St Albans council news
St Albans council news, newest first: decisions, budgets, council tax, bins and services, each linked to the council's own papers.
Top story
Colney Heath fly-tipper caught by a dog walker's drone
A dog walker's drone filmed a van dumping house clearance waste on Barley Mow Lane near Colney Heath. The driver must do 160 hours' unpaid work and pay £821.
More stories
Remembrance
Crowds ten deep at St Albans Remembrance Sunday service
Hundreds stood ten deep at the St Albans War Memorial on 8 November for the parade and silence. The city's Royal British Legion branch is being relaunched.
Council
St Albans plans licence-free late hot food, likely a first
Takeaways and pubs could serve hot food until midnight, or 12.30am at weekends, without a licence. Councillors backed a 10-week consultation on 3 November.
Council
St Albans City Centre Parish Council Names First Clerk
Claire Molyneux starts on 12 November as interim clerk of the new parish council for central St Albans, readying 28,000 households for elections next May.
Council
St Albans council merger withdrawn: no change before 2029
The government has withdrawn the July plan to merge St Albans council with Dacorum. Any new council now starts on 1 April 2029 at the earliest, a year later.
Planning
St Albans planning: councillors lose call-in from 31 October
From Saturday, officers alone decide extensions and schemes under 10 homes in St Albans district. Councillors can no longer call them in to committee.
Business
St Albans BID Vote: 154 of 192 Back a Third Term to 2032
City centre businesses voted 154 to 38 for a third BID term, on a 35% turnout. Yes votes carried 87% of the rateable value voting, up from 72.5% in 2022.
Elections
London Colney polling stations to change for May 2027 vote
Some London Colney voters would move to a different polling station under a council review open until 27 November. Elsewhere in the district, almost nothing changes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.