Central Beds Budget

Central beds set its budget tonight. I attended.


Cut in spending £20 million
Cut in staffing (before the end of March) 66
Cut in pay for staff (over £21,000) 2%
Cut in allowances for councillors - two per cent
Council tax frozen

Lodge Road

Carried out a site visit this morning following reports about damage and nuisance from lorries. The place is very muddy. I had assumed that Lodge Road would be widened before trucks started going  up and down it from the site but that appears not to be the case. 

Letter to Central Beds and Bedford Borough

Letter sent jointly from the Parish Council and Cranfield University to Central Beds and Bedford Borough about Sunday buses. Central Beds budget meeting is Thursday night.

Noticeboard

We are planning new/replacement notice boards. The clerk has been checking out the market and most come in at about £800.  Big fat ouch!!

Village directory

Parish Council's Village Directory with last minute fiddly corrections to telephone numbers finally passed for press. It will go out with Cranfield Express in April.

Street names

Street names for Home Farm being recommended by the Parish Council.


Thillans

Arpins Pightle

Ramsey Abbey Close or Road

Crow Close

Home Close or Road (close to the Home Farmhouse itself)

Does the village have an opinion?

Cranfield buses

I'm trying to find out about the fate of the Sunday (V2) Bedford to Cranfield service jointly supported by Central Beds (along with Bedford Borough). It was earmarked for the axe last December and things still look bleak. 

CBC identified a saving of  £9,000 and a report commented: “Moderate impact on Cranfield Uni, Cranfield, the Sheltons and Marston Moretaine.”

Last week Central Beds sent  a notice stating: “Following recent reports in the local and national press about changes to bus services, we thought that it would be beneficial for you to receive a breakdown of all the services within Central Bedfordshire that will be affected. These changes were agreed as part of a savings package that was discussed at the 7 December Executive meeting.

The current list did not include the V2. But a council officer  couldn't enlighten me and was taking further advice. And a source at Bedford Borough said the service would continue for the immediate future after 28 March.

Cranfield Parish Council and Cranfield University are drafting a joint letter appealing to both councils to keep the service going. At the same time they are pledging to work with councils and bus service providers to find innovative ways of plugging the growing public transport gaps in the area.

Evening services from Milton Keynes are also under threat. In addition it is reported that those on free passes such as older people will not be able to travel before 10.30

Home Farm community building

After loads of frustration that the community building had to fit into a badminton court template there has been some loosening of the strait jacket.  A Central Beds planning officer came to the meeting on Wednesday to discuss  having  another look at the design. Pigs were spotted taking off over Marston Thrift but it was all true.


It would appear that Persimmon have requested that  the ‘trigger’ (number of houses) at which construction of the community building starts, could be moved back. This would allow time to think again about  the design  and a further consultation with the village. The building does not have to be specifically sports focused we have been told. In the meantime, Persimmon will seek permission for the building as it currently has been designed as  a fall back if discussions on another design don't bear fruit.


My own opinion - which I think is pretty common - is that we need a building like a modern family car that can be opened up or folded down into 72 different configurations - everything from little nooks for private meetings and committees to whole hall meetings and play and recreation areas. We also need standard height ceilings as opposed to badminton hall which are easier to keep warm. 


I am also pressing for excellent 'Breeam' standards for environmental quality - this would include PV panels (photovoltaic - generating and selling electricity), solar thermal (heating water) and rain water harvest (used in the toilets). 

Quiet Lane

After years of cajoling, arguments about cost and responsibility and, to be absolutely blunt, some foot dragging in the old Beds County Council there is a small 'Quiet Lane' sign at the junction of Wood End Road and Lodge Road and at the end of the houses near Villa Park. I can't say how many hours of meetings and megabytes of emails went into having those two signs erected. But believe me it was a lot. At one time Amey said it would cost £10,000.

The funny thing is the breach in the hedge which Persimmon has driven into Home Farm is within the quiet lane area. So how is that compatible with earth movers, cement lorries and loads of bricks going in an out? 'Not' is the answer I think.

Council meeting Wednesday 16 February

Full council meetings (see this Wednesday's agenda)  can be pretty routine but interested parishioners should note two items below. First a Central Beds Planning officer will be coming  at 7 pm to talk about the design for the community building. Secondly we have the discussion about street names for Home Farm. 

7.00pm. Hanna Pattinson (CBC Planning) to discuss options relating to the design of the community building.

