Fix My Street

http://www.fixmystreet.com/

FixMyStreet is a site to help people report, view, or discuss local problems they’ve found to their local council by simply locating them on a map. It launched in early February 2007.

FixMyStreet is primarily for reporting things which are broken or dirty or damaged or dumped, and need fixing, cleaning or clearing, such as:

• Abandoned vehicles
• Dog Fouling
• Flyposting or graffiti
• Flytipping or litter
• Streetcleaning, such as broken glass in a cycle lane
• Unlit lamposts
• Potholes

FixMyStreet is not a way of getting in touch with your council for all issues – use FixMyStreet only for problems such as the above. They often route problem reports via cleansing services or highways and so using FixMyStreet for other matters may result in a delay in your report getting to the right department. You will need to contact your council directly for problems such as:

• Anti-social behaviour
• Noise pollution or barking dogs
• Missing wheelie bins or recycling boxes or missed rubbish collections
• Proposals for speed bumps/ CCTV/ pedestrian crossings/ new road layouts/ etc.
• Complaining about your neighbours
• Complaining about the council
• Joy riding, drug taking, animal cruelty, or other criminal activity

Councils often have direct hotlines for these sorts of issues.

After entering a postcode or location, you are presented with a map of that area. You can view problems already reported in that area, or report ones of your own simply by clicking on the map at the location of the problem.

The problems are reported to the relevant council by email. The council can then resolve the problem the way they normally would. Alternatively, you can discuss the problem on the website with others, and then together lobby the council to fix it.

The site is free to use, FixMyStreet is run by a registered charity.

Biggleswade Magistrates Court

I have today reported to Central Bedfordshire Highways another sign at the other end of the High Street.



Biggleswade Magistrates Court

The Court House closed in January 2000 as a Magistrates Court and was refurbished and occupied by Biggleswade Town Council in 2006.

But it seems it will not go away. Have you noticed the signage that still exists. There may be more.

I have written to Central Bedfordshire Highways:

I understand that Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond have written to council leaders calling on them to reduce the number of signs and other "street clutter.

 

In Biggleswade there are at least three signs that refer to the Magistrates Court that closed 11 years ago, January 2000. In 2006 Biggleswade Town Council occupied the premises in Saffron Road. Two of the signs are in Saffron Road and the other is in the High Street.

 

I have attached pictures for your information and would grateful if you remove / change them.

Housing Developments Directional Signage - Central Bedfordshire Policy

Prior to my blog of 3rd January 2011,  I asked CBC if their policy was the same as provided to me in 2007.

Initially the response from CBC was :

 

Please forward more detail regarding your enquiry.

 

1    Do you wish to know what size a developers signage can be, or where or how many?

 

2    Please give me full details of the developer i.e. who and full address of site.

 

3    Do you require information on conservation area / public rights of way signage.

 

I repeated my question:

 

In July 2007, Andrew Prigmore clearly spelt out what was Mid Beds policy was at that time.

 

I cannot find anywhere on Central Beds web site any reference to your policy on Developers Signage.

 

I have attached below what Andrew sent me, if this is Central Beds Policy perhaps you can direct me to where it is on your web site.

 

I was then informed:

 

Thank you for that information. I have spoken to my Team Leader and have been told you need to communicate with Nick Chapman at Amey. nick.chapman@amey.co.uk for highway policy.

 

I sent my question onto Amey who said:

 

It took me a while to determine the policy. Applications are dealt with by Central Bedfordshire officers not through Amey and there is a policy of charging for the application and an additional sum per sign in case the Council has to take them down in default. These charges are not levied in the case of applications through the AA or RAC. If you need further detail please contact Paul Salmon who is the officer that normally deals with these.

 

I was being referred back to Central Bedfordshire to their Senior Traffic & Safety Engineer. This full circle took about 6 weeks. 

 

This is the information I received by return:

 

Thank you very much for your enquiry regarding temporary signage for developers on the Central Bedfordshire Network.  I can confirm that currently Central Bedfordshire Highways adopt the policy that Andrew Prigmore highlighted to you in 2007.  There is no direct reference to it on our website as we, as a new unitary authority are currently formulating our own policy which will have to be adopted by members of the council.  The policy has been written and is a joint piece of work from my self, our waste team, our network management team and the planning team, as I am sure you can imagine we get requests for more than just developer signage.  Once the policy has been ratified by all parties it will go to the Traffic Management Committee, who will choose to adopt it or not.

