Covanta

Watch out for a report in Beds on Sunday tomorrow about the petitions v Covanta collated by Cllr Sue Clark and presented to Parliament

Diamond Jubilee

Claire Jenkins from Cranfield Guides emailed me to ask about local plans to mark the Diamond Jubilee in the village. Claire wants to get guides involved and is keen to work with the parish council  and other interested local organisations and individuals.

I have asked for this to be discussed at the PC on Wednesday 1 February - feel free to come along (Holywell School, 8 pm).  In the meantime please contact Claire on  agent-jenkins@tiscali.co.uk and let me have your ideas and thoughts as well. broadgreen68@btinternet.com

Minutes of the last Home Farm stakeholder meeting

Lodge Road Works: Almost all road works to Lodge Road now complete, some tidying up works to still be finished off. Discussion with regard to the possibility of a “no left turn” on Lodge Road, concluded that the scheme makes it difficult to turn left, but not impossible especially for small vehicles. The road layout situation was judged better than previous situation. Cllr  Bastable raised the issue of mud on the road. Martin Wright of Persimmon apologised on behalf of Persimmon, explained issues with regard to subcontractors not having regard of the road situation. Various discussions on the road situation followed, all agreed that the situation was improved after Persimmon hired a heavy duty road cleaning vehicle to clear back log of dirt. Martin Wright outlined the method which will be used on site, from he believed today (28.11.11) which is a stoned area on the site for suitable drainage and a jet washer. Some concern was raised that this would not be a suitable solution, and that a purpose built wheel washer was required. There will also be once a day cleaning of the road, MW was not exactly sure of the timing of this, Cllr Matthews requested that the timing of the road cleaning by sent to members of the meeting once MW has confirmed.   Issue of deliveries arriving at site before 8am, MW confirmed that the site manager has been turning delivery vehicles away to comply with conditions. Cllr Matthews confirmed that CBC would enforce against any further breech of conditions especially relating to mud on the road/wheel cleaning. MW stated that HP has given final warning with regard to breech of conditions, and the Enforcement Officer has been in contact with regard to this issue. It was agreed that the condition of the road will continue to be monitored and Persimmon would implement their new measures and if this was not sufficient to satisfy CBC then enforcement action would be taken. It was discussed that the paths were also muddy, MW said he would look into the issue, cleaning would take place if necessary. Cllr Bastable read out an extract from local news letter, about the works that have been carried out with regard to mud on the road by Persimmon, and the future works that would be carried out. MW agreed that it was a fair representation of what had been undertaken and the intention to continue keeping the road clear.

Next meeting

The full parish council will be on 18 January at 8 pm in Holywell Middle School. 

Crane Way

We have been chasing Amey about various modifications they made to Crane Way last year. They have either declined to respond or passed our comments on to the "Watchman in chief'. Who has not responded. The pursuit is getting hotter.

On that score where is the consultation on the traffic calming? Is it finished on January 18 or starting?  Sorry to be so in the dark 

Village Hall

Representatives from the Village Hall management committee attended out last meeting before Christmas. They have sought additional funds (allowed for in our current annual budget) for painting the  steel braces on the roof trusses. I proposed that we agree the £3,400 (approx) cost and members have authorised this. 
There are offers on the  former caretaker's house and with these funds the VHMC are hoping to open the hall in time for the Diamond Jubilee in June. We wish them good luck in their venture. 

Home farm

I didn't want to start the year with Home Farm but I'll sort the good news first. Cranfield's Battle of Passchendale, Lodge Road knee deep in mud,  seems to have ended for the moment. Lodge Road is reasonably clear and Lodge Road residents are not  raising any issues. If there are still problems I'm keen to hear.

However, I'm sure you knew there a however coming, I was amazed that options regarding the proposed community hall are only surfacing now. We knew that we could run it ourselves or devolve to a management company (selected by Persimmon) which would mean levying a charge on residents in home farm.

Now we learn we can also opt to either build it ourselves on Home farm or on another site, with money provided by the developer.

