News
Please click on the links below:
- Police - High Visibility Operations
- Citizens Award nominations
- Jubilee & Olympics 2012
- More play equipment!
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Central Beds & Luton Liftshare
- Fairfield Community Governance Review
- New zip wire - Riverside Playing Field
- Town Council now has a Mayor!
- Opening of new Local Nature Reserve
- Town Councillor Surgeries
- Police Surgeries
- Temporary Road Closure - Taylors Road
- A1 Trunk Road - Drainage Survey Works
Police - High Visibility Operations
On 02/02/2012 between 1300 and 1500 hours in the Co-Op Car park, Stotfold, the Police will be out in force carrying out a number of High Visibility operations.
We will have Op “Your Numbers Up” (securing vehicle index plates)Property Marking (mobile phones and push bikes)Vulnerable Vehicles (ensuring no valuables are being left in cars)
It is hoped that the Bobby Scheme van will be available to provide free home security advice and hope to have the local Street Watch Group involved.
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Citizens Awards 2012 - nominations please!
The Town Council is looking for nominations for Citizens Awards. Nominees must be someone who has made a valuable contribution to the life of the community of Stotfold. You can't nominate yourself, and Councillors cannot be nominated. A decision will be made early in the New Year and a certificate for the successful recipient/s will be presented at the Annual Town Meeting in March. Please forward a letter to the Town Clerk giving the name of the nominee and full details of why you feel they should receive the Citizen Award, by no later than Monday 16th January 2012.
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Jubilee & Olympics 2012
The Events Committee are organising two events to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and Olympics 2012. On Sunday 3rd June 2012 a 'Picnic in the Park' will be held at the Hitchin Road Recreation Ground between 12noon and 6pm. On Monday 4th June, prior to the Beacon being lit at the Cemetery at 10.10pm as part of the Jubilee celebrations, a Family Fun Day is being held at Etonbury School to celebrate the Olympics, and will be in the form of a large street party with track and field events/games. Local bands will be playing during the day and pubs, clubs, schools and businesses are invited to submit teams. Residents are asked to forward their favourite recipes from the 1950's and a Stotfold Diamond Jubilee Recipe Book will be compiled using some of those recipes and will be sold on the event days.
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More play equipment!
We are pleased to advise that two additional pieces of play equipment have been ordered and we hope to have them installed early in the New Year. A basket swing and a cone climber will be sited at the Hitchin Road Recreation Ground to increase the range of play equipment already available there.
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Citizens Advice Bureau
We are pleased to advise that the Citizens Advice Bureau now has a presence in Stotfold, and are using facilities made available by the Town Council. Advisors from CAB are available to residents in their 'drop in sessions' every Tuesday and Thursday morning 9.30pm to 12.30pm in Room 3 of the Simpson Centre. We welcome them to Stotfold and hope that they are able to continue their excellent work for our residents.
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Central Beds & Luton Liftshare - 'Share the car, share the cost!'
Central Beds and Luton Liftshare provides a matching service for all those who live, work and travel in and around Bedfordshire as well as for longer journeys to London or other locations outside the county.
The scheme matches you up with potential partners as a driver or passenger. Once matched, you can choose to car share as little or as often as you like, with whomever you like!
- Find drivers and passengers on-line instantly for FREE
- Reduce the costs of fuel and parking
- Choose parameters to define the kind of person you want to share with
- Cut congestion and pollution
- Reduce the stress of driving
- Access a variety of other travel information
The website is: http://www.centralbedsandluton.liftshare.com/
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Fairfield Community Governance Review
Press release
Five residents of the Fairfield area of Stotfold have recently submitted a document to Central Bedfordshire Council requesting a review to create a new Fairfield Community Council (Parish Council), outside a changed Stotfold parish boundary.
After receiving a request on 26th August from Central Bedfordshire Council for the Town Council's views and noting that the information sent to all residents advised that the Town Councli will be issuing its thoughts on the impact of this within Stotfold, the Town Council met on Thursday 8th September to consider the matter.
After debate the Members voted and it was resolved that this Council does not support the petition to form a new Fairfield Community Council.
