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St Albans City and District Council has launched an online portal to help local businesses manage their business rates.
Businesses can now use the newly launched portal on St Albans City and District Council’s website to manage their business rates. Businesses can check the balance of their account, view their instalment plan, make a payment and check both demand and recovery notices.
The Council’s portal was launched following the Valuation Office Agency’s reassessment of rateable values which comes into force for the financial year 2026/27.
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 St Albans City and District Council is hosting a free-to-attend Business Summit for local business representatives offering an insight into Hertfordshire’s economic future and plans to encourage growth.
There will also be information on the resources that can be accessed to help local businesses thrive.
Date: Monday 9 March
Time: 5:30pm arrival for 6pm start, finishing at 8pm
Location: District Council Offices, Civic Centre, St Peter's Street
Speakers include William Stokes, the Chief Executive and a founder of Co-Space, the flexible workspace operator, Lucy Gravatt, Director of Partnerships and Communications at Hertfordshire Futures, Liza Armstrong, Head of Service at Hertfordshire Growth Hub, and Cllr Paul de Kort, Leader of St Albans City and District Council.
Please note that this event is relevant and open to representatives of businesses operating in St Albans City and District and that they will be prioritised in the allocation of tickets.
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Residents and organisations across Hertfordshire are being invited to have their say on proposals to change the structure of local government in the county.
In February 2025, the Government invited councils to submit proposals for local government reorganisation to simplify local government and reduce costs, which they did in November. The Government has now launched a seven-week statutory consultation on the proposals that ends on 26 March.
At the moment district/borough councils provide services such as social housing and homelessness support, leisure services, town planning, street cleansing, waste and recycling collections, community and cultural centres, and council tax and business rates collection. The county council is responsible for services including children’s social care, education (including special educational needs), libraries, highways, recycling centres, public health and trading standards
Under the Government’s plan, these councils will be replaced by a number of new unitary councils that will deliver all the services.
A decision from the Government is expected in summer 2026.
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Step2Skills is Hertfordshire Future's adult learning and employment support service. They provide opportunities for adults in Hertfordshire to get involved in learning and employment.
Some of their workshops and courses are listed below:
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Smart Living with AI (12 February)
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Level 1 Award in Equality and Diversity in Everyday Life (23 February)
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Improving your Skills in Microsoft PowerPoint (24 February)
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Social Media for Business (24 February)
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Wenta is one of England's largest enterprise agencies. They’re an independent, not-for-profit, social enterprise that exists to make it easier to start and run a successful business.
Invest in the future of your business by booking on to one of Wenta’s FREE CPD-certified skills bootcamps below. These bootcamps are designed to help SMEs thrive in the evolving UK economy.
These skills training courses are designed to equip you and your team with essential skills that support business transformation and foster growth among SMEs.
The following are Wenta bootcamps happening soon:
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Social Media Masterclass with Google Digital Garage (multiple dates)
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Practical AI for your Business with Google Digital Garage (multiple dates)
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AI Made Simple: The No-Nonsense Guide for Business Owners (16 February)
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The Way of The Money Warrior (20 February)
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Employers are invited to this Inclusive Hiring Insight Morning from Step2Skills in collaboration with Herts Futures and Nando's.
Join us to explore practical strategies for inclusive recruitment and retention.
Hear about real examples, learn flexible hiring approaches, and take away actionable tips for your organisation.
If you are interested to join us, email georgina.de-allie@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Date: 24 February | 10:00am–12:30pm
Location: Nando’s St Albans – Chequer Street
STANTA is the St Albans Enterprise Agency, supporting local small businesses by providing free one‑to‑one advice, business skills workshops, and access to helpful resources. They also offer flexible, easy‑in/easy‑out office space in St Albans, helping new and growing businesses get established and thrive in the local area.
See some of the workshops they are hosting at the STANTA Business Centre below:
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Setting up a Google Business Profile (24 February)
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Google Analytics (27 February)
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Residents and local business owners are being invited to give their views on proposals to change some parish and town council arrangements in St Albans District. St Albans City and District Council carried out a Community Governance Review (CGR) into current parish and town council arrangements in 2025, following Local Government Reorganisation plans by central government.
