Borough Councillor Report for May 2022

Borough Councillors Report to KR Parish Council May 2022

Proposed Governance Review of KR Parish Boundary

This is an extract I received from the Ward Cllr of Kempston West “I reminded Laura about the need for a review of parish boundaries so that they align with the new Borough boundary between Kempston West and Kempston Rural along Branston Way. It would benefit the new Kempston West residents along Wilkinson Road to be with Kempston Town Council and I assume it would be clearer for Kempston Rural Parish Council also? Laura said she will contact you in any case”.

The Borough CEO Laura Church spoke to me following the last Full Council meeting on the 11th May and suggested a Governance review was asked for by the adjoining ward Kempston West. I have since been in contact to state that any changes proposed would be contrary to the Boundary Commissions final decisions.

This was my rationale “I’ve been looking at the Boundary review report and I’m not clear on what is trying to be achieved here? The Commission clearly identifies KRPC has having 6 Parish Councillors representing that part of the parish. It also identifies that Kempston West is sitting with a variance of + 8% of electors. If as suggested this part of KRPC is switched to Kempston West with the 900 plus electors on the register, then this will make a mockery of the Commissions review. If the average number of electors is 2,829 (as per the Commission’s findings) then 8% over is 226 totalling 3055. If you then add the 900 electors from this area to Kempston West, the total would be 3,955 and into a variance of C. 40%. The new Ward of Wootton (including Kempston Rural) is forecast a variance of 0% so conversely taking 900 away would put that into a negative position. Whilst it might be seen as a neat way of defining the area by removing part of the KR parish, so the KW ward aligns with a perceived benefit to come under the influence of Kempston Town Council, I don’t see the rationale? I have yet to catch up with the Chair of KRPC to understand his and his council’s views, but I hope to do so shortly.”

The response to this was short and obviously completely ignored all the points I made. “Jim, Lesley will arrange a meeting so that we can discuss the scope of the review. Laura” My response wasn’t quite as blunt or short, “It would be helpful if you could explain the rationale for holding a review given the issues raised in my email? I spoke with Peter Foster this afternoon and he is also confused as to the need for a review and would like to understand why so that he can discuss with his fellow Councillors. A good starting point when attending any meeting is to understand why the meeting is necessary, so would be obliged if you could articulate why? I will advise the Council when I receive a response.

 

Estate Management Companies

One of the biggest issues I receive request for help for are the charges, poor work, and equally poor communications from the 13 plus estate management schemes running in Kempston Rural and GD. The recent article in the Bedford Independent Great Denham residents face ‘mind-boggling’ maintenance costs of £1,257 per light – Bedford Independent highlights the massive flaw in the construct of these developer led bodies. Ludicrous charging where typically 60%+ are management fees which bear no resemblance to fair or proper costings. Following the article, I have started to receive requests from other wards where the same issues are repeated. Work not done, but charges still raised and where refusal to pay for the work not done is met with debt collectors. I have brought this to the Executive Mayor and raised with the Director for Environment – Craig Austen – but there seems little support to tackle the issues because they are a nationally agreed format. My argument is that this may be the case, but we can’t stand by and allow what amounts to extortionate practice to go unchallenged by our leadership in the Council. You will see below that the purpose of the Executive is to “achieve a better quality of life for people of Bedford Borough”. We have a Trading Standards dept. we should at the very least be challenging these organisations. These and the Open Space Management charge come under the auspices of the Environment Committee. I’m pleased that in the new municipal year I will sit on that committee.

 

New Municipal Year

This will be the last year that the Kempston Rural Ward will exist. The new warding arrangements will start from the Mayoral and Borough Councillor and Parish Councillor elections in May 2023. I have already written to the chairs of the four parish councils in the present ward to inform them that I will be a candidate for the Ward of Great Denham at the next elections. As this new Council year starts, I thought it would be a good time to refresh the Executive information about those running the Borough and their responsibilities. Below in a pdf is a list of all the Portfolio Holders and their responsibilities.

COMPOSITION AND CONSTITUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE

 

£150 Council Tax energy payment

The £150 Council Tax energy payment is available to all eligible households in Council Tax Bands A to D, and Band E where there is a disabled Band reduction.

Direct Debit

If you pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit you will receive payment automatically. Thousands of payments were made in April and the majority of Direct Debit payers were paid by 3 May. Payments take a few days to reach bank accounts.  Direct debit payers whose first payment will be in May will be paid by mid-May.

There are approximately 3,000 households whose names on the Council Tax register are not the same as the name on the Direct Debit bank account. Where this is the case, the Government guidance states that payment cannot be made.  You will be contacted shortly with a request for additional details and further evidence.

Non Direct Debit payers

The form to apply for payment is now live.

To complete the form you need an access code.

Non Direct Debit payers apply here

Information and support for Ukrainians

If you are still in Ukraine, help and support is available:

If you have arrived in Bedford Borough and have nowhere to live please contact our Housing Team on 01234 718008 or email ukrainesupport@bedford.gov.uk.

Once you have found somewhere to live this welcome pack for Ukrainians arriving in the UK covers what you need to know in your first few days, getting used to life in the UK including how to access healthcare, childcare, education services, and how to find work.

See also this information leaflet from British Red Cross which explains your rights and gives information on services you can access.

More help and support is available from:

Information for Bedford Borough residents wanting to become a host/sponsor

The Homes for Ukraine programme enables UK residents to volunteer accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. If you want to offer a home to people fleeing Ukraine, you can become a ‘sponsor’ as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

To apply to be a sponsor you must be able to offer accommodation in a spare room or separate self-contained accommodation for a minimum of six months.

We will complete property and safeguarding checks on sponsors who have successfully sponsored a Ukrainian after their visa application has been made.

If you do not know a named Ukrainian you will only be able to record your interest in becoming a sponsor. The government will try to match you to a Ukrainian via charities and other organisations.

You can also contact charities directly who may be able to match you to an individual or family. Some charities that are doing this include:

Further guidance for sponsors:

If you already know a Ukrainian national (or immediate family member) who you want to sponsor, you can help them apply for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

Help and support when you are hosting

You can email ukrainesupport@bedford.gov.uk or phone 01234 718008 for more information.

  • We will provide a school places for children of school age and we will be given extra funding so that it does not impact the school places of children currently in Bedford Borough.
  • We will provide advice and referrals to public health services where appropriate, such as mental health services, adult social care, and children’s services.
  • We will provide an interim support payment of £200 to your guest.
  • We will administer optional ‘thank you’ payments of £350 per month to sponsors.

We will publish information about these payments on this page as soon as we have more information available.

Become a Ukrainian Guest support volunteer

We are working with The Harpur Trust and PBIC to coordinate care and support for guests from Ukraine arriving in Bedford Borough.

Visit PBIC to find out about becoming a Ukrainian Guest support volunteer or email them at UGV@pbic.org.uk.

Translations and interpreters

Ukrainian to English language support – including translations of key documents needed for visa applications – is available from Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI).