Issues and SWOT: St Albans

strength

Use Jubilee Square’s experience to shape future district housing

Jubilee Square homes are complete with social-rent tenants moving in, and the District Local Plan has been adopted.

The completed scheme offers evidence about lived housing and public-space use. The wider plan sets a framework; it does not mean all its sites are built or funded.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

3% of people reported bad or very bad health in St Albans council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.9% in Harpenden West to 4.7% in Colney Heath — a gap of 2.8 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

strength

Connect local skills to local opportunities

53% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in St Albans council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 6.1% in Harpenden West to 16.5% in London Colney — a gap of 10.4 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

weakness

Translate the adopted Local Plan into delivered services

The district plan sets where development and infrastructure can go.

Adoption alone does not provide homes, transport or facilities.

Evidence

weakness

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,931 a month (August 2026) in St Albans council area. This is £472 higher than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.8% in Marshalswick West to 38.4% in St Peters — a gap of 29.7 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

opportunity

Help households get suitable energy improvements

St Albans has a district-wide advice route and grant funding, but the page does not establish how many homes the new grant has improved.

Proposed response: Help eligible residents through assessment and installation, then check whether the work meets their needs.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

17.2% of people in St Albans council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9.5% in St Peters to 24.7% in St Stephen — a gap of 15.2 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in St Albans council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 5.2% in Harpenden West to 16.3% in London Colney — a gap of 11.1 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Check completed upgrades before claiming energy savings

Home-energy advice and grant funding are available, but completed upgrade totals are unverified.

Residents need to distinguish a grant offer from a working improvement.

Evidence