Archived News - Council
Central Bedfordshire Council Computer Problems
Central Bedfordshire Council is continuing to restore its IT systems after a major failure overnight on Monday affected many of its routine applications. It is now unlikely many systems will be restored until the middle of next week.
There is some early good news though - staff have managed to ensure that payments that were due to our benefits customers next week will now be made only a day late. Revenues and benefits and ICT staff found a “quick fix” which enabled them to access the necessary database and make these much needed payments. This included calling staff on leave for their assistance - including contacting one enjoying herself at Centre Parcs!
However other payments such as those to businesses and customers of adult social care may be delayed while systems are being restored. If receiving an adult social care payment would cause a customer difficulties they should contact 0300 300 6383.
At present Central Bedfordshire's website remains offline but a temporary site has been set up to keep local people informed of progress on restoring services. This can be accessed at: www.centralbedfordshire.wordpress.com.
Telephone lines into the council's contact centre are also limited and customers should either call staff directly if they have a direct dial number or call the contact centre only in an emergency.
Email has now been restored but a queue of over 25,000 emails, stored since Tuesday, is now being dealt with and the service is intermittent. Customers are asked to call rather than email if at all possible.
Cllr Maurice Jones, Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder, said: “Our main priority is to ensure that our financial systems are restored so that customers, businesses and carers receive the payments they are expecting. Our benefits fix means that some of the most vulnerable people in our community will now get their benefits and rent paid only a day late.
“We are taking this problem very seriously but I want to stress that our IT system has been put together in line with nationally accepted best practice and to have such a major failure is a one in a million event. This is a hardware failure and has not been caused by a computer virus and no personal data has been under threat.”
Central Bedfordshire has set up an online blog to keep the public informed of developments www.centralbedfordshire.wordpress.com.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 19th February 2010
Central Bedfordshire Offline
Update 11.25am: Central Bedfordshire Council has invoked its business continuity plan to ensure it continues providing services to local people following a major IT problem which occurred overnight on Monday, 15 February 2010.
This does mean the council will be operating a restricted service over the phone until early next week and that its website is currently unavailable. Central Bedfordshire Council has an established business continuity plan which has been put into action to restore its IT services, minimise risk to the public and ensure services continue to be delivered.
Overnight Monday the council's IT system experienced a problem which has affected many of its routine applications. We have been working on the issue since then, and will continue to rebuild systems over the coming days.
Local people are being advised not to contact the council by email at all as these cannot currently be opened and only by phone in an emergency until early next week.
Cllr Maurice Jones
Cllr Maurice Jones, Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder, said: “Even though our IT systems are based on nationally recognised best practice, problems can still occur. This is a one in a million problem. This has reduced our ability to service calls through our customer contact centre, stopped us receiving emails and means our website is unavailable. Can I assure people that we are working all hours to get the systems restored and we have a well crafted business continuity plan in place to continue services and protect vulnerable people in these situations.
“It will help us if people could only call us in an emergency until early next week and please note we will not be able to respond to emails at this time.
“We will keep people informed through the local media about developments.”
Update 2.00pm: Central Bedfordshire Council is still experiencing major IT problems so has invoked its business continuity plan to ensure it continues providing services to local people.
As part of this, www.centralbedfordshire.wordpress.com has been created so residents and partners can see key information updates, important emergency numbers and useful websites.
This facility also enables you to sign up to email alerts so you can be notified when new updates have been added on.
We are still advising people not to contact the council by email at all at the moment as these cannot currently be opened and only by phone, on 0300 300 8000, in an emergency until early next week.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 17th February 2010
Gritting and salt stock update: Thursday 14 January
Although there have been no more snow flurries, Highways crews were out gritting last night to prepare the roads for this morning's rush hour. We still have just under 600 tonnes in stock - roughly enough for eight more days of gritting just the A and B roads, as Government is still restricting our salt deliveries due to the national demand for salt.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: "Although Highway crews will be out clearing footways in town centres and areas outside of schools we would like to remind local road users that Central Bedfordshire Council has a number of salt bins available for the public to use. These can be found at known trouble spots such as sharp bends, steep hills and junctions which are on roads that are not covered by the 'priority one' salting network. However, if any member of the public would like to request a bin for an area they believe is particularly bad, then please put requests all through the Highways Helpdesk (0300 300 8049). Teams will need to decide each case on an individual basis, taking in to account whether it is a priority for pedestrians in that area."
"Our crews continue to monitor the forecast and gritting the network on key routes to help keep traffic moving. I would like to reassure road users that Central Bedfordshire Council is doing everything it can to help keep traffic flowing on key routes."
Further gritting updates will be issued throughout the day.
Please visit our website homepage www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for further updates on all services which have been affected by the snow.
Visit www.highways.gov.uk for further travel information on major routes and motorways.
Visit the met office for the latest forecast at www.themetoffice.org.uk.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 14th January 2010
Gritting and salt stock update: Wednesday 13 January
Highways crews were out gritting from 4am this morning, Wednesday 13 January, as more snow has fallen throughout the night. Although we received a delivery yesterday, and have around 600 tonnes in stock - roughly enough for up to 18 more runs, we are still only able to grit just A and B roads as Government continues to restrict our salt deliveries.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: "As more snow has fallen throughout the night, and continues to fall his morning, our Highways crews have been out gritting A and B roads to prepare for this morning's rush hour. Crews will also be out today refilling salt bins, clearing footways in town centres and areas outside of schools.
