Dunstable News Desk

Central Bedfordshire Council consults on a proposal to consolidate two taxi ranks in Dunstable Central Bedfordshire Council is running an eight-week consultation on the consolidation of the two current taxi ranks located High Street South and West Street in Dunstable into one rank.  The consolidation will free up the current space used by the taxi rank in High Street South, to allow the provision of four new additional short-term parking spaces with access to new electric charging points for the public. This will provide clarity on where to access taxis and help with the prioritisation of pedestrians and cyclists.   The Council are also proposing that the new taxi rank in West Street will have faster electric charging provisions for taxis. This will ensure that taxi drivers with electric/hybrid vehicles are able to charge their vehicles quickly, while waiting for their next customer.   As part of the redevelopment of Dunstable High Street the Council are investing in the area to cr

New centre providing skills and employability support for 16–24-year-olds opened in Dunstable On 22nd September, TCHC Group Ltd opened the doors to their new GAPS Study Programme Centre in Dunstable to support young people aged 16-24.   TCHCs GAPS Study Programme Centre will be providing a range of vocational qualifications for 16–24-year-olds to develop new skills and confidence that will provide them a bright future with courses starting next month. TCHC will also supporting 18-year-old plus learners who are unemployed or economically inactive or facing disadvantages support to set up their own businesses through their Enterprising People programme funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund.   This comes on top of TCHC’s successful contribution to the Governments Kickstart programme helping 16–24-year-olds find employment and 17 years successfully delivering employability and skills programmes to young people and adults.   Courtney Grinham, the Ma

At Thurday night’s full council meeting, councillors passed a motion agreeing to investigate the creation of a council covenant to support care leavers for whom the council, as a whole, has responsibility. In Central Bedfordshire, there are around 280 care experienced young adults aged 16 to 24. The Council wants the very best for our care leavers who are a uniquely vulnerable group and, who face specific challenges as they enter adult life and as their corporate parents, the council wants to work in a coordinated and effective way to give them the additional help they need. The move from being a looked after child to a young person leaving care is a uniquely critical time in a young person’s life and the council wants to make sure that they have all the support available to them that many of us take for granted. Cllr. Sue Clark, Executive Member for Families, Education & Children said, “For young people who have grown up in the care system, leaving care and taking their first

A petition has been started in relation to the people who run the Cafe at the Dunstable Gliding Club. Their cafe at Ivinghoe is under threat and they need public support. At the time of writing, almost 1500 have signed. Keep Curiositea Cafe Open You can read and sign the petition here:  https://www.change.org/p/ivinghoe-trustee-keep-curiositea-cafe-open Catharine Shuttleworth, wrote, “This cafe has brought so much community spirit to our village and so many people use this to meet up, chat, eat, and most importantly have somewhere to take your kids. Sven and Hayley have worked so hard over 8 years bringing local employment to 23 people, delivering food packages to hundreds of children during covid, supporting local sports clubs and individuals, winning 2 awards for the service they provide. I believe the trustees have lined up another cafe person which quite frankly seems suspicious and no reason given by trustees for their decision, they have been conspicuous by their lack of pres

Central Bedfordshire Council is encouraging residents to support their family, friends, and colleagues this Stoptober, to help them to ditch their cigarettes for 28 days (starting 1 October), to experience the physical and mental health benefits that quitting smoking brings. Smoking remains one of the nation’s leading causes of preventable illness and death in the UK, killing on average 78,000 people each year. The campaign to encourage people to support others during Stoptober comes following a recent survey of ‘The Stop Smoking Service’ users (in Central Bedfordshire, Bedford and Milton Keynes). It found that residents: Said the ‘human element’ in quitting is core and that the role of emotional support from others is very important Felt the positive effect of seeing others, like them, quitting successfully Were worried about their lack of willpower around friends and family who smoke Someone  who  quits smoking   for  the  28 days  of Stoptober is  five times more likely to stay

Central Bedfordshire Council are pleased to confirm that they will be undertaking a garden waste collection during a two week period in October. This collection will clear the backlog of waste in resident’s garden waste bins before the winter period*.    The Council’s contractor, FCC, have been unable to collect household garden waste since late July due to the national shortage of LGV drivers. The available drivers have been prioritising collecting black bins, recycling and food waste from 120,000 properties each week.    Garden waste will be collected between 18th October and the 30th of October. To facilitate this, drivers are being redeployed from the usual food waste collections for two weeks. Food waste will not be collected during this time.    During this two-week window, residents are asked to place their garden waste bin or their two council issued bags by their kerbside from 7am, on the day they normally have their recycling collected.    To further help Central Bedfords

Children born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018 are due to start school in September 2022. Parents applying for their children to start either a lower or primary school must apply before 15 January 2022, even if their child already attends a nursery or pre-school on the school site. Parents applying for a place for their child at a middle school must also apply before 15 January 2022, even if the child already attends a feeder school and lives in the catchment area. The deadline for applications for young people transferring to a secondary or upper school in 2022 is 31 October 2021. How to apply To apply online, visit  www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/admissions . Alternatively, paper application forms are available from Central Bedfordshire Council’s School Admissions team. Call 0300 300 8037 or email  admissions@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk .

