Shefford Town Council

The Shefford Community Safety Group (SCSG) recently arranged the supply and distribution of 'Wheelie bin' stickers encouraging drivers to slow down.
There are still a few left if anybody needs more for the collection of bins that we now have to dispose of our waste in. Funding for the stickers came from Police and Mid Beds Community Safety Group grants.
The SCSG also arranged to have traffic speed and volume checks carried out on the main roads into town. The initial figures show a large number of drivers exceeding the speed limit. They also show a sizable increase in the number of vehicles using the roads in our town. The Police will give us a full presentation at the February meeting of the SCSG.
The Town Council and SCSG get numerous complaints from residents about the anti social behaviour of some of the younger members of our community.
Police records of 'Nuisance Youths' show that we have two or three areas that suffer from repeated incidents. There are two big problems with Nuisance Youth type incidents. the first is that any group of young people can be perceived to be a threat when really they are going about their business quite lawfully, if a little noisily. The second is that it would appear from the comments and complaints we receive that not all of the incidents are reported to the Police. I know that during busy times it will take an officer some time to respond. I know that you may be afraid of reprisals. The important thing to remember is that if you don't report incidents, the Police will not be aware of any problems. If you report incidents, a picture can be formed showing just how bad the problem of anti-social behaviour really is and where it occurs most often.
The Town Council and SCSG are working with County and District Youth Service workers to provide 'diversionary' facilities for our young people.
We are also looking for volunteers to help with various projects involving young people. (Contact the Town Clerk on 01462 816321)

	Shefford Town Council

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Mayors Mutterings New Chain of Office
One of our Councillors and his wife has very generously purchased a new chain of office and pendant to be worn by the holder of the post of Mayor. The Councillor and his wife wish to remain anonymous at present, they will of course be named at the 'Handing Over Ceremony' in a few weeks time. The chain and pendant are finished in silver gilt. The pendant is adorned with the town crest in full colour.

Trophies for the Community
The same Councillor and his wife have also purchased three silver cups to be awarded annually to members of the community of Shefford. There is are cups for the male and female resident of Shefford who is judged to have carried out works or deeds that have benefited the community during the preceding year. There is also a cup for the winner of a beauty pageant called 'The Beauty of Shefford'. It is planned to hold the pageant in conjunction with the Summer Fayre.

Carnival Parade and Beauty Queen
The Town Council will be sponsoring the Carnival Parade again this year, with the added attraction of The Beauty of Shefford pageant. We welcome anybody who has a few hours to spare to help with the setting up of the parade. (Contact the Town Clerk on 01462 816321) We also need lots of floats. We have not decided on a theme yet but as the Fayre will be on the anniversary of VJ Day it is likely that an 'end of the war' theme could feature.

Community Safety Group
The Shefford Community Safety Group (SCSG) recently arranged the supply and distribution of 'Wheelie bin' stickers encouraging drivers to slow down. There are still a few left if anybody needs more for the collection of bins that we now have to dispose of our waste in. Funding for the stickers came from Police and Mid Beds Community Safety Group grants. The SCSG also arranged to have traffic speed and volume checks carried out on the main roads into town. The initial figures show a large number of drivers exceeding the speed limit. They also show a sizable increase in the number of vehicles using the roads in our town. The Police will give us a full presentation at the February meeting of the SCSG. The Town Council and SCSG get numerous complaints from residents about the anti social behaviour of some of the younger members of our community. Police records of 'Nuisance Youths' show that we have two or three areas that suffer from repeated incidents. There are two big problems with Nuisance Youth type incidents. the first is that any group of young people can be perceived to be a threat when really they are going about their business quite lawfully, if a little noisily. The second is that it would appear from the comments and complaints we receive that not all of the incidents are reported to the Police. I know that during busy times it will take an officer some time to respond. I know that you may be afraid of reprisals. The important thing to remember is that if you don't report incidents, the Police will not be aware of any problems. If you report incidents, a picture can be formed showing just how bad the problem of anti-social behaviour really is and where it occurs most often. The Town Council and SCSG are working with County and District Youth Service workers to provide 'diversionary' facilities for our young people. We are also looking for volunteers to help with various projects involving young people. (Contact the Town Clerk on 01462 816321)

Town Plan
We will soon have the Shefford Town Plan ready to be printed. A considerable amount of work has gone into collecting ideas from members of the community about what you want, or don't want, to see developed in our town over the next few years. The Town Plan group had some seven hundred suggestions to sort through, covering all aspects of the town. Some want more shops, some less. Some want more jobs. Some want no more development. They had suggestions on just about any topic you could think off, and some you wouldn't think of. The result is a fine looking document that will be used to influence our community's development over the next few years.

Paul FJ Mackin Town Mayor

What is the Town Council Responsible For?
This is the subject that causes more confusion than anything else. Our community is subject to three levels of ‘local authority’, apart from the people in power in Westminster. Other pages on this site give a little more detail about the work of the Town Council. If you have any questions about who is responsible for any aspects of local government, just drop me an email and I will try to answer your questions. mayor@sheffordtown.co.uk.

Useful Links
	Bedfordshire County Council
	Mid Bedfordshire District Council
	Environment Agency