Dark ages or what?

Interesting letter in this week's Times and Citizen about rail in Central Beds with a focus on the woes of the Platform Wunners at Flitwick. It is an open letter addressed to the leader of CBC James Jamieson. 

Mr Jamieson has clearly, if the letter is accurate, made some fuss about the bridge refurb at Flitwick to Network Rail and hopefully asked some pertinent questions about the non-refurbishment programme: toilets (locked up for the last five years) and no disabled access in sight. As I have previously blogged, the new bridge and lift at Harpenden is wondrous. But we are still in the dark ages in Flitwick.

Flitwick Station - dark ages

 

Andrew Long writes:

Strategy must include rail

Open letter in reply to James Jamieson (Commitment on traffic, April 11).

 I continue to be surprised by Central Bedfordshire Council’s utter indifference to rail - your letter only briefly mentioning the proposed new railway station at The Wixams.

There was no mention of station travel plans at Leighton Buzzard, with hopefully Flitwick and Harlington to follow. It is particularly saddening that despite the recent development strategy which will be the main planning document for Central Bedfordshire, setting out new policies for development including how many houses and jobs are needed and where they should go; and more detailed policies which will be used to determine planning applications, including transport infrastructure - makes little, if any, reference to rail throughout the document.

I sincerely hope that this omission will be remediated before representations are considered by the independent Planning Inspector. DCLG/Government requires that everyone, including stakeholders, are asked for their views on a series of specific questions about “soundness” and legal compliance.

An examination into the documentation and representations made will take place later in 2013. I would urge that the de-velopment strategy needs to deal adequately with ‘rail’.

Given your recent eleventh-hour letter to the CEO at Network Rail, Sir David Higgins, regarding Flitwick railway station footbridge, it might be more productive for Central Beds to examine what other local authorities have been doing with FCC & Network Rail to deliver significant improvements at their railway stations!

Flitwick is a mere apology compared to others which have seen important and helpful betterment of facilities for passengers. No doubt Central Beds’ large financial contribution to the Luton - Dunstable guided busway pre-cludes any meaningful contribution to rail within the unitary! A great pity and a legacy which rail users in Central Bedfordshire will not easily forget.

Andrew Long,

Transport Planning Society

Flitwick

Why were we not told?

Agreed by Parish Council on Wednesday evening - from the report of the planning committee held on 3 April




1. Flitt Leys Close. PCllr L Pollock expressed concern regarding the report back from CB/PCllr A Bastable that the cost of finding a site elsewhere for the school (around £2 million) was a factor in approving the brief against strong local opposition. 

This factor was apparently known to council officers and some councillors for some time but ward councillors were not informed. Two scrutiny committee debates took place without this being disclosed. One of these meetings discussed a choice of the brief with or without a school but we now understand that the no-school option was not in fact an option. A number of parish councillors had been back and forth to speak at various meetings which unbeknown to them, was a waste of time. 

It was RECOMMENDED therefore that a letter is written to the Chief Executive of Central Bedfordshire Council, with a copy to the Leader of the Council, J Jameson, and ward councillors, to ask for an explanation firstly of how the Parish Council, local people and ward councillors were significantly misled for so long about a substantive fact of matter. Secondly it should also explain why the cost of finding suitable land for education expansion is to be met by the village – not developers – unless an entirely unsuitable site is accepted.

Care of the elderly

I've been sceptical in the past about how CBC will make cuts to its budget while ensuring that elderly people get the support and care they need.  You are entitled to read what James Jamieson leader of CBC says about it in The Times and Citizen out this week. 

The CBC project for supported flats is commendable and I hope his pledge to roll it out across Central Beds bears fruit. 

I'm not sure the council's 'reablement' programme helping people get back on their feet and gain independence is anything new. It's called occupational therapy and its been around for ever. 

My biggest concern is the quality of domiciliary care which is having costs reduced. Domicilary care workers, everywhere, are already run ragged dashing hither and thither for 15 or 20 minute stop overs with elderly people. Driving down the costs will only reduce the quality further. 

I'm sure James will point to some positive inspection reports.  But then Hackney and Mid Staffs also got great reports at one time. It didn't stop disasters. Anyway, read James's piece and make up your own mind. And watch out for your elderly neighbour.