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John Baker: In touch with Aspley & Woburn, Aspley Guise (2026)

20/06/2026

LET US WALK AND CYCLE ON REDWAYS, NOT ROADS
In early June, I wrote to the Director of Environment and Head of Highways at Milton Keynes Council regarding the absurd redway blockage on Lower End Road that encourages pedestrians (and children) to walk on the 40mph road.

Separating traffic and pedestrians is a key feature of the MK urban area design ethos. The Lower End redway has been constructed in sections as the developments came forward, and (almost) removes the need for anyone to travel on Lower End Road.

A long standing heras fencing blockage between two completed sections is not acceptable, given it fenced off incomplete section barely 5m in length that has a temporary gravel base! More effort had been put into fencing than fixing the footpath, fencing that had been slowly dismantled leaving a route around it via the road.

I observed a couple of pedestrians making their way around it via the road whilst I was running early one morning. So I wrote to the responsible Officers at MKC to point out that swift action is required.

Would it not be better to remove the fencing, or fence off the road (whatever was deemed the risk) and allow the footpath to be used, than to block a perfectly acceptable route from A to B? The council should “put bureaucracy in the bin” in favour of common sense.

Two weeks later, action was taken.

Elsewhere, one parcel of land has yet to be developed, leaving a 90m section without a redway. I understand that MKC is in negotiations with the land owner about building a temporary footpath across this section. But clearly not quickly enough.

MK COUNCILLORS BANNED FROM TALKING TO OFFICERS ABOUT PROBLEMS!

I spoke to an MK councillor about this matter, to express my disappointment at the lack of progress, and the councillor told me that they are no longer allowed to speak directly with council Officers!

If they want to escalate an issue raised by a resident, they must complete a form and submit it to a service desk before awaiting a reply. The team receive the reply and then pass it on to the initiating councillor with the name of the officer who drafted it removed, so they can’t follow it up!

What a ridiculous system, and no wonder they can’t get anything done. I’m surprised they put up with it.

I’m not putting up with half completed redways open to public use. It’s not acceptable to MK based residents of Woburn Sands and Wavendon, or those in this area of Bedfordshire who also venture out on bicycles.

I’ll therefore keep raising these matters with MK Council until action is taken to resolve them.

Meanwhile, the MK based councillors can fill in forms …

18/06/2026

ASPLEY GUISE ROAD REPAIRS UPDATE
We endured a harsh winter with huge amounts of rain that damaged some roads. A few small pot hole repairs wouldn’t suffice on sections of West Hill and Aspley Hill, that had not been maintained since the 1990s.

This road isn’t simply used by the residents of Aspley Guise, but Aspley Heath and Woburn Sands residents too. Indeed, it’s a busy route into southern MK.

I’ve expressed disappointment to senior council officers regarding the lack of pace on this project after road closures were organised a few weeks ago but not efficiently used. That said, council officers took up these concerns with the contractor, work was rescheduled and we can now see progress. At a later date, the road will be surface dressed to seal the remaining sections and edges of the patches.

Three years ago, Central Bedfordshire Council was running a deficit of £2 million a month. So the (then) newly installed Independent-led administration worked with council officers to restore financial stability, and we can now see the fruits of this labour. Despite significant financial pressures and the government’s transfer of £33 million (of your money) to Luton, the council is still improving roads.

Of course, there is a never ending supply of roads and pavements to repair and more will be scheduled for next year.

17/06/2026

GOVERNMENT WILL NOW REMOVE IMPORTANT LOCAL SCRUTINY OF DEVELOPMENT
The government is moving ahead with proposals to remove the rights of elected councillors to scrutinise planning applications and make planning decisions on behalf of residents.

A cornerstone of local democracy has long been the right of elected councillors to 'call in' planning decisions to be made by a committee of councillors. This now looks likely to become a thing of the past.

When local authorities receive a planning application, the local ward councillor, near neighbours and other local consultees (such as parish councils), are all made aware. While in many cases the decision will be made by a planning officer at the council, if the ward councillor wishes to, they can 'call in' an application, which means the decision is then made by a committee of councillors.

This current system isn't popular with the present government which wishes to remove any barriers it can, to development.

Earlier this year it carried out a consultation on major changes which would mean:

- Councillors no longer have the right to call-in any development of fewer than 10 houses, or commercial applications of under 1000m2, or a Reserved Matters (these cover the look of a development including things like the layout of the houses and streets) application of any size.
- Larger applications can only be called in to committee if both the council's Chief Planning Officer AND Chair of the Planning committee agrees and even then only if the application raises a "significant planning matter having regard to the development plan and any other material considerations"; or it "raises an economic, social or environmental issue of significance to the local area." [1] The only exceptions to this would be applications by the local authority or one of its councillors, in which case it would still go to the committee.

The consultation guidance stated that the power for ward councillors to call in applications to committee will no longer be possible and local authorities will need to amend their constitutions to align with the national scheme. It also states the government believes applications would only be decided by committees of councillors in exceptional circumstances.

On behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) I submitted a response which strongly opposed the changes. If this goes ahead it would represent a major loss of local democracy.

