For the past 10 years, Hertfordshire Growth Hub has  been supporting local businesses. Their team of knowledgeable advisers has helped over 14,000 businesses achieve their goals.

As the Growth Hub mark this milestone, explore the top 10 ways they can help your business thrive.

Step2Skills adult community learning and employment support service provides opportunities for adults in Hertfordshire to get involved in learning and employment. Courses are low cost, with taster sessions starting from £5.

Forthcoming workshops and courses

• Public Speaking & Presentation Skills: Starts Wednesday 4th June
• Boost Your Confidence: Thursday 5th June
• Online Job search & Applications: Monday 9th June 
• Introduction to Digital Marketing: Starts Wednesday 11th June 
• Improving your Skills in Microsoft Excel: Starts Weds 11th June 
• Protecting Children Online: Thursday 12th June
• Setting Up Your Own Business: Starts Thursday 12th June 
• Introduction to Mental Health & Wellbeing: Starts Thurs 12th June 
• Staying Safe Online: Thursday 12th June 
• Smart Living with AI: Thursday 26th June 

STANTA offers free workshops for St Albans and Harpenden businesses (under 5 years old), once you have registered to join Get Enterprising - call 01727 837760 or email advice@stanta.co.uk to find out more. For dates of local networking meetings visit the Networking Events page.

• Building a Marketing Plan: Tuesday 3rd June
• Mental Health Strategies for Entrepreneurs/Startups: Tuesday 10th June
• Facebook and Instagram Ads for Beginners: Tuesday 17th June
• Google Analytics: Friday 27th June
• Effective Networking: Friday 4th July 
• SEO Made Simple: Boost Your Business with SEO: Tuesday 8th July

The first meeting of the new Hertfordshire Retail Crime Forum, established by Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards, is taking place (in-person) on Friday 13th June at Tesco’s HQ in Welwyn.

The Forum will bring together retailers and the police to work at pace to tackle shop theft and wider retail crime across the county. Retailers big and small throughout Hertfordshire are encouraged to attend and have their voice heard.

For more information on the Forum, please visit the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire website. 

Community groups and charities in St Albans District that help people in need can apply for grants of up to £2,000 from St Albans City and District Council’s Community Project Fund for 2025/26.

The fund supports projects that benefit the community and are in keeping with the Council’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy.

The first round of applications has opened and will close on Monday 30th June. 

There will be a second round for applications opening in September 2025 and possibly a third round in January 2026 depending on funding allocation in the two previous rounds.

Entries are now open for the SME Hertfordshire Business Awards. This is an exciting opportunity to raise the profile of industrious, hardworking and enterprising SMEs locally.

The Awards are a prestigious celebration of the county’s thriving small and medium-sized businesses.

Celebrating 8 years, the Hertfordshire SME Business Awards are highly regarded with national exposure.

From Apprentice Employer of The Year to Retail Business of The Year, there are award categories to suit every organisation. Entries will close on 4th June at 3pm.

Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership are excited to invite you to a FREE Business Breakfast on Wednesday 24th June at the Enterprise Hub, University of Hertfordshire.The event will focus on the importance and power of enabling your colleagues to move more in and around the workplace and how it can drive better a healthier, more productive workforce.

What to Expect: 

• Understand the impact and benefits of employee movement 
• Learn about the Total Active Hub and how they can support your organisation 
• Explore ways of building strong local partnerships 
• Enjoy networking opportunities with like-minded professionals 
• Discover next steps for getting your workforce more active 

If your business is passionate about the health of your employees, this event is for you. 

St Albans Greener Together recently hosted Sustainable Business Webinars in collaboration with The Carbon Trust.

The first webinar focused on Net Zero and Decarbonising Your Business showcasing Everyone Active, the organisation that manages the local leisure and entertainment centres that have made sustainability a priority in their operations. The second webinar highlighted Sustainable Practices to Attract Customers and showcased Gem Cable Solutions Ltd, a local SME which has recently been awarded the EcoVadis Platinum accreditation. You can find the recordings on the St Albans Greener Together website. 

Have you taken steps to implement sustainable practice into your business? Do you think you have some insight that could help other enterprises in St Albans District and beyond?

