Dunstable News Desk

Press Release   29 April 2021 embargoed until after the PCC Elections by the News Desk .-   Andrew Selous MP has welcomed the announcement that 74 police officers have been recruited in Bedfordshire in the first year of the Government’s campaign to recruit 20,000 by March 2023.  Bedfordshire bolstered by 74 extra police officers 74 police officers have been recruited by Bedfordshire Police as part of the Government’s campaign to recruit an additional 20,000 by March 2023. 8,771 new officers have joined forces across the country in the past year, which means the target for year one of the national recruitment push – to recruit 6,000 officers by March 2021 – has been dramatically exceeded. When the post appeared on Andrew Selous Facebook Page the reactions weren't good. (see below). The press release said, “The addition of these new officers brings the total number of police across Bedfordshire up to 1,351, meaning there are now more frontline officers on our streets to keep t

Appeal for Whereabouts of the Beecroft Time Capsule Letters to Dunstable News Desk I am really desperately asking if someone can help with an appeal asking all teachers and staff from  Brewers Hill Middle School , that used to be on Aldbanks in Dunstable, for help tracking a time capsule that was meant to have been buried around 1984-89.  I have been eagerly waiting for the date the time capsule was meant to have been opened by children at Beecroft in the next 10ish years but then I discover the school is up for demolition (which actually took place last year). I have been in touch with a fantastic group on Facebook and the person in charge of this group has been so helpful talking to old teachers and although they discovered the possible whereabouts of the time capsule when the workman doing the demolition looked it wasn’t there. I have contacted the council pleading for help to track the time capsule with no luck at all. I have held onto the day of seeing something special, th

Sick of clutter? Do you struggle to keep your house as clean as you'd like? The hit Channel 5 cleaning show  Filthy House SOS  is back and looking for people who need help to transform their home. Professional cleaners Richard and Brennan are passionate about helping people transform their cluttered homes. ‘’We want to transform people’s homes, whilst also teaching tips and tricks to help keep it spotless’’ says Brennan. ‘’No job is too tough for us’’ says Richard, ‘’If you have a house you need expert help to clean, we want to hear from you’’.  The duo clean and declutter homes within the space of 4 days, completely free of charge. Filming from May until October 2021,  the expert cleaners want to hear from individuals living in Dunstable  and beyond who could benefit from a free clean up this 2021. It's a great opportunity for anyone who might currently be struggling and needs extra helping hands to feel comfortable and proud in their home, especially after lockdown. So,

The government have made available to Central Bedfordshire £255,000 for the rejuvenation of town high streets. But a row has erupted over how the funds are to be distributed across Central Bedfordshire. The scheme is known as the Welcome Back Fund (¹) . The purpose of this money is to support businesses by increasing footfall on the High Street, post-covid. Councillor Adam Zerny (Independent, Potton) claimed on his Facebook Page, 23 April , “I have spent the last week trying to get the Council to tell me how it was intending to divide up this funding. It has just revealed the numbers. Ordinarily, with major financial decisions, the Council at least makes an effort to demonstrate a semblance of transparency with a debate and a vote in public. Not the case on this occasion. “The division of the cash has been made by Conservative cabinet members without any discussion or vote by the rest of the elected councillors.” Adam's calculations: Councillor Zerny writes, “Despite having 46

Officers from the Bedfordshire force have visited a school in Dunstable to talk to students and encourage them to think twice before carrying a knife. More than 200 teenagers from All Saints Academy attended the talk given by the force’s new Education and Diversion team as part of a week of action to combat knife crime.  The students were shown examples of knife crime and the consequences of what could happen if they are caught carrying a knife, even if they think it’s for their own protection. Other schools in the county have signed up to receive a similar talk from the team as part of Operation Sceptre, a national week of action which aims to tackle knife crime.  A variety of different activities will be carried out by various teams in support of Operation Sceptre, which started yesterday (Monday) and runs until Sunday (2 May).  Throughout the week, officers will be continuing to visit schools, working with partners such as StreetWatch, carrying out weapon sweeps and high visibili

Central Bedfordshire Council - alongside Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes CCG (BLMK CCG) and Public Health colleagues across the region - are urging residents to make sure they are up to date with their vaccinations.  They say it is important that vaccinations for MMR (Measles Mumps and Rubella), Maternal Pertussis (Whooping cough) and Shingles are up to date.  GP practices can advise patients if they or their children are up to date with their vaccinations and if not, catch-up vaccinations can be given. World Immunisation Week takes place between 24 April – 30 April 2021 and promotes the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against vaccine-preventable disease. Immunisations save millions of lives every year and are widely recognised as one of the world’s most successful health interventions. Yet, there are still nearly 20 million children globally who are not getting the vaccines they need, and many miss out on vital vaccines during adolescence, adulthood and into old