Category: Current

St Albans City & District Council will be conducting the annual household voter
registration canvass from early July until the end of the year.
The canvass ensures that the electoral register is kept up to date. It is
important that residents make sure they can vote with District Council
elections taking place in May next year.

Every residential property in the district will be sent an email or letter during
July to check whether the details on the electoral register are correct.
Not all properties will be required to respond, and the email or letter will advise
whether a response is required. If you do need to respond, please respond
promptly. Reminders will be sent in the autumn to any properties which are
required to respond and have not done so.

During the canvass period (July onwards), information about the canvass will
be available at www.stalbans.gov.uk/household-voter-registration-canvass.

Our Clerk explains the difference between the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council…

With our Annual meetings due to be held on 14 May 2024, let’s take the opportunity to clarify what happens at each.

Both types of meeting are open to the public to attend, and both are required to be held during May.

The Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council is when we review things such as who will be Chairman for the next year.  Otherwise it will follow a similar structure as for other Parish Council Meetings in the year.  Any member of the public is entitled to attend and observe, but as with all Parish Council Meetings, they are allowed to speak or ask questions only in a designated part of the proceedings or by the invitation of the Chairman.

All Parish and Town Councils throughout England are required by law to hold an Annual Parish Meeting, which acts as an annual democratic point of communication enabling the Parish Council to explain what it has been doing over the last year and providing an opportunity for the electors to have their say on anything they consider is important  to the people of the Parish.

Who can attend the Annual Parish Meeting?
The Annual Parish Meeting is a meeting of all the local government electors for the Parish, which the public are specifically entitled to attend and participate in.

Will I be able to ask questions and make suggestions?
Yes, any registered elector may ask questions at the Annual Parish Meeting, which will usually be answered by the Chairperson, the Clerk to the Council, or a designated Councillor. An elector may also make suggestions and comment on anything relevant to the residents of the Parish.

Who will chair the Annual Parish Meeting?
The Chairman of the Parish Council will chair the meeting or in his/her absence the Vice Chairman.

Will Parish Councillors be there?
Yes, however, the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting is to enable the ordinary electors to have their say. Councillors will listen with interest and as some are electors themselves, they also have the opportunity to raise questions and make comments if they wish.

Will notes be taken of the meeting?
Yes, a written record of the meeting will be taken and presented at the next Annual Parish meeting for approval.

How long will the meeting last?
As long as need be within reason.  It will depend on how many persons attend who wish to speak.

We have learned with sadness that the Holly Bush in Potters Crouch – one of only two pubs within the parish boundary – has recently closed its doors. The brewery, Fullers, say this is temporary, and that they are working hard to re-open. We send our best wishes to all connected with the Holly Bush, along with our hopes that the pub will soon be serving the Potters Crouch community once again.for its

At St Michael Parish Council, we are keen to understand better the interests and concerns of the area’s residents and visitors, to help us in setting parish council priorities to focus our efforts in the coming years. A few moments of your time answering the questions in this survey would be very much appreciated.

Please follow this link, which will take you to an on-line survey form created with Microsoft 365.

We are grateful to acknowledge the source of graphics used in some of our posts:

Survey icons created by Maan Icons – Flaticon

Question icons created by smashingstocks – Flaticon

Individuals and groups/organisations can find out about protected species in a specific area, which they might need, for example, to inform comments on local planning applications. Please read on to find out how to access the data.

Local Environmental Records Centres (LERCs) are not-for-profit organisations that collate and manage information on the natural environment for a defined geographic area.

LERCs collaborate with experts to ensure information is robust, and make information, products and services accessible to decision-makers, the public, and researchers.  

Hertfordshire Environmental Records Centre (HERC) is hosted by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Data held by HERC is provided by local naturalists and specialist groups, professional ecologists and the public. Information is made available to a wide range of individuals and organisations.

Contact HERC for further information or to make a data request:

www.hercinfo.org.uk (You can find a request form here)

enquiries@hercinfo.org.uk

01727 732 767

Herts Environmental Records Centre (HERC)
Grebe House
St Michael’s Street
St Albans
AL3 4SN  

Our Clerk explains the difference between the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council….

With our Annual meetings due to be held on 14 May 2024, let’s take the opportunity to clarify what happens at each.

Both types of meeting are open to the public to attend, and both are required to be held during May.

The Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council is when we review things such as who will be Chairman for the next year.  Otherwise it will follow a similar structure as for other Parish Council Meetings in the year.  Any member of the public is entitled to attend and observe, but as with all Parish Council Meetings, they are allowed to speak or ask questions only in a designated part of the proceedings or by the invitation of the Chairman.

All Parish and Town Councils throughout England are required by law to hold an Annual Parish Meeting, which acts as an annual democratic point of communication enabling the Parish Council to explain what it has been doing over the last year and providing an opportunity for the electors to have their say on anything they consider is important  to the people of the Parish.

Who can attend the Annual Parish Meeting?
The Annual Parish Meeting is a meeting of all the local government electors for the Parish, which the public are specifically entitled to attend and participate in.

Will I be able to ask questions and make suggestions?
Yes, any registered elector may ask questions at the Annual Parish Meeting, which will usually be answered by the Chairperson, the Clerk to the Council, or a designated Councillor. An elector may also make suggestions and comment on anything relevant to the residents of the Parish.

Who will chair the Annual Parish Meeting?
The Chairman of the Parish Council will chair the meeting or in his/her absence the Vice Chairman.

Will Parish Councillors be there?
Yes, however, the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting is to enable the ordinary electors to have their say. Councillors will listen with interest and as some are electors themselves, they also have the opportunity to raise questions and make comments if they wish.

Will notes be taken of the meeting?
Yes, a written record of the meeting will be taken and presented at the next Annual Parish meeting for approval.

How long will the meeting last?
As long as need be within reason.  It will depend on how many persons attend who wish to speak.