Councillor Teresa Heritage elected as new Mayor of the City and District of St Albans
Councillor Teresa Heritage has been elected the new Mayor of the City and District of St Albans and will support two charities during her year in office.
She was made Mayor for 2025/26 at the Annual Meeting of the Council on Wednesday 21 May with Councillor Sue Griffiths becoming Deputy Mayor.
Mayor Heritage, who succeeds Cllr Jamie Day, will raise money for Community First Responders and Pancreatic Cancer UK.
She has also decided that the themes of her civic year will be encouraging volunteering and supporting small businesses.
Mayor Heritage has been a District Councillor since 2002 and represents Harpenden South ward. She is the City’s 481st Mayor with the first having been appointed in 1553.
She will chair Full Council meetings and represent the City at a variety of events, often involving voluntary and charity groups.
Mayor Heritage said:
It is an honour to be elected to this historic position and I am looking forward to an exciting year ahead.
During my time in office, I will be promoting volunteering, throwing some light on the selfless work people undertake to strengthen our communities. I will also seek to highlight our local businesses which provide so many jobs and services.
Pancreatic Cancer UK is a cause close to my heart as the illness recently took away my dear friend Brian Ellis, a former District Councillor.
Communities First Responders are volunteers, trained to attend local medical emergencies and save lives before an ambulance arrives.
I will be urging people to donate to these wonderful causes and will start my fund-raising efforts with a sponsored slim.
To charities and community groups across the District, I say please invite me to your events, so I can highlight your work in encouraging cohesion and inclusivity, so nobody feels left behind.
Mayor Teresa Heritage
Teresa has been a District Councillor for 23 years, serving on numerous Committees, and was formerly both a Town and County Councillor.
Hertfordshire born and bred, she grew up in Borehamwood and went to work for Lloyds Bank after leaving school at 18.
She later qualified as a Chartered Secretary and began a career in the City, rising to become Assistant Company Secretary and Investor Relations Manager for Lonrho.
Teresa spent 26 years with Lonrho, being involved in high-profile takeovers and other major business dealings, and later joined a consultancy.
She has also enjoyed a long career in public service, becoming a District Councillor in 2002 and a County Councillor six years later.
As a County Councillor, she served in many roles including Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Children’s Services.
In addition, she became a Mental Health Champion, joined the Royal British Legion and chaired Hertfordshire SSAFA, the armed forces’ charity.
Teresa has been heavily involved for many years in community and charity work in Harpenden and is currently President of Harpenden Village Rotary Club.
She has been a school governor and a founding member of Harpenden Connect and Harpenden Seniors Forum.
Her husband David, a retired businessman, is a District and Town Councillor. The couple have a son and three grandchildren.
Deputy Mayor Sue Griffiths
Sue, who is a District Councillor for Harpenden North ward, was born and raised in Liverpool where she attended university before going into banking.
Work took her south and she held senior positions with the former Midland Bank, reaching the final of the Young Businesswoman of the Year in 1989.
Sue later trained as a teacher in Business Studies and gained an MA in Education from the University of Hertfordshire while teaching at Marlborough Science Academy in St Albans.
She later moved to Sir John Lawes School in Harpenden, where she has lived since 1987, and became Head of Faculty for Business and Economics
She continues to work in education at Sir John Lawes and as a business lecturer at Oaklands College.
Sue is a supporter of Young Enterprise, a national charity to equip young people for the world of work, and has received their long service award.
She also supports the Open Door homeless shelter in St Albans, cooking regular evening meals as part of a team.
Her husband Roy is a retired banker and the couple have three children and two grandchildren.
Charity contacts
You can find out more information about Communities First Responders, including opportunities for volunteering, here.
More information about Pancreatic Cancer UK is available here.
Pictures: top, the Mayor, Cllr Teresa Heritage; bottom, the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Sue Griffiths.
Contact for the Mayor’s office: Alison Orde, the Mayor’s Civic Officer, 01727 819544, mayoralty@stalbans.gov.uk.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727-819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.