16 December 2009
Conservatives Urge Council To Reject Massive New Housing Proposals
Bedford Borough could be swamped by 22,000 more homes.
The East of England Regional Assembly launched a major public consultation in September asking the public for their views on how many new homes are needed in the East of England.
The consultation seeks views on four different growth scenarios for the number of new homes needed in each Council area every year to 2031, and Borough Conservatives are calling on Bedford Borough Council to speak up for residents.
The proposals could see between 19,400 and 22,000 new homes parachuted into the Borough,
on top of the 13,000-
Borough Conservatives are calling on the Council to protect the Borough’s interests.
Conservative Group Leader, Councillor Carole Ellis, commented:
“The original figures were already based on inflated demand, fuelled by the tendency of irresponsible bankers
to lend to people who can’t afford it.”
“There are already plans in place to build more than 13,000 new homes in the Borough and it would be a disaster
if our Borough were swamped by another 22,000 houses.”
“Our schools and health services are under enough pressure as it is and that’s before you consider the congestion
problems we see all too frequently on our roads. If the Lib Dem Mayor and his cronies fail to oppose all four scenarios,
our Borough will come to a grinding halt.”
“This is a flawed consultation, proven by the fact that we’re not given any scenario whatsoever for no more housing,
we’re just told we’re getting more homes and it’s just a question of how much. This sums up this Labour Government
and its un-
“The irony is the Regional Assemblies may not be around much longer to implement
these flawed plans, and my message to this Labour Government is simple -
The Council’s response will be considered at a meeting of the Executive on 16 December.
14 December 2009
Conservatives Call On Mayor To Hop On His Bike
Conservatives are calling for new measures to encourage Council staff to take a more
environmentally-
Bedford Borough Council currently employs approximately 2,327 staff, and the Conservatives are launching their latest green initiative calling on the Council to publish a ‘Travel Plan’ for its staff, as other Councils are doing.
This is part of a wider program from the Conservatives aimed at cutting congestion
and carbon emissions, and they hope the Travel Plan – if it is published – will encourage
staff to make greater use of ‘greener’ options such as public transport, cycling,
teleconferencing, teleworking and car-
Conservative Group Leader, Councillor Carole Ellis, commented:
“The Liberal Democrats recently submitted proposals to Committee calling on their own Council staff to make greater use of their bikes to get to work in the morning, but why stop at cycling?”
“We believe the Mayor should be doing much more to encourage the Council to be green than just asking staff to hop on a bike.”
“Not for the first time, we see half-
“There is much more that staff can do than just cycling to work, and we believe the Liberal Democrats should get their own house in order by developing a comprehensive Travel Plan for Council staff as a matter of urgency.”
10 December 2009
Conservatives Demand Commitment to Out of Hours Noise Service
Conservatives are calling on Bedford Borough Council to extend its Out of Hours Noise service from 2010/11.
It was confirmed at a meeting of the Council’s Environment, Regeneration & Corporate Services Committee last week that funding for the service will run out on 31 March 2010.
Currently, the service is only available on Friday and Saturday nights from 9.30pm
-
The popular service has already seen 372 requests for assistance since 1 April 2009
– more than 11 a week – and Conservatives are calling on the Council to guarantee
it for residents in 2010/11 and expand it to a seven-
Cllr Rigby, Conservative Vice-
“The Council launched this service way back in 2005 but has only managed to run it on a weekend basis.”
“Noisy neighbours are a seven day of the week menace, not just on Friday and Saturday nights.”
“Nobody should have to live in their homes as their walls vibrate to the sound of booming stereos or have to turn up their TV to drown out nuisance noise, especially vulnerable residents and those with babies and young children.”
“We believe the Council should send a message out to all offenders loud and clear
that their behaviour will not be tolerated by the new unitary authority, and we are
proposing that the Council fund the Out of Hours Noise Service in 2010/11 from the
Revenue Budget so it is available for residents every year and all year-
The Conservatives’ proposals will now be investigated by Council Officers.
1 December 2009
Conservatives Call For New Kerbside Glass Collection Service
Ever wondered where you should put your glass for collection?
It’s a good question, and Borough Conservatives today are launching a campaign to get Bedford Borough Council to introduce a new kerbside glass recycling collection service for residents.
They are pointing to other neighbouring Councils, such as Northampton Borough Council, who have recently invested in similar services for their residents to boost recycling & cut the cost of sending waste to landfill.
Northampton Borough Council launched a kerbside glass collection service for residents on 1 June this year, and Borough Conservatives are turning up the heat on the new Mayor to launch a similar scheme in the Borough.
Conservative Vice-
“In Northampton, the Council has shown strong leadership on climate change by giving every resident a glass recycling box and this is collected monthly.”
“We already know Bedford Borough Council is lagging behind on its recycling rates, with only 31% of household waste being recycled last year, and we believe if the Council wants residents to recycle more it needs to give them the facilities to do it.”
“Only last week, the Liberal Democrats splashed out £170,000 to hire five new members
of staff to ‘advise’ on recycling – and even then, this was only a two-
“Look no further than Northampton. They have provided every resident with a glass
recycling box at a cost of £125,491-
“Conservatives are calling on the Council to launch a kerbside glass recycling as
we believe it is a proper ‘invest-
“It’s about time the Liberal Democrats stopped procrastinating on recycling and give us all a glass recycling box.”
1 December 2009
Conservatives Call For ‘Root and Branch’ Reform Of Tree Service
Bedford Borough Council’s tree budget is in line for a much-
That is, if Conservatives have their way, following a meeting of the Council’s Environment, Regeneration & Corporate Services Committee where major new investment for the tree service was proposed.
There are 23,406 trees in streets and parks throughout the Borough and Conservatives called on the Mayor to substantially increase investment for tree planting and repair in 2010/11, including planting an additional 200 trees per year.
Conservative Vice-
“The officer report highlighted a range of options for tree pruning works to tackle between 12.5% and 25% of highways trees
annually, but I did not feel these went far enough.”
“As many of us know, trees can grow very quickly and this is why Conservatives are calling on the Council to ensure that
between 25% and 33% of trees are pruned annually and that investment is increased to ensure that at least 200 new trees
are planted each year as a start.”
“Trees not only boost the amenity value and attractiveness of our streets and parks, they also demonstrate this Council’s
recognition of the huge part trees play in our lives.”
“Conservatives recognise that the new Council has an historic opportunity to get the tree budget right following our transition
to unitary, particularly as we have an aging tree population and are losing more trees than we are planting each year.”
“I hope the Mayor will now take urgent action to increase investment in our tree budget to ensure that future generations can enjoy the benefits, as well as ensuring that this valued service is not pruned back in the forthcoming Lib Dem budget.”
The Conservatives’ proposals will now be considered by the Council’ Executive on 16 December 2009.