"Our crews are still working day and night monitoring the forecast and gritting the network on key routes to help keep traffic moving. I would like to reassure road users that Central Bedfordshire Council is doing everything it can to help keep traffic flowing on key routes."
Further gritting updates will be issued throughout the day.
Please visit our website homepage www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for further updates on all services which have been affected by the snow.
Visit www.highways.gov.uk for further travel information on major routes and motorways.
Visit the met office for the latest forecast at www.themetoffice.org.uk.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 13th January 2010
Waste Collection update: Tuesday 12 January
Central Bedfordshire Council's waste team's are continuing to clear the backlog of waste that built up during the bad weather last week.
Crews have been collecting from homes in priority order, collecting waste from those that have been waiting the longest first. Although most major roads are running smoothly, and the snow is slowly disappearing, some side roads are still icy so crews will have to assess each situation and collect where ever they possibly can.
Last week Central Bedfordshire Council was forced to suspend all waste collections from Wednesday. The nature of this type of work involves crews stopping and starting and reversing around small residential areas, which means it has been just too dangerous to dispatch our crews on such compacted snow and ice.
Residents are advised to keep both their black bins and recycling waste out and we will collect it as soon as we can. Unfortunately we won't be in a position to collect garden waste this week.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: "Our waste crews have been very frustrated at not being able to collect waste as normal, but due to heavy snowfall and freezing conditions, we had to think about both the safety of our residents, children playing in the snow and our crews. Now conditions are improving, we are pleased to be in a situation where we are able to catch up on some of the backlog and return services.
Daily information on services affected by the snow and ice will be updated on our Central Bedfordshire Council's website so visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 12th January 2010
Gritting and salt stock update: Monday 12 January
Government still continues to nationally monitor salt supplies and manage which areas are of the highest priority to receive salt deliveries first in the UK, so we are still being forced to only grit A and B roads in Central Bedfordshire.
As the snow gradually starts to clear our Highways crews continue to be on standby in the event of more snow flurries, and were out gritting yesterday on A and B roads. Highways Teams are closely monitoring the forecast and still conserving salt stocks, as although we received a delivery of 200 tonnes yesterday, we still only have around 500 tonnes in stock, enough for six more days worth of gritting just on the A and B roads.
Councillor David McVicar, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: "As the snow starts to melt road conditions have improved but drivers still need to take extra care on some of the minor roads where it is still icy. Our crews are on standby and monitoring the forecast closely and yesterday were out spot gritting problem areas, refilling salt bins, and clearing areas outside of schools." "Our crews are still working day and night to help keep traffic moving on all major roads, and I would like to reassure road users that Central Bedfordshire Council is doing everything it can to help keep traffic flowing on key routes."
Further gritting updates will be issued throughout the day.
Please visit our website homepage www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for further updates on all services which have been affected by the snow.
Visit www.highways.gov.uk for further travel information on major routes and motorways.
Visit the met office for the latest forecast at www.themetoffice.org.uk.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 12th January 2010
Waste Collection update: Monday 11 January
As the weather conditions have improved over the weekend, Central Bedfordshire Council's waste team is pleased to report that waste collections across Central Bedfordshire are being carried out today, Monday 11 January.
Crews will start by collecting from households who were expecting collections last Wednesday, and although most major roads are running smoothly, some side roads are still icy so crews will have to assess each situation and collect where ever they possibly can.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said "We are pleased to be in a situation where we can at least start by catching up on some of the backlog but obviously we have not only last week to catch up on, but some collections which were missed due to snow prior to Christmas, so it could be a couple of weeks until we are fully operating as normal.
"We appreciate this will cause inconvenience for residents but pleased be assured we will do everything we can to catch up on the backlog. We are advising residents to keep both their black bins and recycling waste out and we will collect it as soon as we can. Unfortunately we won't be in a position to collect garden waste this week.
Last week we were forced to suspend all waste collections from Wednesday due to heavy snowfall and freezing conditions, and we therefore had to think about both the safety of our residents, children playing in the snow and our crews . The nature of this type of work involves crews stopping and starting and reversing around small residential areas, which means it has been just too dangerous to dispatch our crews on such compacted snow and ice.
Daily information on services affected by the snow and ice will be updated on our Central Bedfordshire Council's website so visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 11th January 2010
Gritting and Salt Stock Update: Sunday 10 January
Government still continues to nationally monitor salt supplies and manage which areas are of the highest priority to receive salt deliveries first, so we are still being forced to carry out reduced gritting runs and only able to salt A and B roads in Central Bedfordshire.
With more snow flurries expected today, Sunday 10 January, our Highways team will continue to monitor the forecast, and dispatch crews to grit all A and B roads when necessary. Spot gritting will be carried out on badly affected areas on the A and B network throughout the day.
Yesterday, Saturday 9 January, our Highways crews carried out a gritting runs on all A and B roads at around 7:00am and 4:00pm, with spot gritting carried out at during the day in badly affected areas.
