Councillor Paul De Kort has been re-elected Leader of St Albans City and District Council.
He was voted to the role for the second year in succession at the annual meeting of the Council last month.
Cllr De Kort (pictured) will chair the Strategy and Resources Committee, which has responsibility for the budget, and the Planning Policy and Climate Committee.
|
Councillors Terrie Smith (pictured above right) and Simon Johns (left) are new additions to the Lead Councillor team.
They are among a team of six Lead Councillors who will support Cllr De Kort and who each have a wide range of responsibilities:
Councillor Helen Campbell: Deputy Leader, Chair of the Public Realm Committee and Lead for car parking, parks and leisure.
Councillor Terrie Smith: Vice-Chair of the Public Realm Committee and Lead for heritage, waste and recycling.
Councillor Simon Johns: Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and Lead for housing services and homelessness.
Councillor Sarwar Shamsher: Vice-Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and Lead for equality, inclusion and community safety.
Councillor Giles Fry: Vice-Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee and Lead for resources.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor: Vice-Chair of the Planning Policy and Climate Committee and Lead for sustainability, climate and housing delivery.
Thousands of people enjoyed the first St Albans Spring Festival - a celebration of food, well-being, community spirit and sustainability.
Among the many attractions were live music, arts and crafts, street theatre and dozens of stalls offering takeaway food, drink and other produce.
There were also opportunities to learn, play and create as well as take part in fun activities.
The event, on Sunday 18 May, saw St Peter’s Street, Chequer Street and High Street closed to traffic.
The Council organised the event which was part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and sponsored by Code Ninjas, Côte St Albans and Corker Taxis.
|
 England and Saracens rugby star Jamie George has opened a branch of his booming physiotherapy business in his home town.
Carter & George now has 12 branches around the country with the latest one based in Heritage Close, St Albans.
The practice offers a wide range of services often involving cutting-edge techniques and personalised treatments that are usually reserved for top athletes.
Besides physiotherapy, these include sports massage, dry needling and shockwave therapy. There is also a complete range of physiotherapy for women - pregnancy, post-natal and menopause-related.
Jamie, who founded the company with lifelong friend Rhys Carter, said: "We are so excited to have expanded Carter & George into St Albans.
"Having played for Saracens for over 16 years, this area means a lot to me. It's where I've spent a significant portion of my life, and I’m delighted to bring our high-quality physiotherapy services to this fantastic community."
Photo: left to right, Rhys Carter, co-founder, Gráinne Kellett, Lead Physiotherapist, and Chris Gillespie, Operations Director.
Meet Andy Shaw – one of the many new traders who has added to the Charter Market’s diverse range of products.
Andy grows his own plants, all species native to the British Isles, and sells them at his Knockholt Nurseries stall.
The former DJ started out from an allotment before expanding to acquire several acres of land.
He said: “I grow all the plants from seed and propagate them so they are right for the UK climate. I love what I do and I am building up a good customer base at the Market.”
St Albans Comedy Garden returns to Verulamium Park from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 July for its 5th year with an outstanding list of stand-up talent.
The star-studded line up includes Frankie Boyle (pictured left), Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe, Phil Wang, Russell Kane, Fern Brady, John Robins and Lucy Beaumont.
Alongside the entertainment, there is a selection of bars and takeaway food stalls.
Cass Randolph, Comedy Garden Director, said “There’s a really big appetite for laughs and good times here. The St Albans audiences are always really up for it, and the previous years’ shows have been a riot!”
For more information and tickets, click on the button below.
|
Our leisure contractor Everyone Active and its staff have won seven regional awards for their work in the District.
Harpenden Leisure Centre was named Large Site of the Year at the company’s South East Business Awards 2025. Staff members Ashley Defries and Jake Devereux were Sales Team of the Year and Emma Townsend (pictured above) was crowned Customer Service Manager of the Year.
Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre’s Slawomir Krzywicki was named Colleague of the Year and Jamie Vine won the Site Safety Coordinator award.
Joe Martin, who works at the Eric Morecambe Centre and Alban Arena, was named Site Safety Coordinator of the Year and Courtney McCarthy was Theatre Colleague of the Year.
Everyone Active has 32 contracts in the South East region, operating more than 100 sites. The awards were presented by Iwan Thomas, a former European and World 4 × 400 metres relay champion, at Porchester Hall in London.
Councillor Teresa Heritage has been elected the new Mayor of the City and District of St Albans and will support two charities during her year in office.
Our new Mayor (pictured above) will raise money for Community First Responders and Pancreatic Cancer UK.
The main themes of her civic year will be encouraging volunteering and supporting small businesses.
Teresa Heritage has been a District Councillor since 2002 and represents Harpenden South ward. She is the City’s 481st Mayor with the first having been appointed in 1553.
Councillor Sue Griffiths (pictured right), who represents Harpenden North ward, was elected Deputy Mayor.
|
A fly-tipper has been ordered to pay more than £2,600 after a large amount of waste was dumped on a quiet country road.
