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

Ward-wide Issues.

Speeding – There was a time when drink driving wasn’t seen as a very serious criminal offence. Thankfully, those days are long gone and it is also now rightly seen as socially unacceptable. Mayor Dave and Tim want vehicle speeding to be rigorously enforced by the police and to also become socially unacceptable. Mayor Dave has installed several pairs of the really effective Average Speed Cameras across the Borough. The cost of installing them is met by the Council, but the fees income goes straight to central government, rather than coming back to the Council to help pay for more pairs of Average Speed Cameras to be installed. Bonkers!! However, local residents can help by reporting speeding vehicles to the police at: https://www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report/Report-Shared/Report-anti-social-driving-without-video-evidence

You might think that you need the vehicle details or the exact speed. You don’t. You just enter any information you have. Every reported offending vehicle builds up a picture for the police of where multiple speeding offending is taking place. The more offending vehicles reported, the more likely the police will take serious enforcement action.

 

Bunyan to Brickworks Exhibition – The fantastic Bunyan to Brickworks Exhibition was held at the Bunyan Museum in Mill Street, Bedford for two weeks late in 2017. Given it is all about the affect the Brickworks had on all our local community and vice versa, I’ve been keen to ensure the Exhibition is not just packed away and forgotten about. Tim has been hosting meetings with Borough Officers to ensure it can be on public display. Tim is very pleased to report some of the Exhibition materials are now on display at the Pavilion Building near the new bridge on the river. This is a precursor to the exhibition then being installed at The Higgins from April to September 2019. Please visit it at either venue when you are nearby to read about our big part of our local history.

 

Regular Liaison Meetings with schools sited within my Ward – Schools that are sited within the Ward, obviously have an impact on local residents e.g. idiotic parking behaviour. Therefore, Tim tries to arrange every school term what he calls a Liaison Meeting with the Head and Governors representatives of the schools sited within his Ward. If you have any issues you wish Tim to raise at these regular meetings, please don’t hesitate to let him know and he will ensure they are discussed.

 

Litter east of Cow Bridge – Tim got the Borough Council to clear up the vast amount of litter that had been dropped on the grass verge to the east of Cow Bridge.

 

Parish Issues.

Elstow.

Seriously idiotic parking outside Elstow Primary – Local residents will know that Tim has been working for some time on the seriously idiotic parking outside Elstow Primary. He arranged a meeting a couple of months ago to sort out some potential ideas on dealing with the idiotic parking that takes place every day outside Elstow Primary. One of the long term ideas that will help ease the chaos is the possible installation of a rear entrance for the school, with access off the new Southill estate that has planning permission to be built off Wilstead Road. To progress this possible solution, he hosted a meeting at the School with the School Head and two senior Borough Highways officers. The officers are now going to discuss with the Southill estate how this possible solution can be moved forward. As Elstow Primary is a Trust School, not a Local Education Authority one, the Borough will lead on the work needed only up to the rear of the School and the Head will be working with the Trust to see what needs to be done to install the rear entrance itself. Residents of the Melrose Drive estate have also raised with Tim, their ongoing concerns that some parents are parking across residents driveways. This is another example of a minority parking in a way that is totally unacceptable. The recent meeting agreed to look at consulting local residents on a yellow lines scheme that will discourage parking on both sides of the road. Tim is in the process of arranging a site meeting with the Chief Inspector – Traffic to show him that we need the police to issue tickets against this idiotic minority. Only the police have the powers to take such action. Finally, Tim is really pleased to report Mayor Dave has agreed to Tim’s request for a camera to be placed outside the school to film idiotic parking. Offending vehicles will be recorded and issued with fixed penalty notices. The camera will be installed by the end of Jan 19.

 

Dog litter throughout Hillesden Avenue estate and the old village – Tim has arranged extra Borough Enforcement team patrols to combat a regular offender in the old village. Tim arranged the Borough Enforcement Team to do three extra clear-ups in 2018 alone in Elstow and on average, two extra in Elstow a year. However, Tim and the Borough Enforcement team cannot be everywhere all the time. We need residents to report dog litter so it can be cleared up and the offenders so they can be prosecuted. Tim has had two site meetings in Elstow with the Borough Enforcement team and local residents to show them how residents can report dog litter offenders. See on here how to: https://www.bedford.gov.uk/environmental-issues/animal-care-and-control/dog-and-dog-issues/

 

Stewartby.

Bedford Brickworks – The Bedford Brickworks Project is a development by the Cloud Wing Company, which aims to regenerate the former brickworks and adjacent sites that lie to the south of Bedford, including Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick. At the request of Tim and the Parish Chair, Cloud Wing has agreed to hold a Public Exhibition at the Village Hall at 12pm to 9pm on Friday 11^th January 2019. As this Exhibition isn’t being held until then, Tim has got Borough Planners to extend the original deadline for comments of 31^st December to 23^rd January. Tim has submitted a formal objection, citing his concerns on the over-development of the sites and the impact on the local area of an additional 15,000 vehicles a day on our roads. Tim said “Please come along to the Exhibition to raise the inevitable concerns and queries you will have about the Cloud Wing proposals.”

 

Green Lane closure – The contractor for the Covanta incinerator has recently informed local residents that Green Lane will be closed to vehicles for around 6 weeks as from 7^th January. This is to install an improved road scheme for the access to the incinerator site. It will still be open to pedestrians to access Stewartby station and beyond. Tim said “Covanta is taking the risk that the Appeal by BACI against the Judicial Review judgement will be lost. I very much hope that Appeal is won and the risk Covanta has taken means the tens of thousands of pounds they have already spent at the site is of no benefit to them. However, if the road scheme is completed before the Appeal judgement, then at least Stewartby residents and Kimberley College will get an improved road scheme.”

 

Extra parking space and reducing damage to green areas – Work has now completed on creating some extra parking space in Wavell Close and making it slightly easier for the refuse collection vehicles to get round. This is part of a rolling programme over the next couple of years of the same works in most of the Closes off Stewartby Way. Local residents have been raising their concerns about the lack of parking spaces and the damage done to the green areas by the refuse collection vehicles. The Parish Council and Tim have been pressing for this programme for some time and Tim wants to thank the Parish Council for their support in this work now being started. Tim said “I’m concerned at the lack of notification and details given to the affected residents. I’ll be working to improve this in the next Close.”

 

Kempston Hardwick

Speeding on Manor Road – Manor Road residents had raised their concerns that the 40mph speed limit was no longer acceptable given the huge number of vehicles using the road. Tim had been pressing for the speed limit to be reduced to 30mph, especially in the residential areas. He is very pleased to report that a 30mph speed limit was installed in various sections of Manor Road just before Christmas. If Manor Road residents think they see any vehicle speeding, please report it on: https://www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report/Report-Shared/Report-anti-social-driving-without-video-evidence.

 

Best wishes

Cllr Tim Hill

Liberal Democrat Focus Team

Bedford Borough Councillor for Elstow, Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick

Tel: 07907 150923

email: tim.hill@bedford.gov.uk

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElstowandStewartbyLD/

 

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