We still only have approximately 360 tonnes of salt in stock, which is roughly enough for 7/8 more runs, and although we received a delivery yesterday of around 60 tonnes, we still need to conserve our salt stock and carry out a reduced gritting run, focussing on just the A and B network.
Councillor David McVicar, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: " As we enter a new week it still looks likely that the cold weather is set to continue and with more snow flurries forecast today, Sunday 10 January, we still need to closely monitor salt stocks. Our Highways crews carried out two full gritting runs on all A and B roads yesterday, Saturday 9 January, and spot gritting on badly affected areas, and will be carrying out runs on A and B roads during today. Our crews are still working round the clock to help keep traffic moving on all major roads, and I would like to reassure road users that Central Bedfordshire Council is doing everything it can to help keep traffic flowing on key routes.
"With Government still monitoring all national salt supplies we are still forced to only grit the A and B roads. Throughout the last week we have also been attending badly affected areas in town centres and replenishing salt bins but people really do need to take extra care on the roads and footways over the weekend and please follow our safety advice for when driving in snow, fog and ice."
Further gritting updates will be issued throughout the weekend.
Please visit our website homepage www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for further updates on all services which have been affected by the snow.
Visit www.highways.gov.uk for further travel information on major routes and motorways.
Visit the met office for the latest forecast at www.themetoffice.org.uk.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 10th January 2010
Waste Collection update: Friday 8 January
Due to the continuing freezing temperatures and with more snow forecast over the weekend Central Bedfordshire Council's waste team are still being forced to suspend all waste and recycling bin collections in both the North and South of Central Bedfordshire.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said "Regrettably we are being forced to suspend all waste collection services again today, 8 January, and it is unlikely we will be able to go out as planned tomorrow to start catching up on the backlog. Other neighbouring authorities are also having to suspend collections, and we are advising residents who have not had their bins collected, to leave them out until we are able to catch up when the weather improves.
"We understand that this will cause inconvenience to residents, especially coupled with the disruptions to collections prior to Christmas, but we have to think about both the safety of our crews and residents and in these conditions we just cannot operate any waste collections. The nature of this type of work involves crews stopping and starting and reversing around small residential areas, which means it is just too dangerous to dispatch our crews on such compacted snow and ice. We can assure residents we will do everything we can to catch up on collections."
All Central Bedfordshire Household Recycling Centres are currently open as normal:
Ampthill
Abbey Lane
Off Oliver Street
MK45 2SA
Tel: (01525) 403611
Biggleswade
Bells Brook
SG18 0NA
Tel: (01767) 313684
Dunstable
Frenchs Avenue
LU6 1BH
Tel: (01582 609212)
Leighton Buzzard
Shenley Hill
LU7 3BT
Tel: (01525) 371619
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 8th January 2010
Gritting and Salt Stock Update: Friday 8 January
As it has been confirmed that Government is nationally monitoring salt suppliers and managing which areas are of the highest priority to receive salt deliveries first, we are still on reduced gritting runs and are currently only able to salt the A and B roads.
Due to the continuing icy conditions and with more snow forecast for the weekend, Bedfordshire Highways today, 8 January, will continue to carry out 'spot gritting' on badly affected areas on A and B roads, and crews will also be manually treating footways and pedestrian areas in town centres.
Although we sent five lorries to our supplier to collect salt at the beginning of the week and also received four salt deliveries from our suppliers on Wednesday, we are still forced to reduce our gritting runs to just A and B roads, due to a national demand for salt. We currently have approximately 400 tonnes of salt in stock which is enough for around roughly nine more runs on the A and B network.
With such a huge demand for salt throughout the country we are unsure when any of our 3000 tonnes, which is currently on order, will be delivered, so we are monitoring both our salt stocks and the weather forecast closely throughout the next few days, and we hope a normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: "We appreciate road conditions are going to continue to worsen as the icy conditions, the coldest spell in 15 years, is set to continue. I would like to reassure road users that Bedfordshire Highways crews are working round the clock to ensure they can keep traffic moving as much as possible on the network, but regrettably have been forced to limit gritting runs to just A and B roads.
"Nationally there is a demand in salt so our neighbouring authorities are also in a similar situation. We will be attending badly affected areas with our gritters, and manually salting pedestrian areas in town centres and replenishing salt bins as much as possible. People really do need to take extra care on the roads and footways over the weekend and please follow our safety advice for when driving in snow, fog and ice."
Further gritting information will be issued throughout the day.
Please visit our website homepage www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for further updates on all services which have been affected by the snow.
Visit www.highways.gov.uk for further travel information on major routes and motorways.
Visit the met office for the latest forecast at www.themetoffice.org.uk.
Safe driving information for motorists:
Advice around gritters:
- Advice states to take care around gritters
- Don't be tempted to overtake
- Slow down
- It can take 10 times longer to stop in snowy or icy conditions, so allow extra room
- Winter Gritting is a 24 hour operation.
Check your vehicles for:
- Correct tyre tread depths and pressures. Don't forget the spare!
