The local authorityCouncil · district · England · 1 of 164 councils (district)

St Albans.

Liberal Democrats-controlled district. £19m net revenue. 8 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats17 councillors · 8 wards
Last election2 May 2024
Net revenue · 2025-26
£19m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,306
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
17/17
Liberal Democrats 100%
Westminster
2
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Liberal Democrats chamber, Liberal Democrats MPs.

St Albans is a district controlled by Liberal Democrats (17 of 17 seats). Net revenue is £19m for 2025-26. It covers 8 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.17 seats · last contested 2 May 2024

Who sits in the chamber.

LD 17

Liberal Democrats 100% · last contested 2 May 2024

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Jez LevyLDBernards Heath2024
Chris BrattleLDBernards Heath2023
Helen CampbellLDBernards Heath2022
Beth Lucy FisherLDHarpenden North Rural2024
Ayesha RohaleLDHarpenden North Rural2023
Ed MooreLDHarpenden North Rural2022
Anthony Francis RowlandsLDHill End2024
Graeme Thomas ShawLDHill End2023
Jamie DayLDHill End2022
Raihaanah AhmedLDMarshalswick East Jersey Farm2024
Raj VisramLDMarshalswick East Jersey Farm2023
Lorraine KirbyLDMarshalswick East Jersey Farm2022
Showing 12 of 17·All 17 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

72%
Council tax
£13.4m · median 61%
20%
Central grants
£3.8m · median 26%
8%
Business rates
£1.5m · median 11%

This is a high-council-tax councils (district): 72% of revenue from council tax, above the cohort median (61%).

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£208
County / upper-tier£1,770
Police£265
Fire & rescue£0
GLA precept£0
Parish average£63
Total Band-D£2,306

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.7 buckets · vs 163 other councils (district)

How does St Albans split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (district)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Waste & Recycling39.1% of net spend · cohort median 32%
38 of 158+22% vs median
Corporate & Central30.4% of net spend · cohort median 27%
57 of 158+13% vs median
Planning & Economic Development23.4% of net spend · cohort median 14%
20 of 158+62% vs median
Housing & Homelessness16.9% of net spend · cohort median 14%
50 of 158+20% vs median
Culture & Leisure8.0% of net spend · cohort median 13%
124 of 158-41% vs median
Public Health-0.5% of net spend · cohort median 0%
38 of 38-207% vs median
Highways & Transport-17.2% of net spend · cohort median -2%
149 of 158
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.8 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
St Albans12150% Daisy CooperLD
Harpenden and Berkhamsted8100% Victoria CollinsLD
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 163 other councils (district)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for St Albans
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level