 

Currently on our website the only thing which mentions temporary signage is at the link below.

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/highways/signs/default.aspx

 

In regards to how would developers know what the policy is, the majority of requests come in via email or telephone through our highways helpdesk and they are then passed to me, or by the sign manufacturers themselves who the developer has gone directly to and they then contact me as they have become aware that I deal with these requests.  If the Policy is adopted after going through the Traffic Management Committee, then this will be made publicly available on our website. 

Central Bedfordshire Council, Let's Talk - Poll

Did you know there is a poll going on at the moment on the website?

http://www.letstalkcentral.com/transport/

Which of the following journeys is the most important to you?

• Journey to work (50%, 2 Votes)
• Journey to healthcare facilities (GP, Hospital etc.) (50%, 2 Votes)
• Journey to school / college (0%, 0 Votes)
• Journey to retail facilities (0%, 0 Votes)
• Journey to leisure facilities (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 4

____________________________________

There  was a previous poll:

http://www.letstalkcentral.com/features/

Do you agree or disagree that local councils need to save money?

• Agree (79%, 46 Votes)
• Disagree (17%, 10 Votes)
• Don't know (4%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 58

e-Petition Proposed Closure of Biggleswade Adult Centre - only three days to go.

The deadline to sign this is only a few days away (Tuesday 25th January), and for this petition to be be debated by Central Bedfordshire Council a minimum of 100 signatures are required. It is is easy to register (so that they know you are a CBC resident) your details are not shown, and then you can sign this petition and any others you may agree with.

The link to the petition is:

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/modgov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=38&RPID=3206017&HPID=3206017

We the undersigned petition the council to stop the closure of the Biggleswade Adult Centre.

It is proposed that this centre for Adults with learning disabilities closes. Therefore these vulnerable Adults that attend this vital service from all around the Biggleswade area to learn day to day activities will not be able to attend a day care centre at all. The council wish to leave these Adults to defend for themselves and have no help whatsoever from the community.

This ePetition runs from 08/01/2011 to 25/01/2011.

12 people have signed this ePetition

Biggleswade Town Council - Annual Governance Statement

This is an extract of the above document that accompanies the Statement of Accounts for year ended 31st March 2010:

The Governance Framework

• The Council identifies its visions as part of its programme setting process and communicates its intentions and intended outcomes to its citizens and service users via its web site, local news leaflet and press releases.
• The Council has clear channels of communication with all sectors including public sessions before its meetings, regular surveys of users and local residents needs and views and encourages the public to give to the Council their views upon all aspects of the Council services provided.

Review of Effectiveness.

Biggleswade Town Council has responsibility for conducting, at least annually, a review of the effectiveness of its governance framework...............

Significant Governance Issues.

To date no significant governance issues have been identified.

Let's Talk Together - Sandy & Biggleswade Meeting - Monday 24th January

A Community Meeting has been arranged  for Monday 24th January at Biggleswade Fire Station, Chestnut Avenue, Biggleswade, from 5pm to 7pm.  Refreshments of tea, coffee and biscuits will be made available.

According to the CBC web site:

"Let's Talk Together community meetings will give members of the community and local groups the opportunity to discuss their particular issues and concerns with Councillors and  representatives from key organisations such as police, health, children/education, community safety, environment, business and volunteering to name but a few."

The poster for the Sandy & Biggleswade Meeting :

http://www.centraltogether.org.uk/download/priority-neighbourhoods-media/101220%20SandyBiggs%20poster%20240111v2.pdf

Says:

"A great Opportunity to meet and talk to organisations, followed by discussions about priorities for the Police, chaired by a local Ward Councillor."

I asked who the Ward Councillor was going to be, and received a reply from the Community Engagement Manager at 10.15pm!!!  The discussions will be chaired by Councillor Tricia Turner, MBE, Chairman of the Executive, Leader of the Council and Ward Councillor for Northill & Blunham.

E-PETITION LONDON ROAD - ONLY ONE WEEK TO THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP

The deadline to sign this is only one week away and for this petition to be be debated by Central Bedfordshire Council a minimum of 100 signatures are required. It is is easy to register (so that they know you are a CBC resident) your details are not shown, and then you can sign this petition and any others you may agree with.

The link to this petition is :

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/modgov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=27&RPID=3094341&HPID=3094341

____________________________

We the undersigned petition the council to Withdraw Plan "London Road, Biggleswade, 20mph zone extents" and the three associated public notices as shown on the CBC web site under this subject heading. Engage in full and proper consultation concerning the principles and detailed implementation with all interested stakeholders with a complete and coherent plan Safer Routes to School and for the implementation of the roundabout proposal for this junction.

