Hemel Hempstead asked whether it wants parish councils

Most of Dacorum already has a parish or town council. Berkhamsted and Tring style theirs as town councils. Hemel Hempstead, the giant in the room, does not. It is unparished.

That anomaly is now under formal review. The borough is asking people in unparished areas to comment on draft Community Governance Review proposals by 18 September 2026. The choice is not cosmetic. A Hemel town council would have a precept, a voice in planning consultations, and a layer of democracy that would survive the 2028 unitary merger.

Supporters will argue that St Albans has a city identity and Hemel needs one too. Sceptics will see another council tax line and another set of meetings. Both can be true. The consultation is the moment to say which trade-off is acceptable.

If you live in Adeyfield, Boxmoor, Grovehill, Highfield, Leverstock Green or the Old Town, this is about who speaks for your street when the borough itself is dissolved.