The decision to end Christian prayers before meetings of St Albans district council has won the support of the National Secular Society. The motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat councillor Sinéad Howland said the inclusion of prayers before the meetings “may inadvertently exclude or alienate individuals of different faiths or those without...
The Conservative group on St Albans district council has put together what they consider to be a means of scrapping the unpopular on-street parking charges in Harpenden. Their amendment to SADC's budget - which is set for ratification at this Wednesday's Full Council meeting - suggests various ways to make up...
With SADC facing an uncertain future as the Government pushes forward with its plans for English devolution, district councillors are keen to have a say on any new structure. This week’s Full Council meeting will see two motions – from Cllrs Robert Donald and Matt Cowley – specifically addressing the issue...
Initial plans for the future of local government in St Albans and Herts need to be presented in a matter of weeks.Local government and English devolution minister Jim McMahon has told leaders of Herts county, district and borough councils to submit an interim plan on or before March 21, with...
A much-heralded council parking permit for the over-70s has met with a vocal backlash from residents. The Local Access Permit was introduced in response to SADC’s decision to restrict the heavily-discounted senior citizens’ car parking permit to those people on the lowest incomes as part of a budget-balancing exercise last year. It...
Green councillors have launched a damning attack on SADC’s latest Air Quality Action Plan, warning it may fail to deliver meaningful improvements to local air quality. A draft plan for tackling air pollution was issued last year, covering a period up to 2029, and included measures including the promotion of low-emission...
Have the Liberal Democrats lost control over the council’s finances? A scathing report to SADC’s audit committee has highlighted “significant weaknesses in arrangements to make informed decisions using timely and accurate financial information”. Roopal Bakarania, audit manager for the external auditor BDO, said they had also found a “significant number of material...
To use a football analogy, any decision on the St Albans Local Plan are now firmly in the hands of the VAR, rather than SADC referees. In fact, council leader Cllr Paul de Kort is clear that whatever happens now won’t be politically motivated at all, at least during the examination...
St Albans Conservatives have pledged their commitment to localism in the face of the Government's reorganisation plans. Deputy leader Cllr Matt Cowley (pictured) said: “With the Labour Government pushing ahead with plans to impose large unitary authorities on our communities, there is a real risk that the voice of local people...
Four years of district council accounts remain unaudited and unapproved due to shortcomings within the national auditing process for local authorities. Councillors sitting on the SADC audit and governance committee were told on Thursday that the auditor’s report for the three financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 had arrived late on...
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