"There are too many aspects of this proposal that are unacceptable to the majority of Biggleswade stakeholders.

Any changes must consider the well-being of the town as a whole. That is why a coherent traffic plan for the town should have resulted from the detailed discussions of the Biggleswade Town Centre Partnership, and incorporating the comments from the Town Council, Central Beds. Ward councillors, Town Plan Steering and others."

___________________

This ePetition runs from 12/12/2010 to 24/01/2011.

76 people have signed this ePetition

Spot a Pothole

Central Beds have this press release, dated 9th November 2010, called "Spot a Pothole, Ring the Hotline".

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/news/news/december-2010-press-releases/pothole.aspx

My experience of driving around Biggleswade recently is not so much spot the pothole but avoid the pothole. I have reported a number of potholes and I have to say Central Beds do generally respond quite quickly. They have an online system, which is easy to follow and  where you can check on the progress of your report. So report them, I'm beginning to feel I am the only one doing it.

The link is:

https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/officeforms/Highways_Reporting_Form.ofml

For emergency highway faults, you can ring the 24-hour Pothole Hotline, on 0300 300 8049.

Highways categorise potholes and set targets for their repair according to the details reported to them. This is from their training manual:

 Carriageway pothole

We need to treat a pothole in the road that exceeds 2 inches in depth and is more than 4 inches wide as an emergency and call details of it through direct to the Engineer, in addition to creating a report. (the depth of the hole is more important). This is called a Category 1 defect and an order is raised and repairs carried out within 24 hours.

Summary of Highways Targets

Priority 0   Very Urgent - Health & Safety   Target: Inspect in 2 hrs. Repair / make safe in 2 hrs.

Priority 1    Urgent                                      Target: Inspect in 24hrs. Repair / make safe in 24hrs.

Priority 2    Routine                                     Target: Inspect in 5 working days. Programme repair.

Priority 2A Routine  Street Lights only         Target: Inspect & repair in 10 working days.

Priority 3    Future Programme                     Target: Inspect in 5 working days. Programme repair.

Priority 4    Work Not Required                    Inspect in 5 working days. Repair not required at this

                                                                   stage. Review on future inspections.

Avenue Centre, The Avenue - Sale History & Details

In 1983, in view of the fact that an estimated £9,000 worth of repairs were needed to be carried out, Bedfordshire County Council declared the building and site surplus to requirements.

In April 1984 it was sold to Biggleswade Town Council, without any repairs being carried out, for the sum of £21,500. David Smith & Leslie Chambers signed on behalf of Biggleswade Town Council.

In October 1988 BTC, obtained Outline Planning Consent (MB/87/1767), for residential development.

The outline consent was renewed in 1991 (MB/91/0165), and again in 1995 (MB/94/1640).

In May 1999 detailed Planning Consent (MB/99/0017), was obtained for 4 detached houses and garages.

In November 1999 the site and building, with the benefit of Planning Consent was sold by Biggleswade Town Council  (Bernard Victor Briars - Mayor / William Frank Albone - Deputy Mayor) to:

Ronald Horace Bousted, Robert Winston Kirkham and Roger Mansfield trading as Acorn Homes of 15 The Acorn Centre, Chestnut Avenue, Biggleswade for the sum of £200,000.

In February 2000 Acorn Homes sold the building and site, with the benefit of Planning Consent to Wheatley Homes of Letchworth for £275,000.

The 4 properties built by Wheatley Homes became known as 11, 12, 14 & 15 The Avenue, which they sold during 2001 for £239,500, £201,000, £223,000 & £195,000 respectively.

ALL OF THE ABOVE DETAILS ARE A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD 

I am given to believe that when BTC sold The Avenue Club, a promise was given, particularly to organisations using the Club premises, that the sale money would be ring fenced and be held towards meeting the cost of a town community centre. At The Town Assembly Meeting of 23rd May 2006, when Vic Brunt asked what had happened to the monies from the sale he was told by Councillor Vickers that it was no longer ring fenced !

Freedom of Information Act Guidance for Parish Councils

The National Association of Local Councils publish a number of documents on their web site:

http://www.nalc.gov.uk/

One document is called "The Parish Council Governance Toolkit". It is quite comprehensive, and in Part 4 , pages 75  to 80, they cover "Freedom of Information Act Guidance for Parish Councils".

