From Robert Leggat
Mainly for expats:
A newsletter from Bedford, England
Week ending 9 April 2005
Yes, I did say I was taking a break until term begins! This is a somewhat abbreviated summary of the news for this week, for the sake of continuity.
BoS leads with a repoort that two teachers have been terrorised for more than a year by a gang of pupils from their own school.
Bedfordshire on Sunday can reveal that Sandy Upper School teachers Anthony and Susan Bell were also assaulted in their own home by the teenagers.
Science teacher Mr Bell said the attacks began when his wife Susan, 44, disciplined two pupils for abusive behaviour while she was on bus duty.
The pair have had discipline difficulties at the Mid Bedfordshire school but they then appeared with a group of friends outside the Bells' home.
"We were sitting having our evening meal and stones started hitting the dinning room window," said 51-year-old Mr Bell.
He added: "One Saturday they waited outside our gate for my wife to come out. When she came out to go over the road to talk to a neighbour, she called back 'they're here'.
"When she came back I went outside to see this girl punching my wife in the head."
The Bells have been kicked by the pupils, had stones and even a brick hurled through their 11-year-old daughter's bedroom window and are still going on a year later.
Bedfordshire police have advised the couple, who have both had to take time off work with stress. One option they suggested, is to move away from the area. However, the couple are determined that the youths will not dictate their lives.
"We have said that we are not going to move. Why should we? This is our home.
"My daughter would have to move schools and would lose her friends.
"We refuse to be victimised like this," Mr Bell said to teachers at the annual NASUWT conference in Brighton who are demanding CCTV to stop violence from pupils armed with air guns and knives.
A spokesman for Bedfordshire County Council said: "At this moment we are unable to comment."
BoS reports that Thameslink has been axed. The rail franchise, which presently covers the route from Bedford to Brighton, is up for renewal on April 1, 2006. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) today announced a list of five preferred bidders for the new franchise, which will run for between seven and ten years.
The list does not include the present franchise holder Thameslink (Govia) - a partnership between The Go-Ahead Group and French rail operator SNCF which has run the franchise since privatisation.
It is believed concerns over a lack of new trains and persistent overcrowding led to the rail company not being short-listed.
Bedford Commuters Association today voiced disappointment at the news that Thameslink (Govia) would not be permitted to bid for an extension to its rail franchise. Arthur Taylor, chairman of the association, said:
"We have had a productive relationship with Thameslink (Govia) for the last few years, and are disappointed to see it will not be permitted to bid for its own franchise.
We, of course, keep an open mind as to who should be awarded this franchise, and would be interested in hearing from any of the five preferred bidders about how their bid will benefit travellers in Bedfordshire."
The list of preferred bidders is: National Express Group (presently holding franchises for Midland Mainline, Central and One Anglia); First Group (Great Western and Scotrail); Stagecoach (Southwest Trains and buses in the Bedford area and nationwide); MTR/John Laing (Chiltern Railways); Danish Railways/England Wales & Scotland (railways in Denmark, rail freight haulage in mainland Britain).
As well as existing services from Bedford to Brighton and Wimbledon, the new franchise will include aspects of the present Great Northern franchise in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
A Thameslink Rail spokesman said:
"We are extremely surprised and disappointed that Govia has not been given the opportunity to bid for the Thameslink/Great Northern franchises.
Despite our disappointment, we will continue to serve our passengers well and provide the high level of service they have come to expect from us.
The shortlisting process is complex and we will be seeking urgent feedback from the SRA to understand why Govia was not selected."
It is not just sheep or identities that are being cloned - now criminals are reproducing cars.
This is the latest type of car crime which is spreading across Bedfordshire.
Stolen cars now have their identity changed (cloned) to make it look legal before it is sold on.
When criminals find an exact match of the car they have stolen, they copy its number plate to make it an exact replica.
Dom D'altilia, 22, was horrified last week when his boss called him to his office after receiving a call from the police. He said:
"I was really shocked when he told me the police had telephoned saying that my car had been picked up on CCTV on the forecourt at the BP petrol station on Newnham Avenue.
