St Albans News
The latest St Albans news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
St Albans Police Priorities: City Centre Drugs Added
Drug crime in the city centre, Oaklands College and e-bikes in Harpenden are police priorities to January. Speeding and Sopwell have been dropped.
More stories
Council
St Albans Council Tenants: Loft Storage Ban Stays In
Council tenants have until 14 October to comment again on the new tenancy agreement. The loft storage ban stays; the joint tenancy bar is dropped.
Business
Dyslexia at Work: 5 Changes St Albans Employers Can Make
Five small, low-cost changes that stop support for dyslexic staff lapsing after hiring, from St Albans consultant Nat Hawley, for Dyslexia Awareness Week.
Council
St Albans Council Budget: £1.4m Surplus Down to £78k
The council's forecast surplus for 2027/28 has fallen from £1.4m to £78,000, and one scenario in its own budget report turns that into a £909,000 gap.
Council
St Albans Mayor Since 1553 Could Pass to Parish Council
Officers want the mayoralty handed to the new City Centre Parish Council, not the unitary, when the district council goes. The transfer would cost £6,000.
Cathedral
Bishop of St Albans Installed After 374-Day Vacancy
Andrew Rumsey was installed at the Cathedral on Saturday before 1,500 people, ending a vacancy that ran 374 days from Bishop Alan Smith's last day in office.
Jobs
St Albans Claimant Count August 2026: 2,235, a 22-Month High
The district count rose to 2,235 in August, the most since October 2024. Everyone added over the year is under 25 or over 50, and the 25 to 49 group fell.
House prices
St Albans House Prices Fall £343 in July to £646,781
The district average fell 0.1% to £646,781 in July, its first monthly fall since March. June's record has been revised down by £4,324, to £647,124.
Fly-tipping
St Albans Fly-Tipping Fines Treble to £3,000, Not £5,000
Fly-tipping fines in St Albans district treble from £1,000 to £3,000. National rules allow £5,000, and the council report says why it stopped short.
Planning
St Albans Local Plan adopted: 15,045 homes, 1994 plan gone
Councillors adopted the St Albans Local Plan on 9 September, replacing the 1994 plan the same day. It plans 15,045 homes and £750m of infrastructure.
Council
St Albans council abolition paused: May 2027 poll goes ahead
The plan to abolish St Albans council in 2028 and merge it with Dacorum is on hold under a government review. The district election on 6 May 2027 goes ahead.
Schools
Beaumont School: four blocks to go in phase two rebuild
The Department for Education wants four Beaumont School buildings demolished and one part three-storey teaching block put up. Registered 4 September.
Food hygiene
St Albans food hygiene ratings: 814 fives, one zero
Three in four rated premises in St Albans district hold five stars. Nineteen hold two or below, and a Harpenden kitchen has held a zero since 9 June.
Roads
A414 Park Street closure: every weekend from 11 September
The A414 between M1 junction 8 and Park Street closes 8pm Friday to 6am Monday from 11 September, until 2027. The diversion runs through St Albans.
Local Plan
St Albans Local Plan: 611-name petition, vote on 9 September
A 611-signature petition asks councillors to reject the Local Plan on Wednesday. Officers say they cannot change it: the only choice is adopt or do not adopt.
Local Plan
St Albans Local Plan ruled sound, adoption vote 9 September
Two government inspectors signed the plan off on 21 August and councillors vote on adopting it on 9 September, replacing the 1994 plan. Three sites were added, sixteen deleted.
Community
St Albans defibrillators: mayor's appeal funds three more
A civic year raised £4,760, enough for three defibrillators and two CPR training manikins. The volunteers who carry them still need £6,600 to replace five ageing units.
Business
St Albans BID ballot: 546 firms vote by 8 October
Ballot papers reach 546 city centre businesses on 7 September and must be back by 5pm on 8 October. The levy rate falls to 1.85% and £3.1m rides on it.
Jobs
St Albans claimant count: under-25s at a five-year high
Under-25 claims rose 23% in a year to 395, the most since September 2021 and the steepest rise in Hertfordshire, while the district total edged up by just 70.
Schools
St Albans GCSE results 2026: 46% of STAHS grades were 9s
St Albans School reports 59% of GCSE entries at grades 9-8, STAHS 46% at grade 9. Beaumont calls it a record year and publishes no figure. Remarks close 24 September.
House prices
St Albans house prices hit a record £651,448 in June
The district average has passed its December 2024 peak for the first time, up 4.3% in a year. Terraced homes rose fastest at 5.4%, and May was revised upwards.
Council
St Albans Council Abolition Plan: 2028 Merger Now Paused
The July plan to abolish St Albans council in 2028 and merge it with Dacorum is paused under a government review. What the decision said, and what still stands.
Council
St Albans City Centre Parish Council: 25 Seats, May 2027
Full Council approved a new parish council for central St Albans on 15 July: 25 councillors across nine wards, elected 6 May 2027. Harpenden Rural is abolished.
Schools
St Albans A-level results 2026: only two put figures out
STAHS reports 75% of grades at A or A*, St Albans School 62.9%, against 48.6% at independent schools nationally. Plus the 20 August remark deadline.
Business
Perrin Myddelton in administration: what clients should do
Quantuma administrators took over the Harpenden law firm on 10 August. It is still SRA-licensed, and client-account money is not the firm's to spend.