Ampthill Town Council

A Quality Town Council

www.ampthilltowncouncil.org.uk

Ampthill Town Council - Contents

Contacts | Your Town Councillors | Councillors Surgery | Dates of Meetings | A - Z Directory of Ampthill Town Council Services | Recent Achievements | Around the Pump Newsletter

Contacts

Your Town Councillors

Mayor

Vice-Chair

  • Margaret Wilson, 15 Chandos Road, Ampthill. Tel: 750296.

Parks Chair

  • Margaret Wilson, 15 Chandos Road, Ampthill. Tel: 750296.

Planning Vice-Chair

Planning Chair

Planning Vice-Chair

  • Ghislain Pascal, Gates House, 28 Church Street, Ampthill, MK45 2EH. Tel: 406608. Email: ghislain@panic-uk.com 

Other Members 

Councillors Surgery  

Held on the last Saturday bi-monthly - 10.00am - 12noon - in the entrance to Waitrose, Bedford Street. See Future Events for the dates of future surgeries.

Town & Central Bedfordshire Councillors will be available to help you as much as they can with anything that is worrying you or that you would like to bring to the attention of the relevant authority.

  • Central Bedfordshire Councillors: Highways, Education and Social Services matters, Waste, Planning, Leisure, Community Safety, and Environmental Health matters
  • Town Councillor: Allotments, Ampthill Park, Coopers Hill, Kings Arms Path Garden, Charter and Farmers Markets and Burial Ground matters.

Councillors look forward to meeting as many residents as possible.

 Dates of Meetings - 2009/2010

All meetings commence at 7.30pm

All meetings are open to the public and press

FULL COUNCIL

  • 20th January 2010, 17th February 2010, 17th March 2010, 21st April 2010, 19th May (Annual Meeting)

  • Town Meeting: 14th April 2010

FINANCE POLICY & GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE 

  • 6th January 2010, 3rd March 2010, 5th May 2010

PARKS, BURIAL GROUND & OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE

  • 3rd February 2010, 7th April 2010

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

  • Meetings as required, usually on a Wednesday  

Did you know that any one can now address the Town Council at the beginning of all council & committee meetings?

You have the opportunity to speak on any subject for a maximum of 3 minutes. If the subject is not on the agenda for that meeting, it cannot for legal reasons be discussed by councillors then, but it can be added to future agenda, so it can be debated fully.

Anyone wishing to address the Council must advise the Town Clerk, before 10.00am on the day of the meeting and confirm the subject on which they wish to speak, so they can be booked in. There are limited spaces available, so if requests to speak are over subscribed, a booking can be made for a future meeting, if desired. Contact Ampthill Town Council's Clerk, Dawn Sutherns at d.sutherns@ampthilltowncouncil.org.uk to book your spot.

A - Z Directory of Town Council Services

Ampthill Town Council is responsible for the following:

  • Allotments - Everitt's Field (51 Plots) and Grange Farm (29 Plots). Waiting list in operation.
  • Ampthill Town Cemetery - Approximately 2 Acres, off Gas House Lane (Garden of Remembrance, Traditional & Lawn Burials). A full copy of the regulations and fees and charges are available from the Town Council Offices upon request.
  • Ampthill Park - Approximately 160 acres of parkland and woodland, including a Children's Play Area, Toilets, * Tennis Courts, Ampthill Town Cricket Club, Ampthill Town Football Club and Ampthill Angling Club. The Park is cared for by a Senior Park Keeper and three assistants. Charges are made in respect of camping by Cadet Organisations/Youth Clubs/School Parties, Orienteering, Cross Country Events, Caravan Parking by registered organisations, the release of pigeons and use by Circuses. Please contact the Council with your enquiries. Free parking available for users visiting the Park. (* The Tennis Courts are open to all and are free of charge to use but please confine your play to 30mins duration if there are other people who are waiting to play.)
  • Bus Shelters - Bedford Street (2), Dunstable Street (1) and Flitwick Road (1).
  • Car Parks - Town Centre Car Park (free 2 hour parking). The Sands Car Park, Woburn Street - free parking (The car park r/o Aragon Housing Assoc., off Chandos Road is available weekends and bank holidays, courtesy of Aragon Housing Association.)
  • Christmas Lights - The 'Friends of Ampthill's Christmas Lights' help raise money each year to assist with the putting up and taking down of the town's wonderful Christmas lights and they also organise the annual Switch on Event. The Town Council provides the Christmas tree on the Market Square.
  • Cooper's Hill (aka The Firs) - Approximately 30 acres of lowland heath land of national importance. The site has been designated a site of Special Scientific Interest by English Nature and was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1980 by Bedfordshire County Council. Cooper's Hill is one of the few remaining examples of the heaths which once stretched across Bedfordshire along the Greensand Ridge. This attractive area, brightly colourful when the heather is in bloom and when the gorse flowers, provides a home for a number of uncommon plants and invertebrates. Owned by Ampthill Town Council the heathland is managed by a group including local volunteers and representatives from Town and Country Councils, Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust, Bedfordshire Natural History Society and English Nature. All management requires the approval of the owners and English Nature. In order to protect the site when you visit the reserve keep to the footpaths and discourage other people from doing the things that may cause damage such as dumping litter, riding horses or bikes on the footpaths or being careless with matches. If you would like to help with the voluntary work please contact The Wildlife Trust on 01234 364213.
  • Flower Baskets - Provision of hanging baskets in the town centre for spring/summer.
  • Grass Cutting & 101 Roundabout - The Council contracts out agency grass cutting and footway weed control in the town. Maintenance of the 101 Roundabout on the Bypass is carried out by the Town Council on behalf of Beds County Council. Sponsorship money is received to off-set the maintenance costs of the roundabout.
  • Kings Arms Path Gardens - Gardens located off of Kings Arms Path, which can be accessed from King Arms Path Courtyard, off Church Street. The 'Friends of the Garden' manage this woodland garden of about two acres on behalf of Ampthill Town Council and welcome volunteers to join them. There are regular open days throughout the year and specials openings can be arranged by appointment. Contact: 01525 755648. See the events page for open days.
  • Market (Charter) - Thursday Charter Market, held in the Town Centre Car Park, off Church Street offering a variety of goods and fresh produce.
  • Market (Farmers) - Monthly Farmers Market held on the last Saturday of each month (except December) at the rear of The White Hart Hotel, off Dunstable Street offering seasonal goods from local producers.
  • Market Square - (Including maintenance of the Town Pump & the Town Clock)
  • Public Toilets - Town Centre Car Park, off Church Street, Ampthill. Hours of opening 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Saturday and 10.00am to 4.00pm on Sunday.
  • Public Halls - The Nottingham Rooms, Woburn Street can hold up to 120 people. To hire this venue please contact the Town Council for details of availability.
  • Road Verges - The Council carries out a programme of planting Spring flowering bulbs in grass verges on the 4 main access roads to the town.
  • Street Lighting - The maintenance of Street Lights bearing the initials 'A' or 'BA' are the responsibility of the town council, whereas those bearing the initial 'B' are the responsibility of Bedfordshire County Council. Please report any faults to the relevant authority.
  • Verne Drive - The public open space is the responsibility of the town council.

