⌘ K
Overview

East of England · Non-metropolitan district

East Hertfordshire

2026/27 view

East Hertfordshire · ONS E07000242

Financial position as at 2026/27 Q1 quarter end

View sources
COUNCIL AT A GLANCE

Who runs the council and its current position

31/ 100
COUNCILMETRICS FINANCIAL HEALTH SCORE

Significant pressure

Compared only with non-metropolitan district councils using central government returns.

164 councils in peer group Rank 129 of 164 High confidence 2024/25 outturn · 2026/27 Q1 debt How this is calculated
Reserves cover8
Debt burden44
Liquidity37
Debt direction48
YEAR-ON-YEAR CONTEXT Change from the previous reported period Each measure uses its own official reporting timetable.
Net debt £31.79m 2026/27 Q1 vs 2025/26 Q4
−£1.32m 4.0%
Service expenditure £30.41m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£9.19m 43.3%
Unallocated reserves £1.07m 2024/25 vs 2023/24
+£1.07m
FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL TREND

How this council's finances have changed

Official annual outturn. Each line uses its own scale so direction remains easy to read.

Through 2024/25
Service expenditure £30.41m
30.4%
2020/21: £23.32m 2021/22: £17.69m 2022/23: £16.12m 2023/24: £21.23m 2024/25: £30.41m
Net revenue expenditure £34.22m
58.0%
2020/21: £21.65m 2021/22: £17.72m 2022/23: £17.41m 2023/24: £22.80m 2024/25: £34.22m
Council Tax requirement £18.70m
21.0%
2020/21: £15.45m 2021/22: £15.95m 2022/23: £16.59m 2023/24: £17.46m 2024/25: £18.70m
Unallocated reserves £1.07m
9.4%
2020/21: £974.0k 2021/22: £1.07m 2022/23: £1.07m 2023/24: £0.00 2024/25: £1.07m
COUNCILMETRICS COMMUNITY SCORE Share your experience 0 of 25 responses collected before results are published
Score this council
Political controlNot yet recordedAdministration not identified
Council leaderNot identifiedParty not identified
Resident population156,8752024 estimate
Latest net debt£31.79m2026/27 Q1 quarter end
WASTE & RECYCLING

What happens to household waste?

Official Defra measures for East Hertfordshire, with like-for-like comparison against collection authorities.

2024/25
43.2%recycled
Household recycling rate

Recycling rate fell

1.5 percentage points vs 2023/24
82 of 196 peer authorities Peer median 42.1%
Residual waste452.9 kgper household+8.3 kg year on year
Waste collected345.5 kgper resident−6.9 kg year on year
Household waste54,212tonnes collected23,412 tonnes recycled
WHERE HOUSEHOLD WASTE WENT

Recycled versus residual waste

23,412 t recycled, composted or reused 30,799 t not recycled
RECYCLING RATE TREND

10 years of official data

43.2%
2012/13: 46.6%2013/14: 48.5%2014/15: 49.5%2018/19: 49.4%2019/20: 50.1%2020/21: 49.0%2021/22: 46.3%2022/23: 43.5%2023/24: 44.7%2024/25: 43.2%
2012/132024/25
Official Defra waste statistics · Annual local-authority return · Figures may not sum exactly because of published rounding.View source
EDUCATION

Schools and education

Schools, pupil numbers and latest education outcomes across East Hertfordshire.

2024/25
SCHOOLS & PUPILS

Education at a glance

Explore schools
90 Open schools
33,136 Pupils
35,084 School places
94.4% Capacity utilisation
ATTAINMENT & OUTCOMES

Key Stage 4

Published outcomes for pupils living in East Hertfordshire.

Attainment 8
52.8
East of England 46.2
England 46.1
6.7 points above England
English & maths grade 5+
56.2%
East of England 45.9%
England 45.4%
10.8 percentage points above England
EBacc entry
50.1%
East of England 40.0%
England 40.5%
9.6 percentage points above England
PROGRESS

Progress 8

0.30

Latest published Progress 8 score, 2023/24.