Apparently, I had filled up with around £40 worth of petrol and then drove off without paying.
I knew that wasn't me and thought that something really odd was going on."
A few days later Mr D'altilia, who lives in Bedford, was driving his distinctive red Mini Cooper when a police car pulled him over.
"I was a bit embarrassed to start with but once the policeman explained he just wanted to check a few things about my car.
After checking my doors and under the bonnet for my serial number he told me that there is a cloned version on my car driving about.
At least the police are now aware of my situation otherwise I would have been in trouble for a crime I did not commit."
This type of situation is on the increase across the county and is proving extremely difficult for the police to control.
Legally to buy a registration plate a log book, a driver's licence and a proof of address is required. However, plates sold for show use or off-the-road can easily be bought over the Internet or over the telephone when no documentation is needed.
With no proof of identification needed, any registration number can be ordered which will helps the car to be sold on by criminals who rack up parking fines, speeding tickets and to commit crimes.
A spokesman for Beds Police said that car cloning is a crime that is on the increase in the area. At present 573 number plates have been stolen across Bedfordshire.
The wife of the former Bishop of Bedford has been 'pricked' by Her Majesty the Queen to be the next High Sheriff.
Angela Farmbrough will be officially installed in her new role tomorrow, replacing outgoing High Sheriff Clifton Ibbett.
Hitchin-born Mrs Farmbrough has been married to the former Bishop of Bedford, David Farmbrough, since 1955 and they have four children and 11 grandchildren.
High sheriffs, although largely ceremonial now, are historically responsible for the safety of judges and the maintenance of law and order within their counties.
She said:
"It is a great honour and I am very grateful for the opportunity.
I have lived in Bedford for around 20 years and I hope to build on the work I have done."
THE future of Bedford's main post office is far from assured since the private company taking it over only guarantees the service for ten years.
Earlier this year the Post Office announced that Primeco Ltd will 'franchise' the running of the Dane Street Post Office from June 27.
Existing staff have been offered the options of either transferring to other post offices, within an hour's travelling distance, taking redundancy or reapplying for their own jobs - which the Communications Workers Union says will mean a pay cut of up to 40 per cent.
The union has also pointed out that Primeco, which will operate the post office service alongside a grocery store operated by Spar, only undertakes to provide the service for the medium term.
Union regional spokesman Malcolm Barnard said:
"There are two very important issues here both for our members and for the public of Bedford.
Firstly our members have been given little or no choice about their futures. If they want to stay in Bedford they are facing a massive pay cut, if they don't want the pay cut they will have to leave the town and go somewhere up to an hour away to work.
For the people of Bedford the loss of staff with around 350 years experience between them cannot be a good thing. How can a company possibly hope to offer an equivalent service without the staff who have the experience to provide it.
If the company was really interested in providing a post office service, it would not be turning the place into a supermarket.
Secondly, Primeco only has to provide the service for ten years. At the end of that time it will be able to do whatever it wants with the site which is a prime town centre location."
A Post Office spokesman confirmed that Primeco is buying the building but would not reveal the price.
She added: "It's true that Primeco is guaranteeing the service for ten years at the end of which it will decide what it wants to do with the building."
A Primeco spokesman explained:
"We are guaranteeing a service on the site for ten years, which was more than the Post Office was able to do.
We will be investing in the business and hoping to make a success of it so we will be able to continue to run the service when the ten years is up, obviously if the business is doing well we would be foolish not to want to continue it."
He did confirm that staff transferring over will be looking at a wage cut but said: "The Post Office pays salaries which are unsustainable which is why the business is currently losing millions. We will not be matching them but we will be offering what we consider are good wages with training."
The borough planning team has been awarded nearly £900,000 by the Government for doing a good job.
This is the highest amount granted to a district council and recognises outstanding performance improvements.
The award of £864, 929 is more than £250,000 more than the council received last year.
Head of planning and housing services, David Bailey, said:
"This has been a tremendous team effort by our planning officers and support staff, backed by the committment of planning committee members.
