Watford News
The latest Watford news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Watford's Woodside Community Centre Reopens in Spring 2027
Chime Housing will run Woodside Community Centre and fund a refurbishment before it reopens. Residents can join a stakeholder group at a meeting on 18 November.
More stories
Beryl Bikes
Watford's Beryl Bikes Pass 2 Million km After a Record Year
Watford's Beryl bike share has passed 2 million km since 2020, with a record 138,000 trips in the past year. Watford Junction is the busiest of its 90 bays.
Watford General Hospital
Andy Burnham Visits Watford General With Yvette Cooper
PM Andy Burnham guaranteed no further delay to Watford General's rebuild on a three-hour visit with Yvette Cooper on Monday. Work is due to start in 2032.
Remembrance
Hundreds Line Watford's Streets for Remembrance Sunday
Hundreds lined Watford town centre on 8 November for the Remembrance parade, two minutes' silence and wreaths at the Peace Memorial. Pictures from the day.
Planning
Data Centre Next to Traveller Site Near Watford Sent Back for Answers on Water and Height
Hertsmere councillors deferred a 200MW data centre on the former Mercure Hotel site near Watford. They want answers on water, building height and payments.
Recycling
Watford Recycling Now Takes Soft Plastics: What Goes In
Bread bags, sweet wrappers, cling film and bubble wrap can now go loose in Watford's blue-lidded bin. Pouches, blister packs and bags of other items cannot.
Business
Watford Town Hall Café to Be Run by Tasty Bean Team, Spring 2027
The family firm behind the Tasty Bean at Oxhey Activity Park will run the new Town Hall café from spring 2027. Tea from £2.50 and a terrace on the Town Square.
Environment
Gum Scraped From 5,718m² of Watford's Shopping Parades
Veolia cleared chewing gum from about 1km of pavement at Watford shopping parades, funded by grants of almost £25,000 over three years. Updated November 2026.
Remembrance
Watford MP Places Remembrance Cross at Westminster
Matt Turmaine placed a wooden cross for Watford's war dead in Parliament's Garden of Remembrance. On Sunday he gives a reading at St Mary's and lays a wreath.
Business
Superdry Watford Moving to Harlequin Upper Mall: 5,549 sq ft
Superdry & Co is moving its Harlequin Watford store to a 5,549 sq ft Upper Mall unit near M&S, with a new format and Bench streetwear. No opening date yet.
Council
Watford Council Abolition Delayed to 2029 at the Earliest
The government has withdrawn Hertfordshire's four-council plan. Any new council now starts in April 2029, 11 months after Watford's mayoral term is due to end.
Transport
Watford to Croxley Trackless Tram: Have Your Say by 4 Dec
A trackless tram from Croxley station to Watford Junction, with 11 stops on the old branch line route, is the county's preferred plan. Comments close 4 December.
Police
Watford Flat Closure Order: Solar Court Shut for 3 Months
A Solar Court flat on King George's Avenue, Watford, is shut for three months after a closure order on 29 October. Anyone who enters can be arrested.
Homelessness
Watford winter night shelter opens 9 November, 15 beds
Watford's winter night shelter opens nightly from 9 November to mid-March at New Hope's Haven, Whippendell Road: 15 beds, pets welcome, and how to refer someone.
Cassiobury
Cassiobury Park Tea Pavilion turns 100: party on 14 November
Cassiobury Park's Tea Pavilion turns 100 with a cake-cutting, 1920s-to-now live music and a fancy-dress parkrun on Saturday 14 November. Share your old photos.
House prices
Watford House Prices Up 1.4% in August to £408,659
Watford's average home rose 1.4% in August to £408,659, a fifth monthly rise in a row. It is still £1,447 down on a year ago, and flats keep falling.
Schools
Watford GCSE League Table 2026: All 14 Schools Ranked
Watford Grammar School for Boys came 2nd of 79 Herts state secondaries. The Grange and Westfield made the biggest gains. All 14 local schools ranked.
Watford
Ashby Road Death: Watford Police Appeal for Information
Police want to hear from anyone who saw a 36-year-old woman from 18 September until her death after a 999 call in Ashby Road, Watford. Quote ISR 39 of 28 September.
Council
Watford Drinking Ban Expires in December: Have Your Say
Watford's 24-hour no-drinking order expires in December. A one-question survey on renewing it runs for three weeks from 14 October; the £500 fine stays.
Community
Watford SEN Football: Free Fridays at Meriden, Oct Camps
Free weekly pan-disability football for ages 9 to 17 and adults at Meriden Community Centre, a new Thursday multi-sport club, and two half-term camps.
Council
Watford Council Carbon Down 21.4%, Just Short of Its Target
The council cut its own emissions 21.4% against a 22% target for 2025. Trees and green space beat their goals; recycling, water and borough carbon lag.
Politics
Watford Mayor Peter Taylor to Stand for MP for the Lib Dems
Peter Taylor, mayor since 2018, is the Lib Dem candidate for Watford MP. He took 14,583 votes in May; Labour won the seat in 2024 with 15,708.
Watford General Hospital
Watford General Chefs Win NHS Chef of the Year 2026
Dawn Roberts and Tommy Trinder beat seven hospital teams at a four-day final in Birmingham, cooking three courses for £6 to £8 a head. The dish that won it.
Council
Watford Ice Rink: £173,803 Contract, Ticket Sales to Charity
Cabinet papers show the festive rink on The Parade costs £173,803, awarded without a tender to Ice Park Ltd. Half of ticket sales go to local charities.
