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Showing posts from February, 2016

Councillor Mrs Goodchild: Why I support the 3.95% Increase in Council Tax

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At their budget setting meeting on Thursday 25th February 2016, the CBC councillor for Houghton Hall Ward, Liberal Democrat, Mrs Susan Goodchild, had these words of support.
The new rate for a Band D property for the Central Bedfordshire Council is  £1,360.01 (up 3.95%).

By Cllr Mrs S. Goodchild

"I am always concerned when I hear about proposals to increase council tax, but from my personal experience with my constituents in Houghton Regis, which is known to have a higher proportion of residents living in poverty, then I think we must protect front line services and for this reason I will be supporting the increase in Council tax in line with the council’s recommendation.

It is however,  hugely disappointing that the Government has not listened to council’s and charities, which have been urging them to provide sufficient funding to support local welfare assistance.  We cannot pretend that this will not have an impact on the Council’s ability to improve people’s quality of life.

Thi…
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CBC's Chief Executive "Earns More Than Angela Merkel or Justin Trudeau"

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On Thursday 25th February 2016, former CBC councillor for Parkside, Houghton Regis, Dr Rita Egan used the device of 'questions by the public' to deliver these comments to Central Bedfordshire Council as they met to set their budget for 2015/16


By Dr Rita Egan

My question to this Council is a follows.  When are you going to take any notice of your consultation outcomes when the outcomes are not what you want to hear.  This year’s budget consultation, which took place between 4th January and the 8th February, is yet another example of how Central Bedfordshire fulfils its statutory duty, then ignores what residents say.  On this occasion, more residents were opposed to the general tax increase than were in favour.  The author of this report might describe the outcome as finely balanced, but I’m sure the terminology would have been quite different if the residents had narrowly agreed with the Council’s wishes.  As it is, they did not.  Why are they being ignored?

Residents were als…
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300 More Officers, Please, Needed to Police Bedfordshire Properly.

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About 50 residents turned out on a bitter cold evening this week to hear first hand from Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins on the state of Policing in Bedfordshire.

Mr Martins' talk was illustrated with slides showing statistics that show that Bedfordshire is grossly under-funded for the type and quantity of crime it has to contend with compared with other forces. He told the meeting that Bedfordshire had a high serious crime mix, problems with extremism of the left and the right, faced issues with organised crime groups, the local force had to police the fifth busiest airport in the country, and that the county had easy access routes to the capital for criminals.

He told the audience, "We are funded like a small rural county. And yet we are the 4th highest county for gun crime, the 7th highest for knife crimes, and the 5th highest for acquisitive crimes. In a comparable table we are at the low end of how many police officers we have per 100,000 of population."

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Houghton Regis Helpers - Another Record Year of Helping!

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The AGM of the Houghton Regis Helpers was held at Red House Court, Clarke's Way, Houghton Regis, on Tuesday, hosted by Jenny and Eric Gallucci, Secretary and Chairman, pictured above.

It was reported that the voluntary group had had a record year, carrying out over 900 tasks for 96 clients (up from 85 in 2014)  by 31 volunteers.

In the past 4 years 204 clients had been assisted with tasks such as gardening, shopping, wallpapering, form-filling, and lifts to doctors or hospital.

18 volunteers regularly visited clients as a befriender on outings, sorting paperwork, or walks, and each week 15 to 20 phone calls and messages were handled. The year had seen 5 new volunteers join and finished with a final tally of 32 volunteers.

The helpers were nominated for two awards in 2015: Cheering Volunteering Award in June, and the Pride of Houghton Award in October.

The Accounts for the Helpers were in a very healthy state, thanks largely to a substantial donation of £1095  from 'Last of th…
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Your Chance To Meet The Police: 7pm Thursday 25 Feb, at St Vincent’s Social Centre

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Residents in Bedfordshire are being invited to a public meeting with Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins and two senior police officers to address local policing concerns.

