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Council Size Submission

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Council Size Submission St Albans City and District Council Council Size Submission Contents How to Make a Submission .................................................................................................................................................................. 2 About You ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Reason for Review (Request Reviews Only) ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Local Authority Profile .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Council Size ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Other Issues ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Page | 1 How to Make a Submission 1. It is recommended that submissions on council size follow the format provided below. Submissions should focus on the future needs of the council and not simply describe the current arrangements. Submissions should also demonstrate that alternative council sizes have been considered in drawing up the proposal. 2. The template allows respondents to enter comments directly under each heading. It is not recommended that responses are should unduly long; as a guide, it is anticipated that a 15 to 20-page document using this template should suffice. Individual section length may vary depending on the issues to be explained. Where internal documents are referred to URLs should be provided, rather than the document itself. It is also recommended that a table is included that highlights the key paragraphs for the Commission’s attention. About You 3. The respondent should use this space to provide the Commission with a little detail about who is making the submission, whether it is the full Council, Officers on behalf of the Council, a political party or group, or an individual. This is a submission made by St Albans City and District Council and was approved by a full meeting of the Council on 10th July 2019. Reason for Review (Request Reviews Only) 4. Please explain the authority’s reasons for requesting this electoral review; it is useful for the Commission to have context. NB/ If the Commission has identified the authority for review under one if its published criteria, then you are not required to answer this question. Click or tap here to enter text. Local Authority Profile 5. Please provide a short description of the authority and its setting. This should set the scene for the Commission and give it a greater understanding of any current issues. The description may cover all, or some of the following: • Brief outline of area - are there any notable geographic constraint for example that may affect the review? • Rural or urban - what are the characteristics of the authority? • Demographic pressures - such as distinctive age profiles, migrant or transitional populations, is there any large growth anticipated? • Are there any other constraints, challenges, issues or changes ahead? Page | 2 St Albans District is in the Green Belt of south west Hertfordshire, 25 minutes’ train journey from St Pancras International. Its historic setting, beautiful landscape, low levels of crime and unemployment, good sports and cultural facilities, excellent schools and strong sense of community make it a very popular place to live, and to bring up families. These factors also make the district one of the most expensive places to live in the UK. Much of the population is affluent. An indicator of the prosperity of the district is the fact that St Albans ranks 6th in the top income tax paying areas of the country. However, four sub-ward areas are in the 40% most deprived in the country (within Batchwood, Cunningham, Sopwell and Harpenden East) according to the Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation. The popularity of the area for families has an impact on the activities of councillors, especially at ward/community level. In addition to the usual district council activities, other services such as school places and access to services for children with special needs take up district councillor time, despite these being county council functions. Also, limited access to affordable accommodation makes housing another issue that is high on district councillors’ most asked about subjects. Our population is highly engaged in many aspects of Council life, a particularly distinctive and noteworthy feature and something we celebrate locally as it contributes to our sense of community. This engagement is illustrated by the commendably high level of turnout seen for elections of all types: District election turnouts routinely between 40% and 47% (UK average around 35%); EU referendum 82.5% (UK average 72.2%); UK Parliamentary election June 2017: St Albans constituency turnout was 78.3%, the 7th highest in the country. The 77.4% turnout in the Hitchin and Harpenden constituency was the 17th highest turnout; EU Parliamentary election 23 May 2019, St Albans District turnout 47% - Eastern Region average 36%. According to findings from our Community Survey 2018, the proportion of residents who feel well informed about how they can get involved in local decision making has increased by 10 percentage points since 2015 to 46%. We also have high levels of volunteering with over 30% of residents saying they regularly participate in unpaid work (Community Survey 2018). This level of engagement does, however, mean that councillors have a high rate of resident contact and demand. Therefore, whether in areas of deprivation such as those wards mentioned above, or in more affluent areas, both urban (such as those in St Albans and Harpenden) and rural (such as the large villages of Redbourn, Wheathampstead, Park Street and London Colney) local councillors have high workloads. Page | 3 The population of St Albans has risen steadily over recent decades and is forecast to continue to do so. The Government predicts that our population could rise from 148,810 residents in 2018 to 154,717 in 2024 and to 158,038 residents by 2029. This is an increase of 5.8% between 2018 and 2029. In 1997, at the time of the last review, the population was approximately 127,327, so there has been an increase of 16.8% since the current governance arrangements were established. We also welcome an estimated 2 million visitors each year. As part of the review process, the Council has prepared electorate forecasts for the period to 2023, having regard to the location and scale of housing development expected to take place. These forecasts were developed in accordance with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England guidance and are consistent with ONS expectations of growth. St Albans has a highly qualified population, according to NOMIS which provides employment by occupation data derived from the ONS annual population survey. For the period January 2018 to December 2018 the following was noted: Social Group 1-3 (managers, directors and senior officials, professional occupations, technical) 65.7%; Social Group 4-5 (administrative & secretarial, skilled trades) 11.6%; Social Group 6-7 (caring, leisure, sales and customer services) 14%; Social Group 8-9 (plant and machine operatives, elementary occupations) 16.2%; According to NOMIS, for the period Jan 2018 to Dec 2018, 50,300 hold NVQA and above which amounts to 56.5% of the population aged 16-64. This is higher than the average for the East (35.2%) and for Great Britain (39.3%) (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157227/report.aspx?town=st%20albans) The table below illustrates that St Albans has a high share of total employment in financial and business services at 36.7%. A report by the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) noted that the financial services sector was the industry most at risk by the withdrawal of EU migrant labour. Area Manufacturing Construction Wholesale and retail Transport and Financial and Public admin, Other communication business services education and health Services Employment 1,750 3,750 11,000 6,250 26,450 12,900 3,750 in area Share of total 2.4% 5.2% 15.3% 8.7% 36.7% 17.9% 5.2% employment Source: https://www.hertfordshirelep.com/media/6882/brexit-hertfordshire-2018.pdf Page | 4 Proximity to London means that a high number of residents commute to work. St Albans is itself an attraction, providing employment, facilities and entertainment for many. In 2017/18, St Albans City railway station recorded over 7 million entries and exits, while Harpenden station recorded nearly 3.5 million. The city of St Albans is an important market town and retail centre featuring small specialist independent retailers, as well as high street multiples. The city has a wide range of restaurants and bars which contribute to a vibrant evening economy. Its heritage goes back to before Roman times. There are 19 conservation areas, and nearly 900 listed buildings and two Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The district is also rich in archaeological heritage with 18 Scheduled Ancient Monuments. Located to the north of the city Harpenden is a charming and
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