Hello! Weekly news from Bedford, England

Oops! Sorry! The newsletter has been on-line since Saturday, but I forgot to add the index. Thanks to my daughter Pauline for pointing this out to me!

BoS leads with a report that shop staff were forced to hand over the contents of a safe after one of them had a gun held to her head.

The gunman then locked them in an upstairs room and made off with several thousand pounds in cash and travelers' cheques.

Detectives are investigating the armed robbery which happened on Friday morning about 10.25am at Thomson travel agents in Harpur Street Bedford.

A man walked into the shop, where six female members of staff were working, pretending to be interested in a brochure.

Once inside the shop, which did not have any customers at the time, he produced a handgun and made the women go upstairs to the staff area.

He made them open the safe and removed a large amount of money in various currencies, also taking the shop's CCTV tape with him.

He left the terrified staff upstairs while he walked out with the money in a pink drawstring bag.

The alarm was raised by a passer-by who saw the robber coming from the back of the shop. He is thought to have made off in the direction of the prison.

The robber is black with a very dark complexion and a prominent chin, about 6ft 2in tall, slim and in his 20s.

He wore a dark baseball cap, dark blue hooded top and jeans with dark footwear.

The shop staff were unhurt but are very shocked and distressed by the incident. One had a gun held to her head. Scenes of crimes officers closed the shop for several hours while they made a forensic search of it.

Detectives from the robbery squad are looking for any witnesses who may have seen the man hanging about outside the shop before the incident or making his escape towards the prison.

(It so happens that a few days later I was visiting the shop, and suddenly the alarms went, scaring me witless! Apparently they were just testing them, following the incident!)

Three boys have been suspended from school after being found in possession of drugs.

A mother found a can of Amyl Nitrite in her son's bag when he returned home from Daubeney Middle School in Orchard Street, Kempston.

She contacted the school, who found two other youngsters were in possession of the substance.

Amyl Nitrite is a drug used to induce euphoria and enhance sexual stimulation.

The head teacher investigated and found two other Year 8 boys had bought Amyl Nitrite from Milton Keynes market. All three boys have been suspended for 45 days.

Pictons Solicitors, in Bromham Road, is shutting down permanently after the partners decided the branch needs to specialise on one aspect of law for it to continue its success.

But as one firm closes down another has grown from its ashes. A new specialist criminal firm will operate from the Picton offices.

Pictons is one of country's largest legal firms with five offices in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

All cases have now been redirected to its Milton Keynes office.

The closure is without casualties as all staff have been relocated to other offices.

Many readers will be aware of the tragedy of a young mum who was attacked along a lane in Little Bookham, Surrey. The picture of this delightful smiling lady has appeared in just about every newspaper.

It now emerges, states BoS, that the prime suspect for the stabbing of Abigail Witchalls was born in Bedford.

Pregnant Abigail is now paralysed after being knifed in the neck as she pushed her 21-month-old son Joseph in his buggy home in Little Bookham, Surrey, on April 20.

Days after the attack Richard Cazaly, who lived in the same village as Abigail, suddenly vanished from his home after police planned to quiz him about the attack.

Mr Cazaly drove to Scotland and swallowed an overdose of paracetamol.

The death of Mr Cazaly, who was born in Bedford in October 1981, was revealed as police staged a reconstruction of the attack for BBC's Crimewatch.

He was among 40 possible suspects Surrey Police were planning to interview but Cazaly's suicide note has now pushed him to the top of the list.

The long suicide note, found in his car with several knives and a balaclava, detailed his depression due to the break-up with his Australian girlfriend and how was upset about the attack on Miss Witchalls.

But detectives have said that they still have no evidence to show he was involved in the attack and it could be a 'bizarre coincidence'. They are still investigating the case, and no conclusions can be arrived at yet.

(Yesterday the news was that Abigail has regained some feeling back in her body, and is able to speak. From her hospital in Stanmore she passed on a message to the media:

"The staff here are wonderful and I am making progress every day. I have sensation over most of my body and the pain is less now. I can move my head, but as yet I cannot move my arms and legs. I can breathe and speak on my own for short periods.

"Please pass on my thanks to everyone for their support and prayers. God is doing beautiful things."

She and her husband have also stated that they have forgiven the attacker , it was revealed last night. Her husband said they bore no anger towards the man, whom they insisted needed help).

Bedfordshire on Sunday reported recently that county councillors had increased their own pay by more than 60 per cent despite running the worst county in England they hit back.

