Building work has resumed at the former RAF site in Stanbridge after the site’s owner appointed a new contractor.

Catalyst Housing Association announced that it is working with construction company Stack London Ltd on its 175 home development on the site off Swales Drive.

Stack has already begun working on site, having completed the enabling works through January.

Main construction is due to begin in February and the project is expected to take two years to complete. The development will provide a mix of both apartments and houses for market sale, shared ownership and affordable rent.

Catalyst purchased the land in £14 million in 2013, however works were delayed in summer 2016 when previous contractors went into administration.

Stuart Want, development manager at Catalyst Housing, said, “Following on from the suspension of works over the summer, I am very happy to confirm that we will be working with Stack to finish the project at RAF Stanbridge.

“Once complete, the project will deliver much needed housing to Leighton Buzzard.”

Director of Stack Alex Miller said: “We are delighted to be working with Catalyst on this exciting project in Leighton Buzzard.

“We are experts in delivering high-quality housing and we are already making great progress in engaging the supply chain.”

You get two for the price of one with the celebrated CCR – the opinions of seasoned hackette Bev Creagh and flamboyant newshound Stewart Carr. Here they share their views on The Red Shoes, at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday February 18.

CREAGH SAYS ... Every time I hear there’s a new Matthew Bourne ballet in the making, I wonder if he’ll be able to match or even better his last creation. And every time – thrillingly, awesomely, indubitably – he does.

The man who was knighted for his services to dance in 2015 is a genius and The Red Shoes a dazzling triumph.

If I only ever saw one show in my whole life again, this would be it. For it has sublime dancing from a stellar company, humour, pathos and heartbreak as well as stylish costumes, a stunning set and the haunting music of Bernard Herrmann.

It’s a ballet within a ballet, the story of aspiring ballerina Victoria Page and the tragic choice she has to make between the career she lusts after and the man she loves.

There is so much attention to detail, it’s astonishing. Seventeen characters on stage and each one a cameo. Their movements so fluid, their expressions so perfectly capturing the atmosphere in rehearsal, on holiday and in front of an audience.

Australian Ashley Shaw as Victoria is a dream dancer. She combines perfect routines with raw emotion and is mesmerising to watch.

Sam Archer as impresario Boris Lermontov is a disdainful presence most of the time, ramrod straight but devastatingly dashing as he tries to persuade Victoria to ditch her boyfriend and return to the Ballet Lermontov.

Dominic North is so expressive as hapless musician Julian Craster that speech is unnecessary.

I also loved Liam Mower as Ivan Boleslawsky, the exceptionally camp primeur danseur and Daisy May Kemp commanded attention as the graceful Lady Neston.

They’re all professional to their fingertips but there’s also an inner joy at sharing their skills with one another and an audience that that didn’t want to let them go.

Highly recommended.

CARR SAYS ... Ballet lover or not, the stunning visuals of The Red Shoes will ignite the interest of even the biggest sceptic.

This is the third ballet by Sir Matthew Bourne that I’ve been lucky enough to see and I have to say that it was my favourite.

Everything about it, the 1940s costumes, gilded sets, and old picture show lighting, harken back to an age of Golden Hollywood. It has glitz and glamour that’s irresistable to the eye.

But enough about looks.

The Red Shoes is a ballet that I thought would be lusty and erotic, but it was quite the opposite. While there were romantic moments of dancing under the moonlight, its essence is dark and brooding. We see the convoluted love triangle between star Victoria (Ashley Shaw) and her lovers Boris Lermontov (Sam Archer) and Julian Craster (Dominic North).

I will admit that because this is a story about a ballet performer, I often wasn’t sure which reality was the truth but I was constantly engaged nevertheless.

Truly engrossing, absolutely 10/10.

See here for tickets.

A prospective new home buyer is asking locals to boycott purchasing properties on Persimmon’s Lake View development because he claims the company is profiteering.

The man, who we agreed not to name as he is in midst of negotiations with Persimmon, is furious that the firm own the freehold to the site, but are selling all the properties as leasehold.

This means the house is owned for a fixed term and the land on which the property stands is not owned outright by the purchaser who can then be charged a ground rent.

And his MP, Andrew Selous, backs his concerns and says Persimmon’s approach “stinks”.

The man, who is due to complete on his purchase in the coming week, said: “The issue is the leasehold tenure, so we are pushing to get them to convert the entire development to freehold not just our property.

“There is absolutely no reason for them to be sold as leasehold – apart from making a small fortune by selling the freehold to investment firms.

“It’s an outrageous example of a money grabbing scheme, robbing hardworking people of their money in order to line their corporate back pockets”.

He said home owners at Lake View would have to pay:

> £150 per year ground rent fees payable to Persimmon Homes or whoever buys the freehold in the future

> £131 per year service fees for the maintenance of the development’s roads and landscape.

> £50 towards the lake which, he said, would potentially benefit the entire town.

He said: “This means total annual costs of £331 per household for a property which has no need to be sold as leasehold, other than to financially benefit Persimmon.”

