Summary of Purpose of Petition | Number of Signatories Name of Organiser and Date of Presentation and presenter's name (if different) |
Relevant Council Ward(s)/ Ward Councillors |
Responsible Head(s) of Service | Summary of Purpose of Petition |
---|---|---|---|---|
To address dangerous parking congestion and enhance community safety in Magnolia Close and surrounding streets, Kempston |
32 6 May 2025 S Mal |
Kempston South: Cllr Meader | Director of Environment | Full Council to consider – date to be confirmed |
Sports Fields in Harpur and Queens Park Wards |
55 16 March 2025 I Nicholls |
Harpur and Queens Park Wards: Cllrs Atkins, Layne, Akhtar, Masud, Mahboob Din |
Director of Environment | Full Council to consider on 2 July 2025 |
Cuts to numerous school crossing patrols across Bedford Borough |
178 19 March 2025 Cllr C Royden |
Brickhill and all other Wards | Director of Environment | Full Council to consider on 2 July 2025 |
Make Bus Fares Fair for Young People in Bedford Borough |
62 18 Feb 2025 Cllr Valentine |
n/a | Director of Environment |
Full Council resolved 19 March 2025: This Council notes: Young people in Bedford Borough face significant challenges in accessing transport, which restricts their ability to travel for education, employment, and social opportunities. One of the primary barriers is the high cost of bus fares. While the previous £2 national fare cap provided some relief, this has now increased to £3 as of 1 January 2025, making regular travel even more expensive. Although some bus companies offer annual tickets, these are often unaffordable for many families and unsuitable for young people who only need transport for part of the week or year. Most young people have limited financial resources and are largely supported by their families, the rising costs place an additional strain on household budgets. This Council believes: Introducing a subsidised £1 flat fare for children and young people under the age of 19 would bring significant benefits to both individuals and the wider community. Affordable transport would improve access to education and employment, particularly for those who do not qualify for existing transport subsidies and rely on buses to reach school, college, or part-time jobs. It would also promote social inclusion and mobility, ensuring that financial constraints do not limit young people's ability to participate fully in society. Beyond the immediate financial relief for families, a £1 fare scheme would encourage sustainable travel habits, reducing car dependency and contributing to climate change goals by increasing public transport use. It would also support young people’s mental health and wellbeing by fostering independence and reducing the stress associated with transport costs. This initiative could play a vital role in recovering and boosting bus industry patronage, which remains below pre-pandemic levels. This Council resolves: To explore the introduction of a £1 flat bus fare for young people under 19. This scheme should be designed based on successful models recently introduced in Central Bedfordshire and the Cambridge/Peterborough Combined Authority. To ask the portfolio holder to commission a report on the feasibility of this initiative and to present findings at the Full Council meeting on 2 July 2025 or sooner, if possible, with an aim to introduce the scheme prior to the new school/college year in September. |
Stop transportation of digestate / recycling waste through Thurleigh Village |
129 Cllr Towler 22 Jan 2025 |
Riseley Ward: Cllr Towler | Director of Environment |
Resolved 5 February 2025: This Council notes: Slurry movements within Thurleigh have caused increasing stress and inconvenience for the residents through increased air and noise pollution. The frequency, size and speed of these vehicles can potentially cause damage to properties, highway infrastructure and pavements. The vehicles proximity near a local primary school poses a danger to school children alongside wider safety concerns. This Council believes: The movement of slurry tankers through Thurleigh has become a significant concern for residents due to their size, frequency, and speed, particularly near the primary school and key junctions such as the S-bend. A petition with 134 signatures, along with supporting evidence, has been submitted by residents, highlighting the impact on daily life, safety concerns, and potential damage to property and infrastructure. Several near-miss incidents have been reported involving pedestrians and other vehicles. The Council shares residents’ concerns regarding if the business responsible holds the proper waste license, and concerns about the environmental impact of these operations. The Council resolves: Formally engage with the Environment Agency (EA) and relevant authorities, including submitting a formal request for updates on the investigation and potential enforcement actions. Work with the relevant Council officers to assess the feasibility of traffic calming measures and other solution to the issue of slurry movements within Thurleigh. Investigate the legality of the operations. |
Area of land to the east of the Midland Mainline Railway/north of the Great Ouse Way and west of the Paula Radcliffe Way be used as a country park. |
48 Mr I Nicholls 15 Feb 2025 |
Harpur Ward: Cllrs Atkins and Layne | Director of Environment |
Resolved 5 February 2025: That as part of the statutory consultation, the Council implores East West Rail Company to restore the area left as a country park for the benefit of the residents of Bedford. |
Midland Road Area Residents’ Association (MARA), appealing against the removal of physical paper parking permits and visitor parking books. |
300+ Ms M Vissian 15 Jan 2025 |
n/a | Director of Environment |
Resolved 26 February 2025: The Council recognises that a proportion of residents do not have the necessary technology, skills or provisions to conduct transactions with the council online, and that a more comprehensive equality impact assessment could have been conducted prior to the introduction of electronic parking permits. The Council recognises the importance of the full range of council services being available to residents who cannot practically go online. The Council recognises the importance of employing enough enforcement officers to ensure parking rules are enforced. The Council recognises the importance to local residents that enforcement deters people from parking who do not pay and do not have a permit to park. The Council recognises the relevance to council revenue of sufficient enforcement of parking restrictions. The Council recognises that there was no public consultation in advance of the introduction of electronic parking permits and that many residents are finding the change difficult. The Council asks the Executive to conduct a further information campaign to help residents and their visitors make the transition and understand the new permits, how to apply for them and how to use them (including their limitations). The Council believes such an information campaign has to include a significant amount of offline communication. The Council asks the Executive to conduct a targeted information campaign, that should include writing to those residents in the CPZ areas who have not yet applied for online parking permits, offering them a chance to attend at the Borough Hub in Horne Lane, and assuring them that the council can and will help, even if they don’t have or can’t use technology to apply for permits online. The Council asks the Executive to ensure that when residents in the CPZ areas attend at the Borough Hub, all those who don’t have or can’t use technology to apply for permits online are offered scratchcard permits, such as those that have been in use in the CPZ areas since the introduction of the CPZ. The Council asks the Executive to ensure staffing levels for parking enforcement are not allowed to fall significantly below the current fully-staffed level of 25 unless there is clear evidence that levels of compliance with parking restrictions are so high that such staffing levels are no longer needed. The Council asks the Executive to report back to full council at its meeting on 2 July about staffing levels for parking enforcement, progress of information campaigns, the numbers of residents who have been offered scratchcard permits, a projection of how long council stocks of scratchcard permits will last for each CPZ area, and longer-term plans if it appears stocks in any area will not meet need into the foreseeable future. |
Temporary suspension of green waste collections
Due to a fire at the Elstow Waste Transfer Station over the weekend, we have had to make changes to our waste collection services. This has led to a two-week suspension of household green waste collections from Sunday 6 July.