Active News for Harpenden 2026

Sustainability and Climate Crisis Strategy for St Albans District and Harpenden is launched.

A new sustainability and climate crisis strategy for St Albans District and Harpenden with the aim of achieving net zero by 2030 has been launched.

The strategy covers the years from now until 2027 and sets out measures to cut harmful emissions and improve the local environment.

St Albans City and District Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and produced a strategy with more than 100 actions for 2020 to 2023.

Last year, Councillors also declared a sustainability and biodiversity emergency, recognising the urgent need to protect and enhance nature.

Now the Planning Policy and Climate Committee has approved an updated strategy to progress all this vital work.

The strategy includes further initiatives to improve the sustainability of the Council’s own operations and services with its emissions having been cut by 52% since 2009.

It also sets out commitments and proposals to:

*Boost the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings around the District.

*Promote active and sustainable transport to improve air quality.

*Reduce waste, encourage recycling and campaign for sustainable food production.

*Enhance the natural environment and allow biodiversity to flourish.

Conserve precious water resources and ease flooding risks.

Councillor Raj Visram, Lead for Climate, said: “Since declaring a climate emergency, we have made great strides forward and taken many positive actions.

“For example, we have planted many thousands of trees and spent more than £20 million on improving the energy efficiency of our social housing properties with more work scheduled.

“Our parking services team now has an all-electric vehicle fleet and 18 more electric vehicle charging points have been installed around the District.

“We have also helped to set up the St Albans Home Energy Support Service which provides free advice to households on making their homes more energy efficient and how to obtain funding.

“However, we are not complacent and this updated strategy will further boost our efforts to tackle the climate emergency and create a carbon neutral District.

“It highlights the areas where we will be making major efforts in the years ahead to promote sustainability and I am sure we will have the support of our residents and businesses as we continue with this priority project.

“I would urge all those who are passionate about their local environment and the need to make improvements to take the time to read this strategy. We need everyone to buy into what we are doing.”

Among the new measures the strategy commits the Council to is a campaign to increase opportunities for the community to become involved in its climate work.

St Albans Greener Together will be launched soon with the aim of helping residents, schools, community groups and businesses find solutions to environmental issues.

SEPT 23 2024 HTC COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

23.1 SADC PARKING PROPOSALS – Council considered a

report by the Town Clerk & Chief Executive. Council

RESOLVED to:Agree the following statement relating to the HTC view on what has happened so far regarding the parking proposals:

• The Town Council has been very concerned with the

proposals set out in the consultation and objects to them.

• The Town Council does not support any charges for on-street

parking in Harpenden Town Centre.

• SADC appears to be adopting a ‘one size fits all approach’ which

for example, does not reflect the key differences between St Albans City Centre and Harpenden Town Centre.

• SADC’s communications on this matter have been poor and

have created areas of concern and perceptions that could have

been avoided.

• It is questionable as to whether an appropriate consultation process has been carried out given the communications put out and timeline inconsistencies.

• Earlier engagement with the local community and Town Council

around the time of budget setting, in the form of a non statutory

consultation, would have helped SADC to understand the local

parking issues and enabled the development of a set of

proposals that could make improvements locally without the

potential for significant local damage.

• A more positive response to the Town Council offer of a formal joint collaboration in parallel to the consultation would have increased the chances of producing better proposals.

Agree the following statement as to what should happen next:

• HTC calls on SADC to carefully consider the consultation

responses and listen to the views of the community.

• We recognise that improvements need to be made to parking

policy locally, however SADC should develop an alternative

approach that sees major changes to what was proposed

during the consultation.

• HTC will carefully consider any changes proposed by SADC

and will consider its view on them at the appropriate time. If no

changes are put forward or if minor changes are suggested

that do not significantly address the consultation themes, then HTC

will consider instructing an initial legal view on the validity of

the process that has been carried out. This initial view may

lead to HTC initiating more formal legal action.

• More widely, HTC requests that SADC learn from this experience

and engage with us much earlier when developing any proposals

that have such an impact on the Town.

• HTC stands by its previous Resolution made at the

Extraordinary Council Meeting on 22 July to offer to work in

formal joint collaboration with SADC to develop alternative

proposals. Agree its support to the following alternative on street

parking proposal:

• Allow 1hr free parking, with no return within 1 hour, and no

option to remain longer than 1hr.

• Improved bay infrastructure i.e. markings, signage.

•• More effective enforcement.

•• Consistent maximum stays on all bays including Disabled Bays.

