Active News in 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.”

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.

Harpenden Banking Hub will move permanently to the High Street in February 2026

Harpenden’s Banking Hub has secured its permanent move to the High Street ensuring accessible banking services for customers of high street banks in the town. The Banking Hub, which has been operating at the Town Hall on an interim basis has welcomed over 7000 customer visits since its opening in December last year, highlighting the importance of a permanent banking facility in Harpenden.

Cash Access UK confirmed that the lease for the permanent Banking Hub in Harpenden has now been completed for 35, High Street, Harpenden, AL5 2RU with the expected opening date of February 2026. The new, centrally located premises will continue to provide professional, face to face counter services for customers of the major high street banks.

The Town Council (HTC) led the campaign to establish a Banking Hub for close to three years, following the closure of Harpenden’s Banks. Its work included public engagement conducted in 2023 which highlighted that the lack of banks in the town has significantly impacted local people and businesses. HTC’s commitment to delivering a Banking Hub led to its offering space at the Town Hall as an interim solution until permanent premises were found.

Residents, business, voluntary and community organisations are urged to use the Banking Hub in the same way as their own bank. Cash withdrawals, opening an account, paying in cheques, financial advice and all other services are available Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

Jan. Hertfordshire Councils await a decision from Government on future council arrangements

St Albans City and District Council has chosen the option of two unitary authorities as its preferred model for the future of local government in Hertfordshire.

Under central government plans, the current two-tier system of district and county councils is to be replaced by new unitary authorities.

All ten district councils in Hertfordshire and the county council have worked closely over the past year to review options.

They considered a range of factors including local democracy and identity, local service provision and other key issues such as financial stability.

Councils agreed to detailed modelling of three different options – with either two, three or four new unitary councils being created to cover Hertfordshire.

These options included analysing geographic boundaries, population demographics and the approach to services.

Councillors on St Albans City and District Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee looked at the options at its meeting on Thursday 20 November.

They decided that the two unitary model is their preferred approach.

Councillor Paul de Kort, the Council Leader and Chair of the Committee, said afterwards: “The abolition of the two-tier system and the creation of new unitary authorities is being imposed upon councils such as us.

“We have opted for the two unitary model because we think that it is the most financially stable option. It will allow the greatest continuity of vital services for vulnerable people and the best prospect of maintaining the current level of discretionary provision which we know our residents value.

“This is an essential consideration when the financial climate for local government is very challenging and likely to remain so for some time to come.”

Hertfordshire councils will make their final submission to the Government on Friday 28 November with a decision expected in the summer of 2026.

Campaign group Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Ladacan) had challenged the development consent granted by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

LADACAN to consider appeal of High Court ruling.

The High Court has ruled in favour of the Secretary of State’s decision earlier this year to overturn the advice of planning inspectors and permit further massive expansion of Luton Airport.

The Luton Airport case is a watershed moment for the UK’s climate future. The government’s expert advisers have warned that we cannot meet Net Zero while continuing to expand aviation on the basis of partial or outdated climate assessments. Yet the Government is still approving airport growth using narrow CO₂ accounting that excludes inbound flights and ignores aviation’s much larger non-CO₂ warming impacts.

The Supreme Court’s Finch ruling made it clear that all significant climate effects must be assessed, even if scientific methods are still developing. The High Court’s decision cements a planning system that looks backwards while the climate crisis accelerates. LADACAN’s challenge aimed to push the system toward rational, evidence-based decisions that properly account for aviation’s full climate footprint.

That is why it’s so important for us to consider an appeal: the outcome matters not only for Luton, but for every future airport proposal in the UK. This is a watershed moment, with the costs of climate change damage increasing and still no realistic and proven pathways to decarbonise aviation.

We urge all those who care about reducing the environmental impacts of aviation to donate to our crowdfunding appeal by clicking this link: Crowdfunding appeal

Saturday 14 February at 10:15 for 10:30 am,

UNA Harpenden will be hosting a public lecture on Speaking about the Israel / Palestine Situation by Jenny Manson, Co-Chair of Jewish Voice for Liberation,

At the Salvation Army Hall, Leyton Green, Harpenden AL5 2TG. Register here for the talk.

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.

A fun filled event with a purpose at Harpenden Library. For Children and adults

Friday Feb 20th 2.30 - 4.00pm

What’s FUN? Making models and constructing a junk model Town

What’s the purpose? Learning more about recycling to make better use of our waste.

BOOK YOUR PLACES AT HARPENDEN LIBRARY

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.