- Lights that are working and are clean
- The correct level of antifreeze. A garage can check this for you
- Wiper blades that are in good condition
- A windscreen washer bottle that contains an additive to prevent freezing
- A battery that is in good condition. Winter driving will make extra demands on your battery
Before driving off:
- Check the weather conditions both for your outward journey and any return
- Plan your route and leave in plenty of time. Even consider whether your journey is essential
Remember:
- Speed kills. Do not travel too fast. Cut your speed in possible icy conditions.
- It is far safer to travel a little further on a salted road than to use untreated roads
- Keep your distance - it takes much longer to stop in ice and snow than normal conditions
- Try to anticipate the actions of other drivers
- Avoid harsh acceleration, steering or braking
- Keep in as high as gear as possible
- Allow more time for your journey
- Consider whether your journey is necessary
And finally...
- It is down to the road user to drive according to the prevailing conditions
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 8th January 2010
School Closure Update: 08 January 2010
Central Bedfordshire Council's School Support Team have now been informed that 22 schools are closed across the area today.
Eaton Bray Lower School is currently Open.
School Transport to all the closed schools has also been cancelled.
Full details of which schools are open and closed can be found at: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/snow.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 8th January 2010
Waste Collection Update: Thursday 7 January
Due to freezing temperatures throughout the night Central Bedfordshire Council's waste team are still being forced to suspend all waste and recycling bin collections in both the North and South of Central Bedfordshire.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said "Regrettably we are being forced to suspend all waste collection services again today (7 January) so we are advising residents who have not had their bins collected, to leave them out until we are able to catch up when the weather improves.
"We understand that this will cause inconvenience to residents, especially coupled with the disruptions to collections prior to Christmas, but the safety of both our crews and residents is paramount. The nature of this type of work involves crews to stop start and reverse around small residential areas which means it is just too dangerous to dispatch our crews on such compacted snow and ice.
"We can assure residents we will do everything we can to catch up on collections, and under these circumstances we will use Saturdays for collections as well as week days in order to sort out the backlog."
Please visit our website www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk on all the latest news on waste collection services throughout the next few days.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 7th January 2010
Waste Collection Update: Wednesday 6 January
Due to heavy snowfall throughout the night and more forecast today (Wednesday 6 January) Central Bedfordshire Council's waste team has had to suspend all waste and recycling bin collections in both the North and South of Central Bedfordshire.
Councillor David McVicar, Central Bedfordshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said "Regrettably we have to suspend all waste collection services today (6 January) so we are advising residents who have not had their bins collected, to leave them out until we are able to catch up when the weather improves. Under these circumstances we will use Saturdays for collections as well as week days in order to catch up. We must make sure we can access all households safely before we dispatch our crews as safety of both our crews and members of the public is paramount. At the moment it is really too dangerous to operate waste collection vehicles on compacted snow and ice. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and will be monitoring the situation closely."
Please visit our website www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk on all the latest news on waste collection services throughout the next few days.
Source: Central Bedfordshire News Release, 6th January 2010
Eaton Bray Council Tax Bill for 2009-10
The following list shows the council tax bill for households in Eaton Bray during the 2009-10 tax year.
- Band A: £1,050.94
- Band B: £1,226.10
- Band C: £1,401.25
- Band D: £1,576.41
- Band E: £1,926.72
- Band F: £2,277.04
- Band G: £2,627.35
- Band H: £3,152.82
The overall bill includes share-outs of different sizes for various authorities, who between them provide a wide range of services for people in the area.
A big revamp for local goverment means the new Central Bedfordshire Council will replace South Bedfordshire District Counci and Bedfordshire Council Council on April 1st 2009.
Eaton Bray Council Tax Bill for 2008-09
Eaton Bray households Council Tax Bill 2008-09
- Band A: £1,023.78
- Band B: £1,194.41
- Band C: £1,365.04
- Band D: £1,535.67
- Band E: £1,876.93
- Band F: £2,218.19
- Band G: £2,559.45
- Band H: £3,071.34
The number-crunching on council tax is finally over, so South Beds householders can now check out the size of their bill for 2008/09.
Dunstable households in average band D properties will pay 1,623.09 in council tax in the next financial year.
That's a rise ofabout £66.75 compared to the bill for 2007/08.
In Houghton Regis, the council tax bill for average band D homes will be £1,618.89, an increase of about £72.
Council tax bills include share-outs of different sizes for various authorities, providing all sorts of services for people living in South Beds.
The last piece of the jigsaw was put into place at the budget-setting meeting of South Beds District Council.
Councillors voted through the Conservative budget, which means there will be a rise of 2.99 per cent for the district council's slice of the council tax bill.
That's the lowest council tax percentage increase of all of the county's major authorities.
The district council's budget requirement for 2008/09 was set at £15.6 million.
Average band D householders in South Beds will pay £158.59 for district council services in the coming year.
That works out at a £4.60 rise, 9p per week, compared to the current year, for those services.
Executive councillor Philip Penman, who has special responsibility for resource management, talked of the uncertainty over the future structure of local government in the county
However, the financial strategy for the district council had been prepared on a "business as usual" basis, projected over a five-year period.
He said that further improvements to the council's performance management systems were working well.
And he went on: "We strive to put the customer at the heart of everything we do."
Mr Penman highlighted the All-Pay system which had been brought in for payments. .
He said that this was popular with most residents, with about £1 million being collected every month through the system, from 15,000 transactions.