Join us at Greener Together and share your sustainability story. Let us highlight your important work to the community all while helping other businesses to thrive too.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could access vehicles whenever you want, without the costs and commitment of ownership and maintenance?

The Enterprise Car Club allows you to hire electric vehicles by the hour or day without the costs of insurance, tax, maintenance and vehicle repayments. Simply register to use the scheme, reserve a car via the app or website, and then collect from St Albans town centre or across the UK.  Two cars are available parked behind Ladbrokes on St Peters Street and the Council hope to introduce more vehicles as demand for them grows.   

St Albans residents can sign up from just £10 and receive that back in driving credit every year. And you don’t have to worry about paying for parking permits when in St Albans as you can park in residents permit bays, making it easy to pop home or visit a friend.

From 1 June 2025, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes.

The ban includes all ‘disposable’ vapes which are not refillable and use a battery which cannot be recharged. This applies to sales online and in shops, and all vapes regardless of whether they contain nicotine.

Read the full guidance on GOV.UK.

New UK Government legislation came into effect on 31 March 2025, requiring more businesses to separate recyclable waste from general waste. This includes: 

• Plastic
• Paper and card
• Glass
• Metals (cans, tins and foil)
• Food waste

These new rules apply to businesses and non-household premises in England with 10 or more full-time employees. If you have any questions, please contact your waste collection provider.

Read the full guidance on GOV.UK. 

All 11 councils in Hertfordshire and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) have agreed a joint interim response to the Government outlining a number of initial options for the reorganisation of local government structures in the county.

Options range from one to four unitary councils providing all services. The Government will provide feedback on the interim submission which will inform the development of final proposals to be submitted by 28 November 2025 for a decision by Ministers.

Hertfordshire’s councils and the OPCC’s shared priorities are ensuring any changes benefit residents and businesses, excellent local government services are maintained, residents are kept safe, and strong democratic accountability is available to communities across the county.

The views of residents, businesses, local government partners, colleagues, and other stakeholders across the public and private sectors will be essential as proposals develop. All councils and the OPCC are committed to providing updates throughout the process.

St Albans City and District Council has a webpage where you can read the latest news on this matter, and sign up to receive updates. See: www.stalbans.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation.

Read our press release on the joint interim submission:

Public toilets across St Albans District are to be upgraded with an investment of £220,000 from the Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

A review of the 16 facilities St Albans City and District Council operates was recently undertaken with the British Toilet Association (BTA) to consider future options.

The options of closing all the facilities or introducing a small charge for their use have been ruled out. Instead, Councillors agreed to proposals to upgrade key facilities, remodelling them into accessible and unisex toilets. Only three toilets, which are no longer fit for purpose and close to alternative facilities, will be shut.

Cash payments can now be made for on-street car parking bays in Harpenden and St Albans City Centre.

The measure has been introduced to help people who struggle with digital payment methods, either the PayByPhone app or contactless. Instead, motorists can choose to pop into a PayPoint shop near the bays and pay by cash.

A new one-code system (to replace the current two codes required) is also being tested and scheduled to come into operation later this month to make the app easier to use.

A fly-tipper has been ordered to pay £1,500 after allowing a large amount of waste to be dumped in a rural road in St Albans District.

St Albans City and District Council’s Environmental Enforcement team launched an investigation after they were alerted to the fly-tip and traced it to a restaurant in Central London.

Chris Traill, the Council’s Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery, said:

"I am pleased that our Environmental Enforcement team traced and successfully prosecuted another fly-tipper. It is a further demonstration of our commitment to take action against fly-tippers and deter others from carrying out this crime.

Once again, we would also warn people who are clearing a house or other property that they must ensure their waste carrier has a proper licence and obtain a receipt. You leave yourself open to a duty of care offence if you don’t do that."

The Planning Inspectorate held the first of the Hearings in Public for the St Albans Local Plan during the last week of April. 

The three-day hearings gave objectors a chance to raise concerns regarding the Council’s Duty to Cooperate, housing strategy and growth, Green Belt issues and legal compliance among other matters. 

The Inspectors will hold additional public hearings over the coming months - the dates of these have yet to be set but are likely to be in September/October.