Housing Matters - March 2026
Wednesday, 25 March 2026
News and updates from our housing team
Your voice matters: new pet policy
Tell us what you think about our proposed pet policy during our four-week consultation
We have launched a public consultation on our new pet policy and we are inviting all tenants, leaseholders and residents in council housing to take part.
Pets can bring huge benefits to our lives, and we know how important they are to many households. At the same time, we must make sure that pet ownership does not cause nuisance, safety concerns or damage to homes and shared spaces.
Our proposed policy sets out clear and fair expectations around keeping pets in council properties. It explains when you need to ask us before getting a pet and what we consider, which types of animals can be kept, the responsibilities of pet owners, and how assistance dogs and emotional support animals are considered.
We are asking for your input so we can make sure the final policy reflects the needs of our tenants and is fair for everyone. We are keen to hear from:
- residents who already keep pets
- people who are considering getting a pet
- people who may be affected by pets in nearby properties
- anyone with an assistance dog or emotional support animal
The consultation is open for four weeks, closing on Sunday 5 April 2026. Read the draft policy and complete the questionnaire on our website.
If you need the documents in an alternative format, please email consultations@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 8000.
Working in your neighbourhood: Oakley Green
Read about our community clean up day
Behind every clean, safe and well-kept estate is our Neighbourhood Operations Team, who work year-round to maintain and improve our housing estates. In February, that work brought them to Oakley Green in Leighton Buzzard.
Working alongside contractors, the team spent the day tackling fly-tipping, clearing litter and removing bulky waste from around council homes. Several tenants had booked support in advance for removal of larger items, and these were cleared and safely disposed of as part of the clean-up. In total, the team removed 10.5 tonnes of waste from the area.
Central Bedfordshire’s Dog Warden also attended, helping to install new signage promoting responsible dog ownership. Simple actions like picking up after your dog help keep green spaces clean, safe and pleasant for everyone.
But clean-ups and signage are only part of what the team delivers. Throughout the year, the Neighbourhood Operations Team plan and deliver improvements across our estates. That includes maintaining shared spaces, upgrading facilities, installing new play areas, planting seasonal flowers and carrying out environmental works that make neighbourhoods safer and more welcoming.
In Oakley Green, this has included installing new bin stores with clear labelling to make waste disposal simpler and reduce incidents of fly-tipping, which had become a problem in the area.
All of this work is funded through the Housing Revenue Account, meaning tenants’ rent is reinvested directly into council homes and the neighbourhoods around them. The improvements you see on your estate are part of that investment.
If you live in Oakley Green, you might have seen the team out on the estate or had a conversation with members of the Tenant Involvement Team. They were on site throughout the day to listen to feedback, discuss local issues and talk about how residents can get involved.
Getting involved gives you a real voice in decisions about homes, estates and services. This is your housing service, funded through your rent, and tenant involvement plays an important role in shaping how it continues to improve. Want to have your say? Keep reading this issue of Housing Matters to find out how you can get involved, including details of upcoming pop-up events where you can meet members of the Housing Team.
Come along to our free tenant drop-in event
Meet members of our housing team
Tenants and leaseholders are warmly invited to a friendly drop-in event where you can meet members of the Housing Service team, share your thoughts and enjoy a chat over refreshments.
This relaxed session is a great opportunity to ask questions about your home or housing services, tell us what’s working well, and share ideas about how we can improve services in the future. Your feedback really helps shape the way we support our tenants and communities.
You can also enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee and some snacks while you talk with the team.
Join us at Leighton Buzzard Theatre, Lake Street, LU7 1RX on Wednesday 15 April 2026 from 1pm to 3pm.
There’s no need to book - just drop in at any time during the session. We’d love to see you there and hear your views.
What happens to your social housing tenancy if you pass away?
What your family needs to know about legal rights and next steps
It’s not something many of us want to think about, but planning for the end of life is an important part of making sure those close to you are protected.
If you have a social housing tenancy, it’s important to know what could happen to your home if you pass away. This helps the people you live with understand their rights and plan for what comes next.