Commissioner Martins will be joined at St Vincent’s Social Centre in Houghton Regis at 7pm on Thursday (25 February) by Senior Local Policing Command Officers.

Olly Martins said, “I have been picking up worries about policing in the Houghton Regis area for some months now, face-to-face from residents, from Town and Central Beds councillors and on social media.

“Some of the concern relates to changes in the processes being implemented as part of the new force operating model. The meeting will provide an opportunity to reassure residents about the new structure and how it is helping to deliver improvements, such as better police emergency response times and a 40% reduction in burglary in Houghton Regis in the last 12 months. Also more regular Police Officers are to be recruited over the coming months which wil…
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Police Share of Council Tax Up 1.99% Rise (£3.18 a Year on Average) - Enquiry Office Houghton Regis Among the Cuts.

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Beds Police will ask for a 1.99% rise (£3.18 a year for the average band D property) in their share of Council Tax. But local police enquiry offices are to close from 21st March.

38 out of 41 Police and Crime Commissioner budgets for 2016/17 have chosen to increase their police council tax precept, with most of them levying the maximum permitted.

Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins,  said, “The Chancellor in his Autumn Statement assumed that PCCs would increase local people’s contribution to policing in their council tax by the maximum permitted. His widely acclaimed ‘no cuts’ announcement regarding the overall policing budget is actually dependent on this rise this year and for the next 4 years. Police precepts are now effectively being set in Whitehall as the burden for funding local services is shifted to council tax.”

More than three-quarters (78.4%) of participants in the Commissioner’s on-line survey and face-to-face poll agreed that the policing element of …
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New Leisure Centres For Flitwick and Dunstable

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Last week's Central Bedfordshire Council's executive committee agreed to fund a  £20.1m redevelopment of Dunstable Leisure Centre. This figure was confirmed to HRND by Cllr B. Spurr 16/2/2016 - see "Puzzle" below.

The present library and sports centre in Dunstable are regarded as not fit for purpose. The investment to the Dunstable town centre site means that leisure, library and other facilities will all sit under one roof.

A building contractor will now be procured to design and build the centre which is planned to open at the end of 2017.

Cllr Brian Spurr, executive member for community services, said: "The leisure facilities will be dramatically enhanced and by bringing in the Library and other community services to the site, we will create a community hub which everyone can use and enjoy."

Cllr Nigel Young, executive member for regeneration, added: "The council’s investment in the town centre is great news. This move will both improve our service…
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Crowd Source Funding Plea For Local Fishing Tackle Shop

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Robert Hayes is looking for people to help fund a fishing shop project in Houghton Regis.

Mr Hayes, a bailiff for a local fishing spot, is looking for a place to run a fishing and outdoor gear store.

He wrote on the group's Facebook Page Houghton Chalk Pit Fishing Club, "The fishing club is just at the end of its 1st season. We were told that if the site was not kept in a nice order and used properly they (the site ardens) would remove the fish. We, as a club, need to make sure that doesn't happen. If I set my shop up I will make a donation from the profits, so it does not close and remains a place for all to enjoy."

" I do want this shop to work. If it does the place will blossom. Family fun days fishing workshops for all ages and skills. Wildlife walks. Loads and loads of great ideas. Help us please."

Anyone interested can help by donating at https://www.gofundme.com/ny8nram4







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Nuisance Bikes: Police Approach Will Be Disruption, Disruption, Disruption

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STATEMENT FROM BEDS POLICE

"Our new approach to dealing with these brazen offenders is disruption, disruption, disruption"

Police are taking Meteoric steps to combat the dangerous and troublesome issue of off-road bikes in the south of the county.

The anti-social practice has long been a problem for residents in key hotspots such as Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard and Luton.

Sergeant Louise Bates, who now shares responsibility for tackling the off-road bikes issue, said: “While Bedfordshire Police has continued to hold Operation Meteor overt events throughout spike periods, the problem has not abated and the bikers continue to make lives difficult for the innocent residents of these areas.

