Flitwick leisure centre development - the nuts and bolts

For those who want to get all the gritty detail from CBC follow link here 

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/modgov/documents/g4669/Public%20reports%20pack%20Wednesday%2030-Jul-2014%2010.00%20DEVELOPMENT%20MANAGEMENT%20COMMITTEE.pdf?T=10

Build up to Christmas in the Vale

Christmas Tree Festival

Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 December, 10am - 5pm

Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park, Marston Moretaine, Station Road, MK43 0PR

Winter Wonderland

Saturday 7 December, 11am - 4pm

Rufus Centre, Steppingley Road, Flitwick, MK45 1AH

Find out the real story...

We are in the middle of the very first national History Writing Month and Central Bedfordshire Council’s libraries are joining the Historical Writers’ Association and the Reading Agency to celebrate this landmark by holding an interesting programme.


There are three big author events over the month featuring the following writers:

12 November - AL Berridge and JD Davies, The Men who Fight – soldiers and warriors. Come along to Shefford library at 7pm. 

A L Berridge (right), author of the Chevalier and the Victorian Harry Ryder series, Berridge’s writing has been compared to that of Bernard Cornwell. 

J D Davies (above), winner of the Samual Pepys Prize in 2009 and author of non-fiction titles on the history of seventeenth century England.

19 November - Rose Melikan and Jane Thynne, Would you Trust this Woman? Women in the shadowy world of espionage. Come along to Toddington library at 7
Rose Melikan (above), Fellow of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and author of a trilogy of novels set in the French Revolution featuring the redoubtable Mary Finch. Jane Thynne, who’s first novel features Clara Vine, an actress recruited as a British spy in Nazi Germany.

21 November - James Aitcheson and Michael Arnold, Warriors from 1066 to the Civil War. Come along to Flitwick library at 7pm.

James Aitcheson, (right) author of an action-packed trilogy following the fortunes of Tancred, a Norman knight, in the Battle of Hastings and its aftermath. Michael Arnold, creator of Captain Stryker, whose escapades during the civil war are the subject of four books so far.







Cllr Brian Spurr, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities (Services) said: “We’ve got a fantastic selection of authors lined up for the first national History Writing month. With Hilary Mantel’s works on Thomas Cromwell selling like hot-cakes, this is clearly a growing genre. To hear more from real-life history writers, visit our libraries website - www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/libraries - and call the relevant library to book. At £1.50 a ticket, it’s a great value night out.”

Launching History Writing Month Sandeep Mahal, of the Reading Agency said, “Libraries are brilliant at reaching and engaging audiences who share the Historical Writers Association's fascination with all things historical.”

For more information on these and other events, visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/libraries Tickets for all library events are £1.50. Simply contact the library to reserve your seats.

Round the houses

Ooooooookay...FCC (trains not wind farms) finally got back regarding my query concerning the work on Flitwick station footbridge. It is WORSE than I thought. They confirmed the stuff we already knew about from the notice at the station.

Dear Mr Pollock
Thank you for your email of 27 February 2013 enquiring about the improvements to Flitwick station. Please find the below details of the improvement to the station
- Network Rail will be refurbishing and strengthening the pedestrian footbridge.
- The supports will be repaired and strengthened, new non-slip surfaces will be installed and new paint applied. It is expected this work will extend the life of the bridge by 25 years.

So far, so predictable and then. 

Work will then move on to the northbound platform, 4, to the side of the ticket office. While these stairs are closed, passengers will have to use the road bridge to reach the other platforms. 

I have written back:
Using the Road bridge?  and how do we access that? Walk all the way up the vehicle access and round?  How long will that last and what provision will you make to sell tickets on platforms 1, 2 and 3 to save people going all round the houses? 

I'm afraid the last query took them four weeks to respond so don't hold your breath, Platform Wunners

 

Our mad mad world

For reasons that's no one's business but my own I was using the Bedford Station car park today. Love the notice which says

"If the car park is full there is additional car parking capacity at Flitwick station 13.4 miles away."

