Statistics about Dacorum

The Borough of Dacorum is in west Hertfordshire. It is made up of the main towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring, plus a number of large and small villages.

As well as other data, we usually use the census by the Office of National Statistics to help with our future planning. The census is a national survey run every 10 years, with the latest one compiled in 2021. The summaries below have been taken from Nomis data sets.

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  • History of Dacorum

    Dacorum Council was created in 1974 following a review of local government in England and Wales.

    Five smaller council areas, those of the borough of Hemel Hempstead, the urban districts of Berkhamsted and Tring, and the rural districts of Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted were merged.

    The new administrative area also took in small parts of the rural districts of Watford and St Albans. The bringing together of seven areas is marked by the seven oak leaves which surround the Tudor rose in the centre of the borough's logo.

    By decree of Queen Victoria, Hemel Hempstead had been granted the distinction of being a borough. Given that Berkhamsted and Tring also have historical significance, the newly formed district council petitioned Parliament that Dacorum be granted 'borough' status. The appeal was successful and on 1 April 1984, Dacorum became a borough. As a borough it was entitled to elect a mayor and to adopt armorial bearings – which most people refer to as a coat of arms.

    The new area needed a name that did not imply that any one of the seven areas had dominance over the others.

    The opportunity was taken to revive a name which had been in use since mediaeval times but had fallen out of common use 200 years before. "Dacorum" was one of the country’s ancient land divisions – a "hundred".

    Although scholars are not in total agreement on the origins of the word, the popular interpretation is that it's a mediaeval Latin translation of the Anglo-Saxon word for Dane or Danish. Danish settlers were common in the coastal districts of East Anglia but few ventured this far west, so their residence here may have caused the location to be referred to as a place "where some Danes live". However, no evidence of a Danish settlement was found.

  • Access to services
    Access to services
    ServiceNotes
    Transport links 
    • The M1 and M25 motorways border the borough
    • The railway network offers fast and direct connections into London Euston and north towards Northampton.
    • Luton and Heathrow airports are within easy reach.

    Dacorum is relatively well served by the bus network. However, in the more rural areas, services can be sporadic. Intalink provides bus timetables. 

    GP surgeries
    There are 19 NHS GP surgeries in the borough.
    To find your nearest surgery, please see the NHS website
    Community centres

    There are 12 community centres located across the borough, which are well supported by the local communities. Bookings tend to be consistent and at a high level.

    Community centres are located in:

    • Adeyfield
    • Apsley
    • Bennetts End
    • Chaulden
    • Gadebridge
    • Grovehill
    • Highfield
    • Kings Langley
    • Leverstock Green
    • Tring
    • Warners End
    • Woodhall Farm
    Parish and town councils
    There are 16 parish and town councils in operation around the borough.
    The Hemel Hempstead area is unparished.
    Leisure centres 

    Dacorum has a wealth of sporting facilities.

    Our local leisure centres are managed by Everyone Active

    • Hemel Hempstead Leisure Centre
    • Berkhamsted Leisure Centre
    • Longdean Sports Centre
    • Jarman Park Athletics Track, Hemel Hempstead

    Tring Sports Centre is also currently managed by Everyone Active.

    Dacorum Sports Trust offers the following facilities in partnership with us:

    In addition, there is a large number of independent sports clubs that operate in and around the borough.

    Libraries

    The borough is well served by libraries. Hertfordshire County Council provides seven libraries across Dacorum:

    • Adeyfield
    • Berkhamsted
    • Bovingdon
    • Hemel Hempstead
    • Kings Langley
    • Leverstock Green
    • Tring

    In addition, those villages that are not served by a library receive a mobile library service on a fortnightly basis.


    Parks, open spaces and playgrounds 

    Dacorum is a very green borough, able to boast a high degree of recreational space for residents and visitors to the area.

    Some examples include:

    • Gadebridge Park
    • Chipperfield Common
    • Boxmoor
    • The Ashridge Estate
    • Wilstone Reservoir
    • Grand Union Canal

    There is good provision of children’s play areas in Dacorum. We currently provide and maintain:

    • 51 equipped children’s play areas; and
    • 4 staffed adventure playgrounds in Adeyfield, Chaulden, Bennetts End and Woodhall Farm.
    • There are nine additional play areas provided and maintained by the borough’s town and parish councils.
    Arts and heritage

    Theatres and amateur dramatics:

    Museums

  • Population

    For the latest population figures for Dacorum, visit the Nomis website.

    For population projections, please visit the Herts Insight website.

  • Deprivation

    As a borough, Dacorum has low levels of deprivation.

    • The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) score for Dacorum is 12.17
    • The borough ranks at 261 out of 326 local authority areas, placing it in the 20% least deprived local authority areas in the country. It has no areas in the most deprived 10%.

    However, it is important to note that there are several small areas (LSOAs) throughout the borough where deprivation is very apparent.

    To view the deprivation score for your area, please see the Department for Communities and Local Government on the GOV.UK website.

  • Housing

    Full housing data sets from the 2021 Census are available from the Office for National Statistics.

    You can find the prices for properties recently sold on the Land Registry website.

    For data on local authority housing stock, visit the the Government website.

  • Business and economy

    Dacorum economy

    We've developed a dashboard of statistics to provide information on the current state of the borough’s economy. The statistics cover areas such as employment and skills, demographics, business sectors and strengths, innovative and exporting companies, infrastructure and town centre economies. It provides in-depth information, which is being used to steer our plan for the recovery of the local economy and future plans for the borough.

    Business demography

    Visit the Office of National Statistics, Business Demography for the latest dataset.

    Types of industry

    Visit the Office of National Statistics, UK Business: Activity, Size and Location for the latest dataset.
  • Housing and Council Tax benefits

    The numbers on Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit vary greatly throughout the year.

    Figures are available on the Department of Work and Pensions' Stat-Xplore system. These are updated automatically from each local authority and then publicly released after a delay. You will need to register the first time you use the system.

  • Employment and unemployment
    For the latest statistics, please visit the Nomis website.
  • Crime

    Crime in Dacorum is relatively low in comparison to county, regional and national averages.

    You can find statistics on your neighbourhood on the Police.uk website.

    Further data sets are available from the Office for National Statistics.

  • Health

    For the latest information, please see Public Health England's area profile.

    The Office for National Statistics also has a Health and Social Care section.

Which ward do I live in?

To find out which ward you live in, visit the Nomis website, enter your postcode, and then click 'search'.

Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 01 March 2023 at 09:21 AM

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