A refurbishment of the Alban Arena has begun and will provide greater comfort, better accessibility and an increase in capacity.
The £277,000 project will see all stalls and circle seating replaced as well as the installation of LED aisle lighting and more flat-floor spaces for wheelchair users.
Once the phased project is completed in September next year, the capacity will rise from 850 to 902.
The Council and its leisure contractor Everyone Active, which manages the Arena, are each paying half of the costs.
In addition, Everyone Active is spending £50,000 to refurbish audience toilets and improve backstage facilities.
Main photo: the Alban Arena before the refurbishment.
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We have won four Green Flag 2025 awards in recognition of our outstanding parks and open spaces.
The Green Flag, an international quality mark, was given to Verulamium Park, Clarence Park and Hatfield Road Cemetery.
Verulamium Park was also awarded Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the excellent management of its ancient Roman features.
The annual Green Flag Award scheme, administered by Keep Britain Tidy, rewards well-managed parks, setting the benchmark for green spaces across the UK and the world.
Photo: Verulamium Park.
The Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden is hosting a photography exhibition featuring the town’s pubs.
Harpenden Icons includes images by Steve Collins - Chair of the Harpenden Photographic Sociey - of pubs double-exposed against nearby trees.
His technique produces compelling and slightly abstract images which appear torn at the edges.
The free exhibition is being held throughout August, 10am - 2pm daily.
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Homeowners in the District can apply for grants of up to £30,000 to make energy efficiency improvements.
We have £1.5 million available to help finance enhancements to privately-owned houses.
The money was obtained from the Government’s Warm Homes Fund and will help cut harmful carbon emissions.
Around 100 homes will benefit with an average grant of around £15,000.
Improvements may include insulation, double or triple glazing, solar panels and low carbon heating systems such as air source pumps.
The Council is delivering the scheme in partnership with the National Energy Foundation. Click on the button below to see the eligibility criteria and how to register an interest.
Say hello to Hilal and Ibrahim Sirin - the latest entrepreneurs to launch a stall at our booming Charter Market.
Hilal designs and makes an array of eye-catching candles inspired by desserts, cocktails, animals and fruit such as pineapple.
All her candles are made from soy wax and among her bestsellers is an irresistibly cute duck.
The couple, who hail from Turkey, plan to regularly change the products at their Hey!Lal stall to reflect the seasons and special events like Halloween.
Ibrahim, who also owns a St Albans fish and chip shop, said: "This is an exciting new venture for us. Hilal has a passion for art and craft skills and we hope people will love her designs."
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Residents, community groups and other organisations can apply for grants of up to £1,000 to support local projects that will boost biodiversity and sustainability.
Our waste and recycling contractor Veolia's Sustainability Fund 2025 is now open for applications – with one extraordinary project to receive £5,000.
The Fund’s aim is to help people transform their local community or environment by promoting sustainability and the conservation of resources.
You can find out more and apply by clicking the button below.
Fly-tipper Viorica Chilianu has been ordered to pay £1,800 for illegally dumping waste near her home in St Albans.
A shopping trolley stuffed with bags of household waste was found beside flats at Dellfield, Cunningham Hill. Ten days later, another rubbish-laden trolley was abandoned on the Alban Way.
The Council’s enforcement team examined the contents and identified Chilianu as a suspect.
She pleaded guilty to two fly-tipping offences at St Albans Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay £600 in fines, a £24 victim surcharge and £960 towards the Council’s costs.
Chilianu is the sixth person to be prosecuted for fly-tipping this year by the Council.
Photo: the Dellfield fly-tip.
We are recruiting for a variety of exciting roles across the Council.
If you're looking for a meaningful career where you can make a real difference in your community, this is your chance to join a friendly and forward-thinking team.
We offer a wide range of opportunities, from entry-level to specialist positions, with support for development and progression at every stage.
We are proud to be an inclusive employer that values diversity, promotes staff wellbeing, and encourages flexible working.
Whether you’re starting out or looking for your next challenge, we’d love to hear from you.
Be part of something that matters - help shape the future of St Albans District.
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The project to revitalise the River Ver as it flows through Verulamium Park to the Cottonmill allotments continues to gather pace.
Following tree work to open the chalk stream to more light, additional funds have been obtained to further improve the river’s biodiversity and geomorphology, that is its natural processes, form and shape.
Work will include creating gravel berms and riffles on the riverbed, adding vital oxygen to the water.
This will narrow the river, creating a more varied, meandering channel, whilst the berms will help plants flourish and provide habitats for wildlife.
Care will be taken not to disturb water voles, recently discovered on this stretch of the Ver, during the works which will start next month and finish by the end of November.
Our partner organisation St Albans City Centre BID has provided a pop-up beach in the City Centre so children can enjoy some outdoor play.
The beach, beside the Alban Arena, includes a giant sandpit with buckets and spades as well as deck chairs where parents can relax.
There are even some colourful hoardings that ensure an ocean view!
A 'lifeguard' is on duty to supervise the free activity which is open daily, 10am to 4pm, until Sunday 17 August.
