The new chairman of Hertfordshire County Council has expressed a view that St Alban should be made the patron saint for Britain.

Cllr Sandy Walkington (Liberal Democrat, St Albans South) was installed as the 41st chairman of Hertfordshire County Council at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (May 19).

And, in accepting the role, he shared his view that St Alban should be made a new patron saint of Britain – sitting alongside the patron saints of the British nations.

"I have always thought St Alban should be the patron saint of Britain," said Cllr Walkington.

"I mean, an actual person of flesh and blood, from Hertfordshire. Our saint. The first Christian martyr in Britain.

"He actually took in and sheltered somebody of a different belief. Not his belief.

"He took in somebody who was being persecuted and sheltered him. And spoke to him. And learned from him. And in the end was executed for doing a fundamentally decent thing of protecting someone.

"And you know I am perfectly happy for England, Scotland, Wales to keep George, Andrew and David.

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"But frankly, someone from Turkey killing a reptile versus an actual British person doing something good and binding community. . .and I just say St Alban for Britain.

"And even better, his feast day is right in the summer and perfect for a nice extra summer holiday. So I just plant that out there."

Cllr Walkington, who has lived in Hertfordshire for 46 years, has been a county councillor since 2013.

And he has served as the vice chairman of the county council since May 2025.

In his role as chairman, Cllr Walkington will be charged with ensuring the business of the full council is conducted in accordance with the law and the council's constitution.

And he will represent the council at a wide range of civic and community events.

Addressing the council following his election, Cllr Walkington welcomed the "special experience" ahead.

"None of you need reminding that Hertfordshire is special. And it needs to be cherished," he said.

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"Being a member of this council is such a privilege. I always say it's like doing a PhD in Hertfordshire studies.

"And to be chairman is going to be an even more special experience because of the opportunities that I will have."

Cllr Walkington also referenced the challenges facing the county, including Local Government Reform and the "tsunami coming our way" in terms of cost of living and energy costs.

And he suggested they all had a duty to understand the pressures people were under and to think about how they could help and supply support.

At the meeting, tributes were also paid to retiring chairman Cllr Lawrence Brass (Liberal Democrat, Bushey North).

Following the meeting, Cllr Brass said that it had been "a huge privilege to represent the diverse community of Hertfordshire this past year".

And he said that in his unofficial role as Chairman Emeritus, he now intended to continue working with and on behalf of some of the charities and volunteers he had met over the past 12 months.

"I certainly plan to continue my efforts to improve interfaith relations, which has become such an urgent need in these troubled times," he said

At the same annual meeting of the county council, on Tuesday, Cllr Steve Watson (Green, Ware South) was elected as the new vice-chairman of the county council.