Choice is great. I'm all for it. But these additional choices were never made known to us by Persimmon/CBC-MBDC in the past. Two years ago we were rushed into agreeing a spec by Persimmon because it all had to be done and dusted. That urgency seems less understandable now. 

£270 million for a rail link between Oxford and Bedford

The title above was an eyecatching detail in the chancellor's autumn statement. Parish Matters wont go into the macro economics of structural deficits and yields on government debt but anything that improves the Bletchley-Bedford Cinderella line extending it to Oxford has got to be good news for our local economy, cars off the road and just plain days out. After that they can put in the jigsaw piece between Bedford and cambridge

Village hall

I attended the AGM of the village hall management committee on Wednesday. Earlier reports that the house had been sold have been dashed due to the buyer withdrawing in the light of a survey. This is hugely disappointing as a sale at a decent price is needed to progress the project. We have now missed the centenary tear

Dr Reddy

With hundreds of others I crammed into the parish church for the funeral service of Dr 'Gina' Reddy on Friday. It was a moving and poignant occasion and the affection the village felt for her was clear. That affection was also felt by her, it was clear, from her wish to be buried in Cranfield cemetery. She died tragically early before the fruitful retirement which she richly deserved. Our thoughts are with Dominic and Anita.

Home Farm mudbath

Some encouraging news has come through about road cleaning in Lodge Road:




We recently applied a ‘back to black’ machine that cleans roads literally back to their original position.  We have also increased the frequency of Persimmon road sweeps.  We have a meeting with the utilities company this-afternoon to try and get the water on as quickly as possible so that we can carry out wheel cleaning on site.

Parish Council

Other headlines

Traffic calming - backed proposals for fewer raised tables, some wider raised tables/platforms, single roundabout at Crane way, new Coop corner and no pelican crossing at the cross keys. Now it goes out to consultation. I'll be flagging up where you can respond.

Colts - keen to develop better changing facilities in the recreation ground. Colts do more for young people in this village than anyone else. I hope we can meet their needs.

Diocese of St Albans is considering our enquiry about buying land for a cemetery extension.

The village caretaker's house is sold. Really sold. Like for money. Should ensure renovation of the hall goes ahead.

Clock chimes

As parish council representative at the war memorial on Sunday I was both horrified and mortified that the clock chimes which we are responsible for were not functioning at 11 am on Sunday - a key moment in the annual calendar. We understand the church has been routinely switching off the chimes for bell ringing on a Thursday evening and these have not been switched on again until after church on Sunday - two and a half days. Given the efforts we made four years ago to ensure that the chimes were not silenced at any time this is amazing.


We have agreed the following actions regarding the failure of the church clock to chime on  Sunday and during the 2 mins silence on Friday.

1. We write to the Royal British Legion apologising for this lapse in a piece of equipment we are responsible for and promising that we will ensure this does not happen again.
2. We request by letter and email that the church with immediate effect switches the chimes back on after bell-ringing on Thursday and leaves them on until bell-ringing on Sunday morning. They should then be switched on again immediately after the morning service. 3. We ask the clerk to put a letter into Cranfield Express (deadline end of this week) explaining  our actions and the circumstances.

Church chimes

I am informed that the church authorities routinely switch off the chimes from Thursday night bell ringing until after church Sunday. Still checking this but we will be discussing this on Wednesday evening. We fought a major legal battle in 2007 to ring the chimes 24/7. More soon.

Lodge Road

Is it a public thoroughfare or the works entrance to the Home Farm Building site? I'm still trying to crack this one. More info on Thursday night at the Home farm stakeholder meeting.

Clock chimes off? Not on my watch

Ceremony at the War memorial yesterday but someone switched the church clock chimes off and didn't put them back on? So no tolling of the 11th hour. Investigations are continuing. We'll keep you posted

Road cleaning

I understand there was a road cleaner on Lodge Road this morning doing a passable job. 