8.00pm,  MEETING OF THE FULL PARISH COUNCIL

1.     TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:  CB/PCllrs. D Allan, Peter Meadows, Jo Stannage

2.     TO RECEIVE DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL AND/OR PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS IN ANY MATTER

3.     TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING[S] [copy herewith]

4.     CLERKS REPORT

5.     Health & Safety

6.     REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES

6.1.  General Purposes Committee

6.2.  Burial Grounds Committee

6.3.  Environment Committee

6.4.  Planning Committee

6.4.1.         Consideration of General Planning Matters

6.4.2.         Street naming – Home Farm

7.     CORRESPONDENCE

8.     FINANCIAL MATTERS AND ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT

9.     REPORTS FROM CENTRAL BEDS COUNCILLORS (and any other representative)

10.  HIGHWAY MATTERS

A result?

The power of the Parish Council clerk! She has contacted the fly posters who have  promised not to do it again! With four hot food takeaways in Cranfield (some used by this blogger!)  the war on obesity in the village is not for the faint hearted. But there are limits. 

Fly posting

I have just removed adverts for a health and fitness company tacked onto telephone poles on Mill Road. Not the first time this company has stuck stuff all over the village and then abandoned it. A local sports club has also been guilty in the past  but they have not been offending lately. I have asked the PC clerk to contact and request the health company not to treat our streets as sort of linear billboards. There is Cranfield Express if they want to do legit advertising. 

Wind strength

Cranfield battered for the last 24 hours by continuous high winds. Not gale force but non-stop with fence panels banging all through the night. Residents in Lodge Road, I suspect in the brunt of it. 

Cemetery works

I visited as Malcolm Sargent was putting up the first memorial plaques in the cemetery. The idea is that people who have had an association with the village and died and who are buried elsewhere can have their links commemorated in this way. Its a nice development.

Malcolm is also sorting out the left hand gate. The retaining rod won't go down far enough making it hard to padlock when it is opened for a hearse to enter.

Street names

We didn't get round to these last night. Coming up for decision on 16 February at full council. Some parishioners would like to see RAF WWII planes commemorated. Spitfire is always popular but I'm not sure if someone wants to live in Mosquito Gardens or Hurricane Avenue.

Bus service cuts

In Cranfield we lost our evening buses two years ago and now we are threatened with loss of our Sunday buses - to save £9000.  Services to Milton Keynes are also under threat. See below.

From the BBC

More than two-thirds of councils in England are planning major cuts to their bus budgets, it is claimed.

According to the Campaign for Better Transport, which is launching the Save our Buses campaign, some councils intend to end all subsidised services. The Local Government Association also warned many bus routes would disappear as a result of government cutbacks.

But the government said nearly 80% of services outside London were commercially run and so not affected. As part of the Save our Buses campaign, data was collected from every local authority in England. It found 13 county councils were planning cutbacks of more than £1m, including Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon.Many rural, hospital, evening and weekend bus services were at risk.

Low incomes

The Local Government Association said bus routes would disappear as a result of government cuts to council budgets, and warned changes to the way concessionary travel is funded would also see services scaled back.

County councils will take over responsibility this year for funding concessionary travel.

This will mean a cut in funding earmarked for other services, and concessionary travel will be scaled back to off-peak hours in order for county councils to be able to meet their statutory duty, the LGA added.

Campaigners warn many rural, hospital, evening and weekend bus services are now under threat

Stephen Joseph, Campaign for Better Transport's chief executive, said the cuts to bus services would hit the poorest and most vulnerable hardest.

"We believe any short-term savings will be outweighed by the long-term cost of a vastly depleted bus network.

"These unprecedented cuts will be especially disastrous for people on low incomes and could effectively mean the death of rural bus services.

"Politicians must consider the social, economic and environmental consequences of failing to protect our bus services."

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If the government really wants people to get off welfare and into work they are going to need transport for it."

Home Farm and Denison

The Parish Council agreed tonight (subject to full council ratification) to write to Persimmon asking for their plans (in writing) if they they do not buy the Denison Land on Home Farm (in red see above).  The Community Hall is due to go on the Denison land. They reported to us that Denison are not selling - but I understand they say they will still buy the land needed for the community hall. We need some hard facts about what happens next.

Please note 1.3 above: "The site is in three separate ownerships. It is therefore crucial to plan for the development in a comprehensive way."

Exactly.

