Dunstable News Desk

Central Bedfordshire’s Council has agreed its annual budget, which confirms a range of service investments, infrastructure projects and efficiency measures for the financial year ahead. Council - Thursday, 25th February 2021 at 6:30pm - Central Bedfordshire Council Webcasting Report by Alan Winter The CBC budget for 2021/22 includes the application of an  Adult Social Care Precept , which will see a  3% increase  in Council Tax specifically to fund adult care services and a  general increase  of  1.95%  to contribute towards funding CBC's other pressures, for example in Children’s Services. In recommending the budget proposals to the meeting of the full Council, the Executive Member for Corporate Resources, Cllr David Shelvey, explained, “The increase in council tax is not a decision we take lightly but even with the £10.7million of efficiencies planned for next year we still have a large gap in funding that otherwise could have resulted in service cuts. “We must protect our se

The Prime Minister has set out on 22 February his roadmap for reopening businesses in the UK. Step One The Prime Minister told the House of Commons , “Step one will happen from 8 March ... pupils and students in all schools and further education settings can safely return to face-to-face teaching , supported by twice-weekly testing of secondary school and college pupils ... people will also be able to meet one person from outside their household for outdoor recreation ... we are advising the clinically extremely vulnerable to shield at least until the end of March . “... on 29 March , ... it will become possible to meet in limited numbers outdoors ... so the rule of six will return outdoors, including in private gardens, and outdoor meetings of two households will also be permitted ... Outdoor sports facilities , such as tennis and basketball courts and open-air swimming pools, will be able to reopen, and formally organised outdoor sports will resume , subject to guidance. From

Report by Alan D Winter Updated 3 March 2021 A traffic management exercise for Dunstable has agreed white lines and bollards to prevent unauthorised parking on various roads in North West Dunstable. The Traffic management Meeting met virtually on 3 March to review the Safety-Critical Parking Measures as proposed. Traffic Management Meeting - Wednesday, 3rd March 2021 at 10:00am - Central Bedfordshire Council Webcasting In December 2018, Central Bedfordshire Council commissioned the completion of a parking study on all roads in the north-west quadrant of Dunstable (the area bound by High Street North and West Street but excluding these roads). The parking study included a manual count of all vehicles parked over a 12-hour period on two separate days. The data collected identified roads (or parts of roads) that have a high demand for on-street parking. It has also highlighted other issues such as parking on footways, unauthorised vehicle crossovers, parking close to junctio

Bedfordshire’s PCC, Kathryn Holloway, is marking LGBTQ+ History Month by sharing opportunities for support within the county.  The PCC’s victim support service Signpost can offer those who have experienced crime - including hate crime as a result of their gender or sexuality - access to trained Victim Care Coordinators to help provide support from specialists working in the specific area of LGBTQ+ related crime, as Galop’s Hate Crime Report (2016) revealed that eight in 10 of their respondents had experienced anti LGBTQ+ hate crime and hate speech online in the last five years across the UK.  “This is a truly offensive fact that shows how very far we have to travel before we offer equality in life and fair, non-abusive treatment to all LGBTQ+ residents in this and other counties. “I want all communities within Bedfordshire, without exception, to have appropriate support and access to well trained individuals who are familiar with their needs when it matters most, especially if exper

Three teenagers have been charged and remanded after an attempted burglary in Dunstable last Wednesday (17 February). At around 2pm, police were called to reports of three boys attempting to force entry to a property on Printers Way. Three boys, aged 13, 14 and 15, were arrested and have now been charged and remanded, ahead of a court appearance. If you have news for Dunstable, please send it in

Almost four months of public consultation regarding proposed changes to arrival routes into London Luton Airport (LLA) have now ended. The consultation ran from 19 October 2020 to 5 February 2021. More than 2,400 responses were received from MPs, councils, airlines, flying clubs, the military, community groups and individual members of the public. These responses are now being reviewed, analysed and categorised, to help inform the final proposal to be submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The joint consultation, co-sponsored by London Luton Airport and air traffic control provider NATS, consulted on two options to simplify and modernise the arrival routes for flights into the UK’s fifth busiest airport and segregate them from Stansted’s, ensuring safety. While the consultation is now closed, the virtual exhibition, which contains all the information, details and maps about the proposals, is still available to browse or revisit. Once all responses have been scrutinised, Lo

