What fate for Maulden Woods?

Forestry Commission land for sale: comment by 21 April

Government's rural affairs department, Defra opened a consultation yesterday about the future ownership and management of the public forest estate in England – land managed by the Forestry Commission on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. A copy of the consultation document is available through the DEFRA website (www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/index.htm) and the Forestry Commission website (www.forestry.gov.uk/england-pfe-consultation)

It sets out the rationale for a move away from the Government owning and managing significant areas of woodlands in England and the principles which will guide the Government in deciding the way forward. The consultation proposes a mixed model approach to reforming the ownership and management of the public forest estate to create a far greater role for civil society, businesses and individuals.

They invite views on the mixed model approach, the criteria for deciding which parts of the estate fit within each model, the principles guiding each model, the safeguards for providing public benefits, and alternative approaches. They also invite views on the implications for the future role of the Forestry Commission in England.

Ministers have previously announced that a further 40,000 hectares would be sold over the four years period 2011/12 to 2014/15. The sales criteria for the 2011/12 period are also published now. More information on these sales can be found at:
www.forestry.gov.uk/england-woodlandsales

This consultation will be of interest to individuals, communities, businesses and others working or using the public forest estate. It will also be of interest to potential investors and the partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

It has been prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks and will close on 21st April 2011 and includes:
* Consultation letter (PDF 120 KB)
* Consultation document (PDF 380 KB)
* List of consultees (PDF 30 KB)
* Map (PDF 2.7 MB, large file size)
* Impact Assessment (PDF 1 MB)
* Equality Impact Assessment (PDF 300 KB)
* Sales criteria (PDF 200 KB)

How to respond

Name: Public Forest Estate - Consultation co-ordinator

Address: Forestry Commission England, 620 Bristol Business Park, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1EJ

Email: publicconsultation@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

This is a joint Forestry Commission/Defra consultation and responses can either be submitted online or by post.

If you need this publication in an alternative format, for example in large print or in another language, please contact

The Diversity Team
Forestry Commission
Silvan House
231 Corstophine Road
Edinburgh
EH12 7AT

Telephone: 0131 314 6575
Email: diversity@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Help the police prioritise the pennies

Bedfordshire Police Authority needs to know what you think so that they can set the right priorities and invest in services that are important to you. By completing their 10-15 minute survey you are helping with this.

You may be aware that many areas of the public sector are being asked to make significant savings. Bedfordshire Police Authority will see its budget of £104m reduced by £19 million over the next four years. Most of the savings need to be found in the first two years, £6.3m in 2011/12 and an additional reduction of £5.6m in 2012/13.

Please click on link to an online survey that will take 10-15 minutes
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3P8SCX6

Unfortunately they only wrote out on 11 January and the completion date for the survey was Monday 24th January 2011, but I have been assured that the results will feed into a seminar of Police Authority Members at the end of January and a Police Authority Meeting in late February. Also, any comments left after February will still be of value as the Police Authority will start work on budget issues for 2012/13 in April.

Any residents who would like to complete the survey but do not have access to the internet can obtain a paper copy from Sam, see below. Police Authority Members will also be attending some of the ‘Let’s Talk Together’ meetings that are taking place across Central Bedfordshire every quarter.


Sam Orcheston-Findlay
Community Engagement Officer
Bedfordshire Police Authority
Woburn Road
Kempston
Bedfordshire

01234 842208

Books on wheels: are you being served?

Both Streatley and now Sundon Parish Councils have asked for support in saving their mobile libraries; neither have said how many people rely on this service, only that some people do and the alternatives of getting into Barton-le-Clay or Luton are not feasible for those people.

The outgoing chair of Streatley PC, Geoffrey Farr, spoke at their last meeting of his willingness to be a voluntary driver for a new initiative being set up there a la Big Society to drive people to local places for such things as medical appointments. I suspect the need to visit a library would be eligible for such trips if the mobile library is axed.

I'm trying to find out how much the mobile library is used in the various areas in Central Beds and how vital it is to the lives of those who use it; how much it costs and whether one person runs each van or if it is over-staffed?

Some people with longer experience of local politics than me say it is the seasoned middle-brow campaigners who fight for such things, not those who use the service. I'm all ears to hear your views about what you value.

Local Transport Plan 3 - have your say

Want the footpath between Sharpenhoe and Barton-le-Clay finishing? Want the car parking provision improved near your shops? Write in now before 11 February to have your say.

Central Bedfordshire Council is asking residents for their views on a draft Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3), mapping provision over the next 15 years, which is available online.

The plan outlines a long term framework for investment in roads, railways, buses and car parking as well as looking at accommodating cyclists and pedestrians across the whole of Central Bedfordshire. The council is also working with surrounding authorities such as Luton, Bedford, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes, to ensure that all journeys across the borders are looked at within the plan.

Central Beds Council is now asking for further comments about the draft document which will be presented to Executive on February 15 before being formally adopted in April.

LTP3 also contains a shorter term implementation plan which will be updated on an annual basis, as well as a programme of schemes to be delivered over a three year period.

The draft LTP3 is available to view online at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/policy/LTP/what-it-says.aspx and in hard copies at Central Bedfordshire Council's customer service centres and all libraries including the mobile library. The deadline for comments is Friday 11 February.

National parks: assets for sweating

The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, Defra, is inviting views on the governance of the 10 English national parks and the Broads, which are assets being considered for sweating by the government.

Fair do, you may think, since everything is being looked at, but we leave such matters to those in Whitehall and Westminster at our peril. These glorious beauty spots are our national heritage and we owe it to generations to come to assure their survival in pristine form.

I’m pleased to read that the proposal is to retain an independent National Park Authority (NPA) for each of the national parks and the Broads. Good governance of national parks is essential. The current governance system ensures local input via the local authority (LA) appointee route and the parish council (PC) appointee route and should be maintained subject to improvement.

I offer four suggestions for improvement of the governance process:

1. Insist that the PC appointee must have been elected onto the PC, to ensure the appointee has a real mandate from people living within the local area.

2. Remove the cap on the length of time the LA appointee may serve on the NPA, making it equivalent to the system for PC appointees and allow prolonged access to local expertise.

3. Make the draft advertisement for national members available on the Defra website to invite ideas for improvement and maximise confidence in the appointment process.

4. Oblige declarations of interest at the outset and at regular intervals not only by those on the governing bodies of the NPAs, but also by the officials working at the NPAs.

I appreciate that this last is a new departure, but it is one that would demonstrate openness and would address in part the fear picked up in media coverage that England may sell off some of these natural assets to help with the nation’s current fiscal difficulties, without due care and consideration for the longer term implications for our national heritage. Those involved in this work need to show at all times that they remain squeaky clean and are not benefiting in any way from any subsequent sale or change of status of the assets in question.

Good governance is vital and your views are sought now, by 31 January, on this by Jeff Coast, follow link http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/nationalpark-governance/index.htm

I've already given my views as a hiker, cyclist and YHA family member, and am keen to hear the views of constituents so I may also submit views as a Councillor; please pop into my surgery at Barton library on Saturday 8th or let me have your views by 21 January on tel: 0300 300 8550 or janet.nunn@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk