 Councillor Chris White has been re-elected as Leader of St Albans City and District Council.
Cllr White, who was first elected to the post in 2019, was voted Leader at the Annual Meeting of Council following the recent local elections. He will also Chair two of the four service and scrutiny committees.
Cllr Helen Campbell was re-elected as Deputy Leader and is Chair of the Public Realm Committee.
You can find details about the other Lead Councillors here and view the responsibilities that they have here.
Annual Council also approved changes to the Council’s Committee system to improve efficiency. This includes a new service and scrutiny Committee focused on climate issues as well as planning policy.
The full results of the Thursday 4 May elections can be viewed here.
 Welcome Donna Smith - one of the new traders who is helping our historic Charter Market to grow.
Donna has started selling high quality garden furniture made of teak from a stall with her range including benches, tables, chairs and sun loungers.
"I am really enjoying it here and with summer coming on, I am hoping the business will boom," she said.
The market is performing strongly this year with, for example, the number of Saturday stalls averaging 77 over the four weeks to 20 May compared to 67 during the same period in 2022.
The introduction of live entertainment on occasional market days has also helped attract more shoppers. Any dance, theatre or music group interested in performing should contact markets@stalbans.gov.uk.
Anyone who wants to enquire about renting a stall on Wednesday or Saturday can do so here.
 We have secured a £300,000 grant from Innovate UK for a project to help tackle climate change in St Albans District.
St Albans Greener Together is an initiative led by us with support from the University of Hertfordshire and its aim is to empower residents and businesses to come together to create a more sustainable future.
There will be communication, education and behaviour change campaigns as well as a community fund to support local activities aimed at improving energy efficiency and sustainable travel.
Among other plans are help with creating the Green House, an eco-hub which could provide a space for learning as well as a base for community groups.
The grant from Innovate UK’s Fast Followers fund will also pay for two staff to lead the project. More information is available here.
 We have helped plant more than 11,000 trees across St Albans District during the recent planting season – and we plan to plant a similar number during the next season.
More than 3,500 trees were planted at our green spaces in 2022/23 during the autumn and winter months.
In addition, we joined forces with Hertfordshire County Council to give away 7,646 free trees to residents and community groups for planting in gardens and privately-owned open spaces.
Planting trees is one of more than 100 actions we’re taking to improve the environment and cut emissions across the District to net zero by 2030.
We are already planning to plant a further 10,000-plus trees, subject to funding, during the next season including another major tree giveaway.
In another initiative, we have created 33,000m² of new wildflower meadows – the equivalent of six football pitches - to improve biodiversity and provide bees, butterflies and other pollinators with food.
Picture: a scene from last December’s tree giveaway.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands has been elected the new Mayor of the City and District of St Albans – and has chosen All Ages Together as the theme of his civic year.
He was made Mayor for 2023/24 at the Annual Meeting of the Council with Councillor Josie Madoc (pictured left) becoming Deputy Mayor.
Mayor Rowlands has been a District Councillor since 1986 apart from a short break of three years. He is the City’s 479th Mayor with the first having been appointed in 1553.
He will chair Full Council meetings and represent the City and District at a variety of events, often involving voluntary and charity groups.
Our new Mayor has decided to work towards improving social inclusion, accessibility and wellbeing across the District during his year in office.
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 This year sees the 10th anniversary of the highly popular Alban Street Festival on Sunday 25 June.
The street party takes place on St Peter’s Street and Market Place, St Albans, from noon to 6pm with much of the City Centre closed to traffic.
It will feature a mix of music, food, street entertainment, arts and crafts, games and activities to celebrate the rich and diverse history and heritage of St Albans
The Alban Street Festival follows the Alban Pilgrimage, which takes place on Saturday 24 June and commemorates the martyrdom of England’s first saint with a huge parade of giant puppets and costumed children.
 St Albans District’s annual award-winning Sustainability Festival will be held from Saturday 10 to Sunday 18 June.
This year, SustFest is being run in association with The Great Big Green Week, a national event managed by the Climate Coalition.
The festival features an exciting range of over 50 events and activities to encourage everyone to think about sustainable living and connecting with nature. Many events are free.
The full event listing across the District is available to view. Some activities require advance booking.
SustFest is brought together by volunteers from the local environmental charity, Sustainable St Albans.
Subscriptions to our garden waste collection service for the year from Saturday 1 July 2023 open on Tuesday 6 June.
You can subscribe using a MyStAlbans account.
Any existing direct debits will be taken automatically on or around Monday 26 June, unless cancelled beforehand. Further details on the service can be found here.
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We are looking for an 'independent person' to help promote high standards of conduct among our Councillors and senior officers.
The person chosen may be consulted for their views on any complaints made about the behaviour of individual District, Town and Parish Councillors.
They may also be invited to serve on a panel that advises the Council when disciplinary action against senior officers is considered.