I compared my experiences of requesting information from Biggleswade Town Council with the "Guidance".

• "There is a duty on authorities to advise and assist applicants, which would normally require the authority to give some help to an applicant to better identify the information they request"

I was told  - " ...if you now feel that these documents are not what you require, please could you be more specific with regard to the precise document you require ....." 

• ".... requests must be dealt with within 20 working  days from the receipt of the request..."

I was told - "You email was responded to within 14 days of your request" - but the response did not provide the information.

I was also told - "and apart from the fact I was officially on leave" - that is not an acceptable reason for not responding in the timescale.

• If a request is refused, the refusal notice should give reasons for refusing the request and advise the applicant as to their rights of appeal - both internally by way of a complaint and, following that, by way of an appeal to the Information Commissioner.

I was told - " The remainder of the information as stated in the email will not be provided and for the purposes of FOI act will be treated as a qualified exemption. I have taken advice from the Information Commissioners Office and await your response on this matter".

Part of my response was:

If you are claiming qualified exemption and you taken advice from the ICO, you should have been told:

The reasons for withholding information must be explained to the applicant. A public authority must identify the exemption(s) under which the information is being withheld and explain why it applies, unless to do so would reveal exempt information.

If you refuse any part of a request for information there are certain obligations on how to inform the requester. These are provided for in section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Refusing a request under the exemptions

If you refuse any part of a request for information under the exemptions contained in Part II of the Freedom of Information Act, under section 17, you must explain which exemption you are relying on and why it is applicable.
The response to the applicant must:

• state that information is being withheld under an exemption
• specify which exemption or exemptions
• state (if it is not apparent) why the exemption applies
• if it is a qualified exemption, explain the balance of the public interest both against and in favour of disclosure

There are limited provisions in the Act enabling you not to give these explanations where to do so would itself undermine the exemption in question (section 17(4)). This must be used with great care: it must be fully justifiable in its own right as falling within the terms of an exemption. Public authorities will need to be able to fully defend the decision not to disclose the information should it be challenged by the Information Commissioner.



I recveived no response, so I appealed to the Information Commissioners Office. Their response was:

"It is clear that BTC has failed to provide you with a refusal notice as Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) requires....  Whilst we might normally ask a public authority to issue a proper refusal notice, it would be more effective and quicker if BTC were asked to treat your email of as a request for review, so I have asked BTC to do this."

BTC provided me with the information the day after I received that letter.

e-Petition London Road - only two weeks to the deadline to sign up.

The deadline to sign this is only two weeks away and for this petition to be be debated by Central Bedfordshire Council a minimum of 100 signatures are required. It is is easy to register (so that they know you are a CBC resident) your details are not shown, and then you can sign this petition and any others you may agree with.

 

The link to this petition is :

 

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/modgov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=27&RPID=3094341&HPID=3094341

____________________________

We the undersigned petition the council to Withdraw Plan "London Road, Biggleswade, 20mph zone extents" and the three associated public notices as shown on the CBC web site under this subject heading. Engage in full and proper consultation concerning the principles and detailed implementation with all interested stakeholders with a complete and coherent plan Safer Routes to School and for the implementation of the roundabout proposal for this junction.

There are too many aspects of this proposal that are unacceptable to the majority of Biggleswade stakeholders.

Any changes must consider the well-being of the town as a whole. That is why a coherent traffic plan for the town should have resulted from the detailed discussions of the Biggleswade Town Centre Partnership, and incorporating the comments from the Town Council, Central Beds. Ward councillors, Town Plan Steering and others.

This ePetition runs from 12/12/2010 to 24/01/2011.

58 people have signed this ePetition

____________________________

National Association of Local Councils - Quality Council Scheme

Most people will not heard about this Association but you can visit their website at:

http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Default.aspx

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) represents the interests of town and parish councils in England - a total of around 8,500 councils.

Over 15 million people live in communities served by parish and town councils nationally – this represents about 35% of the population. Over 150 new parish and town councils have been created since 1997.

They run a Quality Parish & Town Council Scheme which started in 2003. The aim of the Scheme is to provide benchmark minimum standards for parish and town councils.

In order to achieve Quality Status, parish and town councils must demonstrate that they have reached the standard required by passing several tests. Full details can be accessed at the NALC web site.