Confining a building site

Email sent this morning. Forwarded to Cranfield PC and Persimmon. 
It has to be remembered that this isn't just about the residents in in Lodge Road. There's the school buses, Theo who is blind, me  cycling and loads of other Cranfield residents who use Lodge Road as thoroughfare through to Court Road, by foot, on bikes with stabilisers and with push chairs. I hope we don't have to wait til the stakeholder meeting on 17 November for some resolution.  

Thank you Laurence

I walked the road this morning. Bearing in mind background on the technical side of road construction you would find, if tested, that the stopping distance for vehicles in the slippery conditions caused by the wet mud coating will have at least doubled. The risk to pedestrians, aside from skidding vehicles is proportionally increased and can be equated to walking on black ice. Bearing in mind that there are a lot of unsteady and elderly residents on Lodge Road and in the village it is totally unacceptable and is in Health and Safety a Significant Risk. There are additional enviromental risks of uncontrolled and potentially contaminated materials in the public domain and water courses. The erection of warning signs do not reduce risk or more importantly liability. Hastily erected hand written signs don't count.

I would also point out that as you have informed the local authority and the main contractor,Persimmon Homes, who cannot swerve their liabilities as it is their site and all works / subcontractors on the site whether directly or indirectly employed come under responsibility and liabilty, should there be a serious incident on the public highway  ie Lodge Road or the surrounding highways then the police will investigate using what is called the "Death Manual" It is obvious that the existing road conditions would be found to be a significant " factor in most cases" which means that local and senior managers up to director level are liable to private prosecution from the Local Authority, to Highways management , Persimmon and all the contactors and sub contractors involved in the site. The HSE take a very dim veiw and will also prosecute.

To remove the risk which is possible and therefore legally required the source of the problem has to be removed / rectified.

In this case it requires several changes to working procedures and practises of which the installation and maintainance of a powerful water recycling wheel wash combined with a jetting roadsweeper.

The comment is right    "" the building site should stay within the confines of its fenced restraints and not allowed to spread and affect the lives of the residents of Lodge Road and Cranfield"""

Cash for access

http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Tories-under-fire-over-fundraising-dinner-04112011.htm






One commentator on the Beds on Sunday article states;


The Keech Hospice may want to review the Charity Commission's rules on joint fundraising with political parties: "Entering into a joint fundraising venture with a political party will almost certainly result in the charity giving support to that party, politician or political candidate. This would breach charity law."




I have to admit I hadn't thought of this issue up to now.  

Lodge Road

Anger has been building in Lodge Road among residents who find the road often unwashed and, even when it is washed, still a mess due to the lorries carrying mud on and off the Home Farm site. One resident rang me this morning in some distress, living on Lodge Road he says, is like living on a building site.

Last week the Parish Council agreed to call for a Persimmon/TW/CBC site meeting to look at the state of the road and the desperate need for a proper wheel wash for those vehicles. I'm trying to speed up that process.

I have noted the mess myself stretching all the way down the Salford Road, not just in Lodge Road. To my knowledge CBC has not responded to emails I have sent about this recently

Cash for access

This is a copy of my letter to Baroness Warsi, co-chair of the Conservative Party regarding the Event involving Michael Gove at Woburn Safari Park on 18 November.


I am writing in connection with a public event organised by Mid Beds Conservative Association on 18 November at Woburn Safari Park.

It is also the Association's annual dinner and fundraiser  with Michael Gove in his role as secretary of state for education, which I heard about via an email to our Parish Council clerk (see below). 

This is the first time I have encountered the local Conservative Association using civic communication channels to invite members of the public to a party function.  This is highly inappropriate, similar to an MP using their House of Commons postage for party matters. 

If Mr Gove has time to come to Bedfordshire to meet the public and answers questions I don't think the local Conservative Association should be charging the public for the right to hear him. Cash for access to ministers is an unfortunate trend in national politics. I speak as a Labour Party member and I have noted the same trends with the last government. I object to it wherever it occurs and when it turns up in Bedfordshire and in my parish council emails I  am obliged to challenge it.