“Off-road bikers are far more than just a nuisance – they are an absolute thorn in our communities’ sides and present risks to public safety.

“Our new approach to dealing with these brazen offenders is disruption, disruption, disruption – these bikers should be aware that we wil…
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This Area: 3.3 percent Increase in All Crime for December

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Here is a brief summary of the crime information for the past two months:November 2015December 2015 All crime 648 670 Anti-social behaviour 238 258 Bicycle theft 15 13 Burglary 57 81 Criminal damage and arson 56 52 Drugs 7 …
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Kingfishers Children's Home In Parkside Drive Rated Outstanding by Ofsted

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A Houghton Regis children's home has been rated outstanding across the board by Ofsted.
Kingfishers, which is run by the council, offers short-term respite stays for children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

The home can accommodate four children aged 8 to 18 at any time and currently supports approximately 35 families.

It was inspected in December and the report highlights that Kingfishers “provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care”.

The Kingfisher unit provides a service for young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and associated challenging behaviours.
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Beds Police Highlight Burglary Success Using Residents Information

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Bedfordshire Police is celebrating some positive results from the force’s new dedicated burglary initiative, Operation Fidelity, following a bumper week for the project.

Last Tuesday (26 January) a 15-year-old from Leighton Buzzard was arrested and later charged with six counts of receiving stolen goods. The items were linked to burglaries in Leighton Buzzard.

The teen was detained pending a court appearance.

In the early hours of Thursday (28 January), reports were made by a resident to the force of suspicious activity taking place at the Co-op store in St John’s Street, Kempston.
Officers immediately attended and disrupted a burglary in process. A pursuit was carried out, before partners in the Bedford Borough Council CCTV control room alerted police to further suspicious activity taking place.

The work resulted in two men being arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Later the same day, Peter Smith, 33, of Hitchin Road, Arlesey was arrested and later charged with burglary, in connectio…
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Report On Town Partnership Meeting for Houghton Regis

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February 1st - A meeting of Houghton Regis Town Partnership took place at Peel Street at 7.30pm. Members in attendance, Central Bedfordshire Councillors: Mrs S. Goodchild (chair), T. Swain, A. Ryan; Houghton Regis Town Councillors: J. Carroll, D. Dixon-Wilkinson, Ms L. Ellaway, R. Shimmin. Also present:  HRTC: Cllr D. Abbott, Cllr Mrs T McMahon, Cllr K. Wattingham; CBC: Cllr B. Spurr (CBC Executive member); Inspector Clare Thomas (Beds Police), CBC officers: Mrs S Hughes, Mr A Lewis, 4 Parkside residents, 2 Houghton Hall residents, 1 Tithe Farm resident, 2 visitors to explain Groundwork in the town, a PCSO.

CEMETERY - Mr Alan Winter, in public questions, pointed out that in December 2013 it had been "a dilemma" that the town's cemetery had 5 years life left, and that it was going to take 5 years to develop a new cemetery. He wanted to know what the latest projected end of life of the present cemetery was, and what steps the Town Council, and the Central Bedfordshire Counc…
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More Popular Stories

Lidl Plans For 1.2million sq ft Regional Distribution Centre

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by Alan D Winter, Houghton Regis News Desk
Lidl, a family supermarket that takes pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices, is on the verge of starting work on building its biggest ever Distribution Centre on Houghton Regis' doorstep.

Outline plans for the development were agreed under the existing Central Bedfordshire Council consent (CB/12/03613/OUT) and now a reserved matters application has been submitted. The company is now seeking approval for these plans, which could be concluded in March 2020.

The development proposals comprise the construction of a Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) of over  1.2 million sq ft of warehouse floor space, 612 associated car parking spaces, 141 HGV stacking spaces, 196 loading docks, 20 E-charging spaces, a drivers lounge, smoking shelters, two bicycle stores with 104 spaces for bicycles, four haulier cabins, three battery enclosures, a generator enclosure, sprinkler tanks, pump house hydr…
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Angry Resident Wants Peace Back as Chalk Pit Tourism Takes Off

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By Alan Winter updated 27 May

 An irate resident has contacted Houghton Regis News Desk to vent their frustrations about visitors to the Chalk Pit clogging up their unadopted roads.