The reason for the increase, we were told in 2003, is to attract fresh young blood on to the council and because being a county councillor is now a full-time job.

BoS now makes the observation that this comments surprising given that six of Bedford and Kempston's 11 county council seats are now represented by people who also act as borough councillors!

Colleen Atkins, Bob Elford, Peter Hand, John Mingay, Ray Oliver and Tarsem Paul are all Bedford Borough councillors. They are now all Bedfordshire County councillors as well.

So these hard-working councillors are now doing two full-time jobs.

Of the remaining five, three first became councillors more than ten years ago.

A county councillor can claim £8,715 basic allowance per year, plus various extra payments for special responsibilities or chairing committees. They can also claim for meals, mileage and childcare.

In 2002, the amount they were paid was £5,200 a year.

Borough councillors are paid a basic allowance of £4,633 but can add to their package in a similar way to the county.

Labour county and borough councillor Bob Elford said: "It is of use to be on both councils as it helps stop any disputes over who does what. There should be unitary authorities and then this would all be unnecessary."

Conservative borough and county councillor John Mingay said: "I will be worse off as I can no longer work as a supply teacher in the county. It is up to the parties and the people to decide who will represent them. I will work very hard."

(Bob Elford has a point, inasmuch as there appears to be a perpetual war between the Borough and the County. However, whereas in the past people put themselves up for selection altruistically, such a situation does leave a nasty taste when the rates are so high. To be fair, one cannot expect people to lose money serving their area; John Mingay, for example, has had to give up his job as a part-time teacher. However, this situation needs to be a little more transparent - if it IS a full-time job, are we assured that some of our councillors are not also working at other things as well. And how can one do two full-time jobs? This news does leave the impression that some, at least, are just out for what they can get. )

SIR - Regarding your article English teacher's secret sexy romps, quite frankly I was shocked.

I'm not exactly sure what you think the woman in question is supposed to have done wrong.

She hasn't hurt anybody and hasn't broken any laws. She was suitably discreet about her activities, didn't attempt to deceive anyone and it obviously had no effect on her professional conduct while she was working at her school.

Susan Hare was exercising her lawful and private right to freedom of expression. Recreational sex has become a normal part of modern culture and because of advances in personal hygiene and barrier contraception is perfectly safe. Even HIV is now curable if treated within three days of exposure.

This is just the kind of insensitive, irresponsible character assassination we normally expect from extreme far-right political and religious movements. Making extremely private and personal matters public and openly condemning them is an attempt at undermining individuals' rights to privacy and control over their own lives and bodies.

What you should be more concerned with is what these parents were doing allowing their children to look up porn sites on the internet in the first place. If the parents are so concerned for their children, perhaps they should consider installing safe-search security software on their computers. Is there any real difference between this and allowing your children to browse in a sex shop on the high street?

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• SIR - I'd like to wish ex-teacher Susan Hare and her husband all the best in their search for 'sexy fun' with 'others'. English literature is awash with themes of personal and sexual freedoms; if only some of the stuffy old codgers who taught me English at school had engaged in a bit of extra-curricular slap 'n' tickle, they may have been better at teaching the works of Chaucer and DH Lawrence.

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• SIR - No wonder John Mingay is smiling. With this crazy electoral system of ours he has won Newnham Ward with 1241 votes while 3054 votes were cast for other candidates.

He has actually won with just under 29 per cent of the total vote. Many other wards had similar discrepancies. Patrick Hall deserved to win and is serving the town well but he is there with 17,557 votes while 24,515 voted for other candidates, a more respectable 42 per cent.

Electoral reform of this democracy we are defending and fighting for others to have is long overdue.

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• SIR - I am delighted to have been elected for a third time to represent Bedford and Kempston in Parliament.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted for me. Irrespective of people's party political views, I will continue to work with everyone who gives high priority to what is best for Bedford and Kempston. There is a great deal of positive work to do and I look forward to the task.

Patrick Hall MP

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SIR - With regards to the undisciplined kids of today, especially in Kempston, I think it's high time the parents started taking responsibility for their children's actions as it seems parents are not doing anything to discipline their kids.

The police don't want to get involved as ' their hands are tied'. I thought their motto was to protect and serve! So, who are they protecting? Not us, that's for sure.

I think that the kids caught in the act of vandalism or anything criminal should be handcuffed and taken to the police station. The parents must be forced to collect them and pay a fine of up to £1,000, maybe then they will make their kids do the right things like homework, take them to football, make them do some after-school sport and give them a curfew.