•• Minimal additional Loading Bays where there is a clear need and

they have limited impact on general parking bays.

• Introduction of more flexible permit options by SADC that

support retail workers and workers from the voluntary sector.

• Introduction of appropriate and accessible communications

channels setting out the various options for parking in

HarpendenTown Centre. END

Feb 3. 2025

Statement from Jeff Phillips. Chair, The Harpenden Society.

“The Harpenden Society is disappointed by the insistence of SADC to impose parking charges in the centre of the town starting Feb 17th. This despite substantial local opposition and suggestions from the town council and ourselves that would have facilitated sensible compromises.

“Pushing through this charging regime, which has barely altered from the regime proposed prior to the consultation period is, frankly, insulting.

“The Society accepts the principle of charging, but as an example, the single visit 30 minute free period per day could mean parents at the two town centre schools to have to pay for parking when they pick up their children at the end of the school day. This assumes they have used the free 30 minutes on another visit during the day.

“And to add insult to injury, SADC have agreed to delay the implementation of charges in the roads around Clarence Park in St Albans ‘until a wider review’ has taken place.

“Both the town council and the Society have argued strongly for such a review of the wider parking issues to take place in Harpenden as well.

“There seems to be one law for St Albans residents and another for the residents of Harpenden. We repeat our request for these proposals to be suspended so that a fair and sensible parking strategy and charging regime can be developed for the town centre.”

MARCH 2025

The END of FREE* High Street parking has ANGERED Harpenden residents and businesses now the effects are being felt on a daily basis, three weeks after it was implemented. 803 responses.

An on-line service conducted by Elaine Bradford on Harpenden Local during w/e March 7 revealed a massive response which has been analysed and converted into understandable data as shown in the charts below.

Having owned a retail fashion business on the High St. for several years and now with a private practice as a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, she knows the importance of free parking to make Harpenden a thriving centre.

These results have been forwarded to Paul de Kort at SADC to demonstrate the scale of opposition

to the scheme.

The Town’s retailers and other opposition groups will be collating data on an ongoing basis to maintain the pressure on SADC and seek a Review at some stage in 2025.

*30 mins free if you register on the meter, Some phones charge 10p.

Jan 15. Fabulous NEW location for Harpenden Building Society on the Town Centre High Street

The official opening of the new location took place this morning at 10.30 with Town Mayor Beth Fisher cutting the ribbon. She eulogised the importance of a key local business and their presence on the High Street. ‘It’s not just bricks and mortar it’s service for the local community”. The CEO of HBS (Tracie Pearce) thanked all the staff who had worked hard to support the opening and reiterated the importance of community support. Pictured above left with our Mayor and Harpenden’s MP Victoria Collins. ALSO gathered outside were a number of other VIP’s inc HBS Chair Nigel Boothroyd. (second on the right)

The spacious interior is light and airy with a large counter, a private office for consultations, Helpful online booths, and two electronic information display units.

Call in and experience how Harpenden’s Building Society has changed with the times! On the corner of Church Green.

JAN, Shaping the future of local government in Hertfordshire.

Currently, Hertfordshire has a county council, which looks after things such as children and adult social care, roads and education, and a further 10 district and borough councils, which provide services such as social housing, planning and waste collection. There are also a number of parish/town councils, such as Harpenden, with limited powers devolved from the district councils.

The Government believes having a smaller number of all-purpose councils would make local government simpler, more accountable and more sustainable.

So, say goodbye to these Councils: Herts CC. St Albans, Broxbourne, Dacorum, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn, Hatfield, East Hertfordshire, Three Rivers, and Watford.

And say hello to: a number of Unitary Authorities for the county – likely made up of two, three or four separate units

Existing Town Councils and Parish Councils are probably going to see increased powers devolved to them, and new councils created at this level to cover non-parished areas of the county, such as St Albans City itself.

Who makes the final decision? The Government. They believe that having a smaller number of all-purpose councils would make local government simpler, more accountable, more cost effective and more sustainable. They actually consulted in late Autumn and asked all 11 existing councils in Hertfordshire whether they thought the county should split into two, three or four unitary authority areas in the future.

The Harpenden Society view:

In our opinion, if the costs before and after are evenly balanced, or, at least, cost benefits not conclusively made out, then undoubtedly the more favourable cost case would come with two unitaries, not three or four.

A reorganisation to simply merge St Albans and Dacorum, adding in current county council powers, would not seem to be worth the disruption and cost.

The Harpenden Society committee notes that the government is determined to reorganise local government by creating unitary authorities. We hope that it does indeed make for greater efficiency, reducing bureaucracy and overlap.

