 We have appointed a specialist contractor to undertake £18 million of improvements to more than 900 homes and reduce tenants’ energy bills.
Correct Contract Services (CCS) will carry out the work to boost the energy efficiency at around a fifth of our social housing properties.
This may include loft, cavity wall and external wall insulation, solar panels and low-energy lighting. There may also be upgrades to windows, external doors and ventilation.
These measures will help householders with the cost of living crisis by cutting energy bills and will also reduce harmful carbon emissions.
The work is part funded by an £8.45 million grant obtained from a successful bid to the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. The remaining £9.7 million comes from the Council’s housing budget which is financed by rental payments rather than Council Tax.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor (centre right), Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee, shook hands on the deal with CCS’s Managing Director Danny Gladwyn (centre left) at a Council property which has already undergone improvements.
 There is still time to give your views on our draft Local Plan – an important blueprint for the area’s future growth.
A public consultation into the proposals continues until Tuesday 25 September with people able to give their feedback, view a video and look at relevant documents here.
The Local Plan identifies land for future business, infrastructure and housing developments for the years to 2041.
A commitment to tackle the climate emergency is a central feature with new developments required to be sustainable and improve biodiversity.
Other priorities are the delivery of more social housing, jobs, schools, GP surgeries, public transport, cycle paths, play areas and parks.
The Local Plan is also designed to grow the local economy, providing thousands of high-quality jobs.
Once the feedback is analysed, the Local Plan may undergo some changes with a second consultation taking place next summer.
 Manish Panchal relishes trading at our growing Charter Market and encouraging shoppers to eat healthily.
He said: "I love it here - I love the Charter Market vibe and it is great to see it doing so well.”
His Eat Wholefoods stall sells nuts, seeds, cereals, dried fruit, beans, pulses, herbal teas and other products.
To take care of the environment, he and his staff pack the goods in cellulose bags rather than plastic as these are biodegradable.
Manish said: “We are making a positive contribution to the community by providing food that is full of goodness and excellent for both physical and mental wellbeing.
“We have built up a lot of regular customers and are attracting more all the time."
The Market has been growing steadily this year with last Saturday's market attracting 84 traders occupying 121 pitches. The average for July last year was 65 traders using 87 pitches.
 You can support good causes and win up to £25,000 by taking part in the St Albans District Community Lottery.
Tickets for the weekly draw cost only £1 with 60p going to a good cause of your choosing.
Among the organisations that have signed up to become a good cause is the Hygiene Bank Harpenden and St Albans
Run by volunteers, the group is committed to eradicating hygiene poverty in the District by distributing new and unused toiletries to those in need.
Hygiene Bank believes no one should be left struggling to wash their hair, brush their teeth, clean their clothes, put on deodorant or pay for female hygiene products.
Since being set up four years ago, they have distributed 28 tonnes of toiletries across Harpenden and St Albans to families and individuals in need via various partners, including schools and foodbanks.
You can support them by buying tickets online here.
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The result of the Marshalswick East and Jersey Farm by-election on Thursday 17 August: Raihaanah Ahmed, Liberal Democrats, was elected.
You can find the full result, including the number of votes for each candidate, here.
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 Vote for your favourite places to eat and drink in the Enjoy St Albans Food and Drink Festival Awards.
You can vote here until Sunday 27 August when the top three in each of the eight categories will be short-listed.
A panel of judges from the Festival’s steering committee will then visit the venues to decide on the winners.
The finalists will be invited to attend the awards dinner on Monday 2 October when the results will be announced. The categories include best pub, restaurant, café and local producer.
Our parks and green spaces provide outstanding venues for all sorts of activities undertaken by community groups, schools, businesses and other organisations.
We welcome approaches from anyone who wishes to discuss the opportunities that we can provide for them.
This might be for a group fitness class, personal training, team sport, educational initiative, food and drink sales, animal training or some other activity.
You can make an enquiry by emailing estates@stalbans.gov.uk.
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 Everyone is invited to a heritage open day at Smallford Rail Station which is being restored to its former glory.
Volunteers working on the project, supported by the Council, will be on hand to talk about progress during the event on Sunday 10 September, 10am to 2pm.
An exhibition will illustrate the history of the station and the Hatfield and St Albans Railway that it once served. Free guided walks will take place from Smallford to Nast Hyde Halt at noon and 2pm.
A working model of the station as it was in 1960 will be on display along with a number of artefacts.
Visitors will be able to see the refurbished platform with its Victorian-style benches and lamp-posts as well as vintage rail posters designed by Oaklands College students.
The open day is suitable for people of all ages and light refreshments will be available.
Defibrillators save lives - yet the emergency services don't know where many are located.