I have seen teenagers wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning, what on earth for? Up to no good is what I say.

I am a mother of two and we have been subject to vandalism. I have lodged a complaint with the police and they told me there was absolutely nothing they can do. Why can't they send a bobby round? Just every two hours or so and patrol the streets.

This would help make our neighbourhoods safer surely. As I said earlier, the police are here to protect and serve!

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SIR - How long will it take for the hierarchy to recognise the fact that coppers should be out on the beat?

They spend thousands of pounds training, ditto on equipment etc and then employ them as glorified clerks. Where is the logic in that? I am sure our bobbies would rather be out on the beat than sitting behind a desk filling in nonsensical forms.

Incidents like the stabbing of a young lady leaving her paralysed, yobbish behaviour and setting fire to the hall at Riseley would possibly be avoided.

The simple fact about bobbies on the beat is that you do not know where they are at any specific moment and are therefore unpredictable. So why not do it now, not when the penny drops upstairs?

THE battle of the supermarkets is about to hot up.

Sainsbury's in Kempston has been the only major supermarket in the town for many years. Now it is about to face competition from two fronts.

Tesco has submitted a planning application for an 'Express' store on Bedford Road.

One Stop on the shopping parade near the library, plus the empty shop next door (above) , are to become a Tesco mini supermarket.

The plans, which include a cash machine and external modifications, are to be considered by Bedford Borough Council.

At the same time plans for a Lidl supermarket on Bedford Road on the former Marshall's garage site are well advanced.

It is understood all that is remaining to resolve are issues of contaminated land.

Sainsbury's in Kempston, which is one of its older stores, could find itself sandwiched by two of its fiercest rivals.

Shoppers might enjoy a few bargains if the competition becomes red-hot, although there is always the risk they may not all survive in the current climate.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesman said:

"Tesco does not need planning permission as there is no change of use but we have received applications relating to signage, shop frontage and air conditioning units.

"Planning permission has been granted for the Lidl site and we are currently working with the applicant over compliance of certain conditions."

(This reminds me that someone asked where Lidl is. It occupies the site of the former Granada Cinema. Much of the food from this (German-based, I think) firm seems cheaper, and it would seem to be a popular outlet. It would perhaps be more popular were it not for the fact that though there are five lanes for payment, most seem closed, and the queues are more lengthy than in any other supermarket in the area. To be fair, once you reach the checking desk, the people deal with you very efficiently and promptly, but when one has only a handful of items to buy, waiting patiently in a queue that can sometimes be as much as ten per lane is extremely irritating. I hope this is not the pattern that the new supermarket will adopt!

Car parking in Bedford could be put under extra pressure following a decision to close a town centre site.

Bedford Borough Council currently occupies St Peter's Street car park under a lease arrangement with the trustees of the House of Industry charity.

There are 100 spaces on the site which makes up just under three per cent of off street parking in Bedford.

But the council has been given a notice to quit which is likely to be effective from December 24.

The decision is a blow to the council as the forthcoming town centre redevelopment will see the loss of Riverside Square and Castle Lane car parks as well as the Allhallows multi-storey car park.

Although the Allhallows site will be replaced with a bigger facility, the timing of the St Peter's Street car park closure could not be worse.

Bedford Borough Council is hoping the trustees for the House of Industry will reconsider and defer its plans until the town's redevelopment are completed.

Cllr David Lewis, who sits on the House of Industry Estate Management Committee, said:

"The site is going to be made available for development. We have an obligation to get what is best for the charity of the House of Industry and make the best use of the area for the people of Bedford.

"No decision for the site has been made yet and if the executive comes to us then we will consider anything members have to say."

The borough council declined to comment until members had discussed the issue at the executive committee meeting on Tuesday.

The future of the proposed Bedford to Milton Keynes canal is to be discussed this week.

Tuesday night's executive committee meeting is to consider the way forward for the project, which has been on the table for nearly ten years.

The proposed 20-mile canal would be the first new waterway built in a century and it is claimed it would bring £7million into the local economy.

Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Partnerships are heading the £150-million project that would link the River Ouse with the Grand Union Canal.

The project has suffered several setbacks over the past year with the Government stating that it would not fund the development and Milton Keynes Council not including the project in its expansion plans.

However, a scrutiny committee's recommendation that Milton Keynes Council should reconsider its decision has meant that the plans are just about alive.

Councillor Ian Clifton, who is also Chairman of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, said:

"We are not asking for any money for the project, we just want to get some political and moral support.