• Electoral Mandate - at least two-thirds of the members of the council must have been elected.
• Qualifications of the clerk - The clerk must hold either: The Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) Or: The Certificate of Higher Education in Local Policy or Local Council Administration awarded by the University of Gloucestershire.
• Council meetings - A council which is in touch with its community is expected to hold regular meetings. AND draft minutes of the meeting are published within two months of the meeting taking place and are available for inspection by any elector in the parish.
• Communication and Community Engagement - The council is required to:  have a website which provides; - a list of council members and officers, together with details of how they can be contacted and; - provides access to your annual report; have an email address that is publicly available;  produce and publish a regular newsletter at least four times a year or contribute a specific section on your local council to a community newsletter at least four times a year;  include in its own newsletter or in the community newsletter the names of councillors and the clerk and how they can be contacted
  and 
  ensure that the councils newsletter or community newsletter is readily available at public(such as local shops, notice boards, libraries and village halls)
• Annual Report - Although there is no statutory duty to prepare an annual report, it is now common practice for the annual meeting to include some form of report on the activity of the council. This has
  

  often been a verbal statement from the chairman, but the Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme requires that the report should be more formal and be in a form suitable for wider publication.
• Accounts - The last available statement of accounts must receive an unqualified opinion from the external auditor in order to qualify for Quality status. It is required that the last available Statement of Accounts and Annual Governance Statement demonstrate that they were prepared in accordance with the statutory requirements and appropriate proper practices, and, have been approved and published as required by law and proper practices.
• Code of Conduct - There is a requirement to show that the council has formally adopted the Code of Conduct (in accordance with the Local Government Act, 2000).
• Promoting local democracy and citizenship - The council should be able to demonstrate that: It works proactively to support local democracy and citizenship in its local area
• Terms and conditions - Councils with a paid clerk provide evidence that they have adopted (as a minimum) the NALC/SLCC Terms and Conditions agreement. and  Provide evidence that they have issued all staff with a written contract of employment
• Training - Produce a Statement of Intent on training for both staff and members and at reaccreditation, provide evidence that this has been acted upon.

In Bedfordshire, as of 10th December 2010 the following Councils have achieved accreditation:

Ampthill, Bolnhurst & Keysoe, Brickhill, Caddington, Dunstable, Great Barford, Henlow, Houghton Regis, Kensworth, Leighton Linslade, Northill, Oakley, Pertenhall & Swineshead, Potton, Sandy, Stotfold & Studham.

Biggleswade Health Centre - failed application

I have to say our Mayor, Councillor Wendy Smith, never fails to amaze me. She is so out of touch with what the Council are actually doing. She has written in the Biggleswade Chronicle, 7th January 2011, (In the Town Hall) and  she has got her facts wrong.

She says: "This application was rejected on a previous occasion..."

No it wasn't. It was deferred in July 2010, in order to give the Council the opportunity to provide further information in respect of heritage assets and ecology. They were given until the end of August 2010 to provide this information so that it could be consulted upon and reconsidered at the October 2010 meeting. The Council failed to meet this timescale and only produced information during October 2010. Would another applicant have been treated so favourably?

At the August 2010 meeting of the Development Management Meeting (Planning) it was resolved that an additional minute be added:

"...and to consult with the PCT and the two doctors surgeries regarding the proposed location"

Neither the PCT or the Doctors Surgeries chose to comment on the revised application, although the Councils Agent inferred that the Doctors supported the application. It was only after my insistence the doctors letters were published online and found to be dated September and October 2009 and just supported the principle of a new health centre, not the proposed location.

She says: "CBC have now been provided with additional information as requested"

Its true additional information was provided in October, but it was not what was asked for.

She says: ... "it could provide many more allotments, many more sports pitches, a play area and woodland walk...adequate parking facilities....and yes, a health centre too if desired"

In October 2010 the Council's agent wrote to CBC and said:

".... the development is to be amended to exclude, relocation of Allotments, Travelling Show Peoples site, woodland and children's play area. The description now is, Health Centre, Sports Pitches, Changing Facilities, with car parking"

She says; "It will add another swathe of land to connect the ring of green belt around our town..."

Several hundred car parking spaces and 6500 square metres of buildings ?

The detailed reasons for refusal which will be shown in the minutes are:

1.The proposed Health Centre, by virtue of its scale and location outside the defined Settlement Envelope where insufficient justification has been provided for the development, would have an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of this rural are where restrictive planning policies apply; as such the proposal is contrary to PPS7, PPG13, and Policies DM3, DM4 & CS14 of the Core Strategy and Development Policies (2009).

2. The application contains insufficient information to show that the development would not result in a detrimental impact upon ecology & habitats and as such the proposal is contrary to PPS9 and Policies CS18 and DM15 of Central Bedfordshire Council's Core Strategy and Development Management Policies.

In 2005, when the Primary Care Trust applied for planning permission on the same site, Biggleswade Town Council objected for reasons which included the following:

1.The design and appearance of the building is completely out of character with the area.

2.Justification has not been given for use of the site

Notes About The Avenue Club and the Last Week of 1945 in Biggleswade

Mike Strange of the Biggleswade History Society has provided me a copy of a newsletter he wrote in April 2008. With his permission, I have published it, in its entirety:

NOTES ABOUT THE AVENUE CLUB
AND THE LAST WEEK OF JANUARY 1945 IN BIGGLESWADE

Mike Strange – April 2008

We have received this engraved plate from Mike Conniford, son of Mr and Mrs G.T. Conniford

 

 

Mike Conniford told us, “My father was Managing Director of Pobjoys (Aeroengines) Ltd. which were a subsidiary of Short Brothers and based at Rochester Airport in Kent.  Following the outbreak of World War II production was dispersed to Bedfordshire with Headquarters situated at Goldington Hall, a beautiful Tudor mansion on the outskirts of Bedford.  In Bedford sets of Spitfire wings and Hurricane tailplanes were made at the CWS jam factory and also at Meltis Sweets factory.  Following the entry of America into the fray, three other buildings, originally used by Kayser Bondor silk stocking factories in Biggleswade were requisitioned and used to assemble and test Wright “Cyclone aero engines, shipped from America in kit form.  My mother and father were very much involved in the setting up of the Avenue Club and in January 1945 were presented with this plate.  With the end of the War production in Bedfordshire ceased with Pobjoys returning once again to Rochester”.    The family lived in Bedford and he remembers coming to Biggleswade when he was 12 years old but not after that.

Receipt of this item and news prompted a short spell of research which resulted in the following from the Biggleswade Chronicle and Bedfordshire Gazette 2^nd February 1945:

“Presentation – When members of the Avenue Club learned that Mr. G. T. Conniford (chairman of the management committee) was relinquishing office steps were taken to show in some tangible form the appreciation the members felt for the services he had rendered.  The sequel was seen on Sunday evening when Mr. Collison, on behalf of the committee and members presented Mr Conniford with a case of silver spoons.  Mr. Collison gave a brief history of the club.  He said that in 1942 an inaugural committee was formed in the town under the chairmanship of Mr Conniford with the object of providing a club for the use of war workers.  It was through Mr Conniford’s active interest that the Avenue Club came into existence. In a brief reply Mr Conniford said he felt rather embarrassed to accept such a pleasing gift for the small signal service he had rendered.”

No doubt this plate was mounted on the case that contained the spoons, I shall return to Mike Conniford with this news.

Despite the continuing hostilities there were a number of domestic events to report on during the last week of January 1945 in Biggleswade.  Today many of these seem irrelevant but at that time they were a means of maintaining some semblance of normality:

  

• Mr and Mrs D. H. Martin were the M.Cs. at the Avenue Club’s weekly whist drive on the last Friday.  Prizewinners were Mrs Course, Mrs Webb, Mrs V. Skinner, Mr. Webb, Mrs. D. Goodwon and Mr. V. Denham.

  

• The Darts League registered its 240^th player.

  

• The pantomime, “Old Mother Hubbard”, raised approximately £80 for the “V Gang”, a Local Boys Victory fund.

  

• The open show of the Biggleswade and District Fur & Feather Society attracted an entry of six hundred and fifty.  It was held in the Senior Council Schools on Saturday.  The judges were Messrs Jesse Waters (fancy) and W. Allen (fur).

  

• Whilst cycling from work Mr D. Edwards (chairman of the Biggleswade Billiards and Snooker League sustained an unfortunate injury when, owing to the bad state of the roads, he was thrown off his cycle.  Medical attention was soon obtained and fears that were first expressed that Mr Edwards had sustained a dislocation of the shoulder were nullified.

  

• Despite the many uncomplimentary remarks passed in recent times (particularly during foggy weather) the “Humpty Dumpty” between Dells Lane and the L. & N.E.R. main line is now a children’s paradise.  Improvised toboggans and sledges of various designs and shapes are actively transporting passengers down its snow-clad slopes.  Frozen ponds in the district are being well supported and at Beeston Green some good sport has been obtained.

  

• Mrs. Kate Mary Sandon of Richmond Villa, 52 The Baulk died aged 77.  She was at one time an assistant teacher at Biggleswade Council School.

  

• Mr William Brookbanks of Roadside Farm, Potton Road died aged 76.  He was a well known market gardener and in his younger days was a keen cyclist, being a prominent member of the Biggleswade Cycling Club.  In 1894 he held the North Road Cycling Club record of 202½ miles in 12 hours. [He would have known Dan Albone and quite possibly rode an ‘Ivel’ bicycle’- Ed.]

  

• Primrose Wakes, younger daughter of Mr and Mrs Wakes, of 20 Hitchin Street, Biggleswade is serving with the ATS attached to RAOC as a technical store woman.  Previous to joining the ATS she worked in the baker’s shop in Hitchin Street.

  

• Mr Edward Wing of 7 Lawrence Road, Biggleswade is serving as assistant cook in the Royal Navy.  Before joining in March 1944 he was employed as a chef at the Ritz Hotel.

  

• Walter E. Rook is a prisoner of war in Germany after taking part in the fighting at Arnhem.  He is in the Signals Parachute Regiment.  He was formerly employed at Dodimead’s and was an active scouter.

  

• Advertisement: Good opportunity for Young Girls or Girls [that is what it said! – Ed] to learn bookbinding, apply Elphick’s Shortmead Printing Works, Biggleswade.

A contribution to the Society can lead to all manner of small snippets of information resurfacing that give an insight into society of the time and may be useful for future researchers.  An article detailing the history of the Avenue Club and the organisations that made use of it facilities would be welcomed.

 

Research is FUN! - Mike

The Avenue Centre, The Avenue - Part 2

The only records that I have found on the Avenue Centre are held by the Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Record Services. These consist of a building maintenance file from the Bedfordshire County Architects Department for the period 1946 to 1984. Having said that, there are some interesting details held in the file and these are the notes I made, as written in the file:

The Avenue Centre was erected in the early 1940’s. It was a single storey pre cast concrete framed structure, with brick infill panels under a corrugated asbestos cement roof.

One of its first uses, was as a War Workers Community Club, which opened on 6^th November 1943 funded by the War Relief Society of America.

The Bedfordshire County Council, Education Committee took over the running of the centre on 1^st April 1946.

12^th December 1946 – A J Vann of the Dells, Biggleswade was part of the Avenue Management Committee.

On the 23^rd October 1948, it was discovered that 12 panes of glass had been broken when the Club was closed, presumably by school children, on holiday.

30^th December 1948 – A R Thurston was Hon. Sec of the Avenue Management Committee.

From 3^rd January 1949, the Education Committee decided the premises were to be used as additional accommodation for a secondary school.

4^th January 1949 - Mr W Creek of 12 Lime Tree Walk is appointed caretaker.

In August 1949 the premises were freely conveyed from the Ministry of Education to the Bedfordshire Education Committee, as long as it continued to be used for community purposes.

In February 1950, the Bedfordshire Education Committee, decided full use of the premises, should be made by various organisations.

At Bedfordshire Education Committee of  the 15^th November 1952, it was decided to continue using the building as additional school accommodation during the day, a Youth Employment Bureau and further education evening classes. It was also decided that in view of the state of the national economy, plans would be withheld regarding the provision of a new community centre in Biggleswade.

It was reported to the Bedfordshire Education Committee of  the 18^th December 1953 that 349 meetings had been held at the Avenue Centre during the past year. These included the Biggleswade Athletics Club, Afternoon Townswomen’s Guild, Evening Townswomen’s Guild,, Workers Education Association, Coronation Committee, Biggleswade & District Cage Bird Society and Biggleswade Evening Institute. Demand for the Centre was steadily increasing.

On 21^st March 1967 The Avenue Club was burgled and the locks had to be replaced at a cost of £11.19.5.

On the 27^th May 1968 there was a fire causing £330 of damage, although the building continued to be used for school purposes.

In August 1982 a report was prepared on the condition of the building, which had been badly maintained. Essential maintenance would cost approximately £9,000. This report was discussed at the Planning and General Purposes Meeting of 13^th October 1982, and it was decided that 1. the building should be demolished 2. discussions should take place with local people to consider relocation of activities and provision of temporary accommodation.

There was a meeting at Lawnside School on 15^th November 1982 and discussions were held about the Biggleswade Town Council taking over the building on a lease and part of the building being demolished.