If you are responsible for one, please register it now on The Circuit.
This is a UK-wide database that can help locate a defibrillator during a medical emergency. You could save someone's life by registering now.
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 Exhibition: Samuel Ryder and the Ryder Cup, Friday 8 September to Friday 27 October, Assembly Room, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Free.
Ahead of golf’s 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, we will be celebrating the competition’s founder and former St Albans Mayor, Samuel Ryder.
Ryder (pictured above) was one of the City’s most prominent residents and, as well as providing golf with one of its most exciting tournaments, he also changed the face of gardening nationally with his penny packets of seeds. As a Councillor and Mayor, he contributed to all aspect of life in St Albans..
Please check the Museums website before going as the exhibition will not be open at all times due to the Assembly Room being used occasionally for other events.
Talk: Putting the Tea in your G and T, Thursday 21 September, 7.30pm to 9.30pm, the Courtroom, Museum + Gallery, over- 18s only, £30 with a Gin trio included.
Come along and meet Chris Robinson-Brown, managing director of the Cornish company G and Tea which makes hand-crafted, tea-distilled gin.
Chris will host an evening of gin tasting while sharing stories from his career in the gin distilling industry including the secrets of the botanicals.
Further information about what is happening at the Museum + Gallery as well as Verulamium Museum can be found here.
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You may soon receive a letter if you receive a single person discount of 25% off your Council Tax.
We are required to regularly review Council Tax discounts because sometimes people forget to tell us when there has been a change of circumstances.
If you receive a letter about your discount, please follow the instructions to confirm whether you are still entitled to it. If you want to contact us about your Council Tax, you can do this via your MyStAlbans account.
Verulamium Park is the inspiration for several of local artist Donna Borg’s works – including an eye-catching painting of the footbridge that crosses the lakes.
Donna is holding a free exhibition next month which will feature scenes from the park and City Centre as well as portraits, still life and other works.
The exhibition is at the Abbey Theatre beside Westminster Lodge from Saturday 9 to Wednesday 13 September and is part of this year’s Herts Visual Arts open studios event.
Donna will also hold a still life workshop on the Sunday from 10.30am to 1.30pm for all levels. More information including how to obtain a ticket for the opening night are available here.
Malta-born Donna said: “I love Verulamium Park. It is such a pleasure to paint it to try and capture some of its magic.”
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 Four riding school pupils have been praised for raising funds for research into a rare illness.
The Mayor of St Albans City and District, Councillor Anthony Rowlands (3rd from left), presented each of the girls with a certificate to mark their achievement.
Charlotte Andrews, Ruby Nash, Lucy Malin and Eva Wright completed a marathon 250 jumps with their horses at the Chiswell Green Riding School.
The girls, aged 12 to 15, carried out the sponsored jumps in aid of the charity Sarcoidosis UK.
Sarcoidosis is an incurable condition where lumps called granulomas develop at different sites of the body and can prevent an organ from working properly.
Affinity Water want to make sure that residents and businesses in St Albans District can be kept updated about any works or water supply interruptions.
You can sign up to the alerts service by registering an online account and providing your mobile number or email address for alerts.
You can also keep up to date by checking their website.
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 St Albans Healthy Hub is your free one-stop-shop for health and wellbeing information, advice and support.
You can get advice on a wide range of issues including how to manage your money, quit smoking or lose weight.
The organisations involved include Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Mind in Mid Herts and many more. You can find more information here.
 A Covid vaccine booster will be offered this autumn to people at greatest risk of getting seriously ill.
Eligible people include everyone aged 65-plus and those aged 6 months to 64 who are in a clinical risk group. You can find out more here.
Support is available to help you manage the rising cost of living which is having a huge impact on people’s lives.
Hertfordshire County Council has set up a cost of living webpage where you can find a wealth of information and contact details for support groups.
Citizens Advice, for example, is offering advice on how to save money when using your appliances.
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Our partners at the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust are urging residents to make the world wilder by creating a Coronation Garden.
The idea is to ensure your garden can provide food both for yourself and for nature.
Whether new to gardening or more experienced, you can find out how to get involved here.
Growing your own carrots and other vegetables can save you money on the weekly shop while planting wildflowers will protect bees and other insects.
Even the smallest outdoor spaces can be used and if you don’t have a garden, you can find out how to get involved with a community garden, allotment or green space here .
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The Council is responsible for the naming and numbering of new streets and buildings.
Our aim is to establish a unique, unambiguous and logical address for each property in the District.
This is to ensure, among other things, that there is no duplication and emergency services can quickly locate an address without any confusion arising.
If you need to apply for a new street name or a building number within the District, you can do so here.
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