Hello! Weekly news from Bedford, England

BoS leads with a report of a very strange present in a birthday goody bag:

Tommy's mother was surprised to see her son playing with a four-inch bullet.

Her surprise turned to outrage when she discovered the ammunition had been handed out as part of a birthday goody bag.

Five-year-old Tommy - not his real name - went to a birthday party held at Polly Flinders in the High Street, Bedford.

The theme for the party was the army, but few children dressed up or took any notice.

At the end of the party all the children were given little goody bags, which contained, among other things, a four-inch imitation machine-gun bullet.

Tommy's mother said: "I saw him playing with this bullet at home after the party. I took it off him and demanded to know where he got it from. When he told me I was flabbergasted.

"I rang Polly Flinders who admitted these bullets had been placed in the bags and had been so before, with no-one complaining.

"I told her I thought it totally inappropriate and she did apologise. It seems a weird thing to give to five-year-olds. I would not like to see such things given out again."

Eric Evans, owner of Polly Flinders, said: "These are dummy bullets legally bought from the Army Surplus store. It was a themed party and the theme was the army. It says so clearly on the invitation with a picture of a machine gunner. If this woman is worried about such things, why send her son to an army party.They get forage hats and a realistic looking bullet. It was specifically requested as they are so popular with the children. In this context her complaint is ridiculous. These parties have been going for nearly ten years and this is the first complaint."

Two women charged with the murder of Anne Crowley made their first appearance at crown court on Friday.

Aiasha Jabeen, 26, from Abbott Crescent, Kempston, and Jacquline Price, 53, from Hastings Road, also Kempston, appeared at Luton Crown Court

Anne, 52, was found barefoot in an isolated country lane at Kempston Green End on the morning of Sunday, April 10 by a woman walking a dog. A post-mortem revealed she died from a head injury.

Neither woman entered pleas to the charge and the case was adjourned for four weeks with both being remanded in custody.

BoS reports that the county council may face a hefty bill after one of its partners pulled the plug on a deal.

Mesh Broadband, the delivery company behind Bedfordshire on Broadband has ceased trading without explanation.

Bedfordshire County Council was given a £375,000 grant for the project, some of which it may have to pay back.

In a statement, the council said that it had no information regarding the company's failure.

The council has been trying to provide broadband internet access for rural areas, in a project called Bedfordshire on Broadband.

The £375,000 came from the East of England Development Agency to provide the service.

Out of 27 rural areas in the county identified by Mesh's website, only five have been connected to the service since the project began a year ago.

The council entered into a contract with Cable and Wireless plc (C&W), who subcontracted a company called Mesh.

Last week, Mesh ceased trading without explanation.

(And guess who will ultimately foot the bill?)

Bedford's pothole war has taken a new twist as the county council has appointed an outside company to mend its roads.

The borough and county council have been involved in a furious exchange of letters over who is to blame for the poor state of road repairs in the borough.

Bedford Borough Council acts as an agent for the county to repair roads in its area, but the county claims the borough has not been doing a good enough job.

The borough has complained it is not given nearly enough money to do the job properly.

Now construction and council service provider Amey has won the contract to maintain the county's roads which could include those in the borough.

The contract is initially for five and a half years but can be extended to ten and a half years if performance is satisfactory. It is worth approximately£20 million.

The Labour group is not happy with the awarding of the contract and believes any decision should have been taken after the county council elections. Labour county councillor Ray Oliver said:

"This is a very worrying decision which should have been studied much more closely. Amey does not have a great track record and more thought and time should have been given before spending £20 million of council taxpayers' money. Some of the partnership deals the council has already entered into have hardly been a staggering success story."

Issues remain over whether the borough council can still repair the roads in the borough itself and bill the county council, which it is able to do under Section 42 of the Highways Act.

Peace has broken out though between the borough and county on this issue and both sides are looking for a way out.

If more money can be found by the county to improve the roads, a settlement looks likely.

There has been a suspicion that the county council sends a disproportionate amount of cash to the south of the county, where the Tory-run administration has a greater presence.

Labour leader on the borough council, Shan Hunt asked for details of how the money was apportioned but the county council said it could not supply the information requested.

