Welwyn Garden City was laid out from 1920 as the second garden city, and the plan is still visible in it: the tree-lined parkway, the separation of houses from industry, the deliberate low density. Hatfield next door grew a different way, around an aerodrome and a great house and now a university. Hertford, the county town, and Ware sit east of both on the Lea.

Welwyn Online covers all four. Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield share one borough council; Hertford and Ware are in a different district, so the answer to a question about bins or planning depends on which side of the boundary you are. We name the right authority every time and link to its own record.

What we cover here

• News: the public record, including planning applications across both districts.
• Local Info: bin collection days, parking and council tax bands.
• What’s On: what is happening in Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Hertford.

Nothing is published here that we cannot link to a source.