When the man first reserved his property he questioned the leasehold approach and says he was told it was “what most developers do now”.

However, having done some further research he added: “It now appears that there are some loopholes in legislation, which allows developers to build leasehold and sell on the freehold. In many cases this has meant the owners simply can’t afford to buy the freehold, are tied in to increased ground rent charges, and left unable to sell their homes as people won’t buy due to the ground rent.

“I want to raise awareness of this scandal and ask locals to boycott buying the homes at Lake View until Persimmon reverse their plans to sell them freehold. We hope they may do this if sales dry up.”

Mr Selous said he would be looking to raise the matter in the House of Commons next week. He said: “I feel really strongly on this and am really upset and completely agree with what he is saying.

“This stinks and I will do everything I can to shine a spotlight on this. People who want to buy a freehold should be able to do so, there is no reason they should be leasehold.

“The ground rent could increase year on year, they are trying to find another revenue stream to rip people off.

“It should be such an exciting thing when you buy a new home. It is something absolutely I will focuse on and raise with ministers. We want to make sure other developers don’t go down this route too.”

A spokesman for Persimmon Homes Midlands said: “Persimmon, together with many UK developers, sells a mixture of both leasehold and freehold properties. All flats sold in England are leasehold.

“All current Persimmon leasehold houses carry an extremely long 999 year lease and customers are informed at purchase what type of property they are buying.

“The ground rent is fixed for 10 years at £150 per annum and increases by RPI after this time periodically.”

What’s your view on the leasehold situation? Are you affected too? Email news@lbobserver.co.uk

Government and National Health Service bosses must plug a multi-billion pound funding gap in the NHS budget.

Following explosive reports this week on the plans that could alter the course of the NHS in England, we’ve summarised everything you need to know about the crisis facing our NHS.

Street Watch, a volunteer-led initiative, is set to launch in Leighton Buzzard on Saturday (18 February), and residents are invited to meet volunteers from the group and officers from Bedfordshire Police.

The Leighton Buzzard Street Watch group is made up of 16 volunteers, and will officially launch in the town on Saturday.

After a launch event in the morning, which will be attended by senior police officers and a representative from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the volunteers will make their way into Leighton Buzzard to meet local residents and promote the scheme.

Street Watch enables local residents to promote good citizenship, provide visible reassurance and appropriately engage in local issues that matter most to their communities.

Volunteers are asked to commit two hours a month to patrol their communities, are offered a number of comprehensive training packages before they start, and wear high-visibility vests and carry identification.

Juliet Wright, who is the force’s Street Watch Co-ordinator, said: “Street Watch is a national scheme which Bedfordshire has embraced wholeheartedly. Street Watch is not a replacement for a policing presence in any area; members work closely with the force to encourage information sharing and partnership working, and the scheme allows us to work more closely with our communities.

“Officers and Specials from the force will be out and about in the town centre on Saturday with our new Street Watch volunteers, ready to meet as many people from Leighton Buzzard as we can. Everyone is welcome to come and meet us and find out more about how Street Watch works.”

Including the new group in Leighton Buzzard there are currently 13 Street Watch groups across the county, with another due to launch in Haynes within the next month.

Leighton Buzzard’s refurbished Tidy Tip now allows residents to recycle a wider range of materials.

The tip reopened at the end of January after six-month revamp, and here’s exactly can you reycle now?

Glass bottles and jars, cardboard, green garden waste, wood, newspaper and paper, aluminium cans, textiles & shoes, scrap metal, white electrical goods, household furniture (beds, mattresses, wardrobes, chest of drawers, etc), car and household batteries, light bulbs, used engine and cooking oil, gas cylinders, paint, fridges and freezers (waste permit needed), tyres (waste permit needed), mixed recycling, DIY waste, books and CDs, carpets.

A spokesman for Central Beds Council said: “We are also looking into the possibility of collecting other materials where there is demand for them. Similarly, some items on the above list may be dependant on uptake, so for example ‘hard plastics’ may be given its own container but if it wasn’t used very frequently by the public then it may be swapped to something else the following month.”

Following the £1.45m changes, which included dealing with subsidence issues, the tip now features larger containers which can take a greater volume of recycling.

> Shenley Hill Road is currently closed until the end of the weekend (February 19) which could affect access to the tidy tip.

However, the tidy tip can be accessed from the Vandyke Road / Mile Tree Road end.

Two men have been charged with drugs offences after a raid by police officers on a property in Luton yesterday (Thursday, February 16).

Officers from Bedfordshire Police carried out a warrant in Kingsway and found a large quantity of Class A drugs and thousands of pounds of cash.

Two men were subsequently arrested and charged.

Tahir Abass, 33, and Asim Hussain, 30, both of Kingsway, Luton, were both charged with possession of a Class A drug and one count of acquiring, using or possessing criminal property.

They appeared before Luton Magistrates’ Court this afternoon (Friday, February 17) where they were both remanded pending further court appearances.

A brave girl with Down’s Syndrome who cheated death has inspired a family friend to run the London Marathon for her special charity.