"We are providing a better and more convenient service to our customers, and saving £100,000 a year," he said.
The Grove Theatre had been completed at the end of the previous financial year and had been showing an exciting programme of events.
Mr Penman said: "This was a magnificent venture, which is a credit to joint working and those members and officers that were involved."
He talked of a new contract for refuse collection and street cleansing, helping the council to meet recycling targets and maintain the high standard of cleanliness in South Beds.
The executive councillor also spoke of the makeover project for Bedford Square, in Houghton Regis, and the scheme to demolish and replace flats in London Road, Dunstable.
Car parking charges and local land charges would not be going up in the next financial year.
More capital resources would be spent on empty properties, to ensure that homes and gardens were in good condition when new tenants moved in.
Work on revitalising town centres was continuing.
Mr Penman said that £700,000 had been earmarked to improve the area around West Street and Ashton Square, in Dunstable. That would be paid for by a government grant.
He also spoke of the proposals to create a community football development centre in north Dunstable.
The councillor pointed out that a three-year government grant settlement had been lower than expected.
He concluded: "This is a prudent budget, which continues to improve services while keeping council tax as low as possible."
Who gets what?
The biggest chunk of the council tax bill goes on Beds County Council services.
Average band D households in South Beds will pay £1,123.47 for that part of the bill.
Another slice, £135.28, is earmarked for the Bedfordshire Police Authority, and £78.84 will go to Bedfordshire and Luton Combined Fire Authority.
South Beds District Council will take £158.59 of the bill.
On top of all that, average band D householders living in Dunstable will pay £126.91 for services provided by Dunstable Town Council.
Those living in Houghton Regis will fork out £122.71 for services from Houghton Regis Town Council.
For the latest news from Eaton Bray and beyond, get the Dunstable Gazette every Wednesday and make a daily date with Dunstable Today.
Source: Anne O'Donoghue, Dunstable Gazette, 5 March 2008
Council tax rises by 3%
South Beds Council say households can expect to pay 2.99 per cent extra for its services from April 1 while County Hall has settled on just over three per cent.
The district authority's figure was settled on at a meeting of the council's executive committee and is to be approved by the full council on February 26.
This is the same increase as last year and lower than the current 4% rate of inflation. It averages out at £163.33 for a band D property.
The executive decided that the council needed a total of £15.6 million for 2008/2009 to cover net expenditure and to run its services.
Of this total, £8.8 million will come from the government direct through its annual grant to the authority .
The remaining £6.8million needed for council services will come from local taxpayers.
Council tax payers pay more than this in total, however, because about nine tenths of the total tax payment is paid to support Bedfordshire County Council, the county's police, fire and rescue service and the taxpayer's local town or parish council.
Executive member for resource management, Cllr Phillip Penman, said: "Our internal control systems are working well.
"There is pressure on our car parking budget but, while income receipts from car parking charges are down, we have no plans to increase them.
"Even with a poor government grant settlement, we are still able once again to present a budget to our residents which allows us to raise council tax by the lowest percentage of all major authorities in Bedfordshire whilst continuing to maintain services at their present levels."
Bedfordshire County Council has agreed a council tax increase of 3.8% for 2008/9.
The authority says this is one of the lowest increases likely to be set by a county council in the country and that it is below the level of inflation.
County deputy leader and cabinet member for Finance, Richard Stay, said: "This budget seeks to protect front-line services and invest in our priority areas which the people of Bedfordshire tell us are important to them. These priorities have not changed - more investment for schools, roads and adult social care.
"This is even more remarkable in the context of a hostile government which has 'floored' Bedfordshire for three years running, while favouring its friends on more Northern councils.
"Even if we had received the average of shire county settlements, Bedfordshire would have received an additional £5.8 million in 2008/9, equivalent to £39.00 for every band D property - or over 200 social workers!"
But the council is cutting spending by £1.4 million through savings in customer service, procurement and revised use of accommodation.
Its budget includes:
- £5.4 million for adult social care to address demographic changes and other significant pressures
- £1.5 million to priority areas within schools and continuing funding for building schools.
- Continued investment in roads and footways with an extra £400,000 of revenue investment plus capital investment of £7.45 million to take the council's total investment in roads maintenance to £20 million in 2008/9.
- £100,000 to fund three special constables to support community safety initiatives.
Council leader, Madeline Russell, said: "We are delivering on our promise to keep council tax increases down. We have listened and responded to residents' priorities.
"We are officially rated as a good council, and we are improving strongly, and this budget reflects the fact that we are well on the way to becoming a great council."
Beds Police Authority has agreed a budget that allows for an additional 24 police officers, taking the total to 1,274, the highest number in the force's history.
At a meeting today (Feb 15), the authority set a budget of just over £96million for 2008-2009, a 5.3 per cent increase on last year.
The council tax precept has been set at £27.494million (29 per cent of the total figure) with the remainder coming from the government.
This means that in the coming year a householder living in an average Band D property will pay £135.28 towards policing (around 37p a day)- an increase of 23p per week or 9.6 per cent over last year's precept of £123.43 for a similar property.
Authority chairman, Peter Conniff, said that he felt the decision to ask local tax payers to invest in their local police service was justified.
