District Telephones and Markets

I had Full Council at South Beds tonight. Nothing major at the moment, 2 questions I raised were on the current situation with the new market operators as there had been some reports on counterfeit goods circulating in the press and also on the new district 0845 numbers.

All numbers for SBDC will now have an 0845 alternative which for most people will cost more to call than the 01582 number and they do not count as part of a package of say inclusive minutes on your mobile phone or free calls on your landline.

I will make sure the 01582 number is available to anyone who needs it. It doesn’t seem fair if you need to claim benefits or ask to be homed you should be paying more to the call council. There was no mention of revenue sharing so far so the council may not be taking a cut of the call revenue.

Cllr Hegley, Portfolio Holder responsible responded by saying they would move over to an 03 number later in the year when they are available. These again are “non geographic” meaning they can be anywhere in the country and change easily but will be included in your call packages treated equally to 01 and 02 numbers.

As for the market, not much could be said as Wendy Fair, the new operator, are in court at the moment facing these charges and until we have the verdict we are limited in what we can do or say.

Events Roundup

Since I last wrote about the events I have attended, I have been to many more representing the town.

On the 24th May I was a judge at The Carnival Princess Competition. That was very hard, having to pick just 2 people from a room full of young ladies that really wanted to win! In the end we chose Adrienne and Chloe

On the 26th, I attended the Leighton-Linslade Arts forum play which was superb, there is a lot of talent hidden in our local residents! They performed "Sir Christopher" showing the history of Sir Christopher Wren.

I was off to Buckingham on the 1st of June to meet their Mayor

I attended the Citizens Advice Bureau AGM on 14th June and the Sports Council AGM tonight.

On the subject of Sports, if your club is not yet a member, it costs just £10 per year and you can apply for financial support too using funds from the Town Council. In addition, you get the chance to network with other clubs and help the Sports Council represent your sport to Councillors and other authorities.

I asked tonight for a list of all the taster sessions the clubs are putting on over the summer but particularly those aimed at the youth and that we bring clubs together to avoid clashes. Once I have a list I will be promoting it and other summer events that are being planned...

Save Our School

I will shortly but putting up a an update on all the events I have attended but I wanted to discuss today's events.

Firstly, I handed out certificates to children in the Library yesterday for their entries in the BBC RAW (Reading and Writing) Campaign in conjunction with Beds County Council where the family all helped to write a short story.

After this, I opened the Brooklands Middle School Family Fun Day, just days after Beds County Council announced that on Tuesday 19th, the Executive Committee would be looking at a possible consultation on the school's closure.

The school under the leadership of Head Teacher Steve Harrington-Williams have produced t-shirts for all the pupils in the school uniform colours and I was pleased to wear one during the event.

I will discuss the possibilities of the closure in more detail but the whole of the Town Council is behind the school and are opposing its closure without good reason and insisting that a proper consultation with all concerned will take place. That includes not just teachers, pupils and parents but the many groups and clubs that use the school's facilities.

Please comment below.

Allotments

I am ashamed of my allotment.

I have not visited for weeks and it is full of weeds which don't seem to understand I don't want them there. Every time I go I dig them up then a week later they are back!

I think I should start trying to grow them, that is guaranteed to kill them.

I will be going back soon (Hayfever permitting) to put my tomato plants in but if anyone wants to join me thinking an allotment, or even half of one is too much, you are more than welcome to a few feet of mine. Just ask - I need the help as I am only using a very small part of it.

Surgery

Traffic and Rubbish. Today's theme at the County, District and Town Councillors surgery at the Library today starting at 10am.

I had 4 people visit during the two hour session and overall it was a very constructive day. We talked about traffic calming, speeding motorists and the implications of the new waste collection system to come in to force in September which is also the time when the new bypass is due to open.

A couple of planning issues still need to be followed up by me but I have started to speak to the right people regarding most of the traffic and transport issues so if you came to see me today, watch this space and I will update you soon.

Also today I am pleased to tell you that our market inspector (now under new management) dealt with the police to remove a trader from the market illegally selling alcohol. I am sure the papers will have more on this in the middle of the week.