Ella Turner, four, who lives near Heath Road, Leighton Buzzard, was born with two holes in her heart, meaning she needed surgery at just four-and-a-half months old in order to breathe and pump blood properly.

Her mum, Anne-Marie Turner, 35, found out whilst she was still pregnant that Ella would need surgery, her tiny daughter ending up in hospital several times before the operation because she had choked on her bottle formula due to difficulties breathing.

The family’s lifeline was the charity Down’s Heart Group, a support who explained the link between Down’s Syndrome and heart conditions, and whom family friend Suzie Trew Foster, 40, will be running for in tribute.

Anne-Marie said: “Ella was blue lighted at two-and-a-half months old which was the worst experience ever.

“She needed bottle milk, which meant that sometimes she would choke, struggling to breathe. On this particular day, Ella choked, but for some reason this time her breath didn’t come back.

“Her eyes started bulging, her lips went blue and her skin went mottled. It was horrible.”

Ella was rushed to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, staying for a few days to recover.

Around 50% of children with Down’s Syndrome are born with heart conditions, so Anne-Marie had an internal scan whilst pregnant, doctors believing unborn Ella had holes within her central wall.

She said: “After birth, Ella was actively in heart failure at two months. You immediately think of whirling machines, but it means her heart wasn’t working as it should be.”

Luckily, thanks to an internet search, Anne-Marie had found Down’s Heart Group, admitting: “If I hadn’t had the charity, I am not sure I would have been able to get through.

“Penny Green, who runs it, is amazing and would visit after Ella was born. She explained things in layman’s terms and supported me emotionally, even offering to come to appointments with us.”

At Great Ormond Street Hospital, surgeons closed up the holes using gauzes, one for the big hole at the bottom of Ella’s heart, and one for the small hole at the top. Surgery, successful, Ella is no longer in heart failure, flourishing at Heathwood Lower School.

Anne-Marie said: “Ella has two birthdays! One on April 2 for her birth, and one on August 16 to celebrate her operation, the day she started living properly. Her big sister decorates a heart cake and last summer we visited Florida.

“Ella was a ghost of a child. Her every breath used to be a marathon – and now Suzie is running a marathon for us. I am so blessed that she’s chosen Down’s Heart Group!”

Suzie, of Heath Green, Heath and Reach, said: “Ella is a beautiful little girl and Anne-Marie recommended the charity. On marathon day, I am hoping that Anne-Marie and Ella, as well as my partner Mark and our twins Emily and Jack (eight), will come and watch. I’m also getting Ella’s face printed on my t-shirt!”

To donate, visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SuzieTrewFoster

A man has been charged with a number of offences following several incidents in Leighton Buzzard yesterday (Thursday, February 16) in which young girls were reported to have been assaulted.

The force’s Emerald team investigated the reports and Stuart Land, 38, of no fixed address, was charged today (Friday) with three counts of common assault, theft from a shop, criminal damage, indecent behaviour at a police station and failing to comply with a notification order.

He has appeared at Luton Magistrates’ Court this afternoon and has been remanded into custody pending a further court hearing.

The NHS must not be forced to rely on ‘nursing on the cheap’ as vacancies of fully-qualified staff mount and trainees on cheaper and quicker courses are brought in, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.

The number of people applying to be nurses has fallen by 23 per cent this year after the Government controversially axed a bursary scheme to support students through education in a bid to save £800m, while new figures have revealed a 90 per cent reduction in the number of EU nationals applying to work as nurses in British hospitals following the Brexit vote.

Just 101 nurses and midwives from other European nations joined the register to work here in December - a drop from 1,304 in July, the month immediately after the EU referendum.

RCN figures show there are already 24,000 unfilled nursing vacancies across the country.

Tom Sandford, director of the Royal College of Nursing in England, says he is concerned that the shortfalls will lead to a greater reliance on new ‘nursing associates’ being brought into the NHS in support roles for fully-qualified nurses.

The Department of Health is introducing 1,000 trainee nursing associates this year at 11 test sites, with a further 1,000 to follow later this year.

The RCN has warned the new staff ‘must not be used as substitutes for registered nurses’ and are monitoring their use at the test sites in places including London, Leeds and Manchester.

Mr Sandford said: “We are very worried they are going to be a nursing workforce on the cheap. We want to understand more about the training.

“It is endemic in the public sector.

“It is not just in nursing, in almost every area of public service they are looking for substitution cheaper labour.”

Mr Sandford said the RCN are now pushing for more details from health bosses on the intended use of nursing associates in the next few years as the NHS looks to plug a £22bn funding gap through the development of Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs).

Despite the concerns, NHS England say they are ‘confident’ they will be more NHS nurses in future.

A spokesman for NHS England said: “Reviewing all STP returns shows that the number of qualified nurses in hospitals, community services and primary care will in fact go up by 2020/21.

“It is wrong to expect they would reduce, and we are confident that a growing NHS will see more qualified nurses employed across England.”

But Mr Sandford said he is concerned whether the STP plans will be achievable without enough nurses and is calling on the Government to reinstate the bursary programme, as well as reassuring EU workers they are welcome to keep working in Britain.