The Town Council is preparing a leaflet explaining the Council's view and the impact the formation of a new separate Council for Fairfield could have for all Stotfold residents. This leaflet will be distributed to all Stotfold residents within the next couple of weeks. A copy of the leaflet can be downloaded from the specially created Fairfield Community Governance Review pages of this website - see left column.
Residents may return their comments to Central Bedfordshire Council using the reply slip already distributed, or online at www.centralbedfordshirecouncil.gov.uk/surveys/CGR/fairfield.htm. The closing date for return of comments is 7th November 2011.
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New zip wire - Riverside Playing Field
There was great excitment amongst the young residents of Stotfold at the end of July, as word spread that a new piece of play equipment was to be installed in one of their play areas. The afternoon of Monday 1st August saw the opening of the newly installed zip wire at the Riverside Playing Field. Town Councillors, staff and around 25 young people and their families turned up for the event, with the Mayor, Councillor Brian Collier, inviting Kieran Perkins, aged 8 to be the first person to use the piece of equipment after the official opening.
The Town Council's recent play equipment consultation, and information from the Town Plan, found that young people of Stotfold really wanted some updated play equipment in their recreation areas, and a zip wire was the most popular piece of equipment. The purchase and installation of the zip wire was funded by a Section 106 developer contribution and the Recreation Grounds, Public Lands and Lighting Committee reserves.
Other pieces of equipment were identified in the consultation, which is still ongoing, and the Town Council will be looking to try to provide additional items in the future.
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Opening of new Stotfold Watermill Local Nature Reserve
On Sunday 5th June 2011, Baroness Barbara Young of Old Scone formally declared the new Stotfold Watermill Local Nature Reserve open. Attendees from the Town Council were Councillors Collier, Cooper, Mrs Cooper and Hayes. Paul Redwood, who has spearheaded the development for the past 6 years, thanked the many people and organisations without whose help the work would not have been possible, espcially the members of TEASEL (the local volunteer conservation group) who have developed the Reserve over the past 12 years and will continue to maintain it.
The area has been developed from pasture and wetland into the Nature Reserve that we have today, and its creation has been a huge team effort, from the founder of TEASEL, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity, TEASEL volunteers, Stotfold Town Council, Stotfold Mill Preservation Trust and Environmentalists from Central Bedfordshire Council.
The Nature Reserve is situated off Mill Lane, and is open every day and accessed via the Stotfold Watermill car park. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but should be kept on leads to protect the wildlife, and owners are requested to clear up after their animals.
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Town Councillor Surgeries
The next Town Councillor On-Street Surgery will be held on Tuesday 6th December 2011 between 10am and 12pm in the Council Chamber of the Simpson Centre. Town Councillors will be able to provide you with information about what the Town Council does, answer questions, provide advice, or point you in the right direction! The following Surgery will be held on Tuesday 24th January 2012 from 6pm to 8pm in Room 3 of the Simpson Centre. Future dates are available from the Town Clerk.
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Police Surgeries
Our Neighbourhood Beat Manager, PC Lee Pruton will be holding Police Surgeries in Stotfold throughout 2011.
Friday 6th May 4pm to 5pm Riverside Playing Field, Malthouse Lane
Sunday 15th May 12pm to 1pm Co-op, Mulberry CLose
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New dates to be confirmed**Street Meets will also be held across Stotfold. Street Meets are targeted to specific streets so that they can address any issues that are affecting that particular area.
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A1 Trunk Road: Drainage Survey Works
Work will shortly be starting overnight on the A1. The works will involve surveying and jetting of the drainage system between Biggleswade South roundabout and the A1(M) junction 10.
The works will commence on the evening of Monday 12th December 2011 and will take approximately 5 weeks to complete. The works will be carried out overnight under lane closures and 50mph speed restrictions, and hours of work will be as follows:
8.00pm to 6.00am Monday to Friday
During some investigation it will be necessary to close the access roads overnight for one night only. Only one access road will be closed at any given time. There will be fully signed diversion routes for all access road closures.
Works will be suspended over the Christmas period and commence again on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.If you have any queries concerning this scheme please contact CarillionWSP on 01767 684633 during the hours of 9am to 5pm or the Customer Care department at customercare@carillionwsp.com who will be pleased to help, or alternatively the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000 when out of the above times.