Row over 'land grab’ claim amid parish boundary changes plan
A row has erupted over suggested parish boundary changes affecting Heath & Reach, Linslade and Clipstone.
Proposals to move large parts of Heath & Reach ward and Clipstone Park to the control of Leighton-Linslade Town Council, and land near Linslade to Central Bedfordshire Council, were put forward at a meeting of Leighton-Linslade Town Council.
But the motions were rejected by Lib Dems councillors who say they would create the opportunity for developers to bolt on massive amounts of development next to Linslade by moving areas of Buckinghamshire countryside under the control of Central Bedfordshire.
The ideas have also been opposed by Eggington Parish Council and Heath & Reach Parish Council.
The move, put forward by Independent Councillors Steve Owen and Russell Goodchild and supported by the Labour Group, would have seen more than 1,000 residents of Clipstone Park annexed under the governance of Leighton-Linslade Town Council ‘against their will’.
The motion also says the Heath & Reach boundary change should be considered in light of the proposed Checkley Wood development.
Residents living in the Clipstone Park area have been served by Eggington Parish Council since the development was built.
But Cllr Goodchild said the vote “effectively allowed the continuation of ‘free’ services provision to the new Clipstone Park residents, living in Eggington parish, whose current electorate numbers circa 1,600, and still growing”.
He added: “In summary, the LibDems are happy to rank 1,600 non-resident (Eggington) electors who make no contribution, over the 32,300 electors that live in Leighton-Linslade and contribute their share toward these services. I hope they can live with that.”
The proposal comes on the back of a Central Bedfordshire Council Community Governance Review across the council area, which examines the shape and size of parishes.
In 2022, at the request of the then Conservative-run Leighton-Linslade Town Council, a specific Community Governance Review was carried out for Eggington Parish to consult on three options: keeping the boundaries the same, creating a new Clipstone Park Parish or extending the boundary of Leighton-Linslade Town Council.
The results of the consultation revealed 61% of residents across Eggington, Clipstone Park and Leighton-Linslade were in favour of keeping the boundaries the same, with a massive 97% of Clipstone Park residents in favour of remaining within Eggington Parish.
Lib Dem Leader of Leighton-Linslade Town Council, Cllr Nigel Carnell, said: “Just over three years ago, 97% of residents in Clipstone Park gave the overwhelming response that they wanted to remain in Eggington Parish. The Liberal Democrats on Leighton-Linslade Town Council respect their views.
“Should they wish to join the parish of Leighton-Linslade then they have their opportunity to make their views known through the current governance review.
"Neither I or my Liberal Democrat colleagues will be party to Cllr Owen and Cllr Goodchild’s completely undemocratic land grab proposals. It is simply not right to annex local communities against their will.
“We are also deeply concerned that their proposals would create the opportunity for developers to bolt on massive amounts of development next to Linslade by putting areas of Buckinghamshire countryside under the control of Central Bedfordshire.”
A spokesperson for Eggington Parish Council said: “We are pleased to report that LLTC once again voted overwhelmingly to respect the wishes of Eggington residents and voted against the motion. We thank them once again for their support.
"While the motion cites community cohesion and governance efficiency, we would argue that forcing a boundary change against the will of local people risks undermining both. Governance should not be dictated solely by geographic proximity or assumptions about service access, but by community identity, resident preference, and local effectiveness — all of which are currently being met within Eggington Parish.
“In conclusion, this motion disregards the outcome of a recent democratic process, the expressed will of residents, the emerging unity between communities, and the demonstrated capability of Eggington Parish Council.”
A spokesperson for Heath & Reach Parish Council said: "The council is opposed to the plans – we are happy for the parish boundary to stay as it is and not be integrated within any proposed changes."
Cllr Goodchild said: “The paper that I presented to council has now been submitted to the Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) Community Governance Review working group and contains a proposal to change the current Leighton-Linslade parish boundary to incorporate the Clipstone Park development.”
He added: “Should we be successful in persuading the various CBC committees and council that it is only right and fair to change the boundary, then I shall personally be looking for an acceptable legal scheme that would allow a transitional arrangement for graduated increases of Council Tax over a period of four years in order to soften the impact on Clipstone Park taxpayers before an equality has been reached."