Its actually only 10 miles if go via the B530. But same difference

 

Les Miserables

The Platform Wunners at Flitwick have a miserable life and one of the bits of miserable is the traipse over the bridge, back and forth in all weathers. It's a narrow, exposed structure and getting off the platform and onto it on a chilly wet evening is a trying experience.

Well there is work going on, massive scaffolding  and a corrugated canopy etc (see pic). Yay, I thought, is it going to be a covered bridge with lifts like the quality are getting down in Harpenden, in Hertfordshire. It took a while to find an information notice on the bridge and this reads:


"Network Rail is refurbishing Flitwick Station footbridge to make it smarter and safer for First Capital Connect customers. You will see - New non-slip treads on the stairs, replacement side panels, new paint to last 25 years."

Well, by the Lattes of Duncan, is that it? A lick of paint, side panels and non-slip treads. We would be better off if they just left the corrugated canopy on as some kind of shelter. It looks ugly but it works.  I have emailed FCC about their intentions for Flitwick but I'm not expecting to be pleasantly surprised. Either way I will relay the news. 

It's ugly but it works

Still whipless

Nadine, two months back in the Westminster jungle is in the news again. Claims about her expenses (stoutly contested I might add).

Well, as they say, she has form. Whip unrestored in mid February. I expect its not coming back.

Is the controversial 'second' home in Beds the new first and the London flat her new second home? Some of us just wait wearily at Flitwick plat 1. Thats my longstanding second home. Not claimable, not even the regular latte from Duncan at Cravin's

It's not fare

This was in my inbox this morning (see below). Might be too late to do anything but I heartily sympathise with the Together for Transport campaign. I'm not off to London on Thameslink today but it looks like a bit of lottery  down at Flitwick platforms 1 and 3, as result of the overhead cable problems yesterday.

It costs me £32.50 for a ticket to central London without tube. Car parking in the Cowlgrove "shed" costs £5.50 so it's pricey business. I don't go often enough to warrant a weekly or monthly season. When FCC took over the franchise they introduced return restrictions on off peak which meant there was no saving if you were travelling late morning but coming home between 4 pm and 7 pm. 


Wages and benefits are held down and the Government makes a huge deal about holding down council tax. But rail fares just shoot up each year. Can't they just cut the director's bonuses? Visit http://www.togetherfortransport.org/ for more info



Join our Valentine's Day of action against high train fares!

Thank you for your support for the FareFail campaign. Thousands of you have backed our call for an end to the era of runaway rail fares, and we’ve been able to make the politicians sit up and listen.

Now we need to keep the pressure up.

The government hasn’t called an end to above inflation fare rises, and too many of our fellow rail passengers don’t know that there are lots of us out there who feel just the same as them about high fares.

That’s why we called our Valentine’s Day of Action, with one simple message: ‘Love Trains: Hate High Fares!’ We’re aiming to be at as many stations as possible tomorrow morning, getting out the message to other commuters that they don’t need to suffer in silence.

Many of you have responded already by volunteering to help hand out postcards at your local station.

We want to ask you now if you will join in. The stations we are targeting are now live on our website – click to find out if there is something local to you that you can take part in.
Click here to find a local station activity today.

The Together for Transport team
Part of the FareFail coalition




See below. The rail deal this morning 

On the buses

We had a very productive and encouraging meeting with university environment officers, yesterday, about the Bedford and Milton  Keynes bus services which the University has recently commissioned and which are available for public use. They are drawing up a spec for a longer term contract and sought PC input. Roz Hatton from North Crawley Parish Council was also she present, concerned about the bus-less state of the village.

Gareth Ellis the Environment  manager noted the needs we reported for accessibility to North Crawley and for Sunday services to Bedford. He also was interested in ideas around services to Flitwick, a key local service area.

Die in Flitwick

Anyone falsely imprisoned in Flitwick last night?  The temp traffic lights (yes, yet again) have just about reduced Steppingley Road to gridlock. The long sequences  mean that traffic from the other end keeps tailgating thru even when the lights at their end have gone red. 10 minutes to break out. CBC/Amey any explanations?