The local government of Bishop's Stortford is managed by three tiers of councils - Hertfordshire County Council, East Herts District Council and the Town Council. Together, these three councils are responsible for running most of the local services of the town:
Hertfordshire County Council is responsible for running services across the whole of Hertfordshire, including:For county council elections, the Bishop’s Stortford area is divided into three districts comprising Bshop's Stortford East, Bishop's Stortford West and Bishop's Stortford Rural. County council elections are held at least once every four years and each ward elects a number of county councillors. County councillors can, and often do, serve on more local and/or district councils.
County councillors elected in the elections of June 2009 and May 2011| Bishop's Stortford East | |
| County Councillor | John Barfoot (Conservative) (elected June 2009) |
| Bishop's Stortford West | |
| County Councillor | Colin Woodward (Conservative) (elected May 2011) |
| Bishop's Stortford Rural | |
| County Councillor | Leanda Newlyn (Conservative) (elected June 2009) |
For local and district council elections, Bishop’s Stortford is divided into five districts, or wards Map . Local elections are held at least once every four years and each ward elects a number of local, and district councillors. Councillors can, and often do, serve on more than one council.
Local and district councillors elected in the most recent elections of May 2011| Central Parish Ward | |
| District Councillors |
Peter Gray (Conservative) Tim Page (Conservative) Norma Symonds (Conservative) |
| Local Councillors |
Keith Barnes (Independent) Peter Gray (Conservative) Simon Harris (Conservative) Norma Symonds (Conservative) |
| Meads Ward | |
| District Councillors | Jill Demonti (Conservative) Tim Herbert (Conservative) |
| Local Councillors |
Gill Campbell (Conservative)
Jill Demonti (Conservative) Philip Demonti (Conservative) |
| All Saints Ward | |
| District Councillors |
Daniel Abbott (Conservative) Michael Wood (Liberal Democrat) Colin Woodward (Conservative) |
| Local Councillors |
Astrid Charriere (Conservative)
Janie Elliott (Conservative) Michael Wood (Liberal Democrat) Colin Woodward (Conservative) |
| South Ward | |
| District Councillors | Allen Burlton (Conservative) - Town Mayor Diane Hollebon (Conservative) John Wyllie (Conservative) |
| Local Councillors |
Allen Burlton (Conservative) - Town Mayor Diane Hollebon (Conservative) Keith Warnell (Conservative) John Wyllie (Conservative) |
| Silverleys Ward | |
| District Councillors | Graham McAndrew (Conservative) Steven Jones (Conservative) |
| Local Councillors |
Mark Greatbatch (Conservative) Gary Jones (Conservative) Tim Page (Conservative) |
Local councils are funded by a combination of grants from central government, Council Tax and business rates. Central government provides specific and general grants to enable local authorities to deliver all the necessary services. To divide up the funding, the government uses a system that takes into account the number and value of properties in each area, and how much it costs to provide services there.
The Council Tax provides about a quarter of local funding. The local authority (East Herts District Council) sets the total Council Tax it needs to raise, based on its overall budget for the year. Each household pays an amount depending on the value of their home. The government has powers to ensure that increases in local authority budgets and Council Tax are not excessive.
Business rates are a property tax on businesses and other non-domestic properties. Their formal name is national non-domestic rates. The national rates are set by central government. The revenue is collected by local authorities, pooled by central government, and then redistributed to local authorities.