Central Bedfordshire Council holds Community Action Day in Biggleswade
Monday, 16 August 2021
Central Bedfordshire Council held a successful Community Action Day in Biggleswade last week.
Community Safety, Environmental Services, Road Safety and Housing Services teams worked together with Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire Service to carry out high visibility patrols, business visits, tidying of areas, fire prevention advice, as well as making noticeable improvements to the local area, in response to residents’ feedback.
Safer Neighbourhood and Safer Communities Partnership Officers patrolled across Biggleswade, with Grand Union Housing Group and Bedfordshire Police talking to residents, providing information about their services and how to report issues.
They shared the Safer Central Survey with residents, and one of the council’s Community Safety Officers also visited the first in-person meeting of the Rotary Club since the start of the pandemic.
The council held several stalls on the market, with teams talking to residents and businesses, sharing advice and information about a range of community safety issues, offering crime prevention advice, and asking them to fill in the Safer Central Survey.
The team also gave out dog poo bags, pens, torches, and information leaflets and had the opportunity to talk to the council’s leisure and road safety teams. Residents were also offered the chance to collect COVID-19 rapid test kits during the event.
The council’s parking enforcement team offered advice and guidance to residents, answering questions as well as carrying out their daily duties in the area.
The new ‘Trash Cube’ was on display by the council’s Environmental Services team on Biggleswade Market. The cube contained litter that had been picked up from the pavement around the Market Square. It showed the levels of litter that the council and its contractors manage daily and the aim is to encourage residents to litter less.
The team also undertook their normal cleaning duties in the area, and the Biggleswade Good Neighbours also took part in a local litter pick.
Members of Street Watch patrolled with officers from Community Safety; promoting the great work they do and explaining to residents how they can join them to make a direct impact on making their local community a safer place to live. Whilst members of the Biggleswade Community Safety Group carried out a Speed Watch event on London Road, to help raise driver’s awareness of speeding.
The Highways Service also visited Biggleswade during the week to fix broken and sunken paving and slabs.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service promoted its free Safe And Well Checks whilst a number of Bedfordshire police officers, spoke to residents offering crime prevention advice.
Councillor Ian Dalgarno, Executive Member for Community Services at Central Bedfordshire Council said:
Our Community Action Day in Biggleswade was a massive success. With a range of our officers and teams out in the community it meant we could speak to the public about a variety of topics important to them. We are hoping our Biggleswade residents will be able to see an improvement in the area.
We received positive feedback from residents on the market stall, who praised the teams for their work in keeping the community safe. One resident said, ‘the feeling of safety in Biggleswade has improved vastly over the years, I wouldn’t live anywhere else’.