As I speak to local residents and read comments online, it is very clear there are two issues that concern people more than anything: policing and health. When I talk about Town Council and CBC projects – playgrounds, leisure centres, the town centre for example – almost without fail I will receive comments to the … Continue reading Policing, Health and the role of the Councils
Over the next few months local residents will be asked for their views on the future of Leighton Buzzard High Street. Has Leighton Buzzard Market benefited from the pedestrian-only High Street? Early in the pandemic, restrictions were implemented to take all traffic, including public transport, out of the High Street and make it pedestrian only. … Continue reading Leighton Buzzard High Street
The paper on the public consultation on the proposed boundary change between Leighton-Linslade and Eggington was presented at Thursday’s meeting of General Purposes. Currently, the new housing to the east of Leighton Buzzard is in Eggington Parish. However, in every other respect they are part of Leighton Buzzard: they are sold as being in Leighton … Continue reading Parish Boundary Review
Before explaining my role as the Co-Chair of the Corporate Parenting Panel, I probably need to explain what a ‘Corporate Parent’ is. All Councillors and employees of Central Bedfordshire Council are a ‘Corporate Parent’. They share a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children and young adults in the … Continue reading How you can help looked after children
When one thinks about the Council’s responsibilities, you probably think about roads, leisure centres, rubbish collection, schools and housing. And of course, planning and development. These are the issues that affect us all. Increasingly, Adult Social Care – and in particular care for the elderly – is something that attracts headlines, and this is the … Continue reading Our looked after children and young people …
I remember a time – not so many years ago – when an accident was just that. An accident. Nobody was at fault. There was no malice. There was no question of someone acting irresponsibly or recklessly. It was quite simply an accident. And there were no ‘lessons to be learned’. No retraining. No ‘root … Continue reading Accidents do happen …
Tomorrow – May 17th – we reach the next major milestone in the easing of Covid restrictions. We will be able to meet with friends and family indoors, larger numbers will be able to attend weddings and funerals, and many indoor entertainment venues – cinemas, play areas and the like – will re-open. And if … Continue reading The end of lockdown
A few weeks ago I wrote on my blog about the land south of LB High Street. In that post, I made what I considered to be a realistic assessment of the likely future use of the site and the timescales. At the same time, I urged residents to be wary of promises of community … Continue reading South of the High Street and free parking …
Like many of you, the past 12 months or so has brought about very significant changes to my life and my work as a Councillor. Although I had to adopt a lower profile – no delivering leaflets, no monthly surgeries, no knocking on residents’ doors - I have still been very busy at both Councils … Continue reading The new normal?
So, just what does ‘the council’ do? When you ask someone what ‘the council’ does, you will get a variety of answers, but with some common threads. Firstly, you will get those who don’t think ‘the council’ does very much. Each month they pay a not inconsiderable amount of Council Tax, and yet feel they … Continue reading What does ‘the council’ actually do?
Amanda Dodwell 