What to do when you're frustrated at not being able to get through to your GP surgery In an exchange in Parliament yesterday (14th Sept), Andrew Selous MP took up concerns that GPs are receiving abuse when their clients cannot get through to them at the surgery on the telephone. Sajid Javid Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said that people who were having problems getting through to the surgery should contact the clinical commissioning group. Andrew Selous The Second Church Estates Commissioner, “Covid has been tough for all health professionals, so will the Secretary of State wholeheartedly condemn the abuse that some GPs have been suffering recently? If vulnerable people are unable to get through on the telephone to their surgery, should it be the clinical commissioning group or the Department that steps in to try to sort that out?” Sajid Javid Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, “I join my hon. Friend in condemning anyone who gives abuse to our fantas

 We all can be guilty of making excuses to get out of or put off doing things we know we should be doing, with avoiding householdchores the top reason for excuse-making.  New research from Gas Safe Register - the UK’s official registration body for gas engineers and gas businesses – highlights that one in three of us have used excuses to get out of having our home gas appliances safety checked, despite the majority saying we would never make excuses if our loved ones’ safety was at risk.  Yet, the latest inspection figures from the safety body demonstrate just how real these risks are and why excuses aren’t worth making.  Nearly 7 million homes in the UK – one in four – now house potentially dangerous gas appliances, including boilers, cookers and gas fires. If left unchecked, these faults can pose a threat to life from gas leaks, fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and explosions.  Gas Safe Register is running Gas Safety Week, running from 13th - 19th September. This Gas Safety Week

A project to remove unsightly overhead power lines from Dunstable Downs is underway. A major project to transform the Dunstable Downs skyline has taken advantage of the latest technology to accelerate the work. UK Power Networks has used a state-of-the-art cable plough at the National Trust site as it works to replace overhead lines with underground cables. Views at the highest point in Bedfordshire will be enhanced by the £2 million project supported by the Chilterns Conservation Board. The innovative remote-controlled cable plough means trenches do not have to be dug, and can install up to 1,000 metres of electricity cabling a day. This would take at least a fortnight using traditional open-cut techniques in tough chalk ground conditions. Ivan Churchman, project manager at UK Power Networks, said it was the first time the company has used the new machinery: “We chose to use this to minimise any disruption both to the National Trust visitors and

Andrew Selous, South West Bedfordshire MP, took part in a debate about Plastic Waste on 8 Septemebr 2021.   Mr Selous addressed the debate in Westminster Hall, saying, “There are two important reasons why this debate matters so much.  “First, plastic pollution is killing more than 1 million birds per year—that is a shocking figure. I have just come from a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reception. In addition, more than 100,000 sea mammals and turtles—those majestic creatures of the sea—are dying every year from eating, or getting tangled in, plastic waste.  We are making the biodiversity crisis worse .  “Secondly, plastics are currently contributing 1% of global carbon emissions, but projections show them rising to 15% of the global carbon budget by 2050 if we do not take action. That is absolutely the wrong direction.   He continued, “We have banned microbeads , restricted the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, and we are consulting on banning single-

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis is delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the nomination of The Venerable Joanne Kelly-Moore, Archdeacon of Canterbury and Residentiary Canon at Canterbury Cathedral, for election as Dean of St Albans, in succession to The Very Reverend Dr Jeffrey John following his resignation on 31st March 2021. The role of the Dean of St Albans is to lead the life and work of the Cathedral Church of St Alban and to share with the Diocesan Bishop and other senior colleagues in the oversight of the Diocese of St Albans and in supporting its vision of ‘Living God’s Love’. The Venerable Joanne Kelly-Moore will lead the Cathedral community in sharing and demonstrating the Gospel in the City of St Albans and across the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Commenting on the appointment, the Lord-Lieutenant said: “I am thrilled to welcome the new Dean of St Albans to the Diocese of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. I know that the new Dean

Central Bedfordshire Council is working in partnership with bus operators to deliver improved bus services for local people and to help make bus travel a more attractive way to travel. A consultation has been developed following the Government’s announcement in March of the new National Bus Strategy – ‘ Bus Back Better ’. A £3 billion pot of funding is being made available to improve bus services across the country and Central Bedfordshire Council can bid for a share of this in partnership with bus operators. The Council has committed to forming an ‘Enhanced Partnership’ with all local bus operators to improve services and access to funding. However, before being able to access a portion of funding and form an ‘Enhanced Partnership’, the Council must first develop a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and survey in collaboration with local bus operators to seek residents’ experiences and where gaps in the service may exist. The survey is open for two weeks (Wednesday 8 September –

Central Bedfordshire Council has today issued a statement about Garden Waste Collections: Unfortunately, garden waste collections remain suspended due to the ongoing national shortage of HGV drivers. At present time, we anticipate the suspension continuing throughout September, unless driver availability changes. We appreciate this is not ideal and we are sorry for the disruption to the usual service.  We are exploring all possibilities with our contractor to enable us to restart a garden waste collection service, even if it is less frequent as an interim measure.  We hope to be able to confirm by the end of next week (week ending 19 September) when garden waste collections will resume. Driver shortages are affecting many businesses that rely on HGV drivers. Whilst, we have needed to suspend our garden waste collections temporarily, we are continuing to prioritise the drivers we have to ensure we continue to collect your black bins, food waste and recycling from over 120,000 households

Two elderly victims have been left shaken and upset after a man talked his way into their Dunstable home and stole nearly £3,000. Police are appealing for help with a daylight robbery that has left two people shaken. On Tuesday, 24 August at approximately 4pm, a man knocked at the door of the property in Seamons Close. He offered to carry out work on the home’s roof, and eventually, a woman agreed to pay him £200. As the victim took the money out of her purse, the man was handed £200, and then claimed that he had only been given £180. The victim then went back to her purse and removed another £20, and placed her purse back in the drawer. Whilst this was happening, two other people were distracting the victim’s partner. All three offenders then left the location without completing any work. The victim checked her drawer and her purse, which contained nearly £3,000 in cash, had been stolen.   The man who entered the property is described as white, approximately 5’8’’, in his late 30s