Central Bedfordshire 'probably one of the most interesting areas of the country at the moment' says council leader
Central Bedfordshire is attracting much focus and is “probably one of the most interesting areas of the country” currently, according to the leader of the local authority.
In his annual report, Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny spoke of a “positive message” that could be delivered to residents within the district.
“There are very significant achievements during the course of the last year,” he told Central Bedfordshire Council’s annual full council meeting.
“These include the children’s social care rating by Ofsted, which was confirmed as ‘good’, and we’ve the continuation of the move towards two-tier education in the Biggleswade and Cranfield area, with further (clusters) to follow,” he explained.
“New special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) places at Larwood School in Dunstable, The Chiltern School in Houghton Regis, and a new autism centre at Stratton School in Biggleswade are much to be proud of, while with adult social care we’ve also an Ofsted rating of ‘good’.
“New sites have been provided with Marigold House residential care home in Leighton Buzzard and Red Kite Meadows care village in Flitwick. With our sustainability agenda, we’ve managed to retain and even expand on the range of bus routes we offer, when many local authorities are cutting like mad.
“We’ve distributed more than £6m of UK shared prosperity fund (UKSPF). A new library has opened in Stotfold, while the council has managed to administer the new glass waste collection with very few issues.
“We’ve opened a new community leisure centre in Houghton Regis, with one to follow in Leighton Buzzard. There’s also good news to come from advances in social housing.”
On highways, he said: “There’ve been significant improvements to FixMyStreet which has allowed us to improve the roads quicker than before. Those roads have hosted the Tour of Britain cycling race, which showed how good those streets are.
“Our Local Plan is still on schedule, when many other local authorities don’t have them or are behind. When it comes to the council’s finances, I appreciate the amplification of the message we’ve given of the £8m underspend.
“That again will be a challenge in the year to come. We’re already aware that the government has told us to expect a £30m shortfall for the budget. We mustn’t rush out and spend that money in the meantime.
“We spoke when we first came into administration, three years ago, about protecting the wallets and the welfare of residents, and that’s paramount to everything we seek to do as an executive.”
Councillor Zerny suggested devolution will be “high on the agenda during the next year”, warning: “Across our area, there are further challenges such as East West Rail, new towns and the impact of what’s likely to be a decision on Tempsford and Milton Keynes.
“There are big opportunities as well in the form of Universal Studios and the significant investment that’s coming into our area. We’re probably one of the most interesting areas of the country at the moment.
“There’s a huge amount of focus, not just from national government but from international investment too,” he added.
“This is our council. We’ve much to be proud of and I think we can give a positive message to the residents we represent.”