At the Education Planning and General Purposes Committee meeting of 9^th February 1983 it was declared surplus to educational requirements as Lawnside did not need it anymore. Further discussions had been held with a view to relocating various activities but no alternative premises had been found for use by local residents. It was also decided that Biggleswade Town Council should be given first option on the site and building.

In August 1983 following negotiations with Biggleswade Town Council it was agreed that they would purchase the site and building in its current condition for £21,500 and would accept the present occupants.

The property was conveyed to Biggleswade Town Council on 24^th April 1984.

The Avenue Centre, The Avenue - Part 1

This building no longer exists but I thought it would be of interest to find out some of its history. Although this was a well used building, that was demolished in 2000 for housing, there is very little documented history.

The Biggleswade History Society have provided me with all the pictures they have:

Biggleswade Theatrical Society 1946

  

Biggleswade Theatrical Society 1946

 

Avenue Club 1948

Avenue Club, circa 1957.

Cub Palavar - Avenue Club 1959


Cub Palavar - Avenue Club 1959

Brownies Avenue Club - date unknown

 If you have any photographs of the Avenue Centre / Club that you would be happy to have published here you  can contact me by email at:

Richard Mason

Biggleswade Health Centre Planning Application

I was unable to attend the Central Bedfordshire Development Management Meeting (Planning ) on the 5th January 2011, but I have been advised this morning by the Democratic Services Officer, Central Bedfordshire:

"The Committee refused the application as detailed in the report on the agenda.

 

The minutes of the meeting will be available on the 18 January 2011 on our website."

District Councillors Allowances

This is the link to the full document:

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/images/schemeofmembersallowances%20(2010)_tcm5-34809.pdf

The basic allowance for the year is £11,200 from April 2010.

Then there are "Special Responsibility Allowances".

You can work out for yourself that the Leader of the Council gets  £11,200 + £33,660 = £44,860.

Our District Councillors:

Maurice Jones, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance & People  - £11,200 + £20,196 = £31,396.

David J Lawrence - £11,200

Mrs Jane G Lawrence, Chair of General Purposes Committee - £11,200+ £5,049 = £16,249.

Peter F Vickers , Vice-Chair of Development Management Committee - £11,200 + £2,525 = £13,725

Under the scheme, a Councillor may by notice in writing, given to the Monitoring Officer, elect to forego any part of his or her entitlement to an allowance under this Scheme. I do not know if any of our Councillors have done that.

Housing Developments Directional Signage

Back in 2007 because of the proliferation of developer's signage I contacted the then Mid Beds Planning Enforcement. I eventually ended up with Amey who at that time were responsible for highways at Bedfordshire County Council They now are responsible for them at Central Bedfordshire Council.

Eventually in July 2007 I received a statement from the Amey Assistant Highway Policy Manager.

_____________________________

 Changes to national signing legislation authorised the erection of black on yellow signs to provide directions to special events and new developments. 

Some developers have sought formal approval for the locations of signs, which has made it possible to agree an appropriate level of signing to minimise clutter.

Regrettably, a number of developers in the past have erected signs with no authorisation, leading to a proliferation of unauthorised signs.

The approved signs are those black on yellow signs that look like road signs. Any sign that contain the developers name or signs that are not black on yellow are not and will not be approved.

For your information our policy states :

New Developments

There are clear benefits, in traffic management terms, to ensure that access for construction traffic and deliveries is made by the most appropriate route.  It is suggested that the following procedures are adopted:

i.        All developments are required to receive approval from Bedfordshire Highways for their signing regime.

ii.       Applications would be subject to a £100 inspection fee.

iii.      Signing would only be permitted from the nearest A classified road, unless there are clear environmental benefits of an alternative route.

iv.      Each sign would be subject to a £50 deposit, refundable on removal of the sign.

v.       All signing will be removed upon completion of the development.

vi.      Failure to submit an application or non-compliance with an approved application could lead to enforcement action under the Highways Act to remove unauthorised signs.

If you know of any signs that you feel do not meet these requirements, please advise the Highways Helpdesk, who will pass the locations on to the Area Team for them to arrange the removal.  

_________________________________

This is acceptable signage subject to approval of siting, size etc.

It must not include the developers name and no other colouring than black on yellow

____________________

As there is nothing on CBC web site concerning developer's signage, I recently asked Central Bedfordshire to confirm this is still their (Amey) policy. They have referred me to Amey for a response.

In the meantime I have assumed the policy is unchanged, so if you see a developers sign that does not meet the above criteria, you can report it to:

highways@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk