Housing Matters – May 2026
Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Read the May 2026 edition of Housing Matters.
Landlord Assurance Board visits Oakley Green
Board members saw how work in Oakley Green is helping to improve shared spaces for residents.
Tenant members of our Landlord Assurance Board recently visited Oakley Green in Leighton Buzzard to see first-hand some of the work our Neighbourhood Operations team has been carrying out in the area.
During the visit, board members looked at the new bin stores and improved signage we have introduced to help residents recycle more easily and reduce fly-tipping. They also heard about new approaches to cleaning communal areas and saw improvements that have been made to outdoor spaces.
The visit also gave members the chance to hear more about the work we are doing to tackle dog fouling and encourage everyone to help keep shared areas clean and pleasant for all residents.
Our Landlord Assurance Board is made up of tenants, councillors and senior housing staff who work together to help improve our housing services. Board members review performance, ask questions and help make sure residents’ views are heard when decisions are made.
Visits like this help board members see our services in action and better understand the work taking place in neighbourhoods across Central Bedfordshire.
Watch the video above to find out more about the visit to Oakley Green.
What did the members of the Landlord Assurance Board think of the visit?
I've found it really ueful to be out and about learning more about the improvements the Council have made, and having that behind the scenes knowledge. It's been great to see the passion that the team has and how they're pushing for changes that will make a difference long term.
People don't believe that the Council improves the areas where they live, and from today I can see that they do... now I can tell people about these changes that have been made and the work that's been done, even though it might be a slow process. Meeting the team will help build a rapport and help us make change.
Find out more about the Landlord Assurance Board.
Enjoy summer safely in shared spaces
Please help keep communal areas safe this summer
As summer approaches, we know many children and families will be spending more time outdoors making the most of the warmer weather. However, it's really important that anything that is used during the day is cleared and safely put away at night.
Items left in communal indoor or outdoor areas may be removed. This includes paddling pools, swings, playhouses and trampolines, although this is not a full list.
Leaving play equipment or paddling pools in shared areas can create a safety risk for other residents, especially young children. Putting items away after use helps keep communal spaces safe for everyone.
Summer is also a great time for outdoor meals and barbecues. We are happy for residents to enjoy BBQs responsibly, but all items used for cooking or dining outside, including BBQs, tables and chairs, must be cleared away afterwards.
If you are using a disposable BBQ, please place it on bricks or paving slabs and never directly on grass, decking or outdoor furniture. Keep it well away from fences, sheds and anything that could catch fire.
Disposable BBQs can stay hot for a long time and may damage grass or surfaces underneath them. Please never leave a BBQ unattended, and make sure it is fully extinguished once cooking has finished and fully cooled before disposing of it safely.
Thank you for helping us keep our communities safe, tidy and enjoyable for everyone this summer.
Join us at our upcoming Community CleanUP Days
Help us keep our neighbourhoods clean, safe and welcoming for everyone
Following the success of our recent CleanUP Days in Spoondell and the Downside estate, our Neighbourhood Operations Team will soon be holding two more community clean-up events in Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard.
These events are part of our ongoing work to improve shared spaces around our homes and support you to feel proud of where you live. They also give you the chance to speak with our teams, raise concerns and work together to make a positive difference in their neighbourhoods.
During the events, teams will be carrying out clean-up work across the estates, tackling issues such as fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling, while also sharing advice and support around waste disposal and looking after communal areas.
Upcoming CleanUP Days:
- Wednesday 27 May 2026 from 10am to 1pm, Parkside Drive, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5RT
- Friday 29 May 2026 from 10am to 1pm, Meadow Way, Leighton Buzzard, LU7
If you live nearby, please come along and get involved! Whether it’s taking part in litter picking, speaking with staff or simply finding out more about the work happening in the area, every little bit helps.
By working together, we can help create cleaner, greener and more welcoming neighbourhoods for everyone.
Your voice can make a difference
There are lots of ways to get involved and help shape our housing services and neighbourhoods
Earlier in this issue, we shared how members of our Landlord Assurance Board visited Oakley Green to see first-hand some of the work taking place in the neighbourhood. It’s just one example of how residents can help influence and improve our housing services.
Getting involved is a chance to have your say about the things that matter to you; from repairs and cleaning to neighbourhood improvements and the services we provide every day. The feedback, ideas and experiences shared by tenants and leaseholders help us understand what’s working well and where we can do better.
You do not need special experience or lots of spare time to get involved. Whether you can spare five minutes for a survey or would like to take part in regular meetings and groups, there are different ways to take part depending on what suits you.
You could:
- complete surveys and share your views
- join one-off workshops or focus groups
- help review services and policies
- take part in resident panels and meetings
- join our Landlord Assurance Board
By getting involved, you can help shape decisions, improve services for residents and make sure tenants’ voices are heard.
We’ll provide support and guidance, and we want involvement to be open to everyone.
Find out more about how to become a more involved tenant.
Update on our Housing One portal
Our new online housing portal is coming soon and will make it easier to manage your tenancy online
We have been sharing plans for Housing One, our new online customer portal designed to make it quicker and easier for you to manage your tenancy and access housing services online.
Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing some delays to the launch while we continue testing final improvements to the system, to make sure everything works smoothly and reliably from day one. The supplier has been working to repair connectivity issues they have encountered. These are impacting the speed of pages refreshing. Following the supplier's repair, further end user testing will be required. The delayed launch is planned for 31 August 2026.
Although we know many residents are keen to start using Housing One, it is important that we take the time to make sure the system works well and provides the best possible experience for tenants from day one.
Once launched, Housing One will give you secure online access to a range of housing services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means you will be able to manage important tasks at a time that suits you, without needing to wait for office hours.
Using Housing One, you will be able to:
- pay your rent online and keep track of payments
- report and track repairs
- report tenancy issues, including anti-social behaviour
- access your tenancy information in one place
Housing One is a major improvement to our current system, which has been in place for around 10 years and does not offer the same self-service options for tenants. The new portal has been designed with the future in mind, so we can continue improving and adding services over time.
We will continue to keep residents updated ahead of the launch, including details about how to register and start using the portal.
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. View a full list of dates and events.
Thursday 28 May from 3pm to 5pm
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
Friday 29 May from 11am to midday
Coffee meeting, Gale Court, Hexton Road, Barton Le Clay, MK45 4LH
Tuesday 2 June from 11am to midday
Chatty Cafe at Tactic, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1EZ
Tuesday 2 June from 11am to midday
Coffee meeting at All Saints View, Sapphire Place, Houghton Regis, LU6 5LG
Wednesday 10 June from 2pm to 3pm
Coffee meeting at Furness Avenue, Communal Room, Dunstable, LU6 3BN
Tuesday 16 June from 3pm to 5pm
Housing Information Hub, Houghton Regis Library, Bedford Square, Houghton Regis, LU5 5ES
Thursday 24 June from midday to 2pm
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
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 you can contact us online.