District council leaders across Hertfordshire have spoken out against apparent plans to abolish the two-tier system of local government in the county.

According to a report in The Times, the government is planning to replace the district, borough and county councils with a unitary system, where a single authority covers all local government responsibilities in an area. 

Under the current system, district councils handle issues such as planning permission and bin collections, while the county council handles issues such as social care, education, and highways.

But leaders of Hertfordshire's district and borough councils have warned against the idea of a single authority covering the entire county.

Cllr Paul de Kort, leader of the Liberal Democrat-run St Albans City & District Council, said including urban, suburban and rural areas in the same authority would "not end well" and would lead to "big issues about local representation".

He raised concerns about imposing a "top-down" approach in a "one size fits all" manner.

Although the details of the proposed reorganisation are yet to be ironed out, Cllr de Kort is expecting an elected mayor to be introduced, covering an area that is wider than St Albans alone.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Liberal Democrat leader of Three Rivers District Council, is expecting the same.

But, he said, "there has been no discussion from the government" about proposals to end the two-tier system, despite government sources telling The Times they had consulted "extensively" with councils and were "only working with areas that proactively supported the reforms".

Three Rivers was one of the Hertfordshire councils that opposed the idea of a unitary authority when it was proposed by the county council in 2020.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst said: "We would look at whatever is being suggested, but it should be driven from the bottom up rather than the top down."

He said that having two unitary authorities covering Hertfordshire would be "much more feasible" than a single one covering 1.2 million people and expects that any changes would be "several years down the line."

Other district and borough council leaders – including Liberal Democrat mayor of Watford Peter Taylor – also said there had been little discussion with government about the possibility of introducing a unitary system.

Last week, St Albans MP Daisy Cooper asked the government whether it had had any recent discussions with Hertfordshire County Council about the two-tier system of government.

Responding, local government minister Jim McMahon said the government and the county council have "not specifically discussed this topic."

Cllr Max Holloway, Labour leader of a joint administration with the Liberal Democrats in Welwyn Hatfield, said his council is working with others in the county "to get the best deal for Hertfordshire" but added: "Those discussions have not included any talk of a unitary authority."

Cllr Holloway said he is "unconvinced" that a unitary system is the "best way" to "put residents first".

Cllr Ben Crystall, Green leader of a joint administration with the Liberal Democrats in East Herts, holds a similar view.

He said "moving key decisions away from smaller district councils and the communities they serve to a huge, distant unitary authority may not deliver the change we need."

Cllr Crystall suggested the government is looking for a "quick fix" but questioned a claim from the County Councils Network that replacing the two-tier system with unitary authorities nationwide would lead to a saving of £3bn over five years.

He said: "Moving services like planning to a unitary, for example, takes them even further from where the impact is felt and could end up being more expensive.

"Ensuring better-shared services between districts would be a far more effective way to reduce costs."

Several leaders, including Cllr Crystall, suggested they would want more powers to be granted to town and parish councils – the lower rung of local government – if plans for a unitary authority went ahead.

And Cllr Adrian England, leader of a minority Liberal Democrat administration in Dacorum, said any reorganisation of local government should ensure the council is "a size where it is still 'the local council'".

In Watford, mayor Peter Taylor said: "There needs to be lots of discussion with not just councils, but with residents and businesses to work out what is best for everybody.

"I'm not convinced that having huge councils that cover half a million or more people is the best thing for our residents.

"People want local councils to be local, to know their area, to be able to improve things for local residents, to make sure we've got the best possible services.

"Creating huge councils doesn't always lead to that."

He says that even if Hertfordshire had two unitary authorities, they would "still have populations of about 600,000 people and still cover really large areas – I would take a lot of convincing that that's in the best interests of residents".

Cllr Jeremy Newmark, Labour leader of Hertsmere Borough Council in a joint administration with the Liberal Democrats, wrote for LabourList that "any reorganisation will not be easy and will be stacked with new risks".

He said the size of Hertsmere's council "creates benefits not just for our local communities for Great Britain PLC", with its ownership of Elstree Film Studios, Sky Studio Elstree and BBC Elstree Centre.

"Local government needs to remain genuinely local … if we want engaged councillors to be equipped to respond to local needs, it's vital that they cover localised wards and are familiar with all areas in their council's boundaries," Cllr Newmark wrote. 

It is understood that council leaders from across Hertfordshire will discuss the issue at a meeting in two weeks' time.

In September, Hertfordshire County Council submitted to the government an expression of interest in a devolution deal for the county.

A spokesperson said they are "open to exploring options for a devolution deal" and "expect discussions to take place over the forthcoming months".

A government white paper on devolution, including further details of proposals for local government reform, is expected to be published in December.