What is the point of the CGR? Why does it matter? What impact will it have on our City?
Journalist Andrew Hill will chair a panel discussion about the ongoing CGR – the reasons behind it, the process, and the implications it will have on St.Albans.There will be an opportunity to ask questions and achieve a better understanding of the democratic changes coming our way, and the important role you can play in ensuring we retain a local voice for our city.
By 2028, district and county councils across the country will be replaced by new “unitary authorities.” In St Albans, this means our City & District Council—currently managing the city from its offices on St Peter’s Street—will be dissolved. Other parts of the district like Harpenden and Redbourn already have local parish councils. But central St Albans doesn’t. When our city council disappears, so too does the local management of our neighbourhoods.
What does that mean for us? It means:
• No one local looking after parks, festivals, community spaces, or the market
• No one to speak up for city centre residents on local issues
• No elected body focused solely on the people who live and work in our city.
That’s why the St Albans Civic Society, in partnership with local residents groups, is proposing a new parish council for central St Albans. This would be a locally elected body—just like Harpenden Town Council—focused on preserving and enhancing our unique city life.