The resident, who did not want to be named, wrote, “As a resident on Fieldstone, we’re after some help. The quarry has been advertised on social media so it now has visitors from a wide area. They are blocking our residential roads, leaving rubbish and glass everywhere in the quarry. Having BBQs, drinking and meeting for social gatherings. They are drinking and dancing in the streets gone 11pm. There needs to be parking and the quarry managed before all the recent hard work is undone. We want peace back.

“This parking and quarry issue has been going on for the last few weeks after advertising has appeared on social media. We heard someone say they had driven from Milton Keynes, and a neighbour has stated that 5 people he knows from Hemel Hempstead have attended. Just this morning, a friend from work saw it …
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L&D Hospital Mani Car Park Closes From 13 July - Bigger Car Park To Be Built

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Parking for visitors and patients at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital will get a welcome boost by the end of the year, as work gets underway on a new four-level car park on the footprint of the existing Lewsey Road car park.
The new car park will double the current provision for patients and visitors, and also provide more accessible parking as well as bicycle parking for patients, visitors and staff.










The new design will also improve the flow of cars, and reduce queuing and congestion on Lewsey Road.
The existing main visitor and patient car park (on Lewsey Road, opposite the main entrance to the hospital), will be closing on Monday 13 July.
Alternative parking will be available on site, in Farringdon Fields, off Calnwood Road. The Trust is reallocating staff spaces for the period.
But overall numbers may be limited so the Trust is asking patients and visitors not to bring their car if they can possibly avoid it, but to be dropped off instead. A new temporary drop-off point will…
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Consultation on New Secondary School in Houghton Regis

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Initial designs have been produced for a new 1,120 place secondary school, to be built on the Kingsland Campus, Houghton Regis, for September 2022. The proposal includes all the specialist and non-specialist teaching space required, as well as providing a sports hall, outdoor sports provision and car parking. The external appearance of the school buildings is subject to further design work. 
The concept for the new school is based on the superblock model and includes a 3-storey main classroom block, with a separate sports hall. This type of design is suggested by the Department for Education (DfE), and has been used for many new secondary schools across the country
The Council is currently at the pre-planning design stage, and is taking the opportunity to seek the views of the local community ahead of the planning application being submitted. The date for submission of the planning application has been tentatively set for the end of August 2020. 
This consultation is an important part of…
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Bidwell Heights - Go Ahead for New Build Despite Crime Concerns

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A development of 336 homes has been given the go ahead under delegated powers by Central Bedfordshire Council despite Bedfordshire Police having concerns that the layout would encourage crime.

The site is situated between the SSSI Houghton Regis Chalk Pit edge and Blue Waters woodland.




Bedfordshire Police Liaison Objected to the scheme, 'as it is considered that the proposed layout and design would present opportunities for crime'.

See planning layout - (pdf)

Another key concern came from Wildlife Trusts BCN who also drew attention to anti-social behaviour. Their concerns are listed as,

'Concerns regarding development so close to the chalk cliffs associated with the SSSI. The Trust strongly recommend that a robust engineering operation is designed and incorporated into the plans, at this stage of the process, to ensure that the stability of the chalk cliff is not weakened as part of any development that takes place in this location. The Trust also consider that there should…
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Houghton Regis Academy Closure - Public Meeting 10 March

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Updated 2 March 2020

The Secretary of State for Education, in mutual agreement with the Trust, has now made the substantive and final decision to proceed to the closure of Houghton Regis Academy.  However, in order to reduce the impact of the closure,  a proposed closure transition plan has been agreed to which means the Academy will remain open for some year groups until 31 August 2022.

