Conservatives also gained Haldens, while holding on to Hatfield East and Hatfield Rural.
Cllr Stephen Boulton will continue to represent Hatfield Rural, but Hatfield East will be represented by Peter Hebden.
In Hertsmere, the Conservatives held on to just four of their seven seats - including in Potters Bar East and Potters Bar West and Shenley.
Leader of the borough council Cllr Morris Bright was among those who held on to his seat.
Overall the Conservatives have retained their control of Herts County Council - but lost their leader in an election shock, when Cllr David Williams lost his seat in Harpenden North East to Lib Dem Paul De Kort.
As well as gaining Harpenden North East, Liberal Democrat candidates – all sitting county councillors – held on to Colney Heath and Marshalswick, St Albans Central, St Albans East and St Albans South.
And Liberal Democrat Helen Campbell also took the St Albans North seat, which had been vacated by Cllr Roma Mills.
All 78 seats on the county council were up for grabs in the election.
Overall the Conservatives won 46 seats – which is three fewer than they held before, but still 14 more than the other Parties put together.
Liberal Democrats took 23 seats – which is five more than before. And Labour’s seven elected councillors is now two less than before.
Liberal Democrat Steve Jarvis kept hold of the Royston West and Rural division.
And it was fellow Lib Dem Paul Clark who took the Hitchin South seat that had been held by Cllr Ashley – by a margin of just 42 votes.
Meanwhile the Conservatives have retained their control of Hertfordshire County Council – but lost their leader in an election shock when Cllr David Williams lost his Harpenden seat to Lib Dem Paul De Kort.
All 78 seats on the county council were up for grabs. The Conservatives won 46 seats – which is three fewer than they held before, but still 14 more than the other parties put together.
“It’s opened up democracy a lot more, which is what we have been trying to do.”
Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, leader of Herts County Council s Liberal Democrat group
- Credit: Herts County Council
Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst also believes the decision of the High Court was “disappointing”.
He said it is “unreasonable” of the government not to have made parliamentary time to legislate, to allow remote meetings to continue while COVID was a risk, and he hopes the Secretary of State would bring forward parliamentary time to do so.
Cllr Giles-Medhurst also pointed to those councillors who will be wary about returning to face to face meetings – and to the ‘huge’ extra costs of making premises ‘safe’.
By Deborah Price Local Democracy Reporter - Hertfordshire
County Hall in Hertford, home of Hertfordshire County Council. Credit: Jack Hill Senior Hertfordshire county councillors from all political parties say a ruling that council meetings must be face-to-face from May 7 is “disappointing”. For the past 12 months, councils have been allowed to meet remotely, in line with time-limited powers in the coronavirus regulations. But despite a High Court bid by Hertfordshire County Council, the rules will change when those regulations cease on May 7. Local Government Minister Luke Hall has now written to council leaders to tell them that ‘councils will need to return to face-to-face meetings’ and that they should ‘prepare accordingly’.