Central Bedfordshire Council will be recommencing its garden waste collections from Monday, 1 March 2021.   With spring just around the corner, the Central Bedfordshire Council are really pleased to be restarting the garden waste collections.  With warmer weather and the opportunity to get out in the garden, it will bring some light relief to get out for some fresh air for gardening spruce up.  The council are providing residents with further information about their recycling options.  This includes ‘ what stays in and what stays out ’ of their garden waste to help them to continue with their great efforts in supporting recycling within Central Bedfordshire.  Cllr Ian Dalgarno, the Executive Member for Community Services, said: “Residents are encouraged to read the tags that are currently making the rounds and being attached to their black bins, it will give them all the information they need to know, including what stays in and what stays out of their garden waste.  They’ll be help

Last night (Thursday), officers discovered more than 100 cannabis plants in a property in High Street, Dunstable. A week of police action which has taken tens of thousands of pounds worth of cannabis off the streets and seen a dealer jailed has prompted renewed focus on the international criminal gangs involved in the supply of illegal drugs. Police in Bedfordshire have continued a crackdown on cannabis cultivation and drug dealing throughout February. This reflects growing concerns locally that organised crime gangs involved in things like county lines are increasingly recruiting and exploiting children into dealing the Class B drug. Bedfordshire Police has recently mapped a number of organised crime groups linked to the western Balkans believed to be involved in large scale cannabis production and supply locally. Crime groups from the western Balkans, such as Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, have established a high profile and growing degree of influence within UK organised crime and h

Central Bedfordshire Council has distributed food vouchers to the families of 5,560 children this half term, along with additional support to help them with their winter fuel bills. Following the success of the voucher scheme that the council ran during the Christmas holiday period, it has again supported families in need by providing a £15 supermarket voucher during the February half term for each child eligible for free school meals. It has also provided an extra £10 per child to help these families meet the costs of winter bills. The support is being provided as part of a £587,000 winter support package, announced in December, to help families and vulnerable individuals in Central Bedfordshire who are struggling with the cost of food, bills and other essentials over the winter months. The funding, which is part of a £170 million national scheme from the Department for Work and Pensions, aims to support people facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund has also

Central Bedfordshire is set to receive £470,255 to help fund a new duty to ensure victims and their children are able to access life-saving support in safe accommodation.   A total of £125 million has been allocated to councils across England to support domestic abuse victims and their children. This new funding is part of the Government’s landmark Domestic Abuse Bill and package of comprehensive support for victims. Domestic abuse victims and their children living in Central Bedfordshire will be able to receive more support thanks to extra Government funding. The extra money will help victims and their children access life-saving support in safe accommodation, including advocacy, counselling, and therapy in safe locations such as refuges or specialist safe accommodation, where victims and their children can go to get away from their abusers. In total, councils across England will receive £125 million. Central Bedfordshire will receive £470,255. Under a new duty, councils will be re

Thanks to an anonymous donation, specifically for looked after children, Central Bedfordshire Council has been able to gift bicycles and non-motorised scooters to over 70 children and young people. A generous donation of £25,000 has allowed CBC social workers, together with families and foster carers, to apply for £250 per child to help pay for a bike or scooter, along with safety equipment. The scheme started in October 2020. So far, 72 children across Central Bedfordshire have been able to make the most of it. Each application is considered by CBC's Children’s Services Resources Panel. Once a grant has been agreed (and where COVID-19 restrictions allow) social workers go with the child and their foster carer or family so they can choose their bike or scooter. One social worker who successfully applied for a grant on behalf of a child said, “We went to Halfords and he chose his bike, helmet and bike lock. He was so happy and he said that he wants to ride his bike to school! Thi

Bedfordshire receives an extra £880,000 to go towards Violence Reduction Units, which work to reduce serious violence. This investment is part of the extra £35.5 million announced for police forces across England and Wales.  A special unit, VERU ,  designed to help tackle serious violence and prevent young people in Bedfordshire being drawn into it will receive £880,000.  The funding will be invested in Violence Reduction Units, which bring together organisations across local communities to tackle violent crime and address its underlying causes, as well as also funding vital local projects doing positive preventative work with children and young people.  And the MP for South West Bedfordshire, Andrew Selous, said he is delighted Bedfordshire is receiving the funding as one of the 18 areas across England and Wales, getting a share of the £35.5 million total.  The allocation brings the total funding targeted at violent crime up to £105 million and is the third year in a row where the