There will now be a ‘listening period’. The listening period is an opportunity for stakeholders and interested parties such as pupils, parents and staff to be provided with more information about the proposed closure process. It is also an opportunity for stakeholders to submit their views on how the process can best be managed. This period started today, 28 February, and will end at 5pm on 27 March 2020.

Parkside ward Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) councillor said, “I am aware of the concern the current position will be causing pupils, parents and the wider community at Houghton Regis. I am worki…
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Plans For 66 bed care Home, Nursery & Shops at Lower Thorn Village

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(updated 14 June 2020)As part of the already approved outline development plans for the Lower Thorn area of Houghton Regis, detailed planning applications are now being submitted for a local centre. A decision for these applications is hoped for by mid-August 2020.
Houghton Regis Town Council will discuss the plans on Tuesday 16th June. A final decision will be made by Central Bedfordshire Council. The Town Council's virtual meeting agenda is available to download. If you wish to participate in this meeting you will need to supply an email address before 3pm on the day of the meeting in order to attend virtually by emailing your request. Instructions on Remote Meeting Guidance can be found here.
In all, three planning applications have been submitted to develop a local integrated centre on behalf of  HDD Houghton Regis Retail Limited. 



1. 66 Bed Care Home A 66-bed care home and its associated car park, means of access and landscaping.  Split over 3 floors. If permission were granted…
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Police Appeal After Man Robbed in Houghton Regis

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Bedfordshire Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was robbed in Houghton Regis.
At around 10pm on Saturday 1st August, the man was on Bedford Square, near the park, when he was approached by five offenders. The group attacked the victim and stole his phone, his bank card, and a quantity of cash.
During the attack, the victim sustained superficial cuts to his face, stomach and forearm, which required medical attention but are not serious or life-threatening.
The offenders are described as young men, wearing face masks with their hoods up, riding bikes.
PC Helen Pecorini, investigating, said: “Thankfully the victim only suffered minor injuries, but was left distressed by this incident. We are appealing to anyone in the area who may have the offenders before or after the incident.”
Anyone who can offer any help in this matter is asked to get in contact with the police, or contact Crimestoppers.  Alternatively, information about this incident can be reported via police reporting webs…
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Amazon Prime Scam Has Cost Victims More Than £1m

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Bedfordshire Police is issuing a fraud warning after a number of Bedfordshire residents fell victim to a scam, with one losing their entire life savings.

Action Fraud has reported that the scam was first reported in October 2019 and since has cost the victims more than £1 million.

The scam is carried out by phone call, with the victim receiving an automated phone message that they have been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription.

How It Works They are subsequently instructed to ‘press 1’ to cancel the transaction. When they do this, they are directed to a fraudster posing as an Amazon customer service representative.

The fraudster advises the victim that their subscription was purchased fraudulently and that remote access to their computer is required in order to fix a security flaw that will prevent it from reoccurring.

The unsuspecting victim then downloads software which grants the scammers remote access to their computer, including personal and financial information.

Other vari…
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Supermarket Responds to Criticism that Shelves & Fridges were Empty

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Morrisons supermarket in Houghton Regis has responded to complaints that fresh food stocks were depleted and freezers were empty. The complaints were made on a popular public Facebook Group.
The Houghton Regis store is located in a residential area and does have restrictions on the times when lorries can make morning deliveries to the store. 
Writing on the Facebook Group, 'Houghton Regis ......Whats Occurring in our Community???' Laura Donovan, a Logistics Supervisor at Rank Xerox, started off by writing, on Saturday 1st August,
 “Don’t know what’s going on at Morrison’s lately but these past two weeks replenishment of fresh foods is just not happening. This morning at about 10.15am there was no fresh salad products & very little fresh veg. I am not blaming the floor staff as there was a lot of them trying to replenish but it was obvious to me that someone/somewhere in management got it wrong with delivery expectations. I’m sure it’s difficult but if you shop in the 4th larg…
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Houghton Regis local news, events, council news, going on in Houghton Regis and nearby villages, Bedfordshire, UK. Editor Alan Winter

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Houghton Regis News Desk

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