On the 30th December 2014, Mark Foster asked the question on We Love Biggleswade - So here goes.... I know by asking the questions, there is potential for negative responses....That's not really what I'm looking for..
May 2015 - Town, County, and General Elections. All the same day. Some candidates that you may know little or nothing about..
When voting for a Town Councillor, what's more important to you, the candidate or the party?
How do you want your Town Councillor to get your views and represent you?
How much do you know about current Town Councillors, and what they do?
I'm genuinely interested in how the town can be made even better than it is, and that is undoubtedly influenced in part by how effective the Town Council, and individual Councillors are...
It would be great if any replies are balanced and factual..
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We have lived in Biggleswade over
30 years and have watched the town grow and grow and it is still growing.
I am not convinced that the
redevelopment of the London Road Retail Park is going to be a good thing for
the town. The developers are already trying to stretch the conditions and
assurances given about not being in direct competition with the Town. First it
was an application for a Boots pharmacy, with negotiated conditions that they
would keep the one in the Town open for 5 years. Boots do not now appear on the
latest list of tenants. Then it was the granting of a Lawful Development
Certificate for Pets at Home, to run a veterinary surgery and/or grooming
parlour as the original planning permission does not exclude those uses. It
only excludes, Post Office, Ticket Agent, Travel Agents, Hairdressers, Funeral
Directors, Dry Cleaner, Laundrette, clothing & shoe repairs, Internet Café,
& Pharmacy. I can foresee the developers looking for other loopholes.
I became “involved” with
Biggleswade Town Council (BTC) many years ago now, when I asked a couple of
genuine questions and got rather obtuse answers and was questioned about why I
need to know. This was after the Freedom of Information Act came in in 2000.
The more questions I asked the more resistance I got to answer them. I have
complained a number of times about Biggleswade Town Council to the Information
Commissioners Office in order to be provided with information I requested.
For a number of years I was
generally the only member of the public that attended Biggleswade Town Council
& Committee Meetings. During that time I battled against non-existent
legislation being quoted to exclude members of the public for the council to
discuss exempt items. When I challenged this at one meeting, I was told in no
uncertain terms by the Mayor at the time that he would throw anybody out of the
meeting he did not want there and as Mayor he had the authority to do that. Not
recorded in the minutes.
Meeting dates are published in
the Biggleswade Bulletin to satisfy a statutory requirement and on the BTC web
site, although often I have to ask for approved minutes to be published and the
agenda to be online prior to a meeting.
Recently others have started to
attend the meetings and there are sometimes 8 or 9 Members of the public,
including Mark Foster.
In the last two or three years
with some new Councillors, things have improved in some areas. The web site was
launched and very recently the Facebook page, but they need to be kept up to
date.
The web site still has
photographs of two councillors missing, apparently it’s not compulsory and the
councillors attendance record for last year is woefully out of date, although I
did request a month ago it be updated. There are quite often very simple
glaring mistakes on the web site that BTC do not know about until it is brought
to their attention.
The biggest problem with BTC is
that most of the members do not “engage”, I hate that word, but it applies,
with the general public. In fact I sat at one meeting a while ago and when it
was suggested that a consultation exercise was carried out, a still serving
councillor thumped the table and said we are the elected representatives and we
make the decisions. Not recorded in the minutes.
The biggest consultation exercise
BTC was involved with was the production of the Town Plan. Even then when it
came to looking at a new health centre BTC decided the best place for it was at
Saxon Gate despite the conclusion of the Town Plan saying that it was wanted in
the Town Centre, which the Doctors supported. This was ignored as only 17% of
residents responded. Some councillors get elected on not much more than that. BTC
applied for planning consent on land they did not own on Saxon Drive and
pursued it to a planning appeal which they lost after they had spent nearly
£70,000 of our money.
Only one councillor has a regular
surgery where he meets the public one on one face to face. He also uses Social
media to find out what people are thinking and what they want and he is very
approachable.
Someone mentioned in response to
Mark Foster a Community Centre. Well we used to have one it was called the
Avenue Centre, at the Avenue off The Baulk. All sorts of organisations used it.
BTC bought it from Bedfordshire County Council, decided it was in a dilapidated
condition and too expensive to repair, the site was sold for housing. The
monies were to be ring fenced for another Community Centre.
Someone also mentioned parking on
pavements and verges and Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) have obtained an
order which can be implemented in problems areas. BTC were asked to consult
residents on this but BTC decided it was not their responsibility.
Dog Control Orders are now being
introduced but I cannot find out what the BTC response was to the consultation
as they did not keep a copy and CBC did not receive them as it was done on line
and there must have been computer glitch!
Drinkers, All of the Town Centre
including the bus station is part of the Alcohol Exclusion Zone. Plan published
on my facebook page:
Did you know of a new initiative which
includes BTC to remove drinkers out of the Town Centre to a Pod probably based
near the Dan Albone car park where they can be counselled by a number of
different agencies.
Did you know the flower beds outside
Stratton House Hotel are planted up and maintained by BTC. I have been trying
for a long time to get them to put something in the flower bed to show that.
Did you know that the “flower beds” opposite the library are also maintained by
BTC. I have been trying for a long time to get them to properly maintain them
or turf them over. Have a look the next time you pass by!
New play equipment. At last some
is being provided but did anyone from BTC ask you what you children and
grandchildren would like? Over Kitelands we have two pieces of equipment that hardly
anyone plays on.
I know being a Council member on
a voluntary basis can take up an awful lot of time and some of them do work
very hard at it.
There are a lots of things going
on.
Biggleswade Parking policy
produced over a year ago, without public consultation, by BTC which they are
fighting with CBC to implement. To try and relieve the parking problems in
Dells Lane. Part of this is looking to buy Rose Lane car park which is rented
at present and the provision of a multi storey car park at Bonds Lane / Foundry
Lane.
The Transport Hub at the railway
station.
A pedestrian crossing down
Shortmead Street and along London Road, which BTC were looking to contribute
towards providing. After months of backwards and forwards without any progress,
CBC have just unilaterally announced a crossing will be provided along London
Road where the school children choose to cross. Plan published on my facebook
page:
A one way system around St Johns
Street. Again after much discussion with CBC they have now added an HGV ban to
the proposals without any agreement.
There are a lot of things BTC are
trying to do but they never seem to involve the public or tell us what is going
on. The only way I know is that I get a copy of Agenda, the minutes and attend
as many meeting as I can, as the minutes do not always reflect the discussions
that took place.
To answer one of Marks questions,
personally at a local level, I would vote for any councillor, whatever party
they represent, who genuinely gets involved with the public and tries to gets
things done.
Finally the Wetherspoons planning
application. BTC are apparently not against the application in principle but
there is a question of an Ancient Right of Way through the yard which CBC
should have resolved some time ago. Biggleswade History Society have provided
CBC with documents which apparently show its existence.
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