Home Farm street names

Some interesting ideas for names for the new streets from parishioner Margaret Rooney: Thanks Margaret

Summary of suggested street names for the Home Farm Development

Five new streets need to be named.

Recommendations are:

• Bullen
• Bradshaw
• The Bury
• Thillians
• Ramsey Abbey

Bullen

Bullen Road, Close or Way. The name of the family living at Home Farm, Cranfield Court, in the 1911 census – a 100 anniversary commemoration of Home Farm. William Bullen, a farmer, his wife and one daughter.

Bradshaw

Bradshaw Road, Close or Way. The name of the family living at Bury Farm, (also known as The Bury or Home farm), in the 1881 census. Benjamin Bradshaw, a farmer, his wife, six children and a servant.

Bury

Suggest the street is named The Bury. The Bury, in the 1880s, was also known as Bury Farm or Home Farm. A way to commemorate a 19^th century name for the farm.

.

Thillians

One of eight fields in The Bury, in the 1880s, was known as ”Thillian’s” - pasture. Suggest, for simplicty, that the apostrophe is dropped. A charming, simple name. Similar single names appear elsewhere in the village – Simdims, Lordsmead, Lincroft.

Ramsey Abbey

Suggest Ramsey Abbey Close or Road, depending on house layout. Owner of Cranfield for over 500 years from 998 until the dissolution of the monastries in 1536. A good opportunity to mark this significant historical link with Cranfield. Ailwyn’s Acre marks another Ramsey Abbey link, and is on Lodge Road, very close to the Home Farm development..

Further names that could be considered

• Capell
• McFalone
• Corner Piece

Capell

Name of the family at Home Farm, in the 1901 census. Richard Capell, a Farm Bailiff and widower, three children and a boarder, (Louisa Spray, National School Teacher).

McFalone

Name of the family at Farm House, Cranfield Court, in the 1891 census. John McFalone, Farm Bailiff and widower, originally from Roxborough, Scotland. One daughter and a housekeeper.

The family name is not an immediately recognisable one in this part of the UK.

Also, I am assuming “Farm House, Cranfield Court” is Home Farm, as this is a farm bailiff’s house, (Home Farm in 1901 was a farm bailiff’s house). Although there are no references to Home or Bury in the 1891 census, I am not sure we can be 100% certain this is Home Farm - unless someone with better local knowledge can verify.

Corner Piece

Another of the eight fields that formed The Bury in the 1880s. Corner Piece was arable. “Piece” has a charming ring about it..…like Partridge Piece.

Sure Start - a personal view

Its seems like the Cranfield Children's Centre  project was going ahead right up to 2 December when Central Beds called off a public meeting due to a snowfall. After that it concluded that it was time-out and the scheme was going elsewhere. Ms Lewis has mentioned budgetary constraints but clearly this move didn’t save any money – it just reallocated it at the last possible moment – to other projects waiting in the wings. I am extremely concerned that closeness to residential properties has been cited as an objection – especially as this had not got to the stage of a planning application. The centre would be on the school footprint and, as far as I know, nobody objects to the school.

Our village is already struggling to obtain many of the benefits promised from the Home Farm development – a health centre and proper playing space for the Lower School for instance. It lost funding for a purpose built pre-school several years ago and there are more public transport and mobile library cuts coming. Now a lot of work to establish valuable facilities for very young children, who would benefit greatly, has been lost. We seem to be going backwards.

Falling at the last hurdle

Lead story in February 2011 Cranfield Express 

Ambitious plans for a top of the range Sure Start children’s centre in Cranfield have come to nothing. But explanations vary about why it has not gone ahead. Meanwhile the money for the centre has gone to Leighton Buzzard and Houghton Regis.

Governors and staff at Cranfield Lower School, the proposed site, have been working on the proposal for over a year.

Sure Start aims to give children the best possible start in life through the improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development. The programme is now described as Sure Start Children’s Centres and it is run by local councils.

There are already a few Sure Start sessions at Cranfield Lower School on Mondays, and Tuesday - story and rhyme and make and bake with other sessions at the Methodist Church and the Scout Hut. The proposed new centre would have greatly expanded these valuable activities and given them a permanent home.

But Cranfield Parish Council was told in December: “The money for a Childrens’ Centre has been diverted as it was considered that the proposed site is too near to residential properties. No planning application has been forthcoming for the Centre.”

Yet a consultation meeting was due to be held in Cranfield just two weeks earlier and was called off by Central Beds because of the weather at the last minute.

Cllr Anita Lewis, portfolio holder for children’s services, in response to questions I asked has written:

“It seems that during last summer there were a number of delays about design of the children's centre. I am told that the school wished for some things to be changed and requested a full consultation with all partners, which inevitably cost time.

“The planners then expressed concern and asked for alternative positions on the site for the building to be considered. This was difficult because it impacted on sports fields, which gave problems with Sport England.

“Next the meeting that was planned to do the final agreement with partners was cancelled due to snow. It transpired that it would not have been possible to get this project through planning in time to develop the children's centre. In short, just as the contract was about to go forward we entered our spending freeze.

“The Government then signalled that such monies really ought to be spent on deprived areas.

“In terms of policy the money allocated went to the deprived areas of Tithe Farm Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard which is exactly where the Government is pressing that children's centre money should have been spent in the first place.

“I am sad that this is the outcome as far as Cranfield is concerned.

“Your unitary councillors will be able to explain to you why it is no longer possible to find any money for the Cranfield children's centre andtTo explain the budget restraints that Central Beds Council is experiencing.”

I can confirm, after speaking to Central Beds this week that funding is in place for the next financial year for the existing Sure Start facilities.

Paul Rossiter, chair of governors at the Lower School commented: “The governors, management and staff at Cranfield Lower School are all extremely disappointed at the decision to withdraw capital funding for the new Cranfield Children's Centre building due to be located on our playing field. The new building would have enabled a significant increase in the services available to our village and the opportunity for pre-school children to adjust to their first school.

“I am pleased that it has been possible for us to find space within the school to enable the existing Sure Start services to remain and we will continue to support their activities for the benefit of the village, in the hope that the central funding of this unit will remain in place.”

Lodge Road

It's time to commemorate Lodge Road Road as we know it - or knew it. Widening work on the top half is now imminent and these views will be a thing of the past. Lodge Road was selected by the former Mid Beds Council  as the entrance to Home Farm (There will be one into the Goodman land for about 30 houses) in response to public consultation which said villagers wanted the rural nature of the community preserved. It's anyone's guess how that is possible by making our quaintest rural thoroughfare suitable for several hundred car movements a day. 

Extensive discussions with Mid Beds Planners, Highways and Persimmon  in 2007 suggested that the entrance could be relocated to the High Street via the Goodman Charity land. But when Persimmon restarted the project in 2009 they said this was no longer possible and the entrance would remain through Lodge Road.

Nevertheless the company said the spine road could be built through the Goodman land and that would save some of the grief. Now we have been told, in the Parish Council, that since Persimmon haven't actually bought the Goodman land yet so they can't build the spine through it and everything will go down Lodge Road. 

Have a walk down it this weekend because if the road signs are anything to go by the JCBs are coming on Monday. 

Cyclepath

We - myself, John Savill from the Parish Council and  Cranfield No 1 cyclist Steve Hobbs - had a good meeting with university representative Andy Oxenham last week (Thursday 13) about looking at routes for a possible cyclepath connection the south send of the High Street with the university via, partly Moulsoe Road. On the way over I just about spotted a pedestrian on College Road as I was driving in the dark. He was on my side walking away and wearing no hi-vis. There are load of people taking risks on these roads at the moment because of poor access and unreliable bus services.

New street names

Remember Ailwyn's Acre? One of the most distinctive street names in Cranfield, thought up by Dr Margaret Rooney a former parish councillor. Ailwyn is one of the first historical figures recorded in connection with Cranfield, in the 11th century. After a nasty, life threatening  illness and prayers to the Almighty he survived and in gratitude made a gift of Cranfield which he owned to Ramsay Abbey in Cambridge. Ramsay Abbey was then the landlord of the village until Henry VIII had other ideas.

Now we need five new street names for the first phase of  the Home Farm development so its time for thinking caps and a look around the historical records, old maps and geographical features. All suggestions to the parish council clerk Rosie Davy-Hunt at cranfieldpc@btconnect.com by 2 Feb. 

On the beat

We had a very useful visit from neighbourhood police officer PC John Birch and PCSO Elaine Fleet at parish council last night. Jon came across as really engaged and at the same time he was very honest about how stretched the thin blue line is in a safer neighbourhood team that stretches across the Vale and all the way to Woburn.

