchurch, Potten End, Ringshall, Tring, Tringford, Water End, Wigginton and Wilstone

The borough is entirely parished, apart from Hemel Hempstead.

Political representation
See also: Dacorum local elections

Dacorum Borough Council consists of 51 elected members, representing twenty-five electoral wards. 14 of the wards elect two councillors each. Six, indicated below, elect three councillors each. Five, also shown below, elect one each.

The council is currently controlled by the Conservatives, who hold 31 of the 51 seats. The Liberal Democrats hold 19, and 1 seat is held by an independent.[4]

Composition
Party Councillors Change
Conservative 31 -15
Liberal Democrats 19 +16
Independent 1 +1
Labour 0 -2
Total 51
Source:

Wards

Dacorum consists of twenty-five wards. Wards electing three members are denoted with an asterisk (*). Those electing one member are denoted with an obelus (†).

Political control
Party in controlYears
Labour1973–1976
Conservative1976–1995
Labour1995–1999
No overall control1999–2003
Conservative2003–present

Town twinning

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

See also

References
  1. "Page 3559". Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  2. Tom Williamson, 2010. The Origins of Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire Publications: Hertfordshire
  3. "About Dacorum". Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  4. "Dacorum Borough Council". BBC.

Sources

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