Bellcote Meadow - Maintenance and development.
Burials. The cemetery is jointly run with Campton & Chicksands Parish Council
Bus shelters - Provision and maintenance.
Car Park, Old Station Way - Supervision and maintenance.
Car Parking, Town Centre Area - Supervision and control.
Children’s play areas - The Meads, Midland Close, Bellcote Meadow etc. etc.
Complaints from residents about services, facilities or even other residents.
Crime prevention initiatives.
Financial contributions to other authorities and groups.
Footpaths and bridleways maintenance.
Grass cutting - Some grass is owned by the council and some is adopted
Liaison with Police and Fire Authorities.
Planning applications - power to comment, not decide.
Precept for the council’s budget to provide services for the community.
Pressuring other authorities to carry out works in the community E.G. Potholes
Public open spaces - provision and development.
Public Play spaces - Provision and maintenance.
Public seating - Provision and maintenance.
Publications - NEWSLINE.
School Governors.
Section 137 Powers - to spend money on anything for the benefit of residents
Signs - Street, Facility, Advertisements (via Planning Committee.)
Street lighting.
Street Naming.
The Meads - development.
Town meeting room - administration.
Trees.
War Memorial.
Waterside - grass and river banks.
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No fewer than three tiers of Local Government serve the town of Shefford. This can at times lead to confusion. Local residents are understandably unsure which authority they should contact when the need arises, so we will try to set out a simple outline of the services each authority provides.
First there is Bedfordshire County Council, with it’s headquarters at County Hall, Bedford (Tel. 01234 363222), at present providing services for the whole of the County.
The County is divided five Districts and Boroughs. Shefford is in Mid Bedfordshire District (MBDC). With offices in Ampthill (12 Dunstable Street - Tel. 01525 402041 & 406464) and in Biggleswade (23 London Road - Tel. 01767 313137).
Finally of course there is Shefford Town Council. (Town Mayor Tel. 01462 628860). mayor@sheffordtown.co.uk. The Office of the Town Clerk is at Shefford Town Council, PO Box 39, Shefford, Beds SG17 5XN (Tel. 01462 816321). towncouncil@sheffordtown.co.uk
The County Council is responsible for:-
- State education throughout Bedfordshire, for schools, nursery education, colleges, student grants and the County Youth Service.
- The Social Services Department and its extensive responsibilities - day centres, community homes for children, day nurseries and family centres, homes for adults with learning difficulties, homes for the elderly, and social centres.
- The County Council also deals with Environmental and Economic Development, Highways and footpaths in all their many aspects, from planning and construction down to the provision of school crossing patrols.
- Two very important County services are the Police and Fire and Rescue Services.
- The County Council also provides the Trading Standards Service, County Records Office and the County Library Service.
The Mid Bedfordshire District Council provides a comprehensive number of services.
- Housing, planning, refuse and litter collection, council tax collection, environmental health, building control, leisure development, licensing and many other responsibilities rest with MBDC.
- They also deal with such things as abandoned cars, promote the arts, issue bus passes, provide the dog warden, organise elections and electoral registration, grass cutting, pest control etc.
Townspeople unsure as to which service is provided by each authority will find the pages in the local telephone directory helpful. Both the Authorities mentioned above have very comprehensive web sites. It is possible to spend several hours ‘surfing’ through their content.
In comparison with the 'big boys' at County and District level, the Town Council may at first glance appear to be less powerful. It certainly spends less money each year, but a strong case can be made to show that local residents get full value for that small part of their Council Tax that goes to meet the Town Councils expenditure.
As it is at grass roots level, your Town Council can consult and listen to public opinion. The Town Council in Shefford is non political, therefore it is not likely to be swayed by pressures from ‘the party line’. All our members actually live in Shefford so we can express a truly ‘local view’. The view and thoughts of the council can then be passed to other councils, public utilities or national bodies. This is particularly so when it is consulted on planning matters, highways and street lighting.
Among the other concerns and responsibilities of the Town Council are public open spaces, public footpaths and bridleways, burials, bus shelters, street naming, children’s play areas, the ‘Town Meadow’ car park, roadside seats, trees, the publication of News Line and the provision of the Town Meeting Room.
This is just small sample of the activities of the Town Council. The most important aspect of the Town Councils work and where it can be most effective is to perceive the needs of the local community and do its utmost to ensure that the town of Shefford is given a fair ‘crack of the whip’.
If you would like to see your Council at work please come to one of our monthly Full Council meetings held on the last Friday of each month. You will be able to have ‘your say’ during our Public Question time.
Other pages on this site deal with the work of the committees of this Council in greater detail. There are also the minutes of the last Full Council Meeting and any Special or Town Meetings.
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