Watford Borough Council

The Mayor of Watford Borough for 2010 to 2014 is Dorothy Thornhill.
The Chairman of Watford Borough for 2011 / 2012 is Councillor Lindsey Scudder.

Opening hours:
Customer Service Centre, Town Hall. Open for telephone enquiries Monday to Friday 8am until 6pm. Open for visitors Monday to Friday 8.30am until 5.30pm.

Main Council Departments:

Environmental Services - This service is responsible for: refuse collection, recycling, street cleaning, litter bins, abandoned vehicles, garden waste collection, inspection of commercial premises for food hygiene and health and safety, pollution control, pest control, noise control, infectious diseases, health education, street trading, issuing of licenses, taxi and private hire, animal wardens, air and water quality, maintaining healthy and safe homes, energy efficiency, carbon management and climate change.

Community Services – The Council has built two new state of the art leisure centres: Watford Leisure Centre – CENTRAL and Watford Leisure Centre – WOODSIDE. The operator is a ‘not for profit’ organisation called SLM, who operate under the ‘EveryoneActive’ brand. The facilities include swimming pools, fitness suites and classes, indoor sports, a climbing wall at Central and an atheltics stadium at Woodside. For more details of the facilities: www.everyoneactive.com

The Council transferred the ownership and management of its housing stock to Watford Community Housing Trust in September 2007. While no longer managing the landlord functions, the Housing Section includes the Housing Needs Team (housing register, Choice Based Lettings, statutory homelessness), the Homelessness Prevention and Housing Advice Team and officers dealing with strategy, housing development and partnership working.

This service is also responsible for running cultural services in the local community including community centres, parks, playgrounds, allotments, cemeteries, sports pitches, adventure playgrounds, summer and Easter holidays playschemes and afterschool clubs, Watford Museum and Watford Colosseum (until later in 2010 when the Colosseum will be closed for a year for complete refurbishment and will then re-open under the management of HQ Theatres). It also has responsibility for trees and woodland, voluntary sector funding, arts and sports development and town twinning. Courses and events are offered to individuals and groups - see Watford Borough Council website for details.

Planning - This service is responsible for: planning applications and appeals, enforcement of planning control; listed building consents; protection of trees; preparation of planning policy and the local development framework; providing planning advice; preparing development briefs and implementing key projects; residents parking permits; car parks; concessionary fares and bus permits, building control and building regulations.

Revenue and Benefits Service - This service is responsible for: the administration and collection of council tax, the administration and collection of business rates, the administration and payment of benefits including rent rebate, council tax rebate and rent allowance, administration and collection of sundry debts, payments office.