“We need to know we have got enough nurses. In nursing we have a very significant problem.

“Applications are down 23 per cent for nursing training. We believe that is entirely down to the removal of bursaries.”

Mr Sandford said the lack of detail in many STPs, combined with the way they have been drawn up ‘has given the appearance of secrecy and a lack of transparency and openness’.

He added the Brexit process is also contributing to the uncertainty.

“We are massively down on EU nurses at the moment, There are just under 60,000 staff with an EU nationality working in the NHS at the moment, 22,000 or 23,000 are nurses. In some emergency departments, you will find an almost completely Portuguese workforce.

“But in December only 101 nurses applied to be registered in Britain.

“EU staff have just turned off from coming here. I’m very, very concerned that the Government sends a positive message that despite Brexit you are going to continue to work here if you want to work here.

“There needs to be a very reassuring statement from the Government about the future eligibility of EU staff.

“Everybody working in the NHS is doing an amazing job at the minute. If you look at the demands on the service, staff are flat out keeping the service going as best they can.”

“I’m concerned about the workforce plans at the minute.

“You can see nursing numbers falling off a cliff in relation to the EU and training.”

Mr Sandford said the RCN have been doing a huge amount of work trying to understand what the STPs will mean in practice.

He said the organisation welcomes the idea of planning for the future in principle, as well as the inclusion of local councils who are responsible for social care in the development of the proposals.

“The implications for local authorities are massive. The absence of social care is still the reason we have acute beds blocked in hospitals. Most local authorities have lost 40 per cent of their budgets in the last few years. We have a major problem in that area.”

But is concerned whether the principles behind them of improving the health service while cutting costs can actually become a reality.

“I think things could be achievable but it needs a lot more political will than we have at the moment.

“A lot of the plans are about creating healthier communities and that is laudable. But we are seeing health visitor posts disappear, school nurse posts disappearing.

“How are you going to create healthier communities who get the best take on the health of our children are going?

“The good bit is we are planning for five years time. That is really, really important to take a long-term view.

“But I can’t pretend I don’t have anxieties. Post-Brexit, how can anybody not have anxieties? We are putting our economy in a much more precarious position than it has been for several years.”

Guy Collis, health policy officer at Unison, has also raised concerns about the use of nursing associates and the use of non-clinical staff without training.

“If there are ways of expanding what they’re doing and taking on other roles, providing there was appropriate training, potentially depending on the way it was done, there might be something positive to be said.

“Our concern is that with some of those it’s going to be care on the cheap.

“We’ve seen this in particular with nursing staff, there’s suggestions they will be trying to use nursing associates.

“If they’re being used in place of registered nurses there’s a concern there it’s being driven by cost cutting, rather than any desire to improve the quality of services.”

Mr Collis said staffing in the NHS was close to crisis.

“We’ve already got, if not a staffing crisis, then certainly a shortage in a number of areas,’ he said.

“It’s discouraging students form taking on not just nursing but others because of the extra money they’re expected to be paying out.

“There’s still massive uncertainty from Brexit, there’s still the uncertainty from the right to remain for healthcare workers here already, let alone the migration the NHS depends on.”

He added: “There’s a big clampdown in the last couple of years trying to cut back on agency costs.

“There’s nothing wrong with that but we can’t blame hospitals for trying to fill gaps.

“The answer is proper staffing levels so they don’t they need to.”

GP numbers are heading for a ‘cliff edge’ as almost 40 per cent approach retirement in the next few years, it has been warned.

Plans for the reorganisation of the NHS to help save £22bn are putting a greater focus on general practices taking appointments currently done in hospitals - while GPs will focus on patients with the most-complex long-term illnesses and are less likely to see other patients with more minor ailments.

But there are fears the Government’s target of recruiting 5,000 more doctors to the profession by 2020 will not make up for the expected loss of many senior GPs going into retirement.

The recruitment target is part of the GP Forward View plans promising an extra £2.4bn for general practice, as well as an extra 5,000 support staff for surgeries by 2020.

But recent NHS figures have shown the number of GPs in the country dropped by almost 100 in the past year, down to 34,495 full-time equivalents in September 2016 compared to 34,592 the year before.

The Royal College of General Practitioners says frontline GPs ‘are already facing a severe crisis’.

And new analysis by the RCGP of the 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs), running parallel to the GP Forward View ambitions and being drawn up across the country to tackle the funding shortfall, has warned they contain a ‘paucity of solutions’ to tackle the workforce challenge.

It says that on average 39 per cent of GPs are aged over 50, ‘a large number of whom will become eligible for retirement between now and 2020/21’.

Up to 50 per cent of GPs are over 50 in places such as Lincolnshire, Somerset and Mid and South Essex.

“Many STPs recognise that there are current and future problems with workforce numbers, often showing awareness of the level of forthcoming retirements.

“Despite this, there is a paucity of solutions or strategy to address these concerns. In numerous instances, STPs indicate that they are intending to make a workforce plan, suggesting that work in this area is still at a very early stage.