I would welcome a response from you that recognises that MBCA's marketing of the event and Mr Gove is  wrong, it will not happen again and a assurance that this is not happening elsewhere. 

Our Parish Council voted to complain  to MBCA regarding this email. I have also been quoted in the local media voicing my own objections. 

It is vital that governments, of whatever political colour, make it clear that  ministers are not available on payment of a fee.

Yours sincerely

PCllr Laurence Pollock

8 Broad Green

Cranfield

Bedford MK43 0JQ

Cash for access to government ministers?

The Parish Council is planning  to write a complaint to Mid Beds Conservative Association  who are using access to the secretary of state  for education Michael Gove as local fundraiser for their party. 

To my amazement this invitation - see below - to a MBCA event at £50 a head, half going to Keech and half to the Party was circulated through local parish councils. This is totally inappropriate. Those emails lists are for civic, non party-political information. 

After Fox and Werrity (and new Labour wasn't without its cash for access and favours scandals) don't they ever learn?

I will also be writing to Baroness Warsi, co-chair of the Conservative Party making  my own personal complaint. Is Mr Gove generally for hire for weddings, christenings and barmitzvahs?

From: Admin [mailto:admin@midbedsconservatives.com]
Sent: 31 October 2011 09:42
To: Admin
Subject: Rt Hon Michael Gove MP Dinner 18th November 2011

Mid Beds Conservative Association

Annual Dinner

Friday 18th November 2011

Your chance to meet with guest speaker

Rt Hon Michael Gove MP

Secretary of State for Education

Speech and questions from the floor

Woburn Safari Lodge

Woburn Park, Woburn, Beds MK17 9QN

Heads & Tails

Tombola

Tickets £50.00

Please call or email

01462 811992 or admin@midbedsconservatives.com

Proceeds to be divided equally between

Keech Hospice Care & MBCA


7.30pm    Guests arrive                            Dress   Lounge suit

8.00pm    Dinner

9.30pm    Speaker and Questions

10.30pm  Coffee

11.30pm  Carriages


Mid Beds Conservatives Association

St Michael's Close

High Street

Shefford

Beds

SG17 5DD

Traffic calming disappointment

The revised traffic calming cuts down the number of raised tables. It seems like there is a consensus on that one. But the lack of a pelican or light controlled crossing at the Cross Keys is a major set back.  Alan Morris puts it very well:


It's disappointing that the proposal to covert the pedestrian crossing, outside the Cross Keys in Cranfield, to be light controlled has been removed from the traffic calming plan.  


The reason that the Parish Council originally supported this idea was to provide one crossing in the village which would allow those members of the village who are visually impaired (one of whom is a Parish Councillor) to be made aware that it is safe to step off the curb.  


Modern cars, particularly hybrid cars in electric drive mode, are very quiet so a blind person would not be in a position to know that a car was near and would not be able to stop if one ventured onto the crossing.  


I am aware that transport officers take the view that motorist understand pedestrians have right of way and thus will always yield to a person standing at a crossing.  This is a kindly view of the British driver, touching in it's sentiment but utterly unrealistic - I'm just glad that I'm not visually impaired and don't run the risk of being impaled by a motorist who is late for an appointment and does not wish to lose more time by stopping at crossing! 

Check out the police

If you are reading this, you are on line. And you could join sign up to facebook (I can feel the shudders). But there are big pluses like keeping up with Bedfordshire Police's facebook presence. You don't have to be a hoodie - even parish councillors and the police are doing it now.  They will respond to questions and you can sound off

• • • 
      
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Village hall

Meeting of the village hall management committee last night. While the roofing is going ahead (Phase 1) the difficulty in selling the former caretaker's house is a blow and could affect resources available for overall works.  The AGM of the Management Committee is on Wednesday 30 November at St Peter and St Paul Church. The committee needs as many volunteers to service and fresh ideas as possible. 

Lodge Road disturbances

Lodge Roaders still being affected by working starting early on Home Farm and lorries 'parking up'.  Martin seems to be on the case. See below.

