Town desk

Kings Langley

Royal palace village on the Gade

Not a Hemel suburb

A historic village on the River Gade and Grand Union Canal, once home to a royal palace, now a popular commuter stop between Hemel and Watford.

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From the desk

Hemel Hempstead civic landscape around the Water Gardens

Politics

Dacorum to join a new West Hertfordshire council in 2028

Whitehall has confirmed four unitary authorities for Hertfordshire. From April 2028, Dacorum and St Albans will share a single council: with shadow elections in May 2027.

16 July 2026

St Peter’s Berkhamsted, in a town with both state and independent schools

Education

Dacorum schools: the map parents actually need

Secondary places in Hemel, Berkhamsted and Tring run on Hertfordshire rules, not borough branding. Here is the landscape before you open the application form.

18 August 2026

Environment

The Grand Union is Dacorum’s other high street

From Kings Langley through Apsley, Boxmoor and Berkhamsted, the towpath is commute, gym, nature reserve and pub crawl.

15 August 2026

Berkhamsted town centre, covered by the D01 neighbourhood team

Crime

How Hertfordshire Police actually covers Dacorum

Four neighbourhood teams, a public crime map, and a messaging service called Herts Connected. Here is how to read them without the press-office gloss.

12 August 2026

Berkhamsted, where the canal and the railway share the valley floor

Transport

The 35-minute question: commuting from Dacorum to Euston

Hemel, Apsley, Berkhamsted, Tring and Kings Langley live on the West Coast Main Line. When the timetable coughs, the borough stops.

5 August 2026