Succession to tenancy can be complex so we recommend taking some time to read more about it:
Read more about tenancy succession on our website
Find out more about tenancy succession from Shelter
By law, there can only be one succession per tenancy. This applies to both sole and joint tenancies.
Joint tenants
If you have a joint tenancy and one joint tenant passes away, the tenancy will automatically pass to the remaining joint tenant. This is known as survivorship and counts as the one legal succession.
When the remaining joint tenant passes away, no one else living in the home will have the right to succeed to the tenancy. They will need to find their own accommodation.
We only offer joint tenancies to spouses or partners.
Sole tenants
If you have a sole tenancy and your spouse or partner lives with you, they can apply to take over the tenancy if you pass away. To qualify, they must have lived with you for the 12 months before your death.
If your tenancy started prior to April 2012, and you have no spouse or partner, qualifying family members can apply for succession of the property. Please check your tenancy agreement for details. They must be able to prove they have been living with you for the twelve months prior to your death, which is why it is important that you keep us up to date with who is living in your property.
If your tenancy started after April 2012 only spouses or partners will be able to apply to succeed to the tenancy. This is due to legal changes brought in by the Government in the 2011 Localism Act.
This means that if you have adult children living with you, they would not have the right to succeed to the tenancy. They would need to find their own accommodation. If they do not leave, we may need to take legal action to recover the property. However, we will try and work with non-successors and direct them to support in finding and securing their own accommodation, but it should not be assumed that they will qualify for social housing.
Succession to tenancy but not property (for family members only)
The right of succession is to the tenancy, not the property. Sometimes a family member may be eligible to succeed to the tenancy, but the property is not suitable for them – often because it is larger than they require.
In these cases, the family member will need to move to more suitable accommodation. Legally if they have not moved within a year of the tenant passing away, we may need to start court proceedings to end the tenancy. However, we will continue to work closely with anyone in this situation to support them in finding suitable alternative social housing.
We understand this is a sensitive subject, and we work carefully with both successors and non-successors during what can be a very difficult time. However, it is important that all tenants and household members understand the law so they are not faced with unexpected housing changes after losing someone close to them.
If you wish to ask any questions about successions, please contact neighbourhoodhousing@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
First look inside new homes at Meadowsweet Place
Viewings are starting soon at Meadowsweet Place, Flitwick
New homes at Meadowsweet Place in Red Kite Meadows, Flitwick are almost ready, and we’ll soon be welcoming future residents to view their new homes.
Viewings will begin shortly, with applicants currently being approved and homes being allocated. The first residents are expected to move in from the end of March and throughout April.
There has already been a lot of local interest in the development, and we are looking forward to meeting applicants and their families when they visit the show flat and see the completed apartments.
Meadowsweet Place, Flitwick
To arrange a viewing, please email:
accommodationservices@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
If you are interested in applying for a home, you can contact the Housing Demand Team on 0300 300 5080 or email housing.register@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
Apply for housing or the Housing Register on our website.
If you need any help with your application, please get in touch and we will be happy to support you.
Working together to improve the school run at St Vincent’s, Houghton Regis
Helping keep children safe and protecting green spaces near the school
If you have children who go to St Vincent’s Primary Academy, you may have seen that new fencing has been installed outside to protect a grass verge that had been badly damaged during the school run.
During busy drop-off and pick-up times, cars had been driving and parking on the grass, leaving deep ruts and churning up the ground. As well as looking untidy, this can make it less safe for children and families walking to school.
Our Estates Surveyor visited during the morning school run to see the situation first-hand, and a Community Safety officer also attended the following day. After speaking with residents and drivers, we worked with colleagues in Highways to find the best solution, and now our team has installed fencing along the verge to stop vehicles driving onto the grass while helping keep the area safer.
Highways colleagues are also planning to refresh faded signage and road markings outside the school, so they are much clearer for drivers during the busy school run. These will be added to the line marking programme for the next financial year.
