Hertfordshire councils expect to find out whether they will be replaced by two, three or four unitary authorities within weeks, despite the resignation of the Prime Minister.

The county council and the 10 district and borough councils that operate across Hertfordshire are due to be replaced with a smaller number of unitary authorities by April 2028.

And although no official date has been set for the Government to determine how many unitaries there should be, councils have been expecting an announcement before Parliament rises for the summer recess.

In the wake of Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as Labour Party leader this week, there has been a suggestion that Number 10 will not be making any new major policy or spending commitments until a new Prime Minister is in place.

But in response to an enquiry by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a spokeswoman for the 11 existing Hertfordshire councils says they are still working towards an announcement being made next month (July).

And she said the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) had confirmed to them that "the timings are still in place".

"The Government has not confirmed a date for their decision on Local Government Reorganisation in Hertfordshire, and we are continuing to work towards an announcement being made before Parliament rises for summer recess in mid-July.

"We have approached MHCLG, and they have confirmed the timings are still in place."

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The Local Democracy Reporting Service has also contacted the MHCLG to ask if the timing of Hertfordshire's LGR announcement will be impacted by the PM's resignation.

No response has yet been received.

Under the current two-tier system, Hertfordshire operates with a county council and 10 district or borough councils.

The county council is responsible for services that include education, social care, highways and waste disposal, as well as public health, libraries, the Fire Service and trading standards.

District and borough councils provide services that include waste collection, planning, housing, licensing, environmental health and parks within their boundaries.

As part of LGR the 11 existing councils would be abolished, and replaced with a smaller number of unitary authorities.

Each of those unitary councils would be responsible for all the services currently delivered by the county and the district or borough councils within their own geographical boundaries.

Hertfordshire has already consulted on plans to divide the county into two, three or four unitary councils.

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But ultimately, the decision on how many new authorities will be made by the Government.

As part of the two-unitary proposal, the county would be split into eastern and west, with the west including areas currently covered by Dacorum, Hertsmere, St Albans, Three Rivers and Watford councils, and the eastern made up of areas currently covered by Broxbourne, East Herts, North Herts, Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield.

Under the three-unitary council proposal, the county would be split into eastern, west and central unitaries.

The eastern unitary would include areas currently covered by Broxbourne, East Herts, North Herts and Stevenage councils.

The west would include Dacorum, Three Rivers and Watford areas, as well as Bushey North and Bushey South.

Meanwhile, central would include Hertsmere, St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield, without the Bushey North and Bushey South county council electoral divisions.

The final option under consideration would split the county into four: west, south-west, central and eastern.

Areas currently covered by Dacorum and St Albans would form the west unitary, while Hertsmere, Three Rivers and Watford would form the south-west.

The bulk of North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield would join with Stevenage to form the central unitary.

But the existing North Herts district wards of Royston Heath, Royston Palace, Royston Meridian, Ermine, Weston and Sandon and Arbury and the Welwyn Hatfield ward of Northaw and Cuffley would join with Broxbourne and East Herts areas to form the eastern unitary.