Dear Laurence,

Thank-you for your note.  Hannah has already raised this point with us previously and I did address the concerns immediately with our construction teams.   I am disappointed that this is still not being adhered and will discuss this again with the relevant people.

Kind regards,

Martin Wright

Senior Land Manager

Persimmon Homes

---

From: Laurence Pollock [mailto:broadgreen68@btinternet.com]
Sent: 25 October 2011 10:14
To: Wright, Martin
Cc: Hannah.Pattinson@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk; Rosie Davey-Hunt; D.BALL; Alan Bastable; sue.clark@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Subject: Lodge Road

Martin, I have learned with concern that there has been infringement of the planning  consent regulations in Lodge Road. A resident has told me that construction work was going on at 7.15 last Thursday and lorries have been parking up onLodge Road. I carried out a visit this morning  and several lorries were parked up on Lodge Road at 7.40. I understand the resident has asked them not to continue this practice and I am sure you will want to emphasise that. I also noted that a  fence construction company was also working on site at 7.40.


Now that construction has started again we are hoping this can be done in a way that inconveniences residents as little as possible.

Best wishes
Laurence


Laurence Pollock
Parish Councillor
8 Broad Green
Cranfield 

bus services

Well done to the Bedford Area Bus Users' Society  Society for highlighting the cuts Central  Beds is making to public transport. As I reported in the previous post the council officials at the transport consultation event attended by Alan Morris and myself described our input as a 'Wish list'. Not encouraging.


We need to get beyond wishes.








http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?PBID=5e282046-f9ed-4368-9df8-78956bc97001&refresh=

Bus planning

I went to a Central Beds consultation on the local area transport plan with Alan Morris.  Please note that the Central Beds officers described it as a 'wish list'. I don't know if there are any bus fairies around but here goes anyway. 






Alan reports:

A meeting took place at Eversholt Hall on Thursday 6th October attended by Parish Councillors Alan Morris and Laurence Pollock, Central Beds Councillor Alan Bastable together with councilors from Marston, Millbrook and Ridgmont.  The meeting was hosted by Jim Tombe with presentations given by Manouchehr Nahvi both Officers from Central Beds Council.  The purpose of the meeting as explained by Jim Tombe was to discuss the transport ‘wishes’ of the villages in the western end of CBC.  The formal minutes of the meeting are attached to this email.

On behalf of Cranfield Village the following points were emphasised:
1. That the bus services linking Cranfield with Bedford and locations in the Central Beds area are being seriously reduced due to cuts in the financial support given to bus operators.  It was made clear that this deteriorating situation was unacceptable and that any new transport plan should endeavour to rectify this as a priority matter.

2. In dealing with future bus services the Cranfield representatives encouraged CBC to look for ways forward that matched the needs of the village communities through the employment of imaginative solutions.  It was pointed out that discussions had been opened by Cranfield Parish Council with Milton Keynes and Arriva for creating an effective service linking Cranfield to MK which would come into effect next year and might involve the creation of an express commuter service to MK station.  This could be considered by CBC for an express service from Cranfield via Marston to Flitwich station.

3. The importance of creating a cycle and pedestrian link between Cranfield Village and Cranfield University to allow students and staff to cycle or walk to work was explained.

Holes in the ground

I have been informed that we have an infestation of fieldmice in the cemetery who are drilling lots of unsightly holes in the grass. Last year it was moles. Then the current outbreak was attributed to voles. Now we have mice. 

Open Evening

The open evening on October 12 was well attended by both parish councillors and members of the public. Thanks to Central Beds councillor Sue Clarke for rearranging  a commitment to come. It was good to have input about the links between the parish and the unitary authority.

We are also grateful to Peter Haddon and Colleen Dinner at Holywell Middle School for facilitating the space and the materials for tea and coffee.

While it was a taster for those who might consider parish council membership there was also attendance from individuals representing organisations we work in partnership with such as the Village hall management committee and the parochial church council.