of the Meeting of Ravensden Parish Council
held on Tuesday, 8th September 2026 at 7:30pm in Ravensden Village Hall
Present at the Meeting: Cllrs B Russell (Chair), L Carvell, J Ferguson, J Mabberley and T Wootton
In Attendance: Clerk, Borough Cllr N Gribble, Andrew Prigmore (BBC, Highways) and 4 members of the public
1. Apologies for Absence:
Cllr S Applegate sent his apologies.
2. Declarations of Interest:
There were no interests declared.
Public Participation: Standing Orders will be suspended for a period of approximately 15 minutes (at the discretion of the Chairman) to allow members of the public to address the Council:
• Andrew Prigmore was in attendance to discuss traffic calming and other highways issues. A summary of RPC’s questions with Andrew’s responses is attached as part of these minutes [APPENDIX 3].
• Resident raised concern that Kimbolton Road would be closed for a year by EWR as well as concerns regarding Church End and HGVs going through the village. Andrew confirmed that EWR will not now need to close the B660 whilst bridge is being constructed. He also explained that complaints regarding HGVs should be directed to the Traffic Commissioner at DVSA.
There were no further matters raised, and Standing Orders were duly reinstated.
3. Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of Tuesday, 14th July 2026:
With the agreement of all those present, the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting were confirmed as a correct record and were duly signed by the Chairman.
4. Matters Arising from previous meetings:
1. Re: Item 4.1 re: noticeboards – update on noticeboards for bus stop and Wayside Farm Park – JM has not received the noticeboard Clerk to investigate. Contractor will soon be reinstalling the noticeboard from outside the shop to Wayside Farm Park.
2. Re: Item 4.5 re: meeting with Mulberry Homes to discuss benches at Graze Hill. We need to send a letter to Mulberry Homes requesting relocation. Resolved: Cllr Mabberley to liaise with Cllr Applegate.
There were no further matters arising.
5 Planning
5.1 Planning Applications
1. 26/01266/M73 Solar farm with ancillary infrastructure, including variation of approved plans condition 1 attached to 25/01292/MAF to allow for the substitution of three approved spare parts containers with three solar inverter cabins and a minor realignment of the access track in Field B at land east of Twinwood Road, Oakley and Clapham, and land south east of Thurleigh Road, Milton Ernest and Thurleigh – no comment [already submitted] 2. 26/01485/FUL Erection of security fencing and gate at Struttle End Farm, Renhold Road, Ravensden – support, with conditions [already submitted] 3. 26//01228/FUL Single storey front and side extensions and granny annexe with internal alterations at 4 Church Cottages, Vicarage Close, Ravensden – to be considered via e-mail
5.2 Planning Matters
1. Section 106 agreement with Ravensden Park – Chair and Cllr Mabberly met with Chairman of Brickhill PC to discuss what the s106 monies are being spent on which seems to significantly favour Brickhill parish. Resolved: Cllr Wootton will arrange for a meeting between RPC and BBC.
6 EWR Update
Two upcoming meetings with EWR regarding B660 closure (which may have now been resolved, see Public Participation). Second meeting is a technical meeting to consider solutions to issues possibly arising from proposed works.
7 Reports
1. Chair’s Report
• Footway Feasibility Study Survey – RPC has paid our share of the project. Works are due to start in October.
• Memorial bench for John Collins – Cllr Gribble is happy for RPC to apply for ward funding towards a bench. To be sited near the bus stop.
• Glenrose defibrillator update – has been installed and set up. They would like a training session. Resolved: Cllr Ferguson to ask local medical professional if they would be able to lead a training session.
2. Highways
• Updates regarding lack of road markings at Mulberry roundabout – see Public Participation, above.
3. Footpaths
Nothing to report.
4. VAS
Member of the public advised that Church Hill – metal pole in local field is rusted and damaged (FP13). Access on FP4 needs a step to improve accessibility.
5. NPIG Report
• Cllr Mabberley’s report is available on our website [RPC Minutes 2026 Month 9 Appendix 2].
6. Borough Councillor Report
Cllr Nicola Gribble’s latest report(s) can be viewed on the PC website.
8 Finance
13.1 To approve payments and note any income:
Unanimously approved [Appendix 1, below].
13.2 To receive reconciliation to latest bank statement:
Received and approved.
