Council departments - welcome to Central Bedfordshire
Transforming local government services for local people
Central Bedfordshire was formed in April 2009 along with a number of other unitary councils across the country. As a new council, Central Bedfordshire has the rare opportunity to plan new and innovative ways of delivering and transforming services for our customers.
We are building upon existing good practice in service delivery and are continually striving to improve the way we do things to make our resources work harder, find better ways of delivering services and increase value for money for our taxpayers.
About Central Bedfordshire
Located approximately 35 miles north of London and covering an area of some 716 square kilometres, Central Bedfordshire is located close to Milton Keynes, the South Midlands and Cambridge. The M1 and A1 run through the area, which is also served by the East Coast Mainline, East Midlands major train routes and nearby London Luton Airport.
Central Bedfordshire consists of many picturesque villages, rural hamlets and historic market towns, set amongst rolling countryside. It stretches from Tempsford in the North to Studham in the South serving a population already in excess of 250,000 people and is one of the most rapidly growing areas in the country, with a population forecast to grow by 30,000 (over 10%) in the next ten years.
The area is served by two well regarded Universities; the University of Bedfordshire whose campuses are located in neighbouring Bedford and Luton, plus Cranfield University, globally renowned for its postgraduate courses in science, technology, engineering and management.
Central Bedfordshire lies at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, attracting major businesses, including Amazon, Nissan, Jordans, Trafficmaster, Whitbread and many more.
Our Council
Central Bedfordshire covers 28 electoral wards from Potton in the North East to Southcott and Leighton Linslade in the South West. Our 66 Councillors work to represent the hopes and aspirations of their electorate. The council employs 9,000 staff (6,500 in schools), from teaching assistants to accountants, planning officers to social workers, all committed to effectively provide hundreds of services which range from schools and highways to tree protection and tourism.
Partnerships
We work closely with our partners in both the public and private sectors through such vehicles as the Local Strategic Partnership to ensure the council along with public, private, community and voluntary sectors can deliver a more effective, joined up approach to providing local services. As a Total Place pilot authority we are working closely with our partners to find ways to make the most of the money we spend and to serve the public better.
Putting customers first
Central Bedfordshire puts its customers first. As one council serving each resident, we are able to provide easy access to a full range of council services and provide good value for money.
Customer Charter
Our Customer Charter explains our service standards. Our customers will always be treated fairly and with respect, responded to quickly and kept informed. One phone contact number, 0300 300 8000, makes it as easy as possible to get in touch, report something or make an enquiry. Customers can still dial services directly as well, using our A-Z guide provided in our residents magazine, News Central.
Our six Customer Service Centres are located across Central Bedfordshire in major towns and in the council’s major office locations:
- Ampthill – Woburn Street
- Biggleswade – Saffron Road
- Dunstable – High Street North
- Houghton Regis – Bedford Square
- Leighton Buzzard – West Street
- Shefford – Priory House, Chicksands
Customer Service Advisers at Central Bedfordshire answer around 2,500 calls and see over 300 people face-to-face each day, as well as responding to email enquiries through our website.
Keeping in touch
Central Bedfordshire households and businesses regularly receive a copy of News Central, our residents magazine, packed with news, features and information on council services, achievements and opportunities to get involved.
Democracy in action
The council has many decision making bodies including Executive, Licensing, Development Management (Planning) Committees and Full Council. In addition there are Overview and Scrutiny Committees which help to develop policy, review the decisions of the Executive and monitor our performance. Most committees and council meetings are open for the public and the press to attend. There are also opportunities for the public to speak at meetings when pre-arranged through the council. Details of our meetings and how to speak at them are on our website.