Liberal Democrat Councilor Surgeries
Brickhill Drive Shops 20 April at 10.00am
Avon Drive Shops 4 May at 10.00am
Brickhill Drive Shops 18 May at 10.00am
Avon Drive Shops 1 June at 10.00am
You can also speak with us or another Lib Dem Councillor every Saturday morning 11.00am - 12 noon at Bedford Central Library
Avon Drive Roundabout Planting
Thank you to those residents who have been in touch to say how much they have appreciated the planting on the roundabout.
We used our ward funding to pay for ths and we think it is money well spent in Brickhill
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How to make reports to Bedford Borough Council
We are often asked how residents can make reports to the council about things like flytipping, potholes or missed bin collections. We have provided a page with some of the most frequently need contacts.
Click here for contacts to report to Bedford Borough Council
Buses for Brickhill
Buses are important for our local residents and services are decreasing. Recently there was the cancellation of the Grant Palmer 22 from Woodlands Park. Bedford Borough Council is conducting a Bedford Bus Users Survey until Wednesday 31 January 2024 and is accessible via - https://www.bedford.gov.uk/your-council/have-your-say/consultations/bus-usage-survey-2024. It is open to all residents whether or not they currently use a bus. Click here for the bus timetable
We have this week been told that the council are in discussions / negotiation with Stagecoach, who are exploring the option of extending the service 6 into the Woodlands Park estate. This is a significant proposal and we will need to ensure residents are kept fully informed of the proposed route.
Commercial Vehicles
We have been asked if anything can be done to tackle the large number of commercial vehicles parked on residential roads in Brickhill. Thse can cause difficulties when they deprive parking spaces for parents collecting children near schools, or vistore to Waveney Green.
The police and council officers have investigated many vehicles to establish that they have all necessary road tax, insurance and MOT. In almost all cases there is nothing which can be done to prevent lawful parking and the only alternative is to introduce parking restrictions. We are currently in discussions with council officers to determine the best way forward as these measures will deprive others of parking and potentially move the problem onto other resdiential roads.
Brickhill Drive Shops
We have expressed our dismay at the length of time it is taking to complete the repairs to the paving at Brickhill Drive shops. The work has not even started and it has been months awaiting action. We will continue to pursue action with the council until it is completed. We are also awaiting an update regarding our request to fix and upgrade the lighting on both shopping parades.
Caron Road Waste Collections
We are in dialogue with the council over issue relating to litter and waste on Carron Road. Refuse bags are sometimes not collected, occasionally the wrong waste is put out and sometimes waste blows or animals open the bags etc. There is also ongoing fly tipping which we have reported.
Road Budget Restored
A joint Liberal Democrat and Labour amendment has stopped the Mayor’s planned £1.2 million cut to the roads and pavements maintenance budget proposed by the Conservatives at the last Council meeting. The vital amendment removed the £1.2 million cut to roads and pavement maintenance that the Mayor and his Conservative cabinet put forward at the last council meeting. Charles and Wendy were pleased to bring forward amendments which will deliver more funding for crucial road and pavement renewal, as well as securing funds for key projects such as new GP surgeries and refurbishing leisure facilities.
We were also successful in removing the Mayor’s proposal of a new leisure centre at the cost of millions of pounds of extra loans. This protected taxpayers from paying off this debt with increased council taxes for decades to come. Less money spent on repaying loans is more money to provide vital frontline services.
At the previous Full Council, the Conservatives’ Capital Programme was sent back to them to think again through the Council’s usual conflict resolution procedure. Full Council deemed the extra millions of borrowing to fund projects such as a Mayor’s new leisure village to be excessive. Charles and Wendy were shocked that the all Tory Executive proposed spending millions of pounds of borrowed money without even producing a business case on any of their proposals. Charles and Wendy consider the Conservative Mayor and his colleagues to be making incompetent proposals which threaten the very financial stability of the council. It would cost council taxpayers £5 million every year to pay for the costs of the extra borrowing which they wish to introduce. The Liberal Democrat finance portfolio holder previously reduced the council debt by over £30m from over £90m handed down by the last conservative council, helping to keep Bedford Borough council tax bills down. It would be a tragedy if the Conservatives once again indulged in reckless spending to be handed on to future generations.
Woodland Park Update
- There is flodding occuring in Ashmead Road due to blocked ditches and excess water. We contacted the council and asked them to keep this cleared as matter of urgency. The pond was cleared earlier this year and is now at capacity due to extreme rainfall.