“For example, the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent STP states that capacity and demand modelling will be completed by March 2017, while the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP has each area within the footprint developing a workforce strategy.

“Given the lack of strategy in many areas, there are concerns that lip service is being paid to problems.”

The RCGP report added it is concerned about the way in which STPs view GP numbers in future.

It said: “While a small number of STPs have done a significant amount to reflect the GP Forward View, others fail to mention it at all.

“Many STPs are driven by the need to tackle large acute sector deficits and a number treat general practice as a solution to the problems in secondary care without planning to adequately stabilise and support it.

“Most alarmingly, a number of STPs appear to plan for a reduction in the number of GPs, contrary to the vision of the GP Forward View and despite the planned movement of care into the community.”

Many of the STP documents lay out ambitions for GPs to focus their work on patients with the most complicated medical conditions while other medical staff such as pharmacists will deal with the majority of people currently coming through the doors of surgeries.

In South East London, health chiefs are forecasting a 25 per cent shortfall in GPs by 2020/21, requiring an extra 134 GPs and 82 nurses to be hired if the system is not changed.

One of the ways it intends to deal with is hiring lesser-qualified ‘care navigators’ and physician associates to deal with some patients.

Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, GP workforce lead for the British Medical Association and medical director of the Humberside Group of Local Medical Committees, said those plans go some way to dealing with the ‘reality’ of falling numbers in the GP profession in this country.

In Rotherham, the area where he works, more than one in three GPs are due to retire in the next five years.

He said: “We are facing the cliff edge of a significant proportion of GPs retiring in the next five to ten years.

“From 2009 to now, there are 3,500 fewer full-time equivalent GPs.

“The STPs are kind of acknowledging reality.

“The reality is the amount of work in General Practice has increased significantly in the last few years. The workload is going up and you need a workforce to deliver it.

“There are a section of patients who are living longer than ever before with more complex health needs and they really need time with the GP.

“There are other patients who also access General Practice not necessarily inappropriately but more because of convenience than a needs thing - the working person who wants to see their GP at 6.30pm because they have had a cold for 24 hours.

“It is about trying to plan these things that don’t need an expert in chronic health conditions.

“The reality is there are certain aspects that only a GP can do. You can’t replace a GP with two nurses and a pharmacist.”

The RCGP have also raised concerns about the ‘optimistic’ predictions made in the STPs about how savings will be achieved.

“It is undeniable that ‘do nothing’ deficits arising from the hospital sector are the key drivers of the action plans in most, if not all, STPs.

“The majority of STPs indicate that they will achieve balance or even a small surplus in 2020/21 by enacting their plans. Given the scale of the deficits, this seems optimistic.”

The report added one official in Hampshire has explained concerns ‘which could easily be applied to many other STPs’.

The RGCP ambassador says: “The STP is full of bold statements that savings will be made and various idealistic goals will be achieved, painting an idealistic picture without really explaining the details of how any of this will be achieved… The financial restrictions are colossal, and could only be achieved by a massive reduction (not extension) of services.

“From a general practice perspective, a real concern is that if the proposed savings are not made each year as projected, any money committed to supporting general practice will be at risk.”

The report adds: “Numerous STPs outline some intended spending in general practice. However, concerningly, where the purpose of the funding is explicit, these are almost exclusively intended to deliver new, discrete initiatives (often in support of the other elements of the healthcare system) rather than recognising that general practice is in crisis and needs funding to stabilise it before it can be required to deliver more.”

An NHS England spokesman said: “We are reversing the historic under investment in general practice with an extra £2.4bn a year by 2020/21 - a 14 per cent real-terms increase - and are on track to deliver more GP recruits than ever before.

“The GP Forward View’s initiatives to further boost the workforce are now kicking in and we are supporting local areas to deliver their Sustainability and Transformation Plans, setting out how they will further ensure that strong general practice services remain central to the NHS.”

The future of a lake on the edge of Leighton’s Sandhills estate appears to have been finally resolved – and that could mean more roads in the area could soon become the responsibility of Central Beds Council.

The recreational lake - which filled in a crater at Pratt’s Quarry - was built by Arnold White Estates when they constructed the estate.

It was always intended that the responsibility for the lake would be handed over to Central Bedfordshire Council as a recreational facility, but negotiations stumbled over the amount of money that would be handed over to run the lake.

But now the LBO understands an agreement has been made, and that should soon lead to Anglian Water adopting the sewerage network from Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey, which in turn should result in Central Beds Council adopting the roads across the development.

Building of the estate began in the early 2000s, but despite 1,500 houses now being constructed, so far just three roads (Johnson Drive, Kestrel Way and Turnham Drive) have been taken on by CBC.

And town and CBC councillor Amanda Dodwell admitted it had been dragging on and causing difficulties.

She said: “The adoption of the drains by Anglian Water is a long standing issue. Currently, a number of the drains appear to be poorly maintained by the developers and are blocked with mud/construction debris.