13.3 To approve payment of ‘everyone@ravensden’ website
Payment of £96 approved subject to ownership being transferred to Ravensden PC
13.4 To approve Local Government Services (NJC) annual pay agreement
New rates were approved with effect from 1st April 2026 as per guidance from the National Joint Council for Local Government Services.
13.5 AGAR 2025-2026
Clerk confirmed that the AGAR 2025-2026 had audited by the External Auditor for a limited assurance review and had been deemed as ‘in accordance with Proper Practices’ with no matters raised.
9. To approve and adopt the following policies:
1. RPC Code of Conduct
2. RPC Safeguarding Policy
Both policies were approved. Resolved: Clerk to include them on the RPC website.
10. Matters Arising from Correspondence/AOB
1. Emergency Planning: Grass cutting and fire risks – field adjacent to the village hall was ploughed at the request of the Chair. Cllr Wootton to ask whether BBC has any guidance regarding emergency planning.
2. CPRE request for suitable sites for hedgerows – noted.
3. Marston Vale re: Tree planting scheme at Hill Farm – Clerk has written to Marston Vale to confirm our support of the proposal and made some suggestions.
4. BBC: Consultation on the future of Bedford Borough Libraries Have your say on the future of Bedford Borough Libraries | Bedford Borough Council
5. Parish and Town Council Update: National Scheme of Delegation (NSoD) – changes to national Planning Policy
6. Universal Destinations & Experiences: Bedford Borough hosts regional summit on Universal
No further matters arising.
11. Date of Next Meeting:
Tuesday, 10th November 2026 at 7:30pm in Ravensden Village Hall
12. Annual Salary Review
[Under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 (as extended by s.100 of the Local Government Act 1972), press and public are excluded from this item of the agenda.]
Resolved: Clerk to move up one SCP with effect from 1st September 2026.
APPENDIX 3
Highways Issues Q&A
Andrew Prigmore’s responses in blue
1) When will the 20mph speed limit be implemented in Church End Where will it start and finish? Plans are to be drawn up and circulated for approval by Councillors as soon as possible. It will run from halfway up the hill to the other side of Vicarage Close
2) We have requested an ‘Unsuitable for Heavy Vehicles’ sign for Church End. Is that going to happen? BBC will not be considering this request as the implementation of this signage would simply impact on neighbouring villages.
3) You were going to see if having chicanes on the B660 would be feasible, and to send us the costings. Has that happened? A feasibility report is underway with a cost in the region of £10-£15K per feature totalling £20-30K. He suggested priority narrowing would be the better option and may work out cheaper.
4) We have requested better signage and road markings approaching the new roundabout at Ravensden Road. Is that going to happen soon? Andrew reported that a road safety audit of the site resulted in no recommendations for additional signage however he agreed to a site visit with Cllr Applegate. He did not see any issues with reinstating faded road markings.
5) There are many out of date signs in Ravensden. Can they be removed please? Andrew asked RPC to send through a list of signage that we would like removed. He may be able to remove some if he agrees they are not required.
6) We, have been very impressed by the improved behaviour of motorists travelling along Cleat Hill since the installation of the Average Speed Cameras (ASC). This seems to be really effective in reducing speed. In the rest of the village, we have been collecting speed data for a few years now, and we regularly send that data to the police but despite the fact that 60% of cars exceed the speed limit – and we regularly record speeds of over 100mph- we seem to be no nearer to being ‘eligible’ for more Average Speed Cameras. We would like to know the basis on which the Average Speed Cameras are installed by the Borough Council – i.e.
a) The criteria that were applied by the Council for deciding that an ASC system should be funded
b) What data was used to support the case for installation?
c) Where are these cameras located?
d) Do you have any post installation assessment to shoe effectiveness of installation
Andrew advised that criteria was based on speed, vulnerable users i.e. pedestrians and cyclists and proximity of schools. He explained that an ASC costs £125K for the pair with annual maintenance costs of £5K to calibrate the cameras. BBC gets no revenue from the cameras with all fines going to Central Government. BBC has an annual bill of £250K to maintain their cameras. RPC is likely to have to cover the annual maintenance going forward and we will need to budget for this for 2027/2028. He confirmed that Bedford Road (B660) is within the top third of their priority list.