Later this year we’ll be working with the headteacher and pupils to plant daffodils along the verge, helping to restore the space and brighten up the street for everyone.
Other opportunities to talk to us!
Upcoming events for our tenants - get involved!
We really value opportunities to keep in touch with our tenants, and our drop-in sessions are a simple way to do just that. They’re informal, welcoming sessions where you can speak directly with members of the housing team about anything on your mind.
If you’ve got a query about your home, would like some guidance, or simply want to check in with us, please feel free to come along. There’s no need to book - just drop by at a time that suits you and we’ll be happy to help.
We hope to see you at one of the upcoming sessions and look forward to catching up with you. Find a full list of dates and events on our website.
Tuesday 24 March from 11am to midday
Coffee meeting, All Saints View, Sapphire Place, Houghton Regis, LU6 5LG
Friday 27 March from 10am to midday
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
Wednesday 1 April from 9am to 11am
Housing Information Hub, The Dunstable Centre, Dunstable, LU5 4JD
Tuesday 7 April from 11am to midday
Chatty Cafe at Tactic, 17 Hockliffe Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1EZ
Tuesday 14 April from 10:30am to 12:30pm
Housing Information Hub, Houghton Regis Library, Bedford Square, Houghton Regis, LU5 5ES
Tuesday 28 April from 9am to 11am
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
Monday 11 May from 11:30am to 1:30pm
Housing Information Hub, The Dunstable Centre, Dunstable, LU5 4JD
Wednesday 20 May from 9am to 11am
Housing Information Hub, Houghton Regis Library, Bedford Square, Houghton Regis, LU5 5ES
Thursday 28 May from 3pm to 5pm
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
100% compliance with Housing Ombudsman complaint response times
How we are responding to resident concerns and improving services
Effective complaint handling is a vital part of delivering a safe, responsive, and accountable housing service.
Complaints often relate to issues that directly affect people’s daily lives such as repairs, damp and mould or neighbourhood concerns. Handling these concerns well helps us to resolve problems quickly, maintain trust with residents, and continuously improve our services.
In social housing, complaint handling operates within strict regulatory expectations. The Housing Ombudsman sets clear standards for landlord complaint management and response times. Compared with other sectors such as retail or banking, where complaints can take several weeks or months to resolve the response times in social housing are deliberately short.
We achieved 100% compliance with Housing Ombudsman response times in February 2026 for all complaint stages. Against a backdrop of rising national complaint volumes, this reflects our firm commitment to fixing issues promptly and holding ourselves accountable to our residents.
Managing complaints well is not only about compliance with regulatory requirements it is about providing a fair, transparent, and responsive service to the people who live in our homes.
For more information on our complaint handling performance and the key learnings from complaints please visit our housing feedback webpage.
Share your views with us!
Help us continue to improve our housing service
We want to make sure you can contact us in the way that works best for you, and your views are essential to this process.
Take our short survey and tell us how you prefer to communicate. Whether you're happy with how things are now, or you think we could do better, we want to hear from you. Take part in the survey.
We’re always looking for ways to improve, but we can’t fix what we don’t know about. Your feedback helps us make things better for everyone.
Comments, compliments, complaints and service requests
Having your voice heard and providing your feedback is valuable to us. There are lots of ways that you can have your say about our housing service.
Comments
Often people want to suggest improvements to services. If you make a suggestion, we will record this as a comment.
Compliments
If you tell us about a service that has been good or a member of staff who has been helpful, we will record this as a compliment and share your praise with those involved.
Service requests
A service request is a request by you for us to take action to put something right. Service requests are not complaints, but we record them, monitor, and review them for learning and improvements. If we consider the issue raised to be a service request, we will ask the relevant team to reply to you directly.
Complaints
You can complain if you are affected by the way we provide services. Common examples of complaints are delay; poor record keeping; failure to act; failure to follow procedure or the law; poor communication; behaviour of our staff (also called officers); or giving out misleading information.
You can provide any of the above feedback by contacting Housing.Feedback@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or completing this online form.