The Government have also decided that there will be further devolution of central government powers (yet to be determined) to a strategic authority and this is to be welcomed, provide fragmentation does not go too far in creating inefficiencies.

The two-unitary proposal for Hertfordshire will, in our opinion, likely give the best opportunity to balance the need for local input with operational efficiency.

We would particularly welcome devolution of super-local assets and services to Harpenden Town Council, which benefits from immense local respect, provided the financial consequences are not detrimental to residents.

Timetable: Full proposals from the 11 Councils were submitted to Government - 28 Nov 2025; Government statutory consultation - Feb–Mar 2026; Government decision on model (2, 3 or 4 unitaries) - Summer 2026; Shadow authority elections - May 2027; County Council. Vesting Day (unities take full powers) - 1 Apr 2028.

Other Views

Steve Jarvis, leader of Hertfordshire County Council, said: "We think the two-unitary option is the one that is best placed to deliver services to people at the lowest cost, which will mean we have the most money available for delivering services.”

St Albans District Council also takes the same view.

Jeff Phillips (Chair the Harpenden Society) said ‘Many residents are unaware that this process of change is already underway and may not have read the background rationale, and we are still awaiting any guidance on the future role and responsibilities of town and parish councils, specifically our own Harpenden Town Council.

As for the financial impact of these changes, the devil will inevitable be in the detail. But we have set up a page on our web site with more info and this will be updated as more information becomes available.

Feb 27. District Councillors approve a budget in the face of a challenging financial climate and a 2.99% rise in the District’s Council Tax

St Albans City and District Councillors have agreed a “sound and fair” budget for the next financial year along with a long-term plan setting out their priorities for action.

The Council (SADC) is required to produce a balanced budget every year, ensuring spending is matched by the income it raises from various sources.

In common with other local authorities, it has been faced in recent years with a challenging economic climate that has put intense pressure on its finances.

This includes rising costs and a much higher demand for homelessness support.

As part of the 2026/27 budget, Councillors agreed to a 2.99% rise in the District’s Council Tax bill. This supports a gross Council spend of £58.8 million, excluding social housing spend and income.

This means a resident in a Band D property will pay an average of £214.22 to the Council for its services in the coming year – an increase of just 12p a week.

SADC’s portion of Council Tax amounts to around 9% of the total collected, with Hertfordshire County Council receiving 77%, the Police,11%, and the parish and town councils, who set their own budgets, 3%.

The money received by SADC will fund key services including waste and recycling collections, street cleaning, leisure and cultural services, planning, parks and open spaces, 24/7 CCTV protection, environmental health and grants to voluntary bodies such as Citizens Advice.

Councillors also approved a rent rise in accordance with Government guidelines of 4.8% for its social housing properties. Garage rents will increase by 6.7%

The budget was approved at a meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday 25 February.

Councillor Giles Fry, Lead for Resources, said after the meeting: “I am pleased that Full Council has agreed to a balanced budget that is both fair and financially sound.

“It will protect our key services, such as our leisure, community and cultural facilities, while also allowing for some notable investments such as a new community and sports hub in the New Greens area.

“Over the last year, commercial tenants have begun to move into Jubilee Square which will provide us with much-needed new income in the future. We will continue to look for other revenue-raising opportunities.

“I hope our residents will continue to support the work we are doing to further strengthen our communities in the face of a tough financial climate.”

Full Council also approved a Council Plan for the next two years which is founded on four priorities. These are to:

Support great communities

Provide more social housing.

Make the environment a priority in all Council decisions.

Treat everyone with fairness.

The Plan includes the many actions the Council is committed to taking to achieve these goals.

Councillor Paul de Kort, the Council Leader, said after the meeting: “One of the dominant issues for next year is the Government’s plan to restructure local government.

“This will see the abolition of the two-tier system of district and county councils and its replacement by new unitary authorities.

“As we move towards this new structure over the next couple of years, we must not lose sight of our priorities such as providing theDistrict with more social housing, improving the local environment and keeping our District a great place to live and work.”

Details of the budget together with the Council Plan can be viewed along with the Full Council meeting papers here.

Exciting Conservation Project

in Harpenden –Reintroduction

of Water Voles

Harpenden Town Council has released

200 water voles in the Upper River Lea,

a project which has taken rigorous

planning over the last three years and

reintroduces this important species to

Batford Springs Local Nature Reserve

after 40 years.