Our Environmental Enforcement team traced the offender after investigating the fly-tip at Drop Lane, Park Street.
Mashood Hussain, of Haig Close, St Albans, was found guilty by Magistrates of failing to properly dispose of the waste. He was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £2,668.
The Council undertook five prosecutions for fly-tipping in 2024/25.
 We’re excited to be involved in the Generation St Albans District Careers Event on Monday 30 June 2025, at Rothamsted Research Centre, AL5 2JQ, 3.30pm to 5pm.
We will be showcasing the wide range of opportunities on offer to young people locally. From jobs and careers, apprenticeships, and summer internships to volunteering, work experience and casual roles - there’s something for everyone!
Come along and explore how you can get involved and make a difference.
Our Electoral Services team will be conducting the annual household voter registration canvass from early July until the end of the year.
The canvass ensures that the electoral register is kept up to date. It is important that residents make sure they can vote with local elections taking place in May next year.
Every residential property in the District will be sent an email or letter during July to check whether the details on the electoral register are correct.
Not all residents will be required to respond; the email or letter will advise whether a response is required in your case. If you do need to respond, please respond promptly. Reminders will be sent in the autumn to any households where a response is required and not yet received.
 A burger restaurant has been prosecuted for failing to register as a food business as required by food safety and hygiene regulations.
Our environmental health team became aware Total Cow, Redbourn, was not registered and a decision was taken to prosecute after the operator Craig Pesch twice failed to accept a caution.
Mr Pesch admitted the offence of failing to register at St Albans Magistrates Court where he was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £526.
Registration ensures the Council has an up-to-date list of food businesses and can plan hygiene inspections.
Around 80 Oaklands College students enjoyed an immersive work experience programme provided by our housing repairs contractor, Morgan Sindall Property Services.
They worked in teams to develop a mock proposal for a Council repairs and maintenance contract.
The challenge required them to consider real-world issues such as social value, sustainability, finance, marketing, and community impact.
The week culminated in final presentations where the teams pitched their proposals to a panel of judges.
Photo: Councillor Jacqui Taylor, far left, Lead for Sustainability, Climate and Housing Delivery, congratulates the winning team.
Subscriptions for the garden waste collection service are now open.
This is to cover the year from Tuesday 1 July 2025 to Tuesday 30 June 2026.
You can subscribe via your MyStAlbans account.
Any payments by existing direct debits are made automatically.
Thanks to all our subscribers for supporting the service.
|
Summer holidays at the Museums sponsored by Taylor Walton Solicitors:
At St Albans Museum + Gallery, there will be workshops inspired by the 'Firm Foundations: St Albans School of Art' exhibition. These will include printing, mixed media landscapes and making miniature fruit and flowers.
There are also free activities every day such as museum trails and dressing up
At Verulamium Museum, everyday life in Roman Britain will be brought back to life during the summer!
Dress up as a Roman, handle real Roman objects, meet a Roman soldier, and learn how archaeologists record their findings. You will find details of dates and timings by clicking the button below.
Families who receive free school meals can apply for the Herts Card which gives £1 entry to Verulamium Museum and many other attractions during school holidays.
Generations: Stories from South Asian St Albans, Keepers’ Galleries, St Albans Museum + Gallery, from Friday 18 July, Free
From post-war factories to local politics and everything in between, South Asian communities and individuals have shaped St Albans.
This co-curated exhibition spotlights local stories and experiences across generations.
Using objects and photographs from personal collections, along with creative storytelling, it will explore the long and complex relationship between the UK and South Asian countries.
Image: Excavations of Verulamium in the early 1930s, overseen by Sir Mortimer and Tessa Wheeler.
Archaeological dig at the Rose & Crown pub, St Michael’s Street, Thursday 10 to Monday 14 July, free entry
You’re invited to see the finds from an archaeological dig at the pub, which is being re-developed, undertaken as part of the planning process.
This will begin with a small test pit survey to assess the preservation, extent and significance of the remains.
Volunteers working on the dig will be led by the St Albans Museums Archaeology Team alongside local archaeologists from DRP and Minerva.
 St Albans Healthy Hub is your centre for health and wellbeing information, advice and support.
You can get help with many issues including how to lose weight, quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, become more active and manage money.
The organisations involved include Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Mind in Mid Herts and many more. You can find more information on the Healthy Hub webpages.
If you want to give up smoking - help is at hand from Hertfordshire Health Improvement Service.
They offer face-to-face or telephone support to people who want to use an e-cigarette to help them quit.
E-cigarettes are less risky than smoking tobacco. Experts agree they are 95% safer than smoking.
To enquire, call 0800 389 3998 or text SMOKEFREE to 80818.
Our partners at Healthwatch Hertfordshire want to understand what support autistic adults were given after receiving their diagnosis.
Recent national research has found that 70% were given no support at all.
Through a quick and easy survey, they want to hear from people diagnosed with autism in adulthood or who care for adults with autism
This will help improve health services offered to autistic adults, ensuring they receive the information and care they need.
|