We have risen to the challenge and consistently met and maintained high performance targets. This level of grant will help us to continue the improvements in services for our customers.
Borough councillor responsible for planning, Bob Elford, said: "This is a wonderful achievement and I thank them for their efforts in exceeding these targets."
BoS reports that convicted prisoners are still being held at Yarl's Wood.
This is happening months after an inquiry into the centre's near-destruction urged that the practice should cease.
An investigation by Bedford shire on Sunday initially raised the issue and contacted local MPs when we discovered the practice was continuing.
The disclosure came from the Home Office in response to inquiries made by Bedford and Kempston MP Patrick Hall.
Mr Hall contacted Desmond Browne, Minister of State at the Home Office, in February. In his letter, Mr Hall wrote:
"I have been informed that the Yarl's Wood Removal Centre continues to receive convicted criminals from the Prison Service en route to deportation. If this is correct, I am very concerned."
Mr Hall went on to observe that Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Stephen Shaw CBE, in his report last year on the 2002 Yarl's Wood blaze, had 'indicated that this should not happen'.
A month later, Mr Browne wrote back confirming:
"There are four female detainees in Yarl's Wood who have previously served prison sentences.
All were for sentences of less than three years and for non-violent crimes."
Staff have not reported any difficulties with these detainess and they do not appear to pose a significantly higher risk to the control and security of the centre than other detainees.
Should the situation change, they and other detainees who may pose a risk to the centre, could be detained in the prison estate pending their removal."
Mr Hall said:
"The individuals the minister refers to may well pose no risk but once the principle of allowing convicted prisoners to be held there on the way to deportation is accepted then we may well face an unacceptable risk in the future."
Angry youths descended on County Hall this week to express their concerns over withdrawal of youth centre funding.
The MP for Bedford and Kempston, Patrick Hall, joined the girls as they met with Councillor Madeline Russell, executive portfolio holder children's services, and Belinda Evans, principal youth officer, to discuss what was going to happen to services at the Westfield Youth Centre, Queens Park, which currently caters for 60-70 young people each day.
Patrick Hall said:
"The money is there for them and it is not being used. I'm just trying to get the county council to do its job and stick by its manifesto."
The youngsters feared that with withdrawal of funds the centre could face a possible closure or a huge loss in the number of services that are currently being run.
The centre has been extremely important in Queens Park, particularly to the Muslim community who see it as a safe venue where children can socialise while respecting their Muslim customs.
Sharween Achtar, 15, said: "My grandparent and parents have used this centre and we all enjoy coming here. My parents trust me as they know what goes on here. It's like a second home to us."
Naveed Aslam, 20, started to come to the centre when he was 12 and now works as a volunteer on a Thursday. He said: "I started coming here to stay off of the streets. I was having a hard time and the centre offered me plenty of people to talk to and I was pointed in the right direction. If it hadn't have been for the club, then I'd have probably got into real trouble."
Wednesday's meeting helped to ease the minds of the Queens Park youngsters and left them satisfied that the centre would remain open with three youth workers and other volunteers. The centre will continue to operate on three nights a week and a Thursday lunchtime.
Patrick Hall said:
"It's clear that there has been poor overall management of this situation. It has been known for five years that the SRB (Single Regeneration Budget) funding would be ending and only now has County Hall started to look at the implications.
The county council has taken its eye off the ball and this uncertainty and these concerns could have been addressed a long time ago."
A Bedfordshire County Council spokesman said:
"The work at Westfield Youth Centre is primarily financed through the county council. It is not grant aided. Bedfordshire County Youth Service has received £40,000 over the past financial year to support youth work in Kingsbrook, Cauldwell and Queens Park. This is the last year of funding of a five-year plan.
The Westfield Youth Centre is not closing. We are committed to supplying a quality service at Westfield and other youth centres across Bedfordshire. We are committed to providing quality youth work. The youth work at Westfield that fulfils this criteria will continue."
SIR - Reading the county council's 'inspirational' kite idea in last week's paper compelled me to write in reply.
This model, with its intention to make spirits soar, did nothing more than to make my blood boil.