- Lighting on Crispin Drive Residents have been pleased that after many emails and calls we have successfully had street lighting connected on Crispin Drive. There is an ongoing issue with a damaged street light on Ashmead Road.
- Junction Markings etc Council highways engineers have determined that the layout of junctions on Woodlands Park would prohibit access to large vehicles if traffic islands were introduced. We have therefore allocated ward funding to improve some of the junction lining and road markings. We are still tackling the backlog of repairs including those associated with the slow progress towards adoption.
Town Deal Green Wheel for Brickhill
Plans are well underway for the delivery of a major upgrade to footpaths through Brickhill as part of the Town Deal Green Wheel. This is being delivered through funding achieved by Mayor Dave Hodgson to provide significant improvements to shared footpaths to encourage safer walking and cycling. The Brickhill investment will connect Kimbolton Road, Avon Drive and Hawk Drive.
The initial phase of this above project will involve construction of a raised table and associated footway works on Tyne Crescent by Rhineland Way by the council contractor Breheny Civil Engineering Ltd. These are planned to start on 6 November.
Download Town Deal Green Wheel Plans Here
6. Rhineland Way 7. Avon Walk 8. Tyne Crescent 9. Jackmans Walk
Parking Problems
Bedford Borough Council will issue fines (penalty charge notice or PCNs) for the following types of illegal parking:
- parking on yellow lines
- not displaying a valid parking ticket
- parking on pavements or verges where a restriction is in place
- parking across driveways
They will not get involved with neighbourly disputes or inconsiderate parking. If you think a vehicle is abandoned, please report it here.
To report an illegally parked vehicle, please contact the Enforcement Team on enforcement.team@bedford.gov.uk or 01234 718359. Or text only enforcement requests to 07553895403. An enforcement officer will respond to your request as soon as possible, but they may not be able to do so immediately if they are patrolling elsewhere in the Borough. Please note you won't get a reply about the outcome of an enforcement officer visit.
Avon Drive Roundabout Planting
Charles and Wendy funded planting on Avon Drive roundabout and have asked that this be tidied now that the plants have died. They have allocated new funding so that there is another great display in Brickhill next spring. They have also allocated funding for Christmas lights at the shops
Woodlands Park
As newly appointed councillors for Woodlands Park we have met with council officers to discuss issues of concern. We have reported matters such as broken waste bins, weed growth, poorly maintained public areas, delayed adoption of road etc. We are working through these issues and monitoring progress. If you have concerns please let us know.
Anti-Social Behaviour
We work closely with the police to tackle anti-social behaviour and it must be combated quickly before it gets worse. Following recent problems around Waveney Green the police have asked us to deploy our CCTV which is now in place to help gather information. Please tell us if you have any concerns.
It is is also vital that you report any incidents direct to the police so that they can allocate resources. Residents have complained to us about long wait times when calling 101. We would recommend using the online reporting link below
https://www.beds.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb-v3/report-antisocial-behaviour/
Please submit reports for each incident with dates, times and descriptions of vehicle/persons as the police are often unable to attend the location immediately but can take action against the registered owners of the vehicles.
Pavement Repairs
Brickhill pavements are badly in need of resurfacing and repair. We have received some alarming photographs of injuries caused requiring hospital treatment. Please support us in or campaign and report any bad areas like this one in Tyne Crescent. Please report online as this adds weight to our campaign.
Click here to report pavement repairs to
Bedford Borough Council online
Adoption of Roads on Woodlands Park
Charles and Wendy are working with council officers to bring forward the adoption of roads in Woodlands Park from the developers. This is important in order to ensure that proper maintenance is taken over by the council. Click on the map opposite to download. If you would like an update on your road contact us direct using the contact form at the bottom of this page. Some roads are now just awaiting legal process others require additional works.
Tree Planting in Brickhill
We have asked for over 30 trees to be planted in Brickhill in this planting season and this has started. Some of these will replace diseased trees or ones which were removed because they were the wrong tree for the location and caused damage. If you have a request for a tree to be planted for next year ie 2025 please get in touch. If you have suffered damage from a council tree then you can request compensation. There is no information on this on the council website which we find quite odd, but you can outline your complaint in an email to InsuranceandRiskSection@bedford.gov.uk
Let us know if you have a problem!
Council Meetings
If you have an opportunity to watch the meetings of the full council you can do so
online Home - Bedford Borough Council streaming (public-i.tv)
Sadly the council is now led entirely by a Conservative Mayor and Conservative Executive,
with all other parties excluded and it is something of a shambles, which we fear will only get worse.