Regardless of the opposition from local authorities, with just a couple of minor changes, the government is now moving ahead, passing the new laws through parliament and expects the changes to be in place by the end of October.

More here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-committees-and-the-national-scheme-of-delegation-of-planning-functions-guidance-for-local-planning-authorities-in-england/planning-committees-and-the-national-scheme-of-delegation-of-planning-functions-guidance-for-local-planning-authorities-in-england

Appendix

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-committee-reform-draft-regulations-and-guidance/planning-committees-and-the-national-scheme-of-delegation-of-planning-functions-draft-guidance-for-local-planning-authorities-in-england

13/06/2026

MY 30 MILE TREK RAISING FUNDS FOR AUTISM BEDFORDSHIRE
I've been walking 20k (or so) steps a day, every day, since last October. With that in mind, I thought it may be fun to travel by foot from Aspley Guise to The Rising Sun, Potton, where the Leader of the Council has offered to buy a me a pint for my effort.

But more importantly, it’s a great opportunity for me to support the Chairman of Central Bedfordshire Council’s (Cllr Kevin Collins) chosen charity, Autism Bedfordshire.

On Sunday 21st June, I’ll be running and walking through Ridgmont, Steppingley, Flitwick, Greenfield, Flitton, Silsoe, Gravenhurst, Shillington, Lower Stondon, Henlow Camp, Arlesey, Henlow, Langford, Biggleswade before (hopefully) arriving at Potton.

Improving support for children with special needs has played a significant part of my work at Central Bedfordshire Council, and therefore this task is especially important to me.

If you can spare a few pounds to sponsor me, I’d be terribly grateful. You can do so here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cllr-john-bakers-run-walk-for-autism-bedfordshire

I hope to raise at least £1,000. If you can spare a few pounds to support this great cause, I’d be very grateful.

LEIGHTON BUZZARD

There have been complaints from LB councillors that my proposed route did not include the town.

This complaint has been resolved after I ran from Aspley Guise to LB and back via Great Brickhill (24 miles) on Saturday 13th June.

Photo attached from the Canal Street cafe where I was plied with caramel shortbread and diet coke.

08/06/2026

CARTER JONAS SHOULD APOLOGISE OVER INSINUATIONS OF COMPULSORY PURCHASE
UPDATE: Carter Jonas is "sorry" but we're yet to see those important letters of apology to each resident.

East West Rail (EWR) has announced that a company, Carter Jonas, has written to property owners informing them that their property may be compulsory purchased because it lies “within the development boundary”. The company is touting its services to ensure residents receive “fair compensation”.

Except, Carter Jonas has incorrectly identified properties and caused great anxiety and anger by sending letters to homeowners as per the attached example.

EWR says:

“The letters were sent by Carter Jonas to solicit business and were not approved by East West Rail. In some instances, Carter Jonas has incorrectly identified properties as being impacted by East West Rail when they are not.

Any residents impacted by East West Rail will have been contacted by us already and only information from EWR should be taken as accurate with regards to property being impacted by the scheme.”

I’ll be seeking an apology from Carter Jonas and it’s my view that they should personally write and apologise to each resident to whom they have written these letters. This project needs to be handled competently and with great sensitivity. Legal firms touting for business in such a fashion is really not acceptable.

06/06/2026

KEEPERS PLACE PLAN FOR 3,500 HOMES PANNED BY COUNCIL HIGHWAYS TEAM
Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) has released a highly critical report assessing the highways plans for a 3,500 home proposal called Keepers Place, west of Salford.

In January 2025, the Central Beds Green Party proposed increasing the council’s housing target for 2028 to 25,500 additional homes on top of those already agreed by the council in its 2019 “Local Plan”. This proposal came with no commitment from government to pay for key facilities (health, major road improvements, schools) in exchange for development. The Cranfield Conservatives backed this policy too.

When councillors open the door to mass development, developers will fall over themselves to comply. And therefore it’s not surprising that the Keepers Place development was proposed.

This proposal includes two connections onto the existing road network: use of an original M1 cattle bridge at Broughton Grounds Lane (built for tractors, not high levels of traffic), and a connection to Broughton Road west of Salford.

The council’s highways team has now assessed this proposal and raises significant concerns, noting:

- Proposed speed-limit changes appear unlikely to meet CBC standards.
- The proposed roundabout (to Broughton Road) may have been modelled too optimistically and its true capacity overstated.
- Existing weight restrictions raise questions about how employment-related HGV traffic would access the network.
- Parts of Broughton Road are narrower than CBC standards for routes expected to carry buses and larger vehicles.
- That existing HGV weight restrictions conflict with a proposal business/retail area within the development.
- Development of this scale would have a significant impact on Salford and Hulcote.
- Some traffic modelling data assumed an average of three people per car during the evening peak.
- The proposal includes vague assertions that “car clubs” would reduce traffic pressures.
- An assumption that the much vaunted MK “Mass Rapid Transport” system will reduce trips by 20% is essentially pie in the sky thinking.

The report notes that there is no commitment to making a “grid road” connection to the north, and hence the presumption must be that the developer wishes to make Broughton Lane the primary connection. This is an entirely unacceptable position to me.