I would, therefore, like to make a suggestion for the words 'wasting taxpayer's money' to be written on its tail.
Chief executive Andrea Hill speaks of these kites as 'identifying what skills they can bring to improving customer services as part of their personal pledge'.
Can I remind the chief exec that before spending money on these novelty items, that every public service employer has a duty to provide good customer services. This should be paramount on any job description/application and explored at the interview stage. Candidates fulfilling this criterion wouldn't then have to waste valuable time and resources reiterating why they were employed in the first place.
The reported £1,000 cost to implement this idea would be better spent on a shredder for the contracts of the people who came up with this idea and the subsequent job advertisements to replace said employees.
Although if Andrea Hill can explain how this Blue Peter style DIY ornament will improve productivity rather than gather dust as an eyesore on someone's desk, I will happily supply an apology.
If no explanation is forthcoming at least the hot air produced by many of our county council representatives will keep these kites aloft for a very long time indeed!
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• SIR - One thousand pounds of public money spent on kites, has April 1 come early this year?
New employees will be asked to fly these kites which will have messages written on their tails. People blessed with 20/20 vision would be hard pressed to read these on a tail that's bobbing about.
Will the council employees perform this duty in office hours or on overtime at the weekends? And where will these kites be flown? In the park. I think not - not enough publicity.
The town centre on Saturday would gain the most publicity but has any thought been given to the amount of compensation the council would have to pay out in the ensuing law suits.
'Your Honour I was struck by a kite being flown by an employee of BCC'.
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• SIR - BoS (March 27) is to be congratulated on highlighting the scandalous waste of ratepayers' money with the purchase of 1,000 Kites at a £1 each.
The chief executive Andrea Hill should take control and reprimand the person who ordered this total load of junk.
With higher council tax dropping through our doors this is not what we want to hear.
Nick Hills hit it on the head with his quote 'Whoever dreamt this up must have been as high as a kite'.
I say whoever dreamt this up should resign from Bedfordshire County Council and take a not so highly paid job at TOYS R US. It would probably suit them better.
Angry Council tax payer
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SIR - The Tories must think that everyone has very short memories.
Michael Howard's adverts in your paper showing how violent crime has gone up under Labour are a bit rich with his party's record!
People have not forgotten that when Michael Howard was Home Secretary violent crime went up every year and police numbers went down.
What the Government has failed to do is free up our police officers from bureaucracy to help them spend more time on the streets. It is police officers who catch criminals. That is why I support Liberal Democrat proposals to scrap Labour's plans for costly, compulsory ID cards and use the billions of pounds saved to provide an extra 10,000 police officers.
So that they can spend more time on the beat we will also invest in new technology for officers and simplify the bureaucracy. We need effective action to tackle crime not headline-chasing announcements and gimmicks.
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SIR - If the Duke of Bedford has an income of £600 million, then his annual income tax will be in the order of £240 million.
Compared with this the £702,000 is hardly anything - just the standard £90 per acre subsidy to pay largely for the land, hedges and woodland to be kept in good condition. In any case the subsidy is passed to agricultural tenants by good landlords.
John Harrison
Aylesbury Road, Bedford
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SIR - Bedford Town Football Club is asking for increased support for the club.
The present average gate of between 400 and 500 is pathetic considering the population of the Bedford area is nearly 150,000.
One of the main reasons for the low turn-out is the remoteness of the ground. You have to be a car owner to support the Eagles.
Even then the parking space would be inadequate for any substantial increase of support should Bedford ever progress to a higher level of football on the present ground with bigger attendances.
Public transport needs to be arranged with local bus operators.
• SIR - I whole-heartedly agree with the letter you published from Sue Brooks in last week's paper concerning the state of the road surfaces in Bedfordshire.
Let us try and shame the council into action!
To this end I would like to nominate West Road, Sandy - which is like driving over a ploughed field! I hate to think about the damage it must be causing to the countless numbers of cars which travel along it daily.