A score of 0 represents the national average.
TREND

Attainment 8 over time

52.5 18/19
55.8 19/20
56.1 20/21
55.3 21/22
53.0 22/23
53.0 23/24
52.8 24/25
Education context

East Hertfordshire's latest Key Stage 4 outcomes are above both East of England and England benchmarks across all three headline measures.

Department for Education · Key Stage 4 performance · Pupil residency
HOUSING & AFFORDABILITY

Housing costs and local earnings

House prices and affordability for East Hertfordshire, based on the earnings of local residents.

2025
Median house price
£450,000
+ 8.4% over five years
Median resident earnings
£52,184
+ 29.6% over five years
House price to earnings
8.62×
Improved from 10.31× five years ago
PRIVATE RENTING

Average monthly private rent

Typical private rental cost across all property types in East Hertfordshire.

£1,519 / month
+ 2.5% in the last year
July 2026
East Hertfordshire
£1,519
+ 2.5%
East of England
£1,285
+ 3.7%
England
£1,451
+ 3.8%
Compared with East of England £234 more per month
Compared with England £68 more per month
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Housing affordability

Median house price as a multiple of median resident earnings. Lower is more affordable.

East Hertfordshire
8.62×
East of England
8.52×
England
7.64×
Compared with East of England Less affordable
Compared with England Less affordable
Source: Office for National Statistics · Housing affordability in England and Wales · House prices year ending September · Residence-based earnings
PLANNING & HOUSING DELIVERY

Is development moving through the system?

Quarterly planning decisions and the government's latest three-year Housing Delivery Test.

2026 Q1
Applications received362this quarter+60 vs 2025 Q4
Applications decided293this quarter−28 vs 2025 Q4
Outstanding applications—at quarter end
88.7%approved
Overall approval rate260 granted33 refused+11.2 pts vs previous quarter
DECISION TIMELINESS

Decisions made within time

91.8%
Rank 163 of 294 reporting authoritiesNational median 92.5%

0.1 percentage points lower than 2025 Q4

APPLICATION MIX

Performance by development type

TypeDecisionsApprovedIn time Major5100.0%100.0% Minor6680.3%81.8% Other22291.0%94.6%
QUARTERLY FLOW

Applications through the system

Last 8 quarters
2024 Q2: 3582024 Q3: 3472024 Q4: 3422025 Q1: 3942025 Q2: 2832025 Q3: 3532025 Q4: 3022026 Q1: 3622024 Q2: 3772024 Q3: 3172024 Q4: 3412025 Q1: 3272025 Q2: 3552025 Q3: 2152025 Q4: 3212026 Q1: 293
2024 Q2
Received Decided Outstanding
2026 Q1
HOUSING DELIVERY TEST

Homes delivered against requirement

102%
Required2,840homes over three years
Delivered2,909homes over three years
100% requirement
No consequenceHDT 2025 government assessment
CRIME & POLICING

Police-recorded crime

Latest police-recorded crime figures for East Hertfordshire, excluding fraud.

Year ending Mar 2026
Recorded offences 8,104 Total police-recorded crime excluding fraud
Crime rate 51.7 offences per 1,000 residents
Annual change + 1.6% compared with the previous year
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

Recorded crime rate

Offences per 1,000 residents
East Hertfordshire Your council
51.7 + 1.6%
East of England Region
68.4 − 0.1%
England National
83.4 − 1.5%

East Hertfordshire has a recorded crime rate 24.5% below East of England. It is 38.1% below the England rate.

OFFENCE PROFILE

Recorded crime by category

Hertfordshire
Violence 3,433
21.9 per 1,000 + 9.1%
Theft 2,471
15.8 per 1,000 − 10.1%
Public order 521
3.3 per 1,000 − 7.1%
Criminal damage 650
4.1 per 1,000 − 6.9%
Shoplifting 677
4.3 per 1,000 − 3.8%
Vehicle offences 539
3.4 per 1,000 − 23.2%
Burglary 416
2.7 per 1,000 − 11.7%
Drug offences 373
2.4 per 1,000 + 71.1%
ONS / Home Office · Police-recorded crime · Community Safety Partnership data
SCHOOLS & OFSTED

Schools and inspection outcomes

Open schools, pupil numbers and the latest published Ofsted inspection position for East Hertfordshire.

