BBC 3 Counties politics hour

The Roberto Perrone show on BBC 3CR often features a panel discussion in the hour between 6 and 7 PM and on a Thursday the focus is political.

I would highly recommend tuning in to tonight's debate, which is scheduled to feature not only Dorothy Thornhill (Elected Mayor of Watford) but also two Central Bedfordshire Councillors, namely Richard Stay and Adam Zerny.  Cllr Stay needs little or no introduction in this area of Bedfordshire; Cllr Zerny is an independent member from Potton.  In fact, he is rare amongst the independent group in that he was not previously a member of either the Labour or Liberal Democrat parties before standing for election as an independent.  So keen is he on independent members, he even endorsed an independent candidate in the recent by-election as "very strong" whilst refusing to confirm whether or not he had ever even met her!

Richard Stay, Dorothy Thornhill and Adam Zerny

With such forthright guests, expect lively conversation.

Parish Council meetings reminder

Slip End and Studham each have their monthly meetings tonight, taking place in their respective village halls from 7PM.

Caddington have adjusted their schedule so that they now meet on the second Monday of each calendar month, not the first.  So there is no meeting in Caddington tonight, the next will be on Monday 10 February.

High density housing proposals by Newlands Road (again)

I feel sure that there will be a lot more to come on this topic in the near future; I shall provide a couple of links now for those who wish to do some reading.

During 2012 a company called Templeview Developments Limited (which is controlled by Mr S Doyle, who was also a key individual in forumlating the original 'Bushwood' proposals) submitted an application to Luton Borough Council to erect a significant number of flats/maisonettes plus a small number of houses on the strip of Land between Newlands Road and the M1 motorway.  The application was refused by Luton Borough Council, a decision which was unsuccessfully fought at appeal by the applicant.  The full 2013 appeal decision can be found here .


Sadly, it would seem that this is not the end of the story and a revised application has now been submitted.  Details are available via the planning portal on the Luton Borogh Council website and searching reference 14/00015/OUT.

Chiltern Green, New Mill End & Hyde

This afternoon brought wind, rain and even a little thunder but the morning had been pleasant and sunny; Richard and I took the opportunity to visit some of the quieter areas of our ward in the parish of Hyde.

It was good to say 'hello' to people and have the time to stop and talk about local issues.  It is more relaxed than during an election campaign and, in practical terms, a stronger opportunity to come away with action points that you can perhaps take practical action to help people with, whether that means prompt action required (fly-tipping) or perhaps an awareness of medium term plans which might benefit the area in future (such as flood alleviation).

Going past the former Holy Trinity Church brought back memories of occasional services attended there some years ago before its closure as a C.of.E church.  The building has now become St Charalambos Greek Orthodox Church; it is good to know that the building is once again in regular use as a place of worship.

Kensworth School

I was pleased to spend an hour today with Mrs Kentish and her team at Kensworth Lower School.  They are justifiably proud of their school and their contribution to the village.

The school has been present in Kensworth since 1853, and the latest chapter in their story is the change from Lower School to Primary School which will be implemented from September 2014 (year 5) and then fully operational (year 6 also) from September 2015.  I wish them every success in their new stage of life and plan to keep in touch with them in the future.

The children themselves deserve a special mention, being happy and polite in equal measure when greeting a visitor.  They are a credit to the school, and a positive endorsement of the educational experience available in Kensworth.