A second consultation is now underway and will run until Monday 23 February 2026.
Residents can submit their views by completing an online questionnaire at https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/CGR-questionnaire, by emailing CGR@stalbans.gov.uk or by writing to Community Governance Review, c/o Electoral Services, St Albans City and District Council, Civic Centre, St Peters Street, St Albans, AL1 3JE.
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Hertfordshire Growth Hub, part of Hertfordshire Futures, is the entry point to all business support advice, information and resources in the county.
As the trusted growth experts, they join up national and local business support making it simpler for you to find the help you need, when you need it.
The All the Help You Can Get Business Support Show is the perfect event to start discovering the abundance of support available to help you or your business, whether you are just starting out, or growing and scaling. Save the date now!
Date: Friday 20 March
Time: 09:00 - 15:00
Location: Fielder Centre, Hatfield
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The New Year is a great time to invest in yourself, whether that’s learning something new, boosting your confidence, or taking the next step in your career. Oaklands College offers a wide range of adult learning opportunities for leisure, work and personal development.
Courses are running across St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Borehamwood and beyond, with flexible options that fit around real life. From leisure classes and essential skills to professional qualifications and university level routes, there’s something for everyone.
Highlights include:
- Courses starting from January 2026 onwards
- Flexible routes for career development and retraining
- Skills bootcamps and professional courses throughout the year
- Leisure, essential skills and higher-level pathways
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 On 13 November 2025, Shendish Manor Hotel hosted the SW Herts Meet The Buyer event, bringing together 120 attendees including 75 SMEs, and 13 large buyers such as Heathrow Airport, and Dacorum, St Albans, Hertsmere, and Watford Councils.
The event featured:
- 175 buyer-supplier meetings held in just one afternoon
- 70 pre-booked meetings ensuring targeted conversations
- Meetings with large buyers each meeting 12-15 SMEs on average. (Heathrow Airport alone connected with 25 SME suppliers).
The event offered access to decision-makers, enabling SMEs to build relationships, explore opportunities, and strengthen their ability to secure contracts with Local Authority procurement, construction and infrastructure projects, and large private sector buyers.
The event was organised by Branduin Business Support as part of their Fit to Bid® programme which involves an initial Bid Capability Assessment of each company, followed by specialist and interactive webinars, and expert 1:1 business advice sessions to enhance bid performance and win more contracts. The programme was funded through UK Shared Prosperity Fund money allocated to Dacorum, St Albans, Hertsmere and Watford councils.
There may be an opportunity to hold a further event later in 2026. If you would like to join our email list for this, please contact economicdevelopment@stalbans.gov.uk
Oaklands College has relaunched its refurbished student training restaurant, The Stables. Located in the historic stables of Oaklands Manor on the St Albans Campus, the restaurant upgrade was supported by match-funding from The Savoy Educational Trust.
The £70K refurbishment includes modern interiors, updated equipment, and an enhanced kitchen layout, giving students a realistic, professional environment to hone their skills. The Stables remains a key part of the College’s Hospitality & Catering provision, offering hands-on experience that mirrors contemporary commercial standards.
They serve delicious lunches, so why not pay them a visit.
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Four major leisure centres and two entertainment venues in St Albans District have been rated ‘excellent’ by independent assessors. This follows a £1.5 million investment programme that is delivering significant upgrades and record attendances to the facilities, which are all managed by Everyone Active on the Council’s behalf. |
The upper storey of Bowers Way West car park in Harpenden is to be closed for an estimated five weeks from Monday 9 February to allow for essential structural repairs.
The lower storey, which has 67 spaces including four disabled bays, will remain open. Motorists can also use the Council’s town centre car parks and on-street parking bays. The Bowers Way West upper storey is due to reopen on Monday 16 March.
The boss of a waste disposal firm was ordered to pay £3,400 and given a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for a year, for dumping a hazardous fly-tip on the grounds of a Harpenden school.
St Albans City and District Council’s environmental enforcement team launched an investigation and traced the dump to Atlas Waste after reviewing CCTV footage showing the van arriving at the site. In view of the seriousness of the offence, the Council decided to prosecute rather than issue a Fixed Penalty Notice fine.
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