"Our consultation established that the majority of those questioned were willing to pay an increase of 11% or more towards policing," he said.
"The authority has lost approximately £4 million per annum since 2006/07 due to changes made by the Government to its funding formula.
"This year, it is seeking to redress the balance to give the chief constable additional resources to bring about performance improvements.
"Cutting crime and keeping people safe costs money.
"This budget will provide the chief constable with more resources, more officers and an increased capability."
Get the Leighton Buzzard Observer every Tuesday.
Source: Mick King & Jessica Vince, Leighton Buzzard Observer
County council set to increase tax by 3.8%
Update: For the full amounts, see Eaton Bray 2008-09 Council Tax Bill
Beds County Council says its tax burden will increase by 3.8 per cent from April. But this is the lowest increase in its portion of the council tax in a decade.
It means a band D household will pay County Hall £1,123.46 - up from £1,082.33. The other 25 per cent of council tax payments goes to the police, the fire service and town and parish councils, which will be setting their budgets shortly.
County council deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, Cllr Richard Stay, said: "The county council intends to keep its promise to keep council tax down and protect the services people tell us matter the most.
This year's proposed budget will do that.
"Yes, there will be financial pressures in services like older people's social care, because of increased demand linked to an ageing population, but I believe we are well placed to deal with these and protect services as much as possible.
"We are also making sure that investment in public priorities remains strong.
""Surveys carried out in November told us that residents' main priorities have not changed, and that roads, community safety, care for older people and improving education were still services which mattered most to the people of Bedfordshire."
Cllr Stay said the Government had this year given councils across the country the worst financial settlement in ten years.
This means Beds and Bucks will once again get slightly less money from the government in real terms and year after year it's spending power is squeezed a bit more, forcing cut-backs.
By economising it has managed to make savings of £15.4 million in the last two years, with another £4.9 million expected by the end of the current financial year in March.
Council leader Cllr Madeline Russell claimed more savings would have been possible if it had not been for the uncertainty surrounding plans to cut away one layer of local government in Bedfordshire.
The Government has said it is "minded to approve" Bedford Borough Council's bid for unitary status, effectively abolishing the county council and apparently paving the way for a merger of Mid and South Beds councils into 'Central Beds'. County Hall meanwhile has launched a judicial review and remains confident of turning the tables.
Cllr Russell said: "The only way to keep council tax down and preserve essential services is through a countywide unitary authority.
"Our plans are the only efficient and effective option on the table."
South Beds District Council counters, however, that county is continuing to misrepresent the issues.
It says the district councils' financial forecasts have been rigorously checked and it is untrue that creating two new all-purpose unitary councils in place of the present pattern would damage services and lead to increases in costs.
South Beds says its detailed proposal is not based on cutting the budgets for frontline services.
The government's decision, expected in late February on the future of all four councils in the shire.
Across the border in Bucks, people living in Aylesbury Vale are facing an average council tax rise of 9p per week for the wide range of services they receive from the district council.
At a meeting last Tuesday, AVDC's cabinet agreed to recommend a four per cent rise for 2008/9, which equates to an extra £4.83 a year on a band D property. Householders in band D would pay £126.04 for the year.
A district council spokesman said the authority is planning to spend £20 million on services in 2008/9, of which £11.6 million will be provided by the government and £8.4 million will be raised through council tax.
In addition, the cabinet is recommending a capital programme of more than £100 million over the next four years.
Major spending schemes include the construction of the new theatre in Aylesbury, working with partners to deliver social housing across the district and a new multi-storey car park in Walton Street, Aylesbury
About 10 per cent of each household's annual council tax is kept by AVDC. The rest of the bill goes to the county council, Bucks Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police and local parish councils.
The final decision on the council's budget will be made on February 6.
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Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 22 January 2008
B-Day looms for fortnightly bin collections
After more than a year of heated debate, a controversial new rubbish collection system is finally set to start around Dunstable and Eaton Bray next week.
From Monday, September 3, householders in South Beds can expect their black bins to be emptied one week, and their orange-lidded bins the next.
It has been described as a way of increasing recycling rates, and a South Beds District Council spokesman said a smooth transition was expected.
He added that new recycling bins and collection calendars were being rolled out across the district, and everyone should have them by Friday.
But as the big day draws closer, councillors and council staff will be acutely aware of the disquiet the measure has caused since it was announced last year.
Earlier this summer a petition by the UK Independence Party (UKIP) collected more than 3,000 signatures calling for a rethink.
UKIP office manager Peter Cole said that it would lead to an increase in fly-tipping and vermin, and said that any maggots he found in his bin would be delivered to council offices.
But the council pointed out that with landfill space running out fast and huge government fines on the horizon, something needed to be done to reduce the amount of rubbish going into landfill.
Councillor David McVicar, who has responsibility for the environment, said: "We're running out of holes to put our muck into. We're not in a position to say we can put what we want into a bin and it'll go into landfill. The landfill will not be there."
He added: "Other authorities have had this reaction, but within a matter of a short time that fear has been allayed and people say there are no problems."
Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Gazette, 29 August 2007
Burglar alarms battler rings a bell with public
Eaton Bray campaigner Alan Woolridge said he feels like a celebrity as his battle against the council's alarm notification strategy gains momentum.