You can find more information about the role and how to apply by the closing date of Monday 19 June here.
 A stunning memorial to 15 soldiers who were killed in the First World War has been unveiled in the St Albans street where they once lived.
Residents from Kings Road raised funds and campaigned for the memorial, called Last Post, which will be maintained by the Council.
Ten street memorials were put up in the roads around St Albans Cathedral in the aftermath of the Great War to commemorate those who died.
However, Kings Road missed out despite the high number of casualties because it lay just outside the Abbey parish.
More than a century later, a special ceremony was held earlier this month to dedicate the memorial which was commissioned from artist Renato Niemis.
His modern design features metal bricks, raised out from the wall, depicting the 15 men by name, regiment, civilian occupation and the number of the Kings Road house where they once lived.
Twenty-five more parking spaces are now available at weekends at our busy Civic Centre car park on Bricket Road, St Albans.
The spaces on the upper tier are leased to the NHS and reserved for their exclusive use.
However, the NHS has kindly agreed for 25 of their 30 spaces to be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday as well as Bank Holidays. Normal parking prices apply.
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Time for Tea is an exhibition that opened this month at the Weston Gallery, St Albans Museum + Gallery. Admission is free.
From a quick cuppa to a luxurious afternoon tea, enjoying a cup of tea is a familiar moment in most peoples’ lives. In this exhibition, you can learn about tea from leaf to cup, including how you boil your water and the best kind of cup to use.
The exhibition also looks back at the tea houses that St Albans has been home to in the past and travels across the Atlantic to a sugar plantation run by a St Albans landowner.
Image: A Tea Party At Napsbury by Louis Wain from the St Albans Museums collection
To celebrate the Time for Tea exhibition, the Museum + Gallery shop is packed with amazing products and gift ideas.
There are some beautiful items inspired by our collection Including Louis Wain ‘Tea Party at Napsbury’ mugs, coasters and prints.
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Looking for a way to keep little ones occupied? Join us for a monthly story, craft activities and a museum hunt, inspired by a popular story at St Albans Museum + Gallery.
This month’s story is Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and is suitable for children aged 2 - 4 years, accompanied by an adult.
It will be held on Monday 12 June at 1pm to 2pm as well as 2pm to 3pm with tickets costing £5 a child.
 St Albans Healthy Hub is your free one-stop-shop for health and wellbeing information, advice and support.
You can get advice on a wide range of issues including how to manage your money, quit smoking or lose weight.
The organisations involved include Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Mind in Mid Herts and many more. You can find more information here.
 Hertfordshire County Council has launched the #KeepUsTogether campaign to find much-needed foster carers for sibling groups to prevent brothers and sisters from being separated in care.
More than half of children in care in Hertfordshire belong to sibling groups and of those, 54 per cent live in different homes. While some are separated for personal reasons, for many it is because there are not enough carers with the space or time to foster siblings.
Anyone considering fostering siblings must be confident enough to foster more than one child. You will receive specialised training and 24/7 support every step of the way.
If you are interested, please contact Hertfordshire’s recruitment team on 0800 917 0925 or for more information, text FOSTERING to 62277 or visit this webpage.
 Hertfordshire Health Walks – free and open to all – have announced their summer timetable.
These are group walks aimed at helping the least active in the community increase their activity levels.
Hertfordshire’s director of Public Health, Jim McManus, said: “Walking is a great way to get active, feel connected to your local community and see some of the beautiful green spaces Hertfordshire has to offer, and I would urge everyone to find out more about the free health walks available near them. There’s no need to book, just turn up 10 minutes before the start time.”
Walkers will be taken on a risk-assessed route by a trained leader and there will be an opportunity to meet new people.
Herts Sports Partnership has helped to launch the East of England Mental Health Champions programme.
This aims to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence of those involved in sport so they can better understand and support people at their clubs who are living with mental health conditions.
Volunteers aren’t expected to be experts or to diagnose mental health problems. Instead, their role is to promote positive mental health and the benefits of physical activity.
People across St Albans District who are involved in sport can enquire about becoming a Champion to help others here.
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A Dementia Friend is somebody who learns about dementia so they can help people living with dementia by taking actions - both big and small.
This training will raise awareness and understanding of the challenges people with dementia face in the community. The session will be on Wednesday 7 June from 2-4pm at the Civic Centre in St Albans.
It is open to everyone in the community with an interest, professionally or personally.
Please book in advance by emailing Peggy Sharp at equality@stalbans.gov.uk or telephone 01727 819340.
 Did you know that St Albans city centre has a car club?
Enterprise Car Club has two pay-per-hour electric vehicles available for registered users to borrow 24/7. You can take a car for a little as 30 mins or for the whole day.
Car clubs provide a really useful alternative to car ownership especially if you only use your car now and then. Find out more here.
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