Three Rivers District

Last updated

Three Rivers
Three Rivers District
Church Street, Rickmansworth - geograph.org.uk - 5250876.jpg
Rickmansworth town centre and Grade II parish church
Three Rivers UK locator map.svg
Three Rivers shown within Hertfordshire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region East of England
Non-metropolitan county Hertfordshire
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Rickmansworth
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
  TypeNon-metropolitan district council
  BodyThree Rivers District Council
   MPs Gagan Mohindra
Area
  Total34.3 sq mi (88.8 km2)
  Rank206th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
  Total94,123
  Rank257th (of 296)
  Density2,700/sq mi (1,100/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
   Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
   Religion
List
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code 26UJ (ONS)
E07000102 (GSS)
OS grid reference TQ0591494481

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.

Contents

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: [2]

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. [3]

Governance

Three Rivers District Council
Three Rivers District Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Raj Khiroya,
Liberal Democrats
since 12 December 2023 [4] [5]
Stephen Giles-Medhurst,
Liberal Democrats
since 21 May 2024 [6]
Joanne Wagstaffe
since 3 February 2020 [7]
Structure
Seats39 councillors
Three Rivers District Council 2024 August.svg
Political groups
Administration (19)
  Liberal Democrats (19)
Other parties (20)
  Conservative (12)
  Green (3)
  Labour (3)
  Independent (2)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
2 May 2024
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth.jpg
Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth, WD3 1RL
Website
threerivers.gov.uk

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. [8]

Responsibilities

Three Rivers District Council carries out a variety of district council functions including:

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: [9] [10]

Party in controlYears
No overall control 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1986
No overall control 1986–1987
Alliance 1987–1988
Liberal Democrats 1988–1990
No overall control 1990–1999
Liberal Democrats 1999–2015
No overall control 2015–2016
Liberal Democrats 2017–2018
No overall control 2018–2018
Liberal Democrats 2018–2024
No overall control 2024-

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1986 have been: [11]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Ann Shaw Liberal Democrats 198617 May 2016
Sara Bedford Liberal Democrats 17 May 201614 Jul 2020
Sarah Nelmes Liberal Democrats 14 Jul 202021 May 2024
Stephen Giles-Medhurst Liberal Democrats 21 May 2024

Composition

Following the 2024 election and a change of allegiance in May 2024 and by-election in August 2024, the composition of the council was: [12] [13] [14]

PartyCouncillors
Liberal Democrats 19
Conservative 12
Green 3
Labour 3
Independent 2
Total39

The next election is due in May 2026.

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. [15] [16]

Elections

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. [17]

Wards

The wards of the district are: [17]

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:

Hertfordshire County Councillors for divisions in Three Rivers [18]
DivisionCouncillorParty
Abbots LangleySara Bedford Liberal Democrats
CroxleyChris Lloyd Liberal Democrats
Rickmansworth East and Oxhey Park Reena Ranger Conservative
Rickmansworth WestPaula Hiscocks Conservative
South Oxhey and EastburyChristopher Alley Conservative
Three Rivers RuralPhil Williams Liberal Democrats

Parliament

For parliamentary elections, the entire district is has been part of the South West Hertfordshire constituency since the 2024 general election [19] . The constituency is not quite coterminous with the district, however, as it also contains the ward of Kings Langley from the Dacorum district [20] . 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

Civil parishes

Three Rivers is partially parished. There are six civil parishes in the district: [21]

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. [21]

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Three Rivers Local Authority (E07000102)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 12 May 2023
  3. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 12 May 2023
  4. "Council minutes, 12 December 2023". Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. "Cllr Raj Khiroya re-elected as Chair for Three Rivers District Council". Three Rivers District Council. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  6. Wootton, Doug (23 May 2024). "Three Rivers District Council elects new leader". Watford Observer. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  7. "Three Rivers appoints new Chief Executive". Three Rivers District Council. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 3 March 2023
  9. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  10. "Three Rivers". BBC News Online . 19 April 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  11. "Council minutes". Three Rivers District Council. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  12. "Three Rivers election result". BBC News . 3 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  13. Boothroyd, David (10 May 2024). "Grand post-election roundup". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  14. Holmes, Bryn (23 August 2024). "Election Result: Lib Dems lose majority on Three Rivers council after Tories win by-election". My Local News. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  15. "Tour the council". Harefield Gazette. 9 October 1991. p. 3. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  16. "Rickmansworth: Basing House". Buckinghamshire Examiner. 14 November 1930. p. 1. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  17. 1 2 "The Three Rivers (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2014/243, retrieved 15 May 2023
  18. "Hertfordshire's County Councillors". Hertfordshire County Council . Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  19. "Final recommendations local authority ward data". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  20. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – Eastern". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  21. 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey . Retrieved 25 September 2021.


51°38′19.28″N0°28′9.46″W / 51.6386889°N 0.4692944°W / 51.6386889; -0.4692944

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Croxley Green is both a village and a suburb of Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is also a civil parish. Located on the A412 between Watford to the north-east and Rickmansworth to the south-west, it is approximately 20 miles (32 km) north-west of central London.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watford Rural</span> Human settlement in England

Watford Rural is a civil parish in the Three Rivers District of Hertfordshire, England. Located approximately 14 miles (23 km) northwest of central London and adjacent to the Greater London boundary, it is an urbanised parish characterised by suburban residential development. The local council is Watford Rural Parish Council. The parish covers South Oxhey and Carpenders Park, which although part of the Watford urban area, are outside the borough of Watford. The parish was created in 1894 when the ancient Watford parish was split into urban and rural parishes. At the 2011 census it had a population of 20,867.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarratt</span> Human settlement in England

Sarratt is both a village and a civil parish in Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Rickmansworth on high ground near the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. The chalk stream, the River Chess, rising just north of Chesham in the Chiltern Hills, passes through Sarratt Bottom in the valley to the west of the village to join the River Colne in Rickmansworth. The conditions offered by the river are perfect for the cultivation of watercress. Sarratt has the only commercially operating watercress farm in Hertfordshire. The valley to the east of Sarratt is dry.

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