Water Voles are incredible ecosystem engineers bringing huge benefits to waterways and a wide array of flora and fauna. They manage rivers and streams by foraging and burrowing to increase biodiversity. They eat coarse dominant grasses like sedges and rush, opening gaps for more delicate waterway plants to establish. With greater floristic diversity, more bees, butterflies and pollinators will return to the river, and insects, birds, bats and mammals will follow. When a water vole abandons one of their burrows, new critters will move in to raise their young, like shrews, which in turn improve the health of the nearby habitats.

Water voles were once common in England’s rivers and streams including at Batford Springs. Sadly, they have been in decline for over 40 due to habitat loss and the invasive mink.

Harpenden Town Council, together with dedicated volunteers at Batford Springs, released the Water Voles following a carefully managed process last week.

Cllr Kirsti Wenn, Mayor of Harpenden said, “It is fantastic to be part of this important step in the reintroduction of water voles, another incredible addition to Batford Springs Local Nature Reserve. It has been a real pleasure to watch this conservation project, from its infancy to the release of our new residents, and I can’t wait to see how the water voles will help the Town Council continue to improve the environment and local ecosystem. Batford Springs Local Nature Reserve is not only a beautiful green space, but it is the home of hugely important habitats and we are immensely proud of all we have achieved here.”

Keys to success of this important conservation project:

•Batford Springs Local Nature Reserve, offers a kilometre of river which is ideal for water voles and forms a strong base for their reintroduction.

•A 125m fence was installed creating a protective barrier around key habitats, allowing the water voles to establish themselves in a secure environment. The fence was designed to blend in with the natural surroundings, ensuring it does not disrupt the landscape's beauty.

•A new pond was created within the protected area. This pond will be a vital resource for the water voles, providing them with the water and vegetation they need to thrive. The pond's design mimics natural wetland environments, with gently sloping banks, abundant aquatic plants, and varied depths to support a rich diversity of life.
•Native vegetation has been planted around the pond and along the riverbanks - another critical component of the project. By restoring native plants, the project recreate the dense, tangled riverbank habitats that water voles prefer, offering them shelter from predators and a steady supply of food, including reeds, sedges, and other aquatic plants that are essential to their diet.
••Mink Monitoring: The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust installed a mink raft to record and capture mink found on site, to determine presence and suitability for voles. There has been no recordings of Mink for two years indicating good opportunity for voles to thrive.
••New land has been acquired by the Town Council to further enhance the habitat and provide refuge for Water Voles, this also benefits the Town as the Reserve will expand by a third.
••The Town Council is working in collaboration with local landholders across the Upper Lea: farmers and estate owners have helped to identify suitable release sites and provided knowledge and tools needed to maintain the habitats and monitor the Water Vole population.
•END
•

Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, is asking for the views of local residents and businesses regarding proposals to merge police Forces across England and Wales.

In January, the Government confirmed its intention to significantly reduce the number of police forces, which could see the existing 43 forces combined into as few as 12 larger, regional forces, as part of a wider package of reforms to the police. An independent review is being carried out to advise the Government on how to take the force merger plans forward.

However, the review is not asking for the views of members of the public meaning it is unclear how much support for these changes exist. As the PCC is committed to providing a voice to the people of Hertfordshire, he has launched a four-week consultation to give residents and businesses the opportunity to have their say.

The PCC is keen to hear from residents, businesses and community groups, regardless of their views on the proposals.

The consultation will run from 29th May to 21st June. Responses will be shared with the independent review and the Government to inform their decision-making. This is your chance to have your say locally.

Click here to complete the consultation which will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Click here to give your views

Seeking public viewsherts-pcc.gov.uk

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:

“The Government’s proposals constitute the biggest shake-up of policing in more than sixty years but there is no public mandate for regional police forces. Our country prides itself on policing by consent, so it’s only right that the public are properly consulted on changes on this scale.

“The independent review is explicitly not consulting the public, so I want to hear the views of Hertfordshire’s communities so I can share the findings with the independent review.

“While there are plenty of sensible reforms needed in policing, replacing county forces with fewer, regional forces could see resources pulled away from towns and rural areas and instead focussed on cities, especially if Hertfordshire’s police force is merged with areas with much higher or more serious crime. That’s the opposite of what the people of Hertfordshire consistently tell me is their top priority – more police on their local streets who understand the local community.

