07 May 2026
He’s baked with primary school pupils, driven away in a pink Cadilliac and petted baby hedgehogs, but this week Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey was back in St Albans to try his luck at putting a hole in one.
Following his past visits to the district, Sir Ed joined MP Daisy Cooper to meet local business leaders struggling with the impact of the Government’s tax burden at indoor golf centre PlayPutt.
This custom-build facility – run by the team behind DJ’s Jungle soft play on St Albans Road – features nine holes based on everything from Love Hearts sweets to a pinball machine, alongside a buzzing bar, street food menu and lively playlist.
But like many other hospitality businesses in the city, it is struggling with the impact of the Chancellor’s reduction in the business rate relief discount from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, alongside hikes in National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage.
This all comes during a cost-of-living crisis which has seen potential customers cutting their spending on non-essentials like going out.
Sir Ed joined EYES on St Albans’ Jez Levy, Emma Leahy from Catherine Street LEGO business Bricktraders, Vikas Narula from Tikka Nation, The Mermaid pub co-manager Mark Powell, Cheryl Luzet from Wagada Digital and DJ’s and PlayPutt directors Helen and Mark Whittington for a whiz around the course while discussing the serious issues faced by local retailers.
Speaking to the St Albans Times, Sir Ed lent his support to the St Albans Retailer of the Year Awards, which are run by The Maltings also Shopping Centre and the St Albans Times.
“It’s so important to celebrate our local businesses – the businesses in the high street, the businesses in the leisure industry – as well as those here today. They’re having the toughest time imaginable, and this Government has been a disaster for many businesses.
“Not only is there a cost-of-living crisis, meaning their customers have less money to spend, the hike in business rates and National Insurance makes it finding it tougher to employ people.
“We’ve been arguing for a reform of business rates so the big online companies like Amazon start paying their fair share. We put forward practical ideas for reform, and spent a huge amount of time researching it, to replace it with a system which doesn’t penalise successful businesses. The current system just doesn’t make sense, and talking to many businesses from across St Albans, they are crying out for action.”
Helen said: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Ed Davey and Daisy Cooper. As a family-owned business, we are proud to offer an exciting, vibrant space and golf activity and karaoke bar, that brings people together in our community.
“We appreciated the opportunity to showcase our indoor mini golf business, which we proudly opened in December 2025, and to stand alongside fellow independent St Albans businesses.
“The visit also gave us the chance to speak openly about the challenges currently facing small businesses. The cost-of-living crisis continues to impact customers’ leisure spending, while at the same time businesses are dealing with significant cost pressures. For our St Albans site, business rates are set to double, alongside rising employment costs and one of the highest VAT rates on hospitality in Europe. These cost pressures are making it increasingly challenging to stay open seven days, and retain staff.
“We emphasised that, without meaningful support – particularly in relation to business rates and VAT – we remain cautious about further expansion. Like many small businesses, we want to grow and invest in our community, but the current environment makes this increasingly difficult.
“Really big thanks to Daisy Cooper MP for her support and that of the St Albans Times, plus our collaborations with local businesses. We continue to build our Play Putt brand and have been shortlisted in the St Albans Retailer of the Year Awards for the Newcomer and Entertainment and Lifestyle categories.”
Jez said: “It was great to have been able to talk to Sir Ed personally about our retail challenges, most especially the hikes in retail business rates. He was shocked that our payable business rates at EYES in St Albans have almost doubled, clearly showing that the current Government is anti-small business.”
Vikas added: “It was a privilege to join Sir Ed Davey and Daisy Cooper this morning alongside fellow St Albans business leaders. Hospitality is the lifeblood of our high streets, but right now it’s fighting for survival.
“The numbers are stark – over 3,300 hospitality businesses entered insolvency in the past year alone, and one in three businesses is reducing operating hours while one in eight is closing locations entirely. The pressures are relentless: rising National Living Wage costs, increased employer National Insurance contributions, food inflation, increased business rates and soaring energy bills are squeezing margins to breaking point – especially for independent operators like us.
“The combined impact of wage increases alone represents £1.4 billion in additional costs across the hospitality sector – that’s not something you can simply pass on to customers when 35 per cent of consumers are already cutting back on dining out.
“I came today because these aren’t just business statistics – they are jobs, livelihoods, and communities. St Albans has a vibrant food and hospitality scene, and we want to keep it that way. We need government – local and national – to take meaningful action on business rates, energy support, and employment costs before more businesses disappear from our high streets for good.”
Aside from backing business rates reform, Ed also commented on the controversial issue of building on the Green Belt in the wake of the recent National Day of Action, which saw local demonstrations against the development of the countryside in Sandridge, Redbourn, Chiswell Green and north St Albans.
The Lib Dems actually have the highest house building target of all political parties, calling for 380,000 new homes each year as an ongoing programme, and here in St Albans backed a Local Plan which will result in thousands of homes being built on Green Belt sites.
While not disputing the need for new homes, Ed insisted there was no need to carve up the countryside to build them.
“In my constituency we’ve got the largest council house building programme for over 40 years, and we’re building those homes on brownfield sites, so it is possible to do it.”
He suggested the controversial concept of grey belt needed to be considered on a case-by-case basis: “I have some real worries about what the Government is doing on planning, particularly in railroading over the voices of local people. I don’t think that is right.
“The Liberal Democrat approach has always been a bottom-up and community-led approach, and where that’s been done properly it’s worked really, really well, but it does need national government to work with local authorities to make sure the infrastructure is there.
“If you get that infrastructure there, then people will be more relaxed about it and will support the investment in new homes.”
If you’d like to experience what PlayPutt has to offer, the venue is hosting a karaoke night this Friday May 8 and a party charity night in aid of St Albans Community Pantry on Thursday June 4.
All photos by Toby Shepheard