"It's possible that we could see something happening in the next 18 months but what we really need is a full time co-ordinator who can put everything together.

"It is currently a big political football. With the support of the Bedford Borough Council, Mid Bedfordshire District Council would be next. They have signed up to the partnership previously and they should do so again."

The Times&Citizen reports that Councillor Madeline Russell has confirmed her appointment as new leader of Bedfordshire County Council.

Coun Russell expects to be formally elected at the council's AGM on May 26 after being named Conservative group leader on Saturday (May 7).

The paper states that she is a "controversial" appointment, presumably because the councillor made waves in October when she was reported to have said only happily married heterosexual couples should be considered as adoptive parents.

Her comments coincided with National Adoption Week and, at the time, she was executive member for children's services.

This week she said:

"It's an honour and a privilege to be elected leader of the Conservative group.

"There is much to be done to make the council more effective, efficient and customer focused. We have a good staff and a strong determination to take things forward and turn Bedfordshire into a first class council."

Coun Russell will succeed Coun Angela Roberts as council leader, who retired before last week's election.

The post pays £25,625, before other allowances such as childcare are taken into account.

Coun Paul Walley (Conservative, Plantation) is expected to be deputy leader.

The Times&Citizen leads with the report that head teachers have accused Bedford College of resorting to bribery after it revealed it would offer £1,000 to students to continue their education there.

From September the college will be offering the cash to 16-year-olds who have achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to B so they can study for A-levels or equivalent courses.

But heads from across Bedfordshire reacted angrily to the scheme, which will cost the college £80,000. One said:

"I think it's totally and utterly outrageous. It's little more than a bribe.

"We won't be able to offer £1,000 bursaries so there is an amount of unfairness there.

"People come to this school because they want to. They are well looked after here and they get good support and good results and most sixth formers will know that. Morally it's not the right way to go ahead."

The sentiments were echoed at other schools. Peter Barnard, headteacher at Sharnbrook Upper School, said he almost had to pick himself up off the floor after the Times & Citizen told him the news. He said:

"I can understand the action that the college has taken and I understand that they want to get their feet more firmly in the A-level door, but I feel there will be strained relationships with schools as a result.

"I suspect this will demean local sixth forms and eventually there will be no point in having upper schools. This is one big domino that's being kicked over."

Another concerned head said:

"I suspect most headteachers will be really, really upset and disappointed by this.

"I expect most schools will feel very undermined and upset and it would be very concerning if this is the case."

The college launches its scheme with an advertising campaign next Monday, using the slogan 'Cheque out Bedford College'.

Students will receive £500 for every year of their course they complete, up to a maximum of £1,000.

Payments will be spread over three instalments each year, and the students must regularly attend to receive the money.

The Bursary for Educational Excellence is being funded by the college and students can apply for the cash in addition to the £30 per week Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) already offered by the Government.

Principal Ian Pryce defended the bursary scheme and said most students who wanted to stay on in their own sixth form would do so, and would not be tempted by the offer of cold, hard cash. He said:

"I can understand if people think it's about increasing our numbers but I hope I can reassure them.

(I don't think he will succeed in this. I used to sit on a committee on adult and continuing education, and always sensed (though it was never openly stated) that some schools regarded Bedford College as a predatory organisation. There are some who will favour working at a College, some who prefer the more pastoral style of a school. But this latest gimmick will lead to very strained relationships between schools and the college.)

Whilst attending another committee on Thursday (yes I do tend to get landed on these!) I had the opportunity to learn about what other churches in the area do, and was quite charmed by a presentation by the minister at Rhenold parish church, who is clearly very proud of this church, and asked us to pop in and see it. So yesterday I did just that!

Some weeks ago I put up a picture of the scene from Norse Road, and in the distance one can just see the church.

Built 750 years ago, it is a delightful church, well worth visiting. At the time I called, there was a service for toddlers, and though I was warmly welcomed, I have to admit that I was feeling slightly that I was intruding, though warmed by the relationship between the vicar, Rev. Bradley, and the children, as one by one they lit a candle, and came to help him as he "collapsed" on the floor during the singing of "The foolish man built his house upon the sand!"

The church and its surroundings are remarkably quiet and peaceful, something that one misses in town, with the endless sounds of vehicles. I could have spent some time looking at this pleasant church and are, and would commend it to anyone who would like to feel thoroughly refreshed! Further details of this lovely church can be found HERE.

Thank, Rev. Bradley, for allowing me to intrude!

From behind the parish church, Rhenold

Week ending 21 May 2005