90 schools
Open schools 90
Pupils 33,136
School places 35,084
Capacity used 94.4%
Primary 61 schools
12,729 pupils
Secondary 13 schools
13,656 pupils
Other / specialist 12 schools
4,365 pupils
Middle deemed secondary 2 schools
769 pupils
16+ provision 1 school
0 pupils
All-through 1 school
1,617 pupils
CURRENT POSITION

Inspection coverage

Latest Ofsted management information
Renewed framework 5
5.6% of open schools
Previous full framework 43
47.8% of open schools
Ungraded inspection 31
34.4% of open schools
No Ofsted record 10
11.1% of open schools
No published outcome 1
1.1% of open schools
RENEWED FRAMEWORK

Latest inspection standards

5 schools assessed
Achievement 5 assessed
Expected standard 3
Needs attention 2
Attendance & behaviour 5 assessed
Expected standard 5
Curriculum & teaching 5 assessed
Expected standard 4
Needs attention 1
Inclusion 5 assessed
Expected standard 2
Needs attention 2
Strong standard 1
Leadership & governance 5 assessed
Expected standard 4
Strong standard 1
Personal development 5 assessed
Expected standard 2
Strong standard 2
Needs attention 1
Safeguarding 5 assessed
Met 5
PREVIOUS FRAMEWORK

Legacy Ofsted ratings

These ratings apply only to schools whose latest full inspection remains under the previous Ofsted framework. Schools assessed under the renewed framework are shown separately above.

Outstanding 6
Good 24
Requires improvement 2
Not judged 11
LOCAL SCHOOLS

School directory

View all schools
School Phase Pupils Capacity Latest Ofsted position
Abel Smith School URN 117111 · SG13 8AE Primary 226 240 Outstanding
All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery, Bishop's Stortford URN 117472 · CM23 5BE Primary 208 212 Ungraded inspection
All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Datchworth URN 117430 · SG3 6RE Primary 120 195 Good
Anstey First School URN 117218 · SG9 0BY Primary 39 70 Renewed framework
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School URN 117420 · SG2 7AJ Primary 46 90 Good
Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School URN 117421 · SG2 7HA Primary 129 132 Not judged
Avanti Brook Primary School URN 149537 · CM23 2UW Primary 95 446 No published outcome
Avanti Meadows Primary School URN 147834 · CM23 1FQ Primary 315 656 Good
School information: Get Information about Schools (GIAS). Inspection information: Ofsted monthly management information. Inspection frameworks differ over time, so renewed-framework standards and previous overall effectiveness grades are shown separately.
Published expenditure£0.00No spending file imported
Revenue budget£0.00Not imported
Reported overspend£0.00Not imported outturn
Contracts00 active
Identified suppliers0Normalised entities
PEOPLE AND PLACE

Population snapshot

View full People profile
Population 156,875 2024
East of England region 6,576,306
East Hertfordshire represents 2.39% of the region's population
Five-year population change
+9,540 residents ↑ 6.5%
2019: 147,335 residents2020: 149,027 residents2021: 150,662 residents2022: 151,828 residents2023: 153,897 residents2024: 156,875 residents
East Hertfordshire +6.5%
East of England +4.8%
England +4.3%
Growth context

East Hertfordshire's population grew over five years. Its change was 1.7 percentage points above the East of England and 2.2 percentage points above England.

2019–2024 ONS mid-year estimates
Population estimates and labour-market measures from ONS/Nomis.Official profile
BENEFITS & FINANCIAL PRESSURE

How is Universal Credit changing in East Hertfordshire?

People receiving Universal Credit and how the caseload has changed over the latest 24 months.