A contract between Amey and West Berkshire Council for business and IT services has just been cut short.

The contract, which was established in 2002 and was due to run until 2012, has been 'settled amicably' and the services will be transferred back to the council. Tim Malynn, Bedfordshire County Council strategic director for the environment, said:

"This is an innovative form of contract for local authorities and the quality of submission was of a high standard.

I am confident that Amey, in partnership with us, will help deliver the step change in performance we are looking for."

Four wards are closed at Bedford Hospital due to an outbreak of winter vomiting virus.

The hospital confirmed on Friday that the wards have been shut to prevent infection and are in the process of being cleaned so that they can be opened again as soon as possible.

A hospital spokesman said:

"The outbreak is under control and the situation is being monitored on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, the hospital asks that people consider visits and do not make them is they are feeling at all unwell."

Likewise anyone who has a hospital appointment and is feeling unwell should call the department and discuss their symptoms before turning up.

The virus is thought to have been brought into the hospital from outside and is not spreading from ward to ward.

Symptoms to look out for include fever, headache, muscular pain and diahorrea and vomiting.

The wife of a former MP for Bedford has been made a Knight of the Garter.

Lady Soames, 82, is the daughter of Winston Churchill who was himself a Garter Knight. She was married to Christopher Soames who represented Bedford for the Conservatives from 1950 to 1966, when he was unexpectedly beaten by Bryan Parkin in the Labour landslide.

After his defeat he became Lord Soames and the Ambassador to France. In 1979 he re-entered politics and became the last governor of Rhodesia.

Lady Soames appointment as a Lady of the Garter is the first non-royal, father-daughter appointment in the order's 650-year history.

SIR - I would like to add my congratulations to all the staff at the Athletics Stadium on their recent national award

Winning such an accolade against amenities from bigger urban areas, shows what an excellent facility we have here in Bedford.

As Professor Eassom states it puts our town in an ideal position to host an international athletics team whoever wins the 2012 Olympics bid.

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SIR - Would the major parties in this forthcoming election care to ponder on the rape of the countryside and the disappearance of the English village?

Take my village.

In 1968 it was a typical English village - everyone just about knew everyone.

We had a small post office/general store open six days a week, a police house with a village constable who knew his beat and what went on in it and a refuse collection once a week.

We also had two public houses which in many ways were the hub of village life. We also had a doctor's surgery once a fortnight in the village hall. The large arable/stock farm in the village employed about 25 men. Most of these lived in the village.

Now here in 2005 we have astronomical council tax which rises every year and for what? The village has just about doubled in size so therefore double the amount of council tax but fewer amenities. We now have a post office that opens for a few hours five days a week.

No general store and if a police constable is seen he is never the same one so he does not know who's who or what's what. More often than not it is a police car going at great speed up the A6.

The nearest surgery is five miles away so with out a car it is difficult to get to. The farm is now a housing estate so we now have I think one agricultural worker living in the village and there is no other employment. We are down to one pub as a large brewery firm is closing its pubs down with hardly any thought or warning.

It is doing this in many villages in Bedfordshire all to cram houses on the sites.

So which ever party gets in please give the villages a thought.

W Dunham

Radwell Road, Milton Ernest

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SIR - Local voters are rightly concerned about the economy, health and education, but not just in the UK.

During 2005 hundreds of thousands of supporters of the Make Poverty History campaign are calling on all political parties to deliver more and better aid, debt cancellation and trade justice.

Sunday April 24 is World Development Day, when leaders of the three main political parties - Tony Blair, Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy - are expected to give keynote speeches on international development.

But whoever becomes Prime Minister in May needs to turn words into actions.

The year 2005 could be a turning point for making poverty history.

The UK Government is hosting the annual G8 meeting of powerful world leaders in Scotland in July and taking on the presidency of the European Union.

If a candidate comes knocking at your door, or you take part in one of the hustings taking place in many constituencies, why not ask them how they and their parties will help make poverty history?

In 2005 the UK Government will be a particularly influential player on the world stage.

There will never be a better time to show our politicians that we want to see an end to the poverty that affects millions all over the world.