“Hertfordshire is making great progress in tackling crime and responding to public priorities, while also collaborating with its neighbours to save money. Our county is increasingly in the top quarter of police forces nationally for responding to emergency calls, solving crime and using key safeguarding powers. Operation Hotspot’s additional visible patrols cut crime in our town centres by 14% in just one year. And unlike most of the rest of the country, shoplifting is falling in Hertfordshire by dealing with prolific offenders and supporting retailers capture evidence. It is essential that police reform doesn’t put the progress being made in Hertfordshire at risk”.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the proposals around merging police forces?

As part of a wider package of police reform, the Government has proposed merging police forces across England and Wales. This could result in the existing 43 police forces being reduced to as few as 12.

Why are the mergers being proposed?

The Government believes that the current policing structure of 43 separate forces is not best suited to deal with modern crime which is increasingly complex, involving serious organised crime and technology-based crime, requiring cross-border collaboration.

Currently, forces range significantly in the number of police officers and crime levels meaning the Government believes that people across England and Wales aren’t receiving a consistent police service.

What is the independent review of police force structures?

The Government has established an independent review to make recommendations on the optimum number of police forces and which forces should be merged. The review is being chaired by Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe, former Commissioner of the Met Police and supported by an advisory committee.

The Chair and advisory committee are not engaging with members of the public as part of the review.

The review will deliver their final report to Government by the end of the summer 2026.

Will Hertfordshire’s police force be merged?

The Government has said it plans to “significantly reduce” the number of police forces and it is highly likely that the majority of forces across England and Wales will be impacted.

No information indicating which police forces will be joined together has been published by the Government so far. The independent review will provide advice on which forces should be combined. Hertfordshire Constabulary could be merged with one or several force areas in the East of England.

Hertfordshire already partners with other force areas in a significant capacity which could also impact the Government’s decision-making process.

These partnerships are:

· BCH (Beds, Cambs, Herts) – Hertfordshire is part of a strategic alliance with Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire meaning the three counties share specialist operational functions (armed policing, roads policing, forensics and major crime investigations) and support functions (criminal justice, road collision investigations, DBS checks, firearms licensing, HR, payroll and ICT).

· Seven Force Strategic Collaboration Programme – Hertfordshire is part of a shared initiative with Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent (Eastern Region) to join up procurement to target better use of resources and cost efficiencies.

What are the potential benefits of merging police forces in England and Wales?

The Government has said that replacing existing forces with fewer, larger forces could:

· Deliver a more consistent, fairer police service to people across England and Wales;

· Cut costs by reducing the number of separate headquarters and back-office functions that each police force requires;

· Strengthen specialist policing capabilities (such as cybercrime and firearms) without diverting individual forces’ resources away from local policing;

· Better equip larger forces to respond to major incidents.

What are the potential risks of merging police forces in England and Wales?

Some people have expressed concerns that merging police forces could:

· Weaken the connection between police and the communities they serve;

· Divert resources away from towns and rural areas towards cities and large urban areas;

· Lengthen police response times with forces’ head offices based further away and serving larging areas;

· Increase costs with taxpayers’ money funding expensive merger operations rather than frontline policing;

· Disrupt vital community services including for victims and vulnerable people;

· Lead to a loss of local accountability for the police.

How will day-to-day policing in Hertfordshire be affected?

The Government hasn’t confirmed which police forces will be merged meaning we don’t yet know how Hertfordshire’s police force will be affected. We also don’t yet know how regional forces focusing on major crime will interact with local neighbourhood policing.

Hertfordshire could be merged with areas with higher crime rates or higher incidences of certain crime types which influences how the larger force allocates resources. The abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners means that the public may not have any direct ability to influence these decisions.

Have police force mergers been proposed before?

Yes, similar proposals were put forward in 2006. At that time, Chief Constables, local police authorities (prior to the role of PCCs being created) and politicians strongly opposed them on the grounds that the changes would be both difficult to implement and weaken accountability.

The 2006 proposals also required Council Tax to rise and be equalised across large areas which the Government at the time ultimately chose not to approve.

When would the proposed changes take affect?

While the Government has confirmed their intention to “significantly reduce” the number of police forces in England and Wales by the end of the next parliament, it is not known exactly when the changes will take effect.

What will the PCC do with responses to the consultation?

The PCC will present the feedback he receives to the Government as part of his wider engagement to ensure the police reform proposals reflect the interests of Hertfordshire residents.

Updates on the progress of the review and the and the PCC’s work to engage with the Government on this issue will be shared on this website.

Lovely air-conditioned office to rent in St Albans

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Suite 12 is available now at STANTA Business Centre - it would make a great office for up to 4 people and has its own internal meeting room. There is also free parking on site!

Get in touch at advice@stanta.co.uk