City of St Albans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids City and District of St Albans
Non-metropolitan district, Borough & City
St Albans
St Albans Cathedral in St Albans
Flag
St Albans shown within Hertfordshire
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	East of England
Non-metropolitan county	Hertfordshire
Status	Non-metropolitan district, Borough & City
Admin HQ	St Albans
Incorporated	1 April 1974
Government
• Type	Non-metropolitan district council
• Body	St Albans City and District Council
Area
• Total	62.23 sq mi (161.18 km2)
Area rank	177 (of 326)
Population  (2005 est.)
• Total	147,095
• Rank	141 (of 326)
• Density	2,363.66/sq mi (912.613/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
• Ethnic groups	List 83.6% White 8.2% Asian 4.3% Mixed 2.1% Black 1.8% other
Religion (2021)
• Religion	List 47.4% Christianity 37.1% no religion 10.8% other 4.7% Islam
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code	26UG (ONS) E07000100 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TL148073

St Albans is a city and district in Hertfordshire, England. It is also known as the City and District of St Albans. The main office for the local government is in St Albans, which is the biggest town in the area. The district also includes the town of Harpenden and many villages. St Albans borders other areas like Welwyn Hatfield and Watford.

History of St Albans

The town of St Albans has been an important place for a long time. It was first given special rights as a borough in 1553. A borough is a town that governs itself. Later, in 1877, it officially became a city.

The modern St Albans district was created on April 1, 1974. This happened under a law called the Local Government Act 1972. The new district combined three older areas:

• Harpenden Urban District
• St Albans Municipal Borough
• Most of the St Albans Rural District

The new district was named St Albans because it was the largest settlement. It was given "borough status" right away. This meant the head of the council could be called the "mayor". This continued a tradition of mayors in St Albans that began in 1553. The entire new district was given "city status" on July 9, 1974. The council can call itself "St Albans City Council" but usually uses "St Albans City and District Council".

Exploring St Albans Geography

The biggest town in the district is St Albans. The next largest is Harpenden. Some of the main villages are Redbourn, Wheathampstead, London Colney, Chiswell Green, and Bricket Wood.

Other towns nearby include Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City to the east. Luton and Dunstable are to the north. Hemel Hempstead is to the west, and Watford is to the southwest. St Albans is quite close to Greater London, less than 4 miles (6.4 km) from its edge. The centre of St Albans is about 19 miles (30.6 km) from the centre of London.

How St Albans is Governed

St Albans City and District Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district council
Leadership
Mayor	Jamie Day, Liberal Democrats Since 22 May 2024
Leader	Paul De Kort, Liberal Democrats Since 22 May 2024
Chief Executive	Amanda Foley Since 17 July 2017
Structure
Seats	56
Political groups	Administration (47)      Liberal Democrats (47) Other parties (9)      Conservatives (3)      Green (3)      Labour (2)      Independent (1)
Elections
Last election	2 May 2024
Next election	7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Centre, St Peter's Street, St Albans, AL1 3JE

Hertfordshire has two levels of local government. The ten district councils, like St Albans City and District Council, handle local services. The Hertfordshire County Council handles bigger services for the whole county. Some areas also have smaller parish councils.

The County Council is in charge of things like schools, roads, fire safety, and libraries. The District Council handles things like elections, food safety, car parks, and parks. They also manage council housing, town planning, and street cleaning. Parish councils look after local projects, leisure facilities, and community transport.

Council Leadership

The Mayor of St Albans is mostly a ceremonial role. They lead council meetings and are the main representative of the district. The mayor is chosen from the councillors. They are expected to be fair and not take sides in politics. A different councillor usually becomes mayor each year.

The real political leader is the leader of the council. Here are the leaders since 2004:

Council Members

After the 2024 election, the council looks like this:

The next election for the council is planned for May 2026.

Council Building

The council's main office is at the Civic Centre on St Peter's Street in St Albans. This building was built for the council in 1989. It even has a special emergency bunker in the basement.

Council Elections

The council has 56 councillors. The district is split into 20 areas called wards. Each ward elects one, two, or three councillors. Elections happen three out of every four years. About a third of the council is elected each time. In the fourth year, elections are held for the Hertfordshire County Council.

District Wards

The wards in the St Albans district are:

Local Parishes

Many areas in the district have their own local councils called parish councils. These include Colney Heath, Harpenden, Harpenden Rural, London Colney, Redbourn, St Michael, St Stephen, Sandridge, and Wheathampstead. Harpenden's parish council is called a "town council". The central part of St Albans does not have a parish council. Instead, a special committee of district councillors handles local matters there.

St Albans Economy

St Albans has a very skilled workforce. Many people who live and work here have university degrees. The average weekly earnings are much higher than the national average. St Albans also has very low unemployment, which means most people who want to work can find jobs.

Some big companies have offices in the district, like Deloitte, Spreadex, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. A large Sainsbury's distribution centre in London Colney employs over 600 people.

In 2024, the St Albans Market was named the Best Large Outdoor Market in the country.

Transport in St Albans

Several major roads run through the district. These include the M1 motorway, the M25 motorway, the A414 road, and the A1081 road.

The district has six railway stations. Two of them, St Albans City and Harpenden, are on the main Thameslink train line. This line connects Bedford to Brighton, going through London. The other four stations are on the Abbey Line branch line. This line runs from St Albans Abbey to Watford Junction.

Population of St Albans

In 2021, the population of St Albans City and District was 148,167 people. There were slightly more females than males. Most residents are White British. A large number of people identify as Christian, and many also say they have no religion.

St Albans Twin Towns

St Albans has "twin town" relationships with several places around the world. This means they have special friendly connections and often visit each other.

• Fano, Italy
• Nyíregyháza, Hungary
• Nevers, France
• Odense, Denmark
• Worms, Germany
• Nieuwleusen, Netherlands
• Sylhet, Bangladesh

St Albans also has "friendship links" with:

• HMS St Albans (F83)

St Albans Coat of Arms

Arms of City of St Albans

Crest Issuant from a mural crown Or a demi figure of a knight armed of the period circa 1215 holding in the dexter hand a sword erect and in the sinister hand a roll of parchment Proper. Escutcheon Azure a saltire Or. Supporters On the dexter side an abbot in Liturgical vestments and plain mitre and supporting with the exterior hand a crozier on the sinister side a figure representing John the Printer and holding in the exterior hand an ink-ball. Compartment Per pale of a ploughed field and cobbles all Proper.

The Coat of Arms is a special symbol for the St Albans City and District Council. It shows different symbols that represent the history and importance of the area.

See also

In Spanish: Distrito de St. Albans para niños