“The council will not adopt the roads until the drains are brought up to adoption standard and taken over by Anglian Water – the council wouldn’t want to take on any possible financial liability arising from having to repair the roads following further work to the drains. The situation does appear to be dragging on – Billington Park also started to be built from 2000 and the roads were adopted by 2007/8.

“On the unadopted roads in Sandhills, the developers remain responsible for all repairs to the road surface, drains and street lighting. The fact that the street lighting remains with the developers has caused issues as residents and councillors have had to work out which of the developers are responsible for the lights in question. We have had parts of the estate in darkness as the street lights have been poorly maintained!”

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson confirmed that progress had been made on the lake adoption, which had created the sewers and roads bottleneck: “The lake had to be adopted by Central Bedfordshire Council prior to the adoption of any surface water sewers that fed into it, which was a requirement of Anglian Water.

“The lake was the responsibility of Arnold White and the matter could not be advanced until all quarrying was completed and the lake formed in its entirety.

“Now this issue has been resolved, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon can start to get the surface water sewers adopted. The council already has responsibility for the majority of Johnson Drive and Kestrel Way.

“Much of the main drainage and highway infrastructure was built by Arnold White. The Sandhills site was developed by Wilcon Homes (later Bryant) and Barratt. Taylor Wimpey has several residential phases on the other (newer) residential areas of the site, as do Persimmon.

“We have a consultant managing the repairs of the roads, drains and lighting. If issues related to this are reported we will ensure they are dealt with accordingly. Most of the foul water sewers on all of the sites are adopted already by Anglian Water.”

A spokesman for Persimmon Homes Midlands, said: “The Persimmon development parcels are served by main infrastructure roads and sewers under the responsibility of another party.

“Recent progress has been made with the adoption of these roads and sewers which will now enable us to progress the adoption of the roads and sewers within the development parcels.

“Until such time as the roads and sewers within the development parcels are adopted, Persimmon Homes will remain responsible for their maintenance.

“We have not been made aware of any specific blockages in respect of the drains with the Persimmon development parcels. Any issues of this kind should be reported to the Persimmon Homes Midlands head office in Northampton.”

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We’re working closely with the developers of Sandhills Estate to adopt the sewers. Our engineers are working in the area inspecting the sewers and making sure they are in good condition and working correctly before they are adopted. The adoption process is a standard process for all water industry throughout England.”

A spokesman for Central Beds Council said: “The reason that further roads within the development remain unadopted is due to the sewers beneath the road not been adopted by Anglian Water yet as it is generally the council’s policy that we will not adopt a road until the sewers beneath the road have been vested to Anglian Water.”

MORE CBC?????

Supermarket Morrisons has recalled one of its meat products over concerns it may cause flu-like symptoms.

The retailer has asked customers who bought its 150g Ready to Eat Peppered Beef Slices to return them, after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said they are contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.

The product has a use-by date of February 21 2017

Many of the plans to shake up services in the NHS and change the way of working talk about having specialised services - but campaigners fear this may mean patients travelling further to fewer hospitals.

A large number of the 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plans allude to having more specialist services to treat things such as stroke - something that hasn’t escaped the attention of The Stroke Association.

Esmee Russell, head of policy and influencing at The Stroke Association, said: “We have picked up on the fact that a lot of the STPs are using these plans to push forward on reorganisation of acute stroke care.

“Reorganisation of acute stroke care has been happening for a while.

“It has happened successfully in London and Manchester and other areas are now looking to do it.

“A ‘hyper stroke unit’ is when stroke care is reorganised into one huge centre where there is all the equipment and expertise to treat stroke and it is staffed 24/7.

“The evidence from London and Manchester shows that when people are treated at these hyper stroke units, they spend less time in hospital and are less likely to die as a result of the stroke.

“This improves lives but it also saves the NHS money at the same time.”

Ms Russell says although the Stroke Association is backing health leaders across the country to continue with the reorganisation of stroke care, they want to make sure it is done properly.

She explains: “We would like everyone to be a maximum of 45 minutes away from one of these hyper stroke units.

“We also want to ensure the units are well staffed by having enough consultants with stroke expertise and that they meet the standards around scanning which is that every patient should be scanned within one hour of arrival at the unit.

“They also need to be able to provide treatments for stroke such as thrombolysis - which is a drug injected into individuals which breaks up the clot.

“The aim is to have 90 per cent of appropriate patients thrombolysed within 45 minutes of arrival to the unit as the treatment has to be given within four hours of the onset of symptoms of a stroke.”

Although many people fear travelling further for treatment will have a negative impact on recovery, Ms Russell says people are much likely to recover from stroke if they receive the specialist care they need.”

She says: “Evidence shows people are more likely to receive this in hyper stroke units even if it means travelling a bit further.

“If the hyper stroke units are run as they should be, they will be more efficient when it comes to scanning patients and giving the treatment patients need in time.”

The concerns The Stroke Association has around the STP plans are more around post acute stroke care and making sure patients get the support they need after a stroke.

Ms Russell says: “A lot of the plans don’t give details of the support patients will get when they leave hospital.

“This can be things like language therapy, physiotherapy and emotional therapy.

