HOUGHTON CONQUEST Village Newsletter December 2020 All the latest news, events and reports for our Village inside……. HOUGHTON CONQUEST PARISH COUNCIL Members PCllr Sue Beaumont PCllr Brian Blackall PCllr Peter Bullock (Vice Chair) PCllr Mark Dobson PCllr Tracey Fry PCllr Bec Hares (UCllr) PCllr Liz Lovell (Chair) PCllr Bryn Whitaker Committees, Working Parties and Appointed Representatives Highways PCllr Fry Planning Sub-Committee PCllrs Beaumont, Blackall Bullock,Dobson & Whittaker Village Hall PCllrs Bullock Play Area PCllr Dobson Sports Field PCllr Blackall Allotments PCllr Lovell School Liaison E Thompson Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 2 Police Liaison PCllr Beaumont Tree Warden Vacancy Newsletter PCllrs Bullock & Fry Community Facebook PCllr Fry Website Parish Clerk United Charities PCllr Beaumont Covanta/BACI/Millbrook Power P Rolfe Climate Change Champion R Blevins Parish Council Clerk – Gill Wiggs Tel: 01234 270016 [email protected] All correspondence should be forwarded to the Clerk to the Parish Council: Gill Wiggs, 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ The Parish Council usually meets on the second Thursday of the month except August & December, in the Village Hall committee room at 7.30pm. Parishioners are invited to attend the meetings and time is allocated for them to address the council. Central Bedfordshire Councillor: Bec Hares T: 01234 742542 E: [email protected] If you have a matter you wish to draw to the attention of the Parish Council, you can contact any Councillor, write to the Clerk, or attend a meeting. If you wish to speak to the Council please notify the clerk or the chairman before the meeting, so that you can speak during the time allotted. Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 3 Please note that the closing date for insertion of copy into the February 2021 issue of The Houghton Conquest Village Newsletter is 21st January 2021 You may send copy c/o Clerk to the Parish Council: Gill Wiggs, 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ or send it by email to the Editor: [email protected] with ‘Village Newsletter’ as the subject All contributions are welcome but are subject to the editor’s discretion as to size and content Place your advertisement here For a reasonable payment to Houghton Conquest Parish Council you can reach the entire Village every two months. Copy may be emailed to [email protected] or posted to Gill Wiggs, Clerk to the Parish Council, 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ Payments to Houghton Conquest Parish Council please Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 4 Parish Council Updates Chair’s Report It certainly is beginning to feel that Winter is on its way. Temperatures are dropping and the evenings are getting darker. As you read this I hope that we are looking forward to a lifting of the current restrictions in time for Christmas. At the November Council meeting your Parish Council took the decision to switch on the Christmas lights sooner rather than later. We hope that they have brought a little light into an otherwise dull world. We realise that some may feel that this is too early for the lights to be on but if they lift the spirits of even one person then we are happy. I hope those further from the centre of the Village are enjoying the expanded provision. Any ideas for next year gratefully received. Thanks to Cllr Bryn Whittaker for liaising with Andy Muskett who put the lights up. Remembrance Sunday took place this year without the usual service in the Church. Wreaths were laid at the Memorial by The Royal British Legion, Central Bedfordshire Council, your Parish Council and the Houghton Pioneers. A socially distanced two minute silence was honoured at 11.00 on Sunday 8th November. In addition to the wreaths, a display of 22 poppies was also laid at the site of the Town Well alongside the Unknown Tommy Silhouette. Further details inside. Thankfully, due to the flagpole having been successfully repaired at last, we were able to raise the Union Jack between the 8th and the 11th of November. With thanks to Jason Lay. Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 5 Works and repairs to our highways are ongoing with new barriers being installed at the junction of the B530 and The Grove as well as new bollards on the bend from How End to the village. Glebe Way has benefitted from some resurfacing works and potholes in Rectory Lane have been marked up for repair. We have also received notification of a road closure on Bedford Road between Ampthill Road and Sollars Way. This road closure will be between the dates 4th Jan to 30th March 2021 between the hours of 07;30 and 18:00. PCllr Fry continues to report any highways issues that she identifies during her daily horse ride around the village but everyone can report problems on the CBC website when they arise. It is simple to do and the more people that report issues the more awareness CBC will have of our concerns. The speed indicator device has been converted to solar energy to solve the problem of the batteries running out and two additional devices are ready to be mounted. The job is complicated by the current Covid restrictions as it is not possible to carry out the work whilst socially distanced and it is definitely a two-person job! We will endeavour to get the devices into position as soon as possible. PCllr Blackall has been working hard to improve the condition of the playing field. A programme of cutting back and ditch clearance has commenced and should be completed by the time this is published. The repairs and additional security for the pavilion should also have been completed. It is hoped that this will reduce the level of on-going vandalism and thus save un- necessary expenditure. PCllr Blackall has also been in discussion with Marston Vale who have thousands of trees to plant as part of a Government backed initiative. We are looking Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 6 at a number of areas to plant trees and if anyone has any suggestion please let us know by emailing Gill Wiggs on [email protected]. One suggestion was the planting of a Community Orchard on the land to the rear of Cherry Close. Let us have your thoughts and ideas. Your Parish Council is still two members short, so this is your chance to join us and be part of the decisions that are made about your Village. Just drop Gill a line to let us know you are interested and she will get back to you. Don’t forget that you are welcome to observe all Parish Council meetings and time is always allocated for you to have your say. Now that these meetings are on Zoom you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your armchair! The codes are published on the Agenda on the notice board at the front of the Village shop. Hard copies of the agreed minutes are placed on the noticeboard at the rear of the shop. Electronic versions are on the Parish Council website. https://houghtonconquest-pc.gov.uk All that is left is to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and to express the hope that in the New Year we can welcome a brighter future for us all. Warm Regards Liz Upcoming Parish Council Meetings The next few council meetings may or may not be held in person and we will be reliant on using Zoom and email in order to conduct Parish Council business. Should you wish to raise anything with the Council, please direct your question to the The Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 7 Clerk, Gill Wiggs via email [email protected] or by post c/o 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ The Chair’s newsletter is intended to provide a general update. Agendas and approved minutes can be viewed on the Parish Council website www.houghtonconquest-pc.gov.uk POLICE LIAISON REPORT NOVEMBER 2020 This Photo by Unknown Author As I write this, we are in the middle of another lockdown, of sorts. I reported in September that the easing of the full lockdown had led to an increase in criminal activity. Since then, within the CBC area, it appears to have been ‘business as usual” for the miscreants! That having been said, we are fortunate that Houghton Conquest attracts little police activity and is seen as a low crime village. The biggest problem, within the village, have been burglaries at the Kier building site in Chapel End Rd. Specialist advice has been offered and the police have increased patrols around the area. Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 8 The wider priority for the police in Central Bedfordshire is cracking down on the supply of drugs. Fortunately, Houghton Conquest does not appear in the list of ‘areas of concern’. As we approach Christmas and the season of celebration [so welcome in what has been a dismal year], the advice continues to be one of caution. Please do ensure that all outbuildings are secured and that gifts are not displayed in full view. We don’t want thieves to be the ones celebrating! Keep your presents secure and out of sight both in your homes and your cars. As always, if anyone sees anything/anyone of concern, please report this either on 101 or: www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthier 2021. Sue Beaumont PCllr Police Liaison Officer Highways Issues To report any highways matter to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), log in to the following website http:// centralbedfordshire.gov.uk and follow the instructions Houghton Conquest Newsletter - December 2020 9 All Saints Church Rector: The Rev'd Stephen Toze 01234 740423 Assistant Minister: The Rev'd Roger White Reader: Mr.