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St Albans City Centre BID has also made some improvements to the City Centre.
The BID has paid for three new benches (pictured above) to be installed in Market Place beside St Albans Museum + Gallery.
In addition, the BID sponsored the creation of two new murals in Drovers Way to add a touch of colour and vibrancy to the area.
The murals were a collaborative project with the Collective Gallery, Bar Meze and Waddington Road businesses.
The artists involved in the project are Aisha Adi, Manasa SV, Sarah Harrison and Amelia Hart.
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Around 19,000 people in St Albans District will need to renew their postal vote soon because of a change to the law.
Voters can now only hold a postal vote for a maximum period of three years whereas previously they could be held indefinitely.
The change was introduced by the Elections Act 2022 and came into effect on 31 October 2023 with all postal voters who applied before that latter date being told they will need to re-apply before 31 January next year.
This affects around 19,000 postal voters in the District who are required to reapply if they want their postal vote to remain in place for future elections.
We are contacting all postal voters affected by this change to explain how to do this.
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We contacted every residential property in the District by letter or email earlier this summer to check whether the details on the electoral register are correct.
The message indicated whether a response was required. If you still need to respond, please do so promptly.
Reminders will be hand delivered in September to any properties which were required to respond and still have not done so.
The canvass ensures that the electoral register is kept up to date. It is important that residents secure their vote with local elections taking place in May next year.
Residents are urged to give their views on parish and town council arrangements in St Albans District.
A public consultation is being held until Monday 6 October 2025 as part of a Community Governance Review (CGR) being undertaken by St Albans City and District Council.
The review will examine the current arrangements and follows the Government’s decision to restructure local government at district and county level to create more unitary authorities.
In Hertfordshire, this is likely to result in the creation of between two and four unitary councils by May 2028, each responsible for most local government functions.
To find out more about the CGR, including how to submit your views to the consultation, click on the button below.
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 Councillor Teresa Heritage, Mayor of St Albans City and District, was a guest last month at the Classcis on the Common in Harpenden.
The annual event is run by Rotary in Harpenden - which the Mayor is a member of - and features a display of classic cars and commercial stalls.
Community groups and charities, including the Scouts, Keech Hospice and Educating Children in Kenya, were also present, raising funds and awareness of their causes.
The Mayor, who is supporting Communities First Responders and Pancreatic Cancer UK during her term in office, said: “This was a wonderful community event and my thanks go to all the volunteers who made it possible.”
 Verulamium Museum
Meet Roman soldier Bernardus Julius Frontinus and hear about life in the Roman army - Thursday 21 August from 11:30am, included with entry, suitable for all ages.
Please note that this museum will be closed for essential repairs trom Tuesday 26 August to Thursday 18 September.
 St Albans Museum + Gallery
Mini Mela, a South Asian Festival on Thursday 16 August, free - South Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, have a long shared history with the UK. Drop in to this event and celebrate the District's diverse communities by learning more and taking part in craft activities.
Mindful Clay event on Sunday 19 August, tickets £5 plus booking fee - This workshop offers a calm, creative space to gently explore loss through the process of making a personalised grief jar.
Miniature Fruit & Flowers family workshop, Monday 27 August, tickets £8.50 - Make your own flower or fruit from colourful polymer clay, suitable for families with children aged five plus.
 Clock Tower
Take a tour of the only surviving medieval town belfry in England. Completed in 1405, the Tower provides fantastic views across the City.
It is open, 10.30am to 5pm, on Saturday and Sunday as well as the August Bank Holiday, until Sunday 28 September. Tickets are £2 for adults with free admission for children.
The Government will be sending out an emergency alert to test its nationwide system at around 3pm on Sunday 7 September.
All of the UK's 84 million mobile phones will vibrate and make a loud siren sound for roughly ten seconds. A test message will also appear on screens.
Emergency Alerts is a Government service that will warn people of a life-threatening emergency near them such as a flood.
Hemel Garden Communities is a development programme that crosses the boundaries of Dacorum Borough and St Albans City and District Councils.
The aim is to create attractive and sustainable neighbourhoods to the north and east of Hemel Hempstead, delivering 11,000 new homes and 8,000 new jobs by 2050.
Residents living near the growth areas recently attended information events hosted by landowners The Crown Estate, Bloor Homes and property specialists Pigeon.
You will find more about the plans by clicking the button below.
Photo: scene from one of the information events.
 St Albans Healthy Hub is your local 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.
The Hertfordshire Welfare Assistance Scheme is a fund designed to help residents who are facing an immediate financial crisis.
If you are struggling with the cost of living, you can apply for a payment to help with essential living expenses such as food, gas and electricity payments.
In certain circumstances you may be able to get help to purchase a household item such as a fridge or a cooker.
You don’t have to be in receipt of state benefits in order to make an application.
Hertfordshire County Council’s Love Your Bump campaign is helping pregnant women access healthy-lifestyle services.
The campaign is raising awareness about the information and help available to quit smoking, exercise, go alcohol free and lose weight.
Staying active, for example, with a daily walk and some gentle stretching is important for wellbeing and the baby’s development.
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