Category: Central Bedfordshire Council
Parent governor representative appointed for Central Bedfordshire Council’s children’s committee
Central Bedfordshire Council has appointed a new volunteer parent governor representative to their Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Kathryn Sarah Keeley has been appointed after lots were drawn as the result of a tied election. She will take up her post as an academy representative this month and will serve in the role until April 2023.
A nomination process will begin at a later date for the remaining available post of a special school parent governor representative.
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Central Bedfordshire Council Executive recommends new budget
Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Committee has agreed to recommend the council’s budget proposals to the Full Council for approval.
The proposals cover ways to make savings and generate income to ensure the council can maintain its services, including a proposed 1.95% increase in Council Tax.
In setting the budget and Council Tax for the year ahead, councils are required by law to undertake public consultation. In the Budget 2020 consultation, Central Bedfordshire residents were asked for feedback on proposals to investment, efficiency proposals for £13.6million and increasing council tax.
After carefully considering the feedback from the budget consultation, the Executive agreed to recommend investing £142million next year on a range of building and infrastructure initiatives such as road maintenance, new school places, new care homes and new integrated health and care hubs. These provide social care and health services in one building.
Alongside this investment, the council is continuing to fund everyday services such as recycling and waste collection, public transport, leisure, libraries as well as vital services to protect and support vulnerable children and adults.
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Have your say on Central Bedfordshire Council’s plans for adult social care charges
Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) is urging residents to have their say on changes to how the Council charges for adult social care.
If you or a loved one accesses social care, or you’re planning for the future, then these changes could affect you.
The consultation opened this week and closes on 30 April 2020.
For the last ten years, what and how customers need to pay is set out in CBC’s Adult Social Care Charging Policy. This is based on national legislation. CBC says that this needs to be fundamentally reviewed and updated to take into account the changes since the Policy was created.
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Central Bedfordshire Council urges people to come forward to foster
Council debunks common misconceptions around being eligible to foster
Department of Education statistics show that the number of children being taking into care nationally has risen by 4 per cent.
Central Bedfordshire Council is urging people to consider becoming foster carers, even if they thought they might not be eligible.
Common misconceptions have arisen around whether or not someone might be eligible to foster. Things like being an LGBTQ family, or a single person, or age being a factor.
Even having pets can make people think they might not be suitable, so they never take the next step to research the options.
Central Bedfordshire Council answers to some of the questions that people regularly ask about whether they can foster
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Cervical Cancer Week highlights importance of getting a smear test
This week is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (20 to 26 January 2020). As part of the week Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) and Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (BCCG) are encouraging all eligible people to have a cervical screening (smear test).
Across the UK, cervical screening is changing to test for high-risk HPV first. HPV is a common virus that eight in 10 people will get. It usually goes away without causing any problems. But sometimes causes cells to change which, if not treated, could develop into cervical cancer.
Almost all cervical cancers are linked to high-risk HPV. By knowing who has high-risk HPV, the virus can be monitored. Any cell changes can be identified early, before they potentially develop into cervical cancer.
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Have your say on changes to schools in the Woburn Sands area
Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) has launched a public consultation on proposals to change schools in the Woburn Sands area.
This is part of the Schools for the Future programme and includes Husborne Crawley, Ridgmont and Woburn lower schools.
The programme is being carried out in stages and will eventually cover the whole of Central Bedfordshire. The Council claims that progress through these stages will be delivered in line with the needs of each community.
All the schools in the area have been working with CBC to develop a proposal that would move the schools to a primary/secondary system.
This, CBC claims, will mean that pupils will be able attend both primary and secondary school in their local area.
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Central Bedfordshire Council’s CCTV in taxis consultation
Central Bedfordshire Council is consulting on installing CCTV cameras in hackney carriage and private hire vehicles (taxis). This, is says, will help provide the highest standards of public safety for those driving and using licensed vehicles.
The council currently licenses around 650 hackney carriage and private hire vehicles. Under the proposal a pilot scheme would install CCTV in approximately 180 vehicles. This is with a view to making CCTV mandatory in all licensed vehicles from April 2021.
The cameras would be a source of evidence in the case of disputes between drivers and passengers. They also have the potential to discourage anti-social behaviour or crime committed by both drivers and passengers.
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Central Bedfordshire Local Plan update: proposed timetable for adoption released
Following confirmation from the Planning Inspectors in November that Central Bedfordshire Council can continue to develop its current Local Plan, officers have been proactively preparing a work programme and detailed timetable for progressing the Local Plan to adoption, which was submitted to the Inspectors today.
The Inspectors had previously requested a timetable was provided alongside an update on the planning application for the M1-A6 road link, once permitted. In November, the Secretary of State confirmed it would not be calling in this application and the decision notice granting approval for the M1-A6 link road was issued yesterday (9 January). As such, the detailed Local Plan work programme, along with an update on the M1-A6 link road has now been sent to the Inspectors.
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Independent councillor calls for more budget transparency
Central Bedfordshire Councillor, John Baker (Ind, Aspley and Woburn) has demanded more openness from the Council during this year’s budget consultation.
During the consultation residents can have their say on council budget plans for the next financial year. This includes proposals for spending, efficiencies and council tax.
The annual budget consultation was mentioned by ruling councillors when asked how the New Homes Bonus was allocated.
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Bedfordshire New Year’s Honours List 2020
HM The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for 2020 has been announced. The List includes ten Bedfordshire recipients.
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Central Bedfordshire Council launches community asset grant scheme
A new scheme, launched by Central Bedfordshire Council, encourages local groups to apply for grants of up to £25K. The Community Assets Grant Scheme aims to help local voluntary and community organisations make projects a reality by offering matched-funding grants to enable them to invest in their community facilities.
The grants must be used for capital funding projects, for example a new roof for a community hall or to improve access for people with disabilities, or upgrades to other community assets.
The grant scheme is open to a range of Central Bedfordshire organisations, including voluntary and community groups, not-for-profit organisations and Parish or Town Councils
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Central Bedfordshire Council launches online resource with advice and support for young people
Central Bedfordshire Council has created a new online resource for young people to find trusted information on relationships and sex, emotional health, wellbeing, drugs and alcohol.
Young Central Bedfordshire provides advice and guidance aimed at young people aged 11-18 years old, with links and information on subjects that concern them.
Created with the input of young people, the online resource also provides a route to other additional services, such events and activities happening in Central Bedfordshire, and education, training and employment, such as links to the Council’s Find Your Future website, Youth Support Service and other organisations.
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