He has been featured on television and radio programmes in the past week, and says people have congratulated him in the streets for making a stand.
But chiefs at South Beds District Council say they cannot work out why the policy has created such a fuss.
As reported previously, South Beds is the first district to have an alarm notification area introduced.
All burglar alarm owners face £80 on-the-spot fines if they do not hand over details of their keyholders, and this could rise to up to £1,000 if the council takes them to court.
It was introduced so that if an alarm sounds, council officers could contact keyholders to silence it.
Councillor David McVicar, who has special responsibility for the environment, said: "It's an issue that shouldn't have caused all the problems it has.
"It was a thing that was put into place to help, and it's ended up being a stick with which we're being beaten."
He said councillors chose to implement government legislation to combat the nuisance that alarms can cause.
On average, problems arise once a fortnight, and Mr McVicar said: "It's a huge number when people are being driven mad."
And he continued: 'At one stage it was down to the police to hold a voluntary database but that fell into disrepair. People would phone us up and say: 'There's an alarm going off'.
If that happened, Peter Jones, corporate service manager, said council officers had to obtain a warrant, a locksmith, a police officer and an alarm engineer to gain access to the home.
Mr Jones said that with all costs being transferred to the householder, it could work out very expensively. And he added that keyholder details have already been used to get alarms turned off quickly.
"Something that would have taken hours of annoyance was dealt with by one phone call," he stated.
A lot of the controversy has been about the security of the information the council collects.
Mr Woolridge has said he is prepared to submit mobile phone numbers for his keyholders, but not names and addresses.
But Mr Jones said: "The advantage of having a name and address and a phone number for the keyholder is we've got a better chance of getting hold of them."
He added that under the government legislation in place, addresses have to be collected.
Critics have said that the keyholder database could be a massive resource for criminals if it fell into the wrong hands.
In response, Mr McVicar said that the council has never had a problem with data being compromised in the past.
He stated: "No security is 100 per cent, but as far as this council is concerned, we've never lost a piece of data."
He said that the council already has huge databases containing enormous amounts of data about people living in South Beds, from benefits information to council tax and the electoral roll.
All officers with access to the keyholder database are CRB checked, and Mr McVicar said: "I would never question the integrity of our officers."
An online petition about the measure was loaded by Mr Woolridge onto the 10 Downing Street website. As the Gazette went to press more than 70 householders had signed it.
Source: Dunstable Gazette, 22 Aug 2007
Funkee website goes bananas
A website especially for young people in South Beds is going from strength to strength after its first year.
FunkeeMunkee.co.uk was set up to provide health and social information for youngsters, and it is fast become a crucial resource in the district.
As well as carrying information about events in the area, it is also packed with links to useful agencies which can help out with all kinds of problems and concerns.
The website is run by Alcohol Services for the Community and funded by the South Bedfordshire Local Strategic Partnership.
Rachel Keith from Alcohol Services for the Community said: "It's going very well, there's a growing amount of information on there. It's very colourful and it's growing in content all the time."
The website was set up so that youngsters all over the district don't miss out on important events and health information.
Rachel added: "South Beds is like any area, it's got a mixture of communities. The idea is that the website is for people who don't hear about things and who miss out on what's going on. Now they've got this place that gives them all the information they need."
So far Rachel said feedback from young people has been good.
One website user enthused: "I like the look of Funkee Munkee. It's interesting and eye-catching and the graphics are good too."
Another added: "Information, events, real people, competitions and a. really happy monkey - what more could you possibly want?"
As well as guest columns from a number of local organisations, the site also boasts book reviews and theatre listings.
And true to its name, the site also sponsors an African patas monkey called Chibber.
There has already been a FunkeeMunkee site running in Mid Beds for three years.
The website name was picked out by youngsters ahead of its launch.
To celebrate the big day in South Beds, members of the FunkeeMunkee team hit the streets of Dunstable and Houghton Regis to give out free bananas and goodies.
Website volunteers Robert Day, Timothy Day and Nick Porter, and co-ordinators Helen Reynolds-Smith and Alison Colver are pictured, above outside The Place in High Street North, Dunstable.
Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Gazette, 15 August 2007
Now you can log on and tell PM your alarm fears
An online petition has been launched to protest about the district council's controversial alarm notification policy.
Burglar alarm owners are now required to pass details of their keyholders to South Beds District Council, or face fines of up to £1,000.
The council claims it will help to silence loud alarms quickly, and there are already cases where keyholder information has been used to cut short the misery that constantly sounding alarms can cause.
But as reported by the Gazette last week, the measure has sparked concerns about security.
Eaton Bray protestor Alan Woolridge has vowed to battle against the order, and this week he has launched a petition on Gordon Brown's 10 Downing Street website calling for a rethink.
South Beds is the first area to bring in the measure using legislation from the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, but a number of local authorities are keeping a close eye on the initiative.
Mr Woolridge is calling on the government to have another look at the legislation before other authorities follow suit.
His petition reads: "Homeowners in South Beds whose property has a burglar alarm are being legally forced to pass details of a keyholder (name; address; phone number) to the local authority.
"Other councils will follow. This protest is about the creation of databases that if allowed to continue will identify properties that have, and by exception, do not have burglar alarms.
