HOUGHTON CONQUEST Village Newsletter August 2021 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 Tracey Fry PCllr Bec Hares (UCllr) PCllr Liz Lovell (Chair) PCllr John Miller PCllr Anthony Mullin PCllr Bryn Whitaker Committees, Working Parties and Representatives Highways & Horse Watch PCllr Fry Planning Sub-Committee PCllrs Beaumont, Blackall Bullock, Whittaker and Mullin Village Hall PCllr Bullock Play Area PCllrs Blackall and Miller Sports Field PCllrs Blackall and Miller Allotments PCllr Lovell Houghton Conquest Newsletter - August 2021 2 School Liaison PCllr Mullin Police Liaison PCllr Beaumont Tree Warden PCllr Blackall and L Askham Newsletter PCllr Bullock 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 - August 2021 3 Parish Council website You can register for email news updates from Houghton Conquest Parish Council by going to houghtonconquest- pc.gov.uk & click on the "subscribe" button on the home page. We promise we won't inundate you. We only post news items that we believe are important to Houghton Conquest residents. Subscription is completely free of charge Thanks, Houghton Conquest Parish Council Please note that the closing date for insertion of copy into the October 2021 issue of The Houghton Conquest Village Newsletter is 21st September 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] 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 - August 2021 4 Parish Council Updates Chair’s Report Hello Everyone and welcome to the Summer edition of the Village Newsletter. Your Parish Council have now held two meetings in the Village Hall where we sat in a large circle as per Government guidance. We currently have one vacancy on the Council due to the resignation of Bridgette Cooksley. I would like to thank Bridgette for the efficient way in which she undertook the role of tree warden and how quickly she managed to get work done on overgrown and dead trees that were causing problems in and around the sports field. Details of how to apply are displayed on the noticeboards so how about joining us and helping to improve the Village for everyone. We are actively seeking a new Clerk as the wonderful Gill Wiggs is retiring at the end of the year. Again details of the job role and how to apply will be on the notice boards as well as Facebook and lower down in this newsletter. Further to the pre-planning application for the telecoms mast a further application has been made with some alterations from the initial submission that was refused. The new proposal is for a 15m pole with cabinets below with the cabinets being painted green to blend in with the surroundings. I hope that you were all able to put your Houghton Conquest Newsletter - August 2021 5 comments onto the planning portal and we will report further once Central Beds have made a decision. The playing field continues to be well used for football training and personal fitness training. Unfortunately, we do not qualify for FA funding to improve the pitches but other sources of funding are being explored by PCllr Blackall and PCllr Miller. It is possible we may qualify for a CBC Community Grant. The Community Orchard is ongoing and there are further details in the Newsletter. Please let us have your thoughts on this project and tell us your ideas so as we can incorporate them into the plan. Parking continues to be an issue in the Village. The Knife and Cleaver Management are aware of the issues and have sought to improve the situation however a satisfactory solution has not been found as there appears to be no other suitable parking in the Village. There are also parking issues relating to the school drop off with some thoughtless, dangerous and illegal parking going on. This appears to be the parents doing the school run. During school start and finish times the Village Hall allow parents to park in their car park. It would appear that even this short distance is too far for some inconsiderate individuals who seemingly believe that they are above the law and can park wherever they wish. Some of these individuals have even been verbally abusive to any residents who dare to remonstrate with them. Not a great example for our children. Your Parish Council and the School are hoping to resolve this issue before the return to School in September. Your Parish Council do not meet in August so if you have any ideas or concerns you wish to share or discuss you have until September to make us aware of them. If we don’t know that a problem exists we can’t help sort it out. Also please consider joining us – applications from our newest residents would be particularly welcome (provided you have been in residence for twelve months). Houghton Conquest Newsletter - August 2021 6 Have a great Summer and we look forward to hearing your views through the usual channels. Warm regards Liz 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 JULY 2021 In my last report, I hoped that we should soon have sunshine. Tonight, I am writing this on a glorious evening in July. We have gone from “too wet” [May] to “too hot” [July]! Who knows what the weather will be like by the time this Newsletter is issued? Understandably, when the days and nights are hot, everyone craves fresh, cool air. However, I have noticed a number of windows left open, regularly, downstairs. Do remember that much of crime is opportunistic, so please ensure you are not allowing entry to the criminals. Unfortunately, problems continue on the Kier estate. There has been increasing anti-social behaviour from a small number. The ASB includes threats, spitting, rubbish thrown into the ditch down Banks Croft and hedgerows destroyed. This behaviour is making the lives of ordinary residents a misery. Sadly, our valued community police officer, PC Dagley is on long term leave of absence, owing to illness, so plans to deal with this behaviour have gone awry. However, I have been, recently, advised of two officers, Houghton Conquest Newsletter - August 2021 7 who will deal with any immediate concerns. These are PC Mark Payne and PCSO Hannah Beddall. I trust that with their support, together with Stonewater, we shall be able to deal with this ASB once and for all. I am sure we all send our best wishes to PC Dagley Meanwhile, enjoy the summer and stay safe. PCllr Sue Beaumont Police Liaison Officer Some words from your Central Bedfordshire Councillor for Houghton Conquest and Haynes Ward I’m Rebecca Hares, your Central Bedfordshire Councillor. I’m an Independent, meaning I’m not aligned to any political party and am solely here doing my best to solve problems for residents. I have three children attending local schools, and one has just started an apprenticeship, and I work at Waitrose in Ampthill. Houghton Conquest Newsletter - August 2021 8 I appreciate many of you are concerned about the O&H Land proposal for Wixams Park, a 1,200-home cul-de-sac connecting to the B530. Residents have expressed concerns about the sustainability of the development given that the promised Train Station is still proving to be elusive and the proposed road infrastructure is based heavily on the provision of this station. I have already taken these issues up with O&H and will do so again. Do you have other issues you would like me to raise? If you share these concerns or additional issues that you think require the attention of the planning officer you can also send your comments to [email protected] or to: Planning Department, Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands SG17 5TQ I have been working with Julia Archer in providing a temporary transport service for the children of Village 4 to school. This last half term that transport was via taxi, however once the new school year commences in September may see the service increase to a bus.