“This is a big area of concern for stroke survivors. Forty five per cent of stroke survivors have revealed they felt abandoned after leaving hospital.

“We have a real concern that the STP Plans are not addressing this.

“They are looking at treating stroke when it happens, but not the aftercare.

“It is very important to make sure stroke survivors have the right care afterwards to aid their recovery.

“It is about making sure individual stroke survivors get the support they need.

“Some patients can self manage but others need the support of professionals and it is important they get this.

“As long as they are set up correctly, we are in favour of hyper stroke units.

“There is work going on to look at local geography to see where these hyper stroke units should be located.”

SPECIALISED CARE - DR AMANDA DOYLE, LEAD FOR LANCASHIRE AND SOUTH CUMBRIA STP

“Something that is a big issue when it comes to health is that for some serious conditions, people don’t always get the best clinical outcome from their treatment as they could do if we delivered care differently.

“When it comes to things like stroke, the outcome for people in Lancashire and South Cumbria is not as good as if we did things differently.

“There is a lot of evidence that very specialist centres for some conditions produce better outcomes.

“A good example of this is the Cardiac Centre at Blackpool.

“People from all over the patch will go directly to Blackpool where there is a very specialist service.

“You are much safer travelling further to a specialist centre which is able to give the specialist treatment you need than you are going to a very close hospital that is not able to do that.

“Time is of the essence but it is not the major factor.

“You are better travelling further than going somewhere close by that does not have the treatment you need.

“We have done this for several years now with heart attacks and the survival outcomes have improved significantly.

“In the STP, we are carrying out a review of hospital services and specialist services to look at the best way of delivering them.

“For some very specialist conditions like stroke, it is likely to mean changes in where we provide this.”

Matt Adcock reviews John Wick Chapter 2 (15), starring Keanu Reeves

“The man. The myth. The legend. John Wick. You're not very good at retiring.”

Jaded ‘best in the business’ hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is back, still angry, still looking to retire but this time he’s brought back into the violent world of assassinations due to an unpaid debt.

The director of the first movie, Chad Stahelski, returns with a sequel that delivers exactly what fans will appreciate – slick visuals, deeper background lore and kick-ass action on a whole new scale. John Wick Chapter 2 is a pure adrenalin rush of hyper violence - it’s not healthy and had dubious morals but it is undeniably exciting.

This time it’s bad guy Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo ‘Burnt’ Scamarcio), who challenges Wick to take out his sister Gianna (Claudia ‘The Passion of the Christ’ Gerini) and when he says ‘take out’ it’s not on a date. Knowing the Wick wants to retire, D’antonio, rather than kill his dog, motivates John by burning down his house. Cue mayhem and death, lots of death, most of which is delivered by Wick in his graceful gun-fu fighting style which turns killing into a kind of art form.

Reeves even at 52 is completely believable as Wick and he makes this role a cool on screen icon to rival Neo from The Matrix. Speaking of The Matrix it’s fun to have a mini reunion with Morpheus himself, Laurence Fishburne, who plays shady Crime Lord - The Bowery King who Wick turns to for assistance.

With a comic book meets video game plot structure Joh Wick Chapter 2 piles on the action clichés but does so with so much style and energy that unless you really hate action movies you’ll be dragged along in a state of breathless anticipation for the next fight.

The underworld mythos of this murder-em-up is certainly fascinating and allows for potentially more Wick adventures in the future. Chapter 2 is a long film though and because it rarely lets up on the action it can leave you dazed and confused from the beating administered to your eyeballs.

Certainly not for everyone, and packing scenes that are liable to offend (can you really have a shoot out in a nightclub these days without uncomfortable real-world news flashbacks?), this is an old-school action movie redressed in cutting edge neo-noir style. These violent delights have violent ends as they say…

Two prestigious events are taking place at Woburn’s Sculpture Gallery.

The first is an evening of fine dining and music from the Altamira Chamber Orchestra at its Bach to the Future dinner on Friday, March 10.

And the second is afternoon tea on Mother’s Day – Sunday, March 26.

In Bach to the Future, the orchestra – directed by Robert Atchison – will perform a programme bringing to life the very best of Bach with a selection of his most popular pieces. Guests are invited to arrive at 7pm in black tie for reception drinks and canapés, before enjoying a four-course candlelit dinner.

The Altamira Chamber Orchestra brings together some of the UK’s top musical talent. Award-winning Atchison was schooled in music from an early age and made his London debut in 1983 at The Queen Elizabeth Hall. Flautist Eliza Marshall and violinist Jacqueline Hartley will join the orchestra on stage. Both studied at The Royal Academy of Music and perform with some of the leading orchestras and sinfonias in the world.

The wonderfully English tradition of afternoon tea is acknowledged as being introduced bu the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell.

She hit on the idea in the 1840s when the gap between the light midday meal and dinner had gradually widened and left people feeling hungry. She found taking Souchong tea with an afternoon snack – small cakes, bread and butter and delicate sandwiches – to be such a perfect refreshment that she began inviting her friends to join her. Afternoon tea quickly became a quintessential part of British life.