DWP · May 2026
PEOPLE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT 11,059 7.0% of the 2024 resident population May 2026
CHANGE IN 12 MONTHS +8.5% +867 people
LATEST MONTHLY CHANGE +0.6% +66 since April 2026
LOCAL CONTEXT

Universal Credit recipients as a share of population

Comparison using 2024 resident population estimates.

May 2026
East Hertfordshire LOCAL AUTHORITY
7.0%
East of England REGION
10.3%
England COUNTRY
12.3%
Percentage of the resident population receiving Universal Credit. This is not an unemployment rate.
24-MONTH TREND

People receiving Universal Credit

Monthly caseload recorded on the DWP Universal Credit system.

June 2024 May 2026
11,059 10,055 9,050
June 2024 May 2026
What does this measure?

Universal Credit provides financial support to people who are on a low income or out of work. These figures count people receiving Universal Credit, not households and not the number of people who are unemployed.

DWP Stat-Xplore
HOUSING LICENSING

HMOs and property licensing

Coverage not assessedNational HMO explorer
Licensed HMOsAwaiting registerOnly licensed properties will be counted
Register accessNot assessedNo register record available
Identifiable HMO expenditureNot identifiableNot separately described in published transactions
Inspection and enforcement dataAwaiting dataNo activity source imported yet
Coverage note

A licensed HMO register has not yet been located for this council. CouncilMetrics does not estimate HMO expenditure from broad housing or social-care descriptions.

FINANCE

How this council raises and spends money

Comparable official outturn for 2024/25, reported to central government.

MHCLG official outturn
Total service expenditure
£30.41m 2024/25 actual outturn
Net revenue expenditure
£34.22m 2024/25 actual outturn
Council Tax requirement
£18.70m 2024/25 actual outturn
Unallocated reserves
£1.07m 2024/25 actual outturn
Service expenditure per resident £194
Median for councils of the same type £166 17.1% above peer median
2024/25 SERVICE SPENDING

Where the money was spent

Net current expenditure after service income.

Actual outturn
Central services Gross £34.22m · Income £20.06m
£14.16m
Environmental and regulatory services Gross £10.45m · Income £4.86m
£5.59m
Planning and development Gross £7.61m · Income £2.37m
£5.24m
Housing Gross £4.78m · Income £744.0k
£4.03m
Culture and related services Gross £6.85m · Income £3.77m
£3.08m
Highways and transport Gross £4.76m · Income £6.45m
£-1.69m
CORE FUNDING

Selected funding sources

Major financing lines in the central return.

Council Tax requirement£18.70m
Revenue Support Grant£118.0k
UNALLOCATED RESERVES

Financial buffer

General unallocated reserves during the year.

Opening £974.0k
Closing £1.07m
£92.0k increase during 2024/25
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · Revenue Outturn RS and RSX · values shown in pounds Official dataset
BORROWING AND INVESTMENTS

Balance-sheet position

A point-in-time view of debt and liquid investments at the end of 2026/27 Q1.

MHCLG quarterly return
Outstanding borrowing
£43.00m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Investments and cash
£11.21m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt
£31.79m 2026/27 Q1 quarter end
Net debt per resident
£203 Per resident using latest population
This council's net debt per resident £203
Median for non-metropolitan district councils £95 112.8% higher than the peer median
QUARTERLY TREND

Borrowing, investments and net debt

2020/21 Q1 to 2026/27 Q1.

£1.32m quarterly reduction
2020/21 Q12021/22 Q32023/24 Q12024/25 Q32026/27 Q1
Latest quarterly movement −£1.32m −4.0%
Change across the series +£81.38m Net debt since 2020/21 Q1
What changed?

Net debt reduced during the latest quarter as the balance between borrowing and investments improved.

BORROWING COMPOSITION

Where the borrowing sits

PWLB, other longer-term borrowing and short-term borrowing.

2026/27 Q1
Public Works Loan Board£26.50m
Short-term borrowing£16.50m
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment live table · 2026/27 Q1 · values shown in pounds Official dataset
COUNCIL TAX & COLLECTION

How much council tax remains unpaid?