"Front door key security is personal and the whereabouts of any `emergency' keys are confidential too."
The petition urges householders not to submit keyholder information, or to withdraw it if they have already handed it over.
When the alarm notification area was announced last year, it prompted a number of letters to this newspaper voicing concerns.
Enforcement of the policy started this month, and since we reported it the Gazette has received many letters and phone calls on the subject.
This week one correspondent wrote: "Having worked with IT systems since the late 1960s I know it's inevitable that information on the keyholder register will get out, no matter that the council is `fierce' with its data protection duties to prevent data being misused.
"Information will get out either because someone breaks in, or because a loophole has inadvertently been left in the system, or because a South Beds District Council employee is suborned into revealing information from the database."
- The petition can be found at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ALARMING
- The website claims that whenever a serious petition collects 200 or more signatures, officials at Downing Street will ensure a response is given to the issues raised.
Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Gazette, 15 August 2007
Battler Alan keeps alarm bell ringing
An Eaton Bray home owner has vowed to continue his battle with the district council over its alarm notification policy, and he is leading calls for a rethink.
Alan Woolridge, who has been one of South Beds District Council's most vocal critics since the measure was announced, said he was still unhappy about handing over crucial details about his keyholders.
He could potentially face an £80 on the spot fine, which would rise to £1,000 if it's not paid within 14 days.
As reported by the Gazette last week, enforcement of the council's controversial alarm notification area has started this month.
All burglar alarm owners with an alarm now have to pass contact details for their keyholders to the district council or face a fine.
The policy was introduced to cut down on the misery that constantly sounding alarms can cause, as it would give council officers a way to contact keyholders and get the alarms turned off.
Members of the council's envirocrime unit will be out and about this month, and if they spot an alarm that isn't registered they will give the owner seven days to comply.
But Mr Woolridge is worried that the council wants addresses for the people with keys to his home, and not just phone numbers.
He said yesterday: "The security of my front door key is mine and nobody else's, and I'm not prepared to say where it is."
And he added: "I don't object in principle to this initiative but I do object strongly to giving a keyholder's name and address.
"I have already provided four mobile telephone numbers including my own and thereby given far more options to resolve any problem that may occur."
The measure has also prompted concerns that it could become a handy resource for criminals if security is breached.
Mr Woolridge said that if the database got into the open, people without burglar alarms and people with dummy boxes would be easy to identify.
He said: "The people who are not apparently concerned by this are the people who don't have alarms.
"But the people who don't have alarms are the people who would be indirectly identified if this database got into the open.
"The people who have dummy boxes and who don't have alarms would be identified as having unsecured properties."
He has raised the matter with South West Beds MP Andrew Selous, who has been in touch with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
But the government has said it cannot step in over the dispute.
A letter from former environment minister Ben Bradshaw to Mr Selous dated June 26 said that under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, local authorities are at liberty to collect keyholder details.
It continued: "Databases which contain details of nominated keyholders are maintained in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Local authorities have the power to retain keyholder details for audible intruder alarms as the people responsible for dealing with noise and with the power to deactivate intruder alarms.
"As such, Defra are not in the position to intervene in a situation between the local authority, who are responsible for enforcing the fine if they see fit, and the resident."
South Beds is the first authority in the UK to introduce the measure.
Yesterday a council spokesman said keyholders' addresses are taken to ensure that they live close enough to respond if an alarm goes off.
He added that the council is `fierce' with its Data Protection duties to prevent data being misused.
Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Gazette, 8 August 2007
Snoop squad on the prowl
Council officers will today start touring the district on the lookout for unregistered burglar alarms - with fines of up to £1,000 on the cards.
Anyone who has an alarm fitted but hasn't told South Beds District Council who their keyholders are will soon face hefty fines as part of a controversial alarm notification policy.
The council claims the measure will make it easier to silence endlessly sounding alarms, but critics have dubbed it an invasion of privacy.
Under the scheme council envirocrime officers will have contact details for keyholders at their fingertips, so that if an alarm sounds it can be switched off quickly.
From today members of the envirocrime unit will be keeping an eye out for alarm boxes on the outside of homes.
If they spot an alarm that isn't registered, they will contact the owner giving them seven days to hand over contact details for their keyholders.
If this isn't done, owners will face an £80 on-the-spot fine, which will rise to £1,000 if it's not paid within two weeks.
When plans were unveiled for the new alarm notification area last year, this newspaper was swamped with letters from readers worried about the impact it would have.
One correspondent dubbed it a "sledgehammer to crack a nut", and Eaton Bray campaigner Alan Woolridge mounted a petition calling on alarm owners to withhold the information.
His petition read: "For security reasons the only persons who should know of the arrangement are the property owner and the keyholder.
"To have such details on the database, regardless of the fact that data will be maintained in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, does nothing to inspire confidence."
But yesterday a council spokeswoman announced that 4,578 alarms have been registered in South Beds.
Councillor David McVicar, portfolio holder for the environment, said: "This service means that our neighbours no longer have to endure the possibility of constant noise of alarms while we are on holiday or away.
"It is a simple matter to register your alarm, giving yourself and your neighbours peace of mind."
Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Gazette, 1 August 2007