Call 01525 292172 for tickets for both events.

A Leighton mum has organised a disco and raffle in aid of Bliss, the charity for babies born sick or premature.

Katie Mitchell said: “It’s very close to my heart as they helped my son when he was born.”

The event will take place at The Royal British Legion’s Bossard Hall in West Street on Friday, March 10, from 7.30pm to 11.30pm.

Tickets cost £5 each and are available from Katie on 07917 165269.

Bliss has a wide range of services to support parents and families during the difficult time after a baby arrives too early or is unwell at birth.

It offers a confidential 
helpline (0808 801 0322), providing a listening ear, emotional support and information to families whose baby is in or has been in neonatal care.

In addition it has a wide range of useful booklets and fact sheets, can put new mums in touch with a counsellor and also has a network of local family groups and champions who provide help and support to families throughout the UK.

> Visit www.bliss.org.uk

This highly-infectious vomiting bug is sweeping schools across the UK, leading to a warning to parents to know the symptoms.

Here is everything you need to know about the bug.

What is shigellosis?

Shigellosis is a highly contagious infection caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella, which is spread through contaminated food or water.

Anyone can catch the infection, however it is most common among children and is most easily spread in nurseries and schools.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms include bouts of watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and a high temperature. Blood or mucus may also be present in their stool.

The infection may appear as much as a week after contact, but symptoms usually begin within 3 days after coming into contact with the infection.

How to treat shigellosis?

NHS Choices says shigellosis clears up by itself within a week, with no treatment needed.

Make sure you drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol can help relieve pain and a fever.

However, in severe cases it may be necessary to see your GP who may prescribe a short course of antibiotics, or treatment may be necessary in hospital.

How to reduce your chances of getting shigellosis?

You can reduce your risk of getting by following this advice:

- Wash your hands with soap and warm water after using the toilet and before handling, eating or cooking food

- Avoid sharing towels

- Wash the laundry of an infected person on the hottest setting possible

The Royal British Legion’s travel arm is offering D-Day veterans free-of-charge tours to Normandy, but as the organisation has no database of D-Day veterans, it needs your help to spread the word.

The mission to make every surviving D-Day veteran aware of this chance is being led by Nichola Rowlands, the head of travel at Remembrance Travel.

She said: “The Treasury is enabling a series of free-of-charge tours for D-Day veterans to return to Normandy and pay their respects to their fallen comrades. “The tours are being funded by the Treasury from LIBOR fines, and will enable a D-Day veteran to return with a family member and carer on a six-night tour.

“The 2017 tours will take place in March, April, May and September and will give Normandy veterans - now mostly in their 90s - the chance to revisit the Normandy beaches, cemeteries and memorials.

“The tours will be accompanied by a medic and a guide from the Royal British Legion.

“The tours will depart from London and will include Eurotunnel from Dover to Calais, accommodation, visits to Pegasus Bridge, Juno, Sword, Gold beaches, Arromanches, and war memorials, plus visits to personally specified cemeteries too.

“Sadly, there is no database of D-Day veterans so we’re calling on the goodwill of the public to spread the word.”

Veterans wishing to benefit from the tour can apply by calling Arena Travel on 01473 660800 or by visiting http://www.arenatravel.com/our-holidays/remembrance-travel

Tackling Leighton Buzzard’s street drinking problems was discussed by Leighton-Linslade Town Council’s partnership committee last week.

In the meeting on Thursday, Central Bedfordshire’s anti-social behaviour team leader Michelle Marley read from her report into the problems.

She said: “Street drinking is a country wide issue and not just particular to Leighton Buzzard.

“In 2016, there were 498 reported incidents to Bedfordshire Police related to street drinking. Of these, 18% were in relation to Leighton Buzzard – a total of 90 incidents.”

According to Ms Marley, 57% of incidents took place between 8am and 8pm, which is when the shelter available to the street drinkers is closed.

She said: “We’re looking at whether the problems are because of the shelter closing.

“We believe if there was more provision to the street drinkers through the day this would lessen the problems that Leighton Buzzard is encountering at the current time.

“To date, we’ve issued six community protection warnings, three of which got made into full community protection notices.”

According to Ms Marley, there were two groups of street drinkers who were effectively tackled but problems were being encountered with the third group.

“What we’re looking to do is apply for Police and Crime Commissioner funding, and increase the provision for street drinkers. Where that will be we don’t know.”

Cllr Ken Ferguson noted that CBC had cut funding for charities “across the board” and asked Ms Marley whether enforcement had been effective.

She said: “It did help initially but it’s not sustainable, it can’t carry on. Some people you can engage with – 50% of warnings worked.”

Tricia Humber from the Community Forum told the meeting that one of the issues lay with amending the “tight licencing” of the Black Horse shelter.

She said: “The Black Horse has the facility, the problem is getting the licencing to do it.”

The Black Horse shelter is run by Leighton Linslade Homeless Service and has capacity for 20 homeless people.

Members agreed to continue the discussion at the next meeting with invites for CBC and LLHS representatives.