Council tax collection, outstanding arrears and write-offs reported to central government.

MHCLG 2025/26
Outstanding arrears
£15.11m Total outstanding at financial year-end
Collection rate
96.87% Collected against the in-year debit
Council tax written off
£600,000 Written off during the financial year
Council tax collected
£150.93m Receipts relating to the financial year
FIVE-YEAR TREND

How has unpaid council tax changed?

Outstanding arrears at each financial year-end.

2021/22–2025/26
OUTSTANDING ARREARS 2025/26
£15.11m
CHANGE SINCE 2021/22
+ 90.0%
+ £7.16m
ENGLAND CHANGE
+49.5%
£7.95m 2021/22 £9.85m 2022/23 £11.55m 2023/24 £13.72m 2024/25 £15.11m 2025/26

Figures represent total outstanding council tax balances, including arrears carried forward from earlier years. Changes in council boundaries can affect historical comparisons.

OUTSTANDING ARREARS

Where does the unpaid council tax come from?

Breakdown of outstanding balances at the end of 2025/26.

£15.11m outstanding
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR £4.97m

32.9% of outstanding arrears

EARLIER FINANCIAL YEARS £10.14m

67.1% of outstanding arrears

Current-year arrears Earlier-years arrears

Earlier-years arrears represent unpaid council tax carried forward from previous financial years. These figures do not identify individual households or establish whether balances are recoverable.

COLLECTION PERFORMANCE

How does this council compare?

England 2025/26
In-year collection rate 96.87%

England average: 95.60%  ·  1.27 percentage points above England

Outstanding arrears include unpaid balances from earlier financial years and are not the same as council tax uncollected during 2025/26. Monetary values are rounded for display. Official MHCLG source

SPENDING

Published directorate expenditure

Explore all 0 records
CONTRACTS

Largest contracts

Explore all 0 contracts
ContractSupplierStatusEnd dateOriginal value
SUPPLIERS

Largest supplier exposure

Dated transactions
SupplierPaymentsPublished expenditure
PROVENANCE

Source documents

39 imported
DocumentDatasetPeriodStatusOfficial source
Housing Delivery Test 2025 results — East Hertfordshiremhclg housing delivery testHDT 2025–HDT 2025importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application decisions (PS2) — East Hertfordshiremhclg planning ps21979 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1) — East Hertfordshiremhclg planning ps11996 Q2–2026 Q1importedOpen
Defra local authority waste statistics — East Hertfordshire District Councildefra local authority waste2010/11–2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2023/24 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rsx2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2023/24 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rs2023/24importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2022/23 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rsx2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2022/23 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rs2022/23importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2021/22 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rsx2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2021/22 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rs2021/22importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2020/21 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rsx2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2020/21 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rs2020/21importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q4 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q3 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q2 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2025/26 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2025/26 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q4 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q3 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q2 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2024/25 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2024/25 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q4 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q3 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q2 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2023/24 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2023/24 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q4 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q3 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q2 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2022/23 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2022/23 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q4 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q3 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q2 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2021/22 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2021/22 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q4 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q4importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q3 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q3importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q2 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q2importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2020/21 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2020/21 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Borrowing and Investment 2026/27 Q1 — East Hertfordshiremhclg borrowing investment2026/27 Q1importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Service Summary 2024/25 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rsx2024/25importedOpen
MHCLG Revenue Outturn Summary 2024/25 — East Hertfordshiremhclg revenue outturn rs2024/25importedOpen
How to read these figures and the Financial Health Score

Budget summaries and financial positions retain the reporting year and assurance status of their original source. Draft or unaudited values are labelled separately from audited outturn figures. The Financial Health Score uses reserves cover, net debt per resident, liquidity and quarterly debt direction from central MHCLG returns. Each component is converted to a percentile among councils of the same authority type; available components are weighted 35%, 30%, 20% and 15% respectively. A score is published only when at least three components covering 65% of the weighting are available. It is a comparative financial indicator, not an assessment of service quality or political performance.