Crime
Watford Robberies Hit 21 in August, Most in 13 Months
21 robberies were recorded within a mile of central Watford in August, against 4 a year before. Shoplifting and burglary rose too; violence fell by a fifth.
Environment
River Colne Restoration Reaches Oxhey Park and Lairage Land
Contractors and volunteers are now working on the River Colne at Oxhey Park, Riverside and Lairage Land, the next stage of Watford's 10-year river restoration.
Crime
Watford Town Centre Shoplifting at a 12-Month High
Watford Central logged 83 shoplifting crimes in July, the most in a year. Police keep it a priority and add the Secret Garden and Vicarage Road cemetery.
Schools
Free Fruit Trees for Watford Schools: Apply by 20 November
Watford schools and community groups can apply for five free apple or pear trees, or ten strawberry plants, from Veolia until Friday 20 November.
Watford council
Watford Parking: 3 More Officers, 27% More Tickets
Three extra civil enforcement officers produced 27% more penalty charge notices than 2024, Watford Borough Council's own scrutiny annual report says.
Chorleywood
Ricky Road Run 2026: Chorleywood, Sun 18 Oct, 9.30am
The 42nd Ricky Road Run, a 10-mile race for four charities, starts at 9.30am on Sunday 18 October at Chorleywood Working Club. Entry is £28 to £32.
Watford
Watford House Prices Down £2,821 in a Year to £404,299
Watford is the only one of Hertfordshire's ten districts where prices fell over the year, down 0.7% to £404,299 in July. Flats fell hardest, by 2.6%.
Watford
Watford Parking: Six Apps Now Work, Not Just RingGo
You can now pay for council parking in Watford with six apps, including JustPark and PayByPhone. The council's own pages still name RingGo alone.
Jobs
Watford Claimant Count: 3,235, and the Rise Is All Women
Women claimants in Watford rose by 70 in a year while men fell by 30, the reverse of Britain. The borough is still Hertfordshire's highest at 4.6%.
Transport
Lioness Line Suspended at Watford Until About 1.45pm
A sewage leak at Watford High Street has stopped Lioness line trains between Watford Junction and Willesden Junction. TfL expects them back about 1.45pm.
Watford Borough Council
Watford Audentior Awards: Nominations Close 25 September
Nominations for Watford's Audentior Awards close on Friday 25 September, across nine categories. The council's own awards pages do not carry that date anywhere.
Council
Watford Council Abolition Paused, May 2027 Election Back On
The government has paused Hertfordshire's four-council plan, so May 2027 is an ordinary borough election again. The council's own page still says otherwise.
Transport
Watford Lower High Street Cycle Plans: Comments Close 29 Sep
Hertfordshire wants to widen the Green Loop path on Lower High Street by taking road space. Drop-in on Thursday, comments close 29 September.
Business
JD Gym Watford Opens Tuesday 22 December: £5 First Month
JD Gyms Watford opens on Tuesday 22 December 2026 in the Harlequin's old John Lewis unit: £5 first month, then £29.99, open 24/7, two hours' free parking.
Council
Watford Council Named 6 Times on UK Service Awards List
Watford appears more often than any other body on APSE's 2026 finalists list, and is one of nine up for Overall Council of the Year on 17 September.
Schools
Watford Girls GCSE Results 2026: 37% of Grades at 8 or 9
At Watford Grammar School for Girls 37% of 2026 GCSE grades were 8 or 9, physics the strongest big subject. Every subject, plus all 14 local schools ranked.
Bins
Watford Bin Collections Move a Day From 31 August
Every Watford collection runs a day late from Monday 31 August, so Friday rounds land on Saturday 5 September. Garden waste card payers must renew by the 31st.
Jobs
Watford Claimant Count: 3,220 in July, Youth Claims Flat
Under-25 claims in Watford rose 1.1% in a year while Hertfordshire's jumped 13%. The borough still has the county's highest claimant rate, at 4.5%.
House prices
Watford house prices: £396,385, second cheapest in Herts
Watford's average home reached £396,385 in June, up 2.8% in a year but still £25,965 below its 2022 peak. Only Stevenage is cheaper in Hertfordshire.
Council
Watford's Elected Mayor Was to End in 2028. Now Paused
Watford Borough Council was to close on 1 April 2028, and its replacement would have had a leader, not a mayor. The government paused the plan on 7 September.
Events
Herts Pride 2026 in Cassiobury Park: 22 Aug tickets and times
Herts Pride returns to Cassiobury Park on Saturday 22 August, 12pm to 10pm. Advance tickets £12 (adults), £10 (13 to 17), £30 family, sold until 21 August; under-13s free.
Heritage
Heritage Open Days Watford 2026: 5 free events, 11 to 12 Sept
Watford's Heritage Open Days 2026 line-up: St Mary's bell tower tours, St John's, the Fire Station museum, Pump House tours and a Khaki University talk, all free on 11 and 12 September.
Jobs
Watford claimant count: 3,250 in June, highest rate in Herts
Watford's 4.6% claimant rate is the highest of Hertfordshire's ten districts. 3,250 people were claiming in June; Holywell ward is at 6.3%, Nascot 2.5%.
Community
Museum of Watford seeks silk show co-curators by 31 August
Apply by 31 August to help shape Fabric of Watford, the opening exhibition when the Museum of Watford moves to the Town Hall in 2027. No experience needed.