Dunstable News Desk

12/12/2018 Starbucks Application Withdrawn A planning application affecting The First and Last, Church Street, Dunstable, which proposed the demolition of existing building on site and proposed erection of a Starbucks coffee shop with drive-thru facility has been withdrawn. Served to 19572 unique users. See your comments. 16/11/2018 Progress on the roadworks to improve Dunstable Town Centre. Highways England is providing £1.5 million of funding for Dunstable in recognition of the impact of the heavy traffic had on the town. This will allow Central Bedfordshire Council to start making "much needed enhancements to the High Street" according to their web site at http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/business/developments/dunstable-masterplan/high-street/overview.aspx . CBC say they "will continue to bid for more funding so we can undertake further improvements". Served to 10588 unique users. See your comments. 18/12/2018 Drovers Way - 6048 Notices of I

After 51 years housing Dunstable Library this building will close its doors for the last time on Saturday 22 December at 2pm in preparation for the library moving into its new home at The Dunstable Centre, Court Drive, Dunstable in the Spring of 2019. Its new home will be the new larger state-of-the-art facilities based within the new Dunstable Centre near The Grove Theatre where it will be home to not only a wonderful range of books and resources but also public access computers and will have flexible space for activities, events and clubs. The closure will allow time to recruit and train new staff, prepare and pack the 40,000 book items that will be moving as well as unpacking and setting up all the new books and equipment that will be available in the new library. During the closure, library users will be able to access library services in Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard. The library will also be running a Drop Off Point for people to return library items at The Grove T

A report to the next Corporate Parenting Panel 20 December 2018 at CBC concludes that the Fostering Service has provided another positive quarter for the Service. "Whilst a relatively low number of carers have been approved in this financial year, thus far, there are a high number in assessment which should support the service in meeting its recruitment target in this area. Other performance data for the service is good and provides a good indication that foster carers are providing a high standard of care to the children placed with them, that children are well matched and supported in local resources and that outcomes for them are good." The Children Act 2004, Care Standards Act 2000 and associated relevant Regulations and National Minimum Standards require the Local Authority Fostering Service to report to Council Members regularly on the activities of the Service. The report in full.  (pdf) The Agenda for the Corporate Parenting Panel meeting at Monks Wal

In conjunction with Andrew Selous, MP for South West Bedfordshire, a new Freedom of Information request has been obtained by Dunstable News Desk editor, Alan Winter, revealing that between 1st August 2017 and 31st August 2018 SIX THOUSAND AND FORTY EIGHT Notices of Intended Prosecution were issued for Drovers Way, 20MPH limit in Dunstable. The arguments and discussion on this speed limit, for what is a through route between High Street South and West Street, have been thoroughly discussed on our Facebook Page. Specific figures for Drovers Way were last obtained in 2016,  See report .  In November 2018 Mr Selous was asked to find out what more could be done to make people aware of the speed limits. By way of return, Mr Selous received a response from the Traffic Management Team Leader at CBC, who wrote,  “This subject has been dealt with numerous times now. It has also been subject to many complaints and FOI’s as well as Ombudsmen involvement. We have had indepen

Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Kathryn Holloway, and Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, were today celebrating an £8m win for Bedfordshire Police to deliver more officers to the frontline and plug a hole in the budget from a national pensions shortfall. And South West Bedfordshire MP, Andrew Selous, has warmly welcomed the news. The Policing Settlement for 2019-20 will bring £8m extra into the coffers of cash-strapped Bedfordshire Police and was made up of £1.3m in extra core grant, £1.1m in a contribution for pensions, with the Treasury having calculated that the PCC will be able to raise £5.6m from council tax, if raising the precept by the maximum allowed of £24 per year for a Band D home. The PCC and Chief Constable have fought a robust and hard-hitting campaign over the past two-and-a-half years to land the message with Government that Bedfordshire Police is the least-appropriately funded force in view of its particular challenges, which consist of what h

speaker:Andrew Selous : 5 votes =============================== Deferred Division - Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (12 Dec 2018) LINK Voted aye (division #277; result was 513 aye, 13 no) International Trade and Development Agency (12 Dec 2018) LINK Voted aye (division #278; result was 42 aye, 242 no) Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill [Lords] - Authorised court and tribunal staff: legal advice and judicial functions (12 Dec 2018) LINK Voted no (division #279; result was 246 aye, 308 no) Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill [Lords] - Authorised court and tribunal staff: legal advice and judicial functions (12 Dec 2018) LINK Voted no (division #280; result was 243 aye, 312 no) Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill [Lords] - Authorised court and tribunal staff: legal advice and judicial functions (12 Dec 2018) LINK Voted aye (division #281; result was 302 aye, 234 no)

Kellogg’s, the cereal manufacturer,  announced that they are making changes from January 2019 to bring in colour coded front of pack nutrition labelling, more commonly known as traffic lights, on all their cereal range. South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous, a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee in Parliament and Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity, speaking in the House of Commons in November, called on Kellogg’s to follow the example of Nestle and put coloured traffic light labelling on all their products. The cereal and snack giant will voluntarily apply the scheme to labels on breakfast cereal packs made exclusively for sale in Britain, including on some of its biggest selling cereals: Special K, Coco Pops, Crunchy Nut, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Frosties. Shoppers will start to see the new labels appear from January 2019, with all packs changed by early 2020. As these new-look packs roll out throughout 2019, their labels will c