The biggest issue in Cranfield in the last few years has been the so-called 'cruise', 'boyracers' or whatever you want to call them. A couple of years ago we got double yellow lines in and that cleared the way for some kind of traffic calming making hi performance hi jinx impossible. Yeh! Now local businesses have coughed up the cost of the various speed reducing structures and these are out for consultation. Someone on the business park has actually objected but we are hoping that will not stop the scheme going in.

So maybe that is on the way out as an issue but there will probably still be plenty to do. Jon related
some of the other distractions in recent months including criminal damage at a mobile in Lodge road, assault in College Road, various thefts and damages and,  would you Adam and Eve it, lead off the porch roof  at the parish church. That's happened before in the last two or three years. There was one extremely odd one that was successfully detected using DNA evidence. Nuff said - minor I would add.

Julia Wright, one of our former PCSOs, has moved away and everyone is feeling the gap. She, along with Leigh Iddon was a great advertisement for the PCSO concept, putting in a lot of local work (specially on the cruise) and getting to know all sorts of people. She was a really familiar face. No doubt Jon, Elaine and their colleague Keith Glen will do a good job as long as they are allowed to hang around.

Dont forget - to make contact tel 01234 842616 or email snt.woburn@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk

Yes it does happen in Cranfield

  Email from a parishioner in October 


"I had a call as phone holder for "Hands Across Cranfield" from Mrs XXX at in Millards Close alerting me to the dangerous state of the footpaths near her. She tries to get out with a walker but being nearly 90, finds it quite a struggle. Could you raise this as a matter of urgency at the next Council meeting and let her know what is being done?  I know she would appreciate an interim reassuring call from you so that she knows someone with influence is taking her problem seriously."




After an inspection I'm pleased to report a nice smooth footpath. Can't remember when it was done but its probably in the customer service bulletin if I can adjust my bleary new year eyes to an excel spread sheet. Anyway, to all moaning minnies and doomsayers out there, yes the system does work.  

Not a rat

It appears we have  a  mole infestation in the Recreation Ground. This is
causing a problem with the football pitch.  Central Beds only regards rats and mice as "vermin"
and classifies moles, rabbits, foxes and pigeons as a "nuisance". They will take action to deal with vermin. We are on the look out for a suitable molecatcher/disposer.


Suggestions please to

cranfieldpc@btconnect.com

Children's Centre

I'm hoping to visit the lower school in the next week to see the important role the children's centre there plays in the lives of children who use this facility.

Home Farm Denison land

Property developers Persimmon have confirmed that they still intend to buy the Denison land (at the rear of Plough Close and Willow Springs) but have stressed that if they do not do so the community building will still be built - but elsewhere on the site. 

I'm still trying to confirm this but I believe we need more information on what is happening here and the likely implications for the design of the site.

Burial ground land purchases

We have received the following email from the diocese of St Albans:


Dear Ms Davey-Hunt
Since I last wrote our Agent has consulted the tenant who currently occupies the land in which your council is interested.  He has indicated that he is not minded to surrender his tenancy and it follows, therefore, that the Glebe Committee will not be able to take the matter further. I am sorry that I am sending a reply which will not be welcome to your council.
Yours sincerely
Nigel Benger
The St Albans Diocesan Board of Finance




This refers to some land running parallel to the cemetery which we wished to purchase, first to ensure that we had enough land to meet the village's eventual burial needs and secondly to provide space for allotments in the medium term.  

New Year resolution

Thanks to a monstrous attack of manflu in its extreme form (unable to tackle cryptic crossword) I missed the first Parish Council meeting of the year. But I have raised the following points in writing:




We need a  major debrief on why the village has lost the proposed children's centre at the lower school. Seems extraordinary given the strength  and qualities of the head teacher, the commitment of the chair of governors and a senior councillor on their governing body. No planning application  was turned down but it seems they were out of time. However I understand the funding for this centre then went elsewhere. It would be good to know where the funding was allocated  - and why the situation could not be retrieved. This is a major disaster.


Denison land (part of home farm)  - being developed separately  (report at Persimmon stakeholder meeting) we need to establish if this has any implications for the community building. [The chair of planning has since told me that Persimmon are still committed to buying this land and she would supply more information at the meeting]


Health Centre - see Dr Marcus Thomas's  letter in the last Cranfeld Express   (below). We are in danger of seeing a major tranche of Home Farm S106 money (health facilities) unused and returned to the developer unless we start to challenge the status quo and ask some searching questions. It will need our CB councillors as well as ourselves saying this is not acceptable. A solution must be found.

An old favourite: Any progress on the traffic calming?