We will judge them by their results.

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SIR - In view of the claims being made by local politicians in their election leaflets, it perhaps needs to be said once more that the only reason the borough council can be smug about its finances is that it sits on tens of millions of pounds of our money from the sale of council houses, the interest of which fuels a significant running deficit.

The borough council and those associated with it can claim no merit for low rises in council tax - the monkey from Hartlepool could do as much.

Nor are borough councillors on the planning committee in a position to boast. Meeting Government targets is no indication of merit: the measure of customer satisfaction might be, were it not for the fact that in the world of planning, money talks.

Those affected by planning decisions are not asked for their opinion of the service. The planning committee is largely irrelevant - you can take the council to court to get what you want.

As a case in point, I refer your readers to the story about the closure of the Marshall's Garage on Goldington Road (BoS April 17).

One hundred jobs are to be lost because Marshall's knows it can sell the site for residential development. Twigdens will buy the site and Marshall's will make a lot of money.

No need for the developers to worry about planning permission being forthcoming, they'll get it eventually.

A good mix of employment, shops and residential use is known to create vibrant local communities, but it is of secondary importance to the power of money and there's nothing the planning committee can do about it.

Mark Peacock is right to exhort the public to get involved in the fight against greedy developers, but as many have discovered, including the residents of north Brickhill, who fought so long against the needless development of farming land, the struggle is often an unequal one.

Cllr Hare is one of the few who will work tirelessly for what is right, beyond the call of duty, and against all odds, as he did in Brickhill. As for

Cllr Elford's 'solid planning reasons' are largely a matter of convenience, as I'm sure Cllr Clarke will recall, for he would often rage against the planning officers for interpreting government planning 'advice' as policy, leading to poor and absurd rulings on house extensions.

Now that he is chairman of the planning committee perhaps he sees things differently.

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SIR - Did the bright spark who put the smoking ban up in the grounds of Bedford Hospital consider banning all cars as well or is this a case of you can kill yourself with car fumes so long as we are getting the money for it?

Perhaps they could consider spending some of the thousands of pounds they make on parking fees by opening a ward for stressed out patients and visitors who have to ride around looking for a space to park.

It does seem rather ambiguous to say it is being spent on 'patient care'. Perhaps something more specific would be more to the point.

This is not a slur on the medical staff of the hospital who are doing a marvellous job under difficult circumstances.

Labour's General Election candidate has hit back furiously at 'misleading' Tory adverts slamming the NHS.

Last week the national Conservative Party carried full page adverts in local papers, including Bedfordshire on Sunday, claiming that 'last year 192 people caught MRSA from dirty hospitals in your area alone'.

But Patrick Hall, who is defending the Bedford and Kempston seat for Labour said the claim is misleading.

He said: "I believe most local residents would assume that this refers to Bedford Hospital. But the official MRSA Bacteraemia Report shows that Bedford Hospital recorded not 192 but 14 cases.

In fact, during the last six month recording period, the number of cases fell to two, making Bedford Hospital the second highest improved performer in the country."

For three years running Bedford Hospital has received top marks for both general cleanliness and catering.

Mr Hall added that the numbers used in the advert are shown in the small print at the bottom as including Addenbrooke's, The Lister in Stevenage, and the QEII in Welwyn Garden City.

They exclude the Luton and Dunstable and Milton Keynes General where the numbers of MRSA cases last year were 22 and seven respectively.

Calling on local Conservative candidate Richard Fuller to make a statement, Mr Hall said:

"Apart from misrepresenting the performance of our local hospital, the Conservatives are undermining the good work of NHS staff.

It is fair enough to debate health in an election, what is not fair is to attack the staff.

It is not Bedford Hospital that is dirty, it's the Tory tactics.

BoS reports that h istoric buildings that have been left to rot are having 'a harmful effect', according to internal county council correspondence.

Furthermore, the county council knows that the borough council could take action to force the buildings to be cleaned up, and has stalled for time.

Emails released this week under the Freedom of Information Act show that county officials are well aware of the disgraceful state of listed buildings on St Paul's Square, Bedford.

