Students were given the chance to talk politics with the leader of a political party, as Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron visited sixth form students from the Sandringham and Beaumont Schools in March.

It was also announced that ongoing losses and a fall in the number of traders sparked concern for the future of a Christmas market. Despite a record number of visitors in 2016, the St Albans Christmas market made a loss of £53,072

The gale force winds of Storm Doris arrived in St Albans, causing widespread damage and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. One of the most high-profile casualties of the storm was a distinctive pine tree in Verulamium Park on a ridge overlooking the city.

Women from St Albans protested outside Parliament about pension inequality. MPs joined the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) rally, which took place outside the Houses of Parliament on International Women’s Day. Thousands of women protested against the forthcoming change to state pension schemes. The Government’s plan to change women’s retirement age from 60 to 66 means many women born in the 1950s, who have been planning their retirement, must now wait longer to receive their pension.

A special delivery of Alban Buns was brought to St Albans Cathedral to mark the first day of Lent. The hot cross bun is said to originate in the city, where 14th Century monk Brother Thomas Rocliffe developed an original recipe and distributed the baked goods to the poor on Good Friday in 1361.

A gay senior clergyman accused church leaders of being homophobic after he was denied a bishop’s job. The Dean of St Albans, the Very Rev Jeffrey John, was rejected as the bishop of Llandaff earlier in the month. He claims he was told that bishops considering his appointment were “just too exhausted” to deal with the problems his appointment might cause.