Current online consultations

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Current online consultations

Have your say on the Draft Autism Strategy for Central Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire Council are seeking views on a draft strategy to improve the lives of people with Autism or Aspergers Syndrome and their families.

Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives in Central Bedfordshire, has been developed by the Bedfordshire Autism Partnership Group, a steering group made of people with Autism, family carers, and representatives from the Central Bedfordshire Council, NHS Bedfordshire and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT).

The draft strategy sets out the priorities for supporting people living with Autism in Bedfordshire, which include: increasing understanding and awareness of Autism both amongst frontline staff and across the wider community; developing local services to meet the needs of people with autism and helping people with Autism find employment.

Please view the draft strategy (PDF 327KB) and then give us your views by completing this online form by 10 August 2012.

For more information about this consultation please contact Linda Ireland by telephone on 0300 300 6475 or email to linda.ireland@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Have your say on countryside plans

Central Bedfordshire Council are consulting on the draft Masterplan for Tiddenfoot Waterside Park and Linslade Wood in Leighton Linslade.

The proposals to make the areas into more engaging countryside spaces include a visitor centre, café, toilets, play areas and a ranger’s station for Tiddenfoot Waterside Park and new walking and cycling routes and the possibility of car parking facilities for Linslade Wood.

The masterplan reports for each area are provided below along with a summary of both masterplan proposals.

Linslade Wood and Tiddenfoot Waterside Park Masterplan Summary Report 2012 (PDF 357KB)
Linslade Wood Masterplan full report (PDF 6.4MB)
Tiddenfoot Waterside Park Masterplan full report (PDF 7.6MB)

Give us your views on the masterplan proposals by completing this online questionnaire by 29 May 2012.

Two public events will be held at Leighton Buzzard Library on Monday 23 April from 2-6pm and Sunday 20 May from 1-6pm. Members of the Council's Countryside Access Team will be available at both events to talk about the proposals.

For more information about the draft masterplan please contact Stuart Harrison by email to stuart.harrison@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or telephone 0300 300 6226.

Have your say on the expansion proposals for Fairfield Park Lower School, Greenleas Lower School and Shefford Lower School

Central Bedfordshire Council is seeking views from parents, teachers, governors and residents on the proposals to expand Fairfield Park, Greenleas and Shefford Lower Schools, to help them meet increasing pupil numbers in their respective catchment areas.

The proposals, developed with the Governing bodies of the schools were approved at a meeting of the Council’s Executive on 27 March 2012. At this meeting Greenleas Lower School was confirmed as the Council’s preferred school for enlargement in Leighton Buzzard, to provide new school places on the town’s Sandhills development, off Kestrel Way, also known as Pratts Quarry.

The consultation on all three proposals runs from Monday 23 April to Monday 21 May 2012.

Please view the proposals for each of the schools in the documents below and then complete the respective online questionnaires with your views by 5pm on 21May 2012.

Fairfield Park Lower School expansion proposal – consultation document (PDF 237KB)
Fairfield Park Lower School expansion proposal questionnaire

Shefford Lower School expansion proposal – consultation document (PDF 168KB)
Shefford Lower School expansion proposal questionnaire

Map showing the location of Shefford and Fairfield Park Lower Schools (PDF 4.3MB)

Greenleas Lower School expansion proposal – consultation document
(PDF 179KB)Greenleas Lower School expansion proposal questionnaire

Map showing the location of Greenleas Lower School and of the proposed second campus (PDF 3.6MB)

The consultation documents will be available at Leighton Buzzard, Stotfold, Shefford Libraries, as well as the local town council offices.

There will be meetings with staff and unions and a public meeting at each school to give parents, carers and other interested parties the opportunity to have their say on the proposals. Details of these meetings are provided in the consultation documents.

Following the consultation period the council will publish statutory notices for the schools. The Council’s Executive will carefully consider the responses to the consultation and will make its final decision on whether the proposals will be approved at its meeting in August. The proposed changes would be fully implemented from September 2013.

For more information about these proposals please contact Sue Barrow by telephone on 0300 300 5700 or email sue.barrow@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Have your say on the Draft Plan for Adults with a Learning Disability

Central Bedfordshire Council would like your views on the Draft Joint commissioning strategy for Adults with Learning Disabilities. The draft strategy which has been produced with NHS Bedfordshire, sets out the plan for learning disability services for the next 4 years for services such as housing, health, employment, learning and support to be involved in the local community.

Please read the Draft Strategy for Adults with Learning Disabilities (PDF 201KB) and accompanying appendices below and then complete this online form with your views by 30 June 2012.
Action Plan (PDF 116KB)
Appendix 1 (PDF 8KB)
Appendix 2 (PDF 46KB)
Appendix 3 (PDF 25KB)
Appendix 4 (PDF 23KB)

Alternatively you can view an easy read version (PDF 3MB) of the strategy.

Workshops sessions to discuss the strategy will be held on the following dates from 10:30am - 2pm
12th April Biggleswade Adult Centre
17th April Leighton Buzzard British Legion Club
18th April Silsoe Horticultural Centre
Late April Houghton Regis Sandringham Hub

To book your place on a workshop please email righttrack@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 07999 859980.

For more information about the draft strategy please contact Linda Ireland by email to Linda.ireland@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or by telephone on 0300 300 6475.

Superfast Broadband Survey

Superfast broadband could be winging its way to most of Central Bedfordshire and you can help by completing a survey to show just how much demand there is for the service.

Superfast broadband would mean people could download music, games and films more quickly, and websites would download faster too. And for businesses the service would boost opportunities to access global marketplaces and allow more companies to offer flexible working to employees. Please read the Local Broadband plan document (PDF 53KB) for more information.

Please take part in the survey online.

Government Consultation on Park Homes

The Government recently announced consultation on Park (mobile) Homes issues, some of which relate to local authorities licensing duties. Other proposals offer greater safeguards to residents. The consultation is called;

A Better Deal for Mobile Home Owners – Consultation

This consultation proposes a number of reforms to the mobile homes sector.

The proposed changes include:

1. Changes to the enforcement of site licence conditions and powers of the courts to impose unlimited fines on operators who do not manage their sites properly.
2. Allowing local authorities to make a reasonable charge on site operators for their licensing services, which they are currently unable to do.
3. Giving local authorities the power to carry out works on sites in an emergency or where the site operator has been found guilty of a breach of the licence, and charge the cost back to them.
4. Strengthening the rules around the sale of mobile homes; and
5. Changing legislation to improve other residents' rights to reflect their status as home owners by, for example, allowing them to carry out home improvements without seeking permission.

The consultation is open until 28th May 2012 and can be accessed from the following link to the Communities and Local Government website:http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/mobilehomeowners

Any responses to the consultation should be made directly to the Government to the address contained within the consultation document.

Telephone interviews on travel patterns.

Public Perspectives are currently undertaking telephone interviews on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council to understand the travel patterns and views of local residents to make more informed decisions on where to focus future investment in transport provision.

Recruitment for Adult & Community Learning focus groups

Public Perspectives are currently undertaking face to face recruitment on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council for focus groups to understand experiences and perceptions of the Adult & Community Learning service.

Telephone interviews with agents who contact the Council’s Planning Service

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP ("PwC") will be carrying out telephone interviews on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council with agents who have contacted the Council’s planning service, to examine interaction with the Council.

The telephone discussions will focus on how agents currently interact with the Council in relation to planning queries/applications, how successfully these queries have been dealt with and to seek views on willingness to contact the Council via the website on such matters in the future.