Three Rivers is a local government district in south-west Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Rickmansworth. The district borders Hertsmere, Watford, St Albans, Dacorum, Buckinghamshire, and the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Harrow.
Contents
History
Three Rivers District was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and most of a third, which were all abolished at the same time:
Chorleywood Urban District
Rickmansworth Urban District
Watford Rural District, except the parish of Aldenham, which went to Hertsmere, and the part within the designated area of Hemel Hempstead New Town, which went to Dacorum.
The new district was named "Three Rivers", referencing the rivers Chess, Colne, and Gade which flow through the district and have their confluence in Rickmansworth, the largest town in the district.
Under current local government reorganisation plans, all district councils in Hertfordshire, as well as the county council, will be abolished in 2028, with the district becoming part of a new South West Hertfordshire unitary authority.
Governance
Hertfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the ten district councils (including Three Rivers District Council) providing district-level services, and Hertfordshire County Council providing county-level services. In some areas there is an additional third tier of civil parishes.
Responsibilities
Three Rivers District Council carries out a variety of district council functions including:
Benefits - Housing and Council Tax
Car Parking
Concessionary Travel
Council Tax - Administration and Collection
Elections and Electoral Registration
Environmental Health
Food Safety and Hygiene Complaints
Noise Pollution and Pest Control
Housing Administration
Licensing
Caravan Sites
Town Planning
Public Conveniences
Health and Leisure Centres
Refuse Collection
Recycling
Tourism and Visitor Information
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since a by-election in August 2024, having previously been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2018.
The first election to Three Rivers District Council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2016 have been:
Composition
Following the 2026 election, the composition of the council was:
The next elections are scheduled for 2027, but may be affected by the upcoming structural changes to local government in England.
Premises
The council's main offices are at Three Rivers House on Northway in the centre of Rickmansworth, which was purpose-built for the council in 1991. The site had been part of the grounds of Basing House, which had bought by the old Rickmansworth Urban District Council in 1930 to serve as its headquarters.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2014 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 13 wards, each of which elects three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing one councillor from each ward each time. Elections to Hertfordshire County Council are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.
Wards
The wards of the district are:
Wider politics
For elections to Hertfordshire County Council, the district is divided into six divisions, three of which are held by the Conservatives, and three by the Liberal Democrats:
For parliamentary elections, the entire district has been part of the South West Hertfordshire constituency since the 2024 general election. The constituency is not quite coterminous with the district, however, as it also contains the ward of Kings Langley from the Dacorum district. The current MP is Gagan Mohindra of the Conservative Party.
Rail
Train services are provided by Chiltern Railways and the Metropolitan line of the London Underground.
London Underground stations:
Chorleywood
Croxley
Rickmansworth
Moor Park
Chiltern Railways stations:
Chorleywood
Rickmansworth
A special fare structure exists as the stations are outside the Greater London boundary.
London Overground stations:
Carpenders Park
West Coast Main Line stations:
Kings Langley
Settlements
Abbots Langley
Chorleywood
Croxley Green
Loudwater
Maple Cross
Moor Park
Rickmansworth
Sarratt
South Oxhey
Civil parishes
Three Rivers is partially parished. There are six civil parishes in the district:
Abbots Langley
Batchworth
Chorleywood
Croxley Green
Sarratt
Watford Rural
There are also two unparished areas in the district, both comprising parts of the former Rickmansworth Urban District which have not subsequently been added to a parish: one larger area including Maple Cross and Mill End, Rickmansworth; and a smaller area including part of Loudwater.