The buildings have been the subject of numerous public complaints and comments.

Providing information for a response to an inquiry from Bedfordshire on Sunday, council heritage and environment manager David Bevan told a press officer:

"There is no doubt that the appearance of the historic buildings - and the dead quality they have had because they are not being used - has had a harmful impact on the Square and town centre.

There have been a number of attacks of rot which have damaged the fabric.

I have advocated and advised on their management and maintenance - following current good practice - and can tell you how I think Mouchel have performed as property managers."

A five-year-old boy has said a big thank you to the firefighters who saved his life when his home went up in flames.

Corie Hall, mum Lisa Harding and friend Richard Hall were all trapped in the flat in Ampthill Road, Bedford, when the blaze started last month.

All three were rescued after the exit stairwell was blocked by burning mattresses. This week Corie visited Kempston station with his prized cuddly toy, Spotty the Dog, which he left behind. Firefighters who were checking the scene found the toy and returned it to the grateful youngster.
Mum Lisa said:

"We would like to say a big thank you to all those involved – especially to those who helped us out of the window."

Corie and his family have since been rehoused and are looking forward to moving into their new home – which will be fitted with a smoke detector.

Next Saturday will be a very specil day for Tom and Barbara Cooke of St. George's Road, Bedford. Barbara was a G.I. bride, and they will be celebrating their Diamond wedding. Hearty congratulations to you both!

Fresh from its success at Twickenham, the Blues had a seemingly impossible task last Saturday against Bristol, runaway victors in the division, and now in the Premier league. Even I, an eternal optimist, had decided that we would lose.

But the Blues had other ideas, and emerged as comfortable winners in front of over 3200 spectators, and I understand that the roar could be heard even as far as Pigeon Square, in the centre of town.

Following the match the team paraded round the ground with their newly-won shield.

This afternoon the Blues play Coventry away. There is still a measure of ill-feeling over the fact that Coventry sought to buy the Blues some five years ago. Today's match will bring to an end an eventful and successful season. The only sad news to report is that Bedford Athletic has been relegated.

The club owes much not only to the team, but also to everyone's hero Rudi Strauli and also to Geoff Irvine, who has personally injected considerable finances into the club.

Olympic gold medal-winning rower Tim Foster returned to his former school last Friday to celebrate its achievement in the Sportsmark Awards.

Foster attended a special assembly at Newnham Middle School in Polhill Avenue, Bedford, last Friday which recognised the school's commitment to promoting the benefits of sports and physical activity.

Headteacher Richard Walmsley said: "Tim Foster is a name we link with three important attributes in a sportsman – teamwork, determination and success."

Foster's career saw him fight off crippling injuries to accumulate numerous medals in the Olympic Games, World Championships and the FISA World Cup, culminating in gold at Sydney in 2000 with the 'oarsome foursome' coxless fours crew also containing Sir Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell.

And as a pupil at the school between 1979 and 1981, Foster was asked back by Mr Walmsley to inspire his current crop of pupils.

Mr Walmsley said: "He has injured his back and hand, and each time made inspiring comebacks to the sport he loves."

Newnham Middle School has held the Sportsmark Award, issued by Sport England, for the last three years.

When a number of young people congregate together, they are often seen as a threat by older people. There is a regular crowd that meet outside Andys Fish and Chip shop in Putnoe. Not that they do any harm, but to see fourteen year olds trying to pretend to be grown up, smoking their heads off and speaking very loudly and coarsely attracts little more than derision from those waiting to be served!

But that's not a fair picture. Some young people knocked at our door the other day, saying that they were raising money for a charity, and could they wash our car. There was much hilarity as they did the job - perfectly. Their parents would have been proud of them. They are at Biddenham Upper School, where I am proud to be a governor. That is only one of many activities the young people at the school do for good causes. Well done to them all!

Finally, my apologies to those who may have a seen an advertisement of sorts on the front page. I think it was advocating a chain letter or pyramid selling. I immediately took it off. It would seem that someone managed to interfere with the web-site and inserted this. I would never advocate either of these practices. Anyway, please accept my apologies!

Priory Park, Bedford

Week ending 30 April 2005