No doubt the council's reason for not tackling the road at present would be that it will be resurfaced when the new bungalows at the end are finished. But this would be, in my opinion, just an excuse as the road and, indeed, the paths have been in bad repair for many years.
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• SIR - I wish to agree with the letter about the very poor conditions of our roads in and around Bedfordshire.
The roads are so poorly kept there is the strong possibility of people's cars getting damaged and costly repairs needed and we have to pay higher council tax to help pay for the non-repair of our roads.
When I was a young lad growing up in Bedfordshire we never saw roads in this bad state of repair.
Even the people who run the Highways must remember those days - it's not that long ago.
Ken Robinson
St Peters Close, Flitwick
One of Bedford's best known craft shops is closing its doors to the public.
Polly Flinders on High Street, Bedford, will cease trading at the end of April after owner Eric Evans decided to call it a day.
The arts and craft shop, which specialises in dolls houses and children's parties - has been open for ten years but Mr Evans says that he has lost more than £300,000 over this period and cannot continue to lose money at such a rate.
Mr Evans, who is also the president of the chamber of trade in Bedford said:
"I blame the councils. They are trying to turn Bedford into a mini Milton Keynes and it simply won't work. They should be proud of Bedford's history and try and support small, local businesses that offer something a little bit different to the town.
"The roadworks in Kempston and on Ampthill Road severely affected our trade. Who on earth planned for these improvements to take place during the run-up to Christmas?
"November and December are crucial months for any small businesses as at least half a year's profit needs to be made to carry you through the quiet period. But for the last two years this has not happened.
"I feel like I have been banging my head against a brick wall. I have worked hard and put a lot of energy into this shop but it is just not working out. It is time to go."
Mr Evans added that the children's parties in the basement of the shop will still go ahead and there are plans to make the doll house section into a club.
It is not known yet who are the new occupants but the premises will continue to be used as a shop.
An old campaigner who has demanded all the current county councillors are voted out of office wants them to answer a series of questions.
Michael Blackledge, 72, of Tennyson Road, Bedford, is sick and tired of what he considers mismanagement of his council tax.
His plan is for voters to kick out all sitting councillors irrespective of which political party they belong.
He has now asked the county council a series of questions he wants answering.
He wants to know:
• How much money did the county council receive for all the properties and land acquired by De Montfort University?
• How much money is lost to council taxpayers in the discounts given to the Hapur Trust?
• What share of the six million re-development profit for De Montfort University will go back to the county council?
• What is the total debt of the county council?
• What are the total number of early retirements for all county council employees since 2001?
Mr Blackledge is hoping but not expecting answers and is preparing more questions.
The fact that a mobile phone mast is being disguised as a lamppost cannot mask the fears of villagers in the area.
Mobile phone operator Orange is seeking permission to erect a new mobile phone mast in the middle of Flitwick.
A plan has been submitted to Mid Bedfordshire District Council to put up a 12-metre mast in the form of a lamppost on Steppingley Road, adjacent to the Tesco supermarket and petrol station.
The height of a lamppost is between five and six metres on a housing estate and between eight and ten metres on a main road.
The residents are in uproar that the mast will be an eyesore and they are also fearful of the health risks the mast could bring.
Liberal Democrat councillor John Watton said:
"Thousands of families with children visit Tesco every week.
"There are major health concerns about radiation from phone masts, which could affect young people in particular. Flitwick's Middle School, Woodland, is a couple of minutes walk away.
It's about time the telephone industry came clean about the risks. In the meantime, masts should not be allowed near schools, hospitals or residential areas.
The intensity and direction of the signal radiated is a crucial factor and if it is beamed across the Tesco car park or the school, that is an additional cause for concern.
I am strongly opposed to this plan and will work as hard as I can to make sure it is turned down."
There have been concerns that telecommunication masts emit radiation and have been blamed in the past for causing cancers and other health problems.
Planning permission cannot be refused on these grounds as any evidence to link masts to health problems has not yet been proven.
A spokesman for Orange confirmed an application had been made for a mast in the village.
The council will discuss the application at the next meeting of the development control committee at the council offices in Ampthill on Tuesday April 12.