Local Issues:
Since my last Elstow, Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick Echo, here are some of the local issues I have progressed, in some cases with the valued help and support of the relevant Parish Council.

Ward-wide

Covanta Incinerator – I am the Liberal Democrat Spoke on the Borough Council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee. I am pleased to report that the Committee’s Chair has managed to get the provisional agreement from Covanta and the Environment Agency to send representatives to the Committee’s meeting on 19th April. This will be to answer questions from the Committee on the awful Incinerator proposal. I am even more pleased to report that the Committee at its meeting last Thursday, agreed to my proposal that its 19th April meeting should be held in Stewartby. As I type this, the venue details are being sorted out with the help of the Parish Chair and the Village Hall Bookings Secretary. It is of course the case that, once Covanta and the Environment Agency find out the meeting is to take place in Stewartby, they may withdraw their agreement to attend. I plan to deliver a FOCUS Special in the village once all the details are confirmed.

 

Rights Of Way Footpaths – I recently hosted a really positive meeting in Kempston Hardwick with two Borough Council Rights Of Way Officers. They showed me the good work they are doing to protect the existing Rights Of Way in my Ward and to formalise a small number of informal footpaths regularly used by local residents before the national deadline to do so runs out soon.

 

Bunyan to Brickworks Exhibition – This fantastic Exhibition was held at the Bunyan Museum in Mill Street, Bedford for two weeks late last year. Given it is all about the affect the Marston Vale Brickworks had on the local community and vice versa, I’ve been keen to ensure the Exhibition is not just packed away and forgotten about. So, I’ve been hosting meetings with Borough Officers, other Borough Councillors and the Exhibition’s Curators to keep it “live”. At our last meeting just before the last Full Council, the following was agreed:

– Short term – Have a limited set of scanned and copied Exhibition artefacts etc. on show in a vacant site at Riverside North.

– Medium Term – A lot of the Exhibition artefacts to be included in the full temporary exhibition on the Brickworks already planned for the Higgins in Summer 2019.

– Long Term – There is a possibility that there may be a small building as part of the provisionally agreed Heritage Scheme at the Stewartby Brickworks site. If so, the ideal venue for the artefacts in the long term could possibly be the small building.

 

Elstow

Increasing Footfall at Moot Hall – I have hosted a meeting with the Vicar, Borough Officers and the volunteer Moot Hall Curator on increasing the footfall at Moot Hall as part of a heritage offer covering Elstow. After a good discussion around the ways of doing so, it was agreed I should get the agreement of Cllr Sarah Holland, the relevant Borough Portfolio Holder, to some sort of partnership between the Elstow Abbey and Moot Hall (and maybe including BEAM – a local volunteer organisation keen to promote the life and heritage of John Bunyan) to promote Moot Hall. This has been agreed to by Cllr Holland.

 

Selfish parking outside Elstow Primary – I hosted a Parking Enforcement Session with Borough Enforcement Officers at Elstow Primary in January. Unsurprisingly, the small minority who are used to parking wherever they like, resorted to swearing at us, but most drivers accepted the invitation to move on rather than be issued with a Parking Fine Notice.

 

Extra disabled bay in first parking area at Bunyans Mead – Local residents have commented that the existing one disabled bay is not enough to meet the local need. I have raised the issue with the BPHA Liaison Officer at Borough Hall.

 

Broken gate and fence in West End – There was a broken gate and fence by an elderly person’s bungalow in West End. I raised the issue with both BPHA and the Borough Council. I’m pleased to report that both the gate and the fence have now been repaired.

 

Stewartby

State of footpaths outside 1-2 and 13-14 Sir Malcolm Stewart Homes – I have asked Borough Highways to see what can be done to make these footpaths safer.

 

Gritting during heavy snowfalls – Park Crescent wasn’t included in the Priority A gritting run during icy weather or heavy snowfalls. I looked at the then current route and successfully made an amended route proposal to Borough officers to include Park Crescent in the Priority A gritting run. I am still looking at how The Crescent might be included within the current route.

 

Kempston Hardwick

Open top lorries littering Manor Road – I have reported to the Borough Council, several instances of open top lorries travelling along Manor Road. Following some work I did several years ago, it is against the law for lorries to travel along Manor Road without a cover on their loads. All we need for a successful prosecution is the time, date, place and vehicle registration number of the offending lorry.

 

Fly-tipping at bus stop opposite Chimney Corner – I have asked the Borough Council’s Environment Help Desk to get the fly-tipping cleared. I have asked them to prosecute should there be any evidence of the offenders.

 

Contact Details – Please note that I have a new mobile number.

 

Best wishes

Cllr Tim Hill

Liberal Democrat Focus Team

Bedford Borough Councillor for Elstow, Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick

Tel: (day) 07907 150923 only in an emergency

Tel: (eve) 07907 150923

email: tim.hill@bedford.gov.uk

Web site: https://bedfordlibdems.org.uk/en/page/elstow-and-stewartby

 

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