Generally, if the service you require is not mentioned above then it is probably the responsibility of either Mid Beds District Council or Bedfordshire County Council. However, if in doubt please contact the Town Council in the first instance and we can point you in the right direction.

Telephone 01525 404355 or email council@ampthilltowncouncil.org.uk

Recent Achievements

Achievements for the Town Council over the past few years have included:

  • CCTV - CCTV in Ampthill went live in early October. A total of 5 cameras are covering major areas of the town including Church Street, Dunstable Street, Oliver Street, Bedford Street, Woburn Street, Ampthill Park and the Zig Zags including Kings Arms Path area. The camera's are being constantly monitored at the Stevenage Control Centre and trained staff have direct contact with Bedfordshire Police and can send relevant images to them. Ampthill Town Council gratefully acknowledges the grant support of £10,000 by Bedfordshire County Council's Confident Communities Fund and Mid Bedfordshire District Council's grant aid award of £15,000. The total installation cost of the CCTV system is £110,000 and the annual running cost of the system will be £27,817.
  • Ampthill Park - securing nearly £100,000 from the Landfill Tax Grants to upgrade facilities in the Park. Perhaps the most noticeable aspect has been the complete replacement of the fencing around the park. In addition the town council has entered into a partnership with the Greensand Trust to manage the park. Also the Town Council continues to upgrade equipment in the play area and the recent installation of the 'Ampthill Play Castle' has proved a great attraction.
  • Ampthill Town Plan - Ampthill Town Council initiated the idea of a Town Plan for the Town that residents embraced with an impressive 37% of households taking part in the Town Plan questionnaire. The resulting action plan has now been published, reflecting those wishes and this provides a plan for the town over the next 10+ years. Some things have already been achieved, such as the creation of Ampthill Good Neighbours Scheme (that provides a link between those residents needing help and those who are willing to offer help) and the opening of a suitably sized new supermarket (Waitrose) in the town. However, there is still much to do!
  • Ampthill Town Cemetery - with capacity at St. Andrew's cemetery exhausted the Town Council provided this new facility that has only really come into operation in the last few years.
  • Street Lighting - The Council has responsibility for 169 of the lights in the town that are mainly situated in the older residential areas of the town. The Town Council has been carrying out a programme of up grading them, with ones with light sensors that make them more energy efficient.
  • Ampthill Christmas Lights - the Town Council assumed responsibility for the annual provision of the Christmas Lights from the Chamber of Trade, as other wise they would have been lost by the town.
  • Quality Status - the Town Council attained Town Council Quality Status in 2007. The Quality Scheme denotes Councils that are properly managed, representative of and engage with their community, that are committed to working in partnership with other authorities and service agencies, that deliver local services, work closely with voluntary groups, provide leadership to the community and articulate the needs of the community. The Town Council joins over 200 Councils nationwide who have received this recognition.  
  • Markets - the Town Council continue to support and promote its historic weekly Charter Market and the monthly Farmers Market.
  • Flower Baskets - the Town Council continue to provide flower baskets in the town centre that act to enhance the appearance of the town during the spring and summer.  
  • Bus Shelters - the Town Council has provided seating recently in the Town's bus shelters.
  • Support of Voluntary Groups, Clubs and Societies - the town council recognises the importance of the part these groups play in the life of the town and continues to support the town's groups with small grants.
  • Working in partnership with the Police - the 'Alcohol Consumption in Public Places Order' is in place in the town centre and further a field, banning the consumption of alcohol on the streets. Anti-Social Behaviour Orders have also been implemented when needed. In addition the Town Council is working with the Police & MBDC in making the new Community Safety Forum a success
  • Allotments - many residents continue to enjoy these areas in the town as they continue to enjoy their organic produce!
  • Improving Communication - through Around the Pump, the Town Council revamped website and notice boards.  

'Around The Pump' Newsletter

'Around the Pump' is the bi-monthly newsletter of Ampthill Town Council, distributed to every household in the town. (Designed by Corporate Creations Ltd). E-mail articles to council@ampthilltowncouncil.org.uk

The online version of the newsletter can now be downloaded from the Ampthill Town Council's Website.