15 Feb 2024
St Albans district council stands on the precipice of approving another year of fee hikes and service cuts.
Later this month, a meeting of Full Council will decide whether to rubber-stamp the cost-saving measures proposed by the various council committees, in a bid to balance a multi-million pound budget shortfall.
Some of the headline suggestions have already been highlighted in the St Albans Times, including charging under-fives to swim in council pools, a reduction in opening times for Verulamium splashpark to just eight weeks a year (down from the current 22 weeks), and an increase in car parking charges and parking permit fees, including Sunday parking charges rising from £1.50 to £2.50 and means-testing for senior citizen parking permits.
Other parking charge increases include a 28 per cent increase in visitor parking permits, a 33 per cent increase to evening parking, and a 50 per cent increase to sports centre car parks at Westminster Lodge.
Last week Lib Dems and Conservatives unanimously rejected a proposal from Green councillor Simon Grover to even out parking charge variations to make them fairer.
Cllr Grover asked SADC’s strategy and resources committee to scrap the increase to visitor parking permits and healthcare permits, and halve the increase to the sports centre parking charge. To balance this, he argued for small rises to multi-storey car parks and multi-car parking.
He said: “The Lib Dems’ huge price rises are out of all proportion to the relatively small rises in other areas. Plus they hit vulnerable people who rely on healthcare visitors and other visitors to maintain or improve their mental and physical health. My proposal simply sought to even this out a bit, but unfortunately the Lib Dem majority would have none of it and insisted on sticking with their own plans.”
At one point in the debate Lib Dem Cllr Giles Fry said it was “too late in the day” to bring amendments to the budget, which should have been done months ago. Cllr Grover strongly objected to this suggestion, saying: “It’s exactly the right time to do it – that’s what this committee is for.
“Opposition councillors only get budget details a couple of weeks in advance, so when else are we supposed to do this?”
Among the other proposals now under consideration are savings of £14,475 from not locking Clarence Park, Vintry Gardens and the Municipal Gardens (Rose Garden) overnight, opening them up to potential anti-social behaviour which in the past included drug dealing at Clarence by the notorious Graft and Stack gang.
Replacing your rubbish bins, whether that be garden waste, recycling or landfill, could pick up a fee of £45, and a new food caddy £10.
The upkeep of district parks will also be affected, with a reduced frequence of park benches painting to other year, a 50 per cent reduction in maintenance of shrub benches, weed sprays to be slashed from three to two per year, and reduced frequence of parks path sweeping exception around Verulamium Lake.
Access to council services will be restricted, with a reduction in the opening hours for the Housing Benefit and Planning phone lines, and reception at the Civic Centre to only be open from 9am to 1pm.
Changes to the operation of St Albans markets will involve some sort of trading seven days a week in order to charge a daily pitch fee rather than an annual street traders licence, which will save £40,000 per year.
The Cultural Strategy – an initiative aimed at enhancing the district’s cultural assets – will be ceased for the time being, avoiding costs of £30K.
Visitors to Verulamium Roman Museum will also see fees increased to adults £10 (resident £8), children £5 (resident £4) and concessions £6 (resident £5).
City tour guide, Cathedral guide and part-time Roman soldier Stephen Potter – aka Laurentius Calvus Petronius – has campaigned against fees at Verulamium Museum since they were introduced last year.
“The battle is lost on fees but what is disappointing is the idea of an annual pass has not been taken up. I spoke with some councillors last autumn and told it was being considered. However I believe it has just been shelved as an idea. The reason is that lack of locals has no affect on the increased revenue. Small numbers paying is more than large numbers free.
“That approach is disingenuous and contrary to the mission of a local museum. Yet I am still working with the museum service and was directly involved with the Samuel Ryder expo. The Museum + Gallery is free of course. As a public issue I think it has gone off the boil. Planning, parking, rail freight terminal, hospitals, potholes all get more airtime. I am not surprised at the increase. The price elasticity is such that it will have little effect on numbers of out of town visitors.
“I feel that the moment has gone but will have one more plea for an annual pass scheme.”
But even more draconian measures were considered and rejected by councillors, including the removal of all of the Sustainability Budget, £1 charge per visit to Verulamium splashpark or the total closure of the facility, stopping all spending on Christmas lights, closing all public toilets, moving to whole council elections from May 2026, the end to webcasting of council meetings, and a reduction in the number of printed editions of Community News from two to one a year.
District council leader Cllr Chris White, speaking to the St Albans Times earlier this year, laid the blame for the cuts firmly n the lap of Westminster: “The Government’s repeated underfunding for all councils means that fees and charges will go up and services will be cut. To be absolutely clear: the Government is raising fees and charges in the district of St Albans.”
The full council meeting takes place on February 28 at the Civic Centre.