The highways planning team is currently opposed to this development and it’s difficult to see how these objections can be overcome without a significant change in approach. But we’re not at the end yet, so I’ll keep lobbying to ensure this proposal is put in the bin where it belongs.

31/05/2026

ASPLEY HEATH CHURCH ROAD PASSING PLACES APPROVED
Church Road (Aspley Heath) can become congested between the Royal Oak and St Michael’s church, particularly during the working week when its used for local business parking.

Church Road is narrow, serves 200+ homes, and the only road into Aspley Heath. Residents asked me if a solution could be sought, but the options were somewhat limited. Removing parking would have a disproportionate impact on local residents, and it wasn’t practical to provide a new car park or widen the road!

There isn’t a lack of parking on Church Road, as it stretches for 1km, but the compressed nature of parking on this small stretch is a problem. It has caused congestion of up to 15 minutes, as vehicles have to back away from both directions – which is not a great deal of fun.

Last year, a council highways officer visited Church Road to review the problem, and proposed two sets of double yellow lines (of 10m and 9m) at carefully selected locations on the road. This will displace just three parked vehicles (that can park further up the hill), but create room for vehicles to pull in and allow others to pass.

A consultation was carried out and the majority of residents supported its implementation (38 responses: 33 supporting, 3 opposed and 2 providing comments).

Last week, the council’s highways officers took the proposal to the Traffic Management Meeting (TMM) for consideration with a strong recommendation for approval.

TMM is a fascinating meeting, often with 20 or so members of the public present. It considers all sorts of highways requests, some of which come in the form of a petition for action, or a report from council officers seeking permission to progress a project.

It differs from many meetings where decisions are taken by voting. In this meeting, whoever is responsible for highways makes a decision based on an officer recommendation and commentary from local councillors and residents. The decision maker is currently me, but in the case of Aspley Heath, I could not approve this scheme as I represent the area.

So the Leader of the council presided over the decision. He listened carefully to representations from a senior highways officer, an objector and myself before concluding that the scheme should be implemented subject to a review after implementation to ensure it’s working as expected.

This is of course a “light touch” solution. The days of a local “Traffic Warden” doing the rounds every morning are long gone – but it provides a legal basis for no parking across two passing places.

And if there’s a Civil Enforcement Officer in the area who observes that a motorist has used a passing place as a parking space, they’ll get a fine.

The report can be found here:https://centralbeds.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s83022/TRO-075%20Church%20Road%20Aspley%20Heath%20-%20Waiting%20Restrictions%20Version%202.pdf

28/05/2026

WOBURN WEDNESDAY CLUB!
It was lovely to meet Woburn residents at the monthly ‘Wednesday club’, and talk about what it’s like to be a councillor, projects I’m currently undertaking for Woburn (and the wide area), and the how I’m playing my part in tackling the challenges facing Central Bedfordshire Council.

There were some wishes on the ‘wish tree’ that I can potentially resolve, others however are harder. I’ve picked up some projects to pursue in Woburn, and I also enjoyed a cup of tea and some chocolate biscuits.

Last month, the club went to Poplars Garden Centre where my colleague Gareth Mackey arranged afternoon tea and cakes for the guests.

These events are run by Rasa every fourth Wednesday of the month, to ensure there’s company, support and enjoyment for elderly residents. If you know of someone who may wish to attend one (they’re free!), drop Rasa a message at [email protected].

23/05/2026

ASPLEY GUISE ROAD WORKS THIS WEEK
Anyone driving through Aspley Guise could not fail to notice numerous white markings on the road. They extend from Bedford Road (near Mount Pleasant) to Nonna’s roundabout.

This coming week, the council will close the road to through traffic so it can carry out numerous repairs after significant damage during the winter period. Access for residents will be maintained, but the route will be closed to through traffic.

This length of road is heavily used, with around 40,000 vehicles a week travelling through the village many in search of the M1 or southern Milton Keynes. Aside from a section around The Square which was resurfaced during December 2022, the remainder has not seen significant improvement in decades.

It’s therefore encouraging that the council will be repairing the numerous defects over the next week, before returning in a few months to lay asphalt and roll in gravel. This technique is known as ‘surface dressing’, which seals cracks and reduces the impact of pot holing during cold weather. It’s the same process that was deployed to Leighton Street and Park Street (Woburn) in 2024.

To pre-empt comments about how it would be much better to resurface the entire road: yes, it would, but it’s not affordable (without dropping other projects) and when significant sections of the road are defect free, surface dressing offers a cost effective solution.

This project is only possible because the council manages its finances prudently. When money is tight, highways are often cut first, as councils must fund social care but are not legally required to improve roads - a fact some Central Bedfordshire councillors still struggle to grasp.

21/05/2026

SUPPORTING A NEW NATIONAL FOREST IN OUR AREA
We have this week, written to the government offering support for a new national forest in our area.

Last autumn, when the government announced more funding for the area between Oxford and Cambridge, Central Beds Leader, Cllr Adam Zerny said the government needed to mindful that it's not just about physical infrastructure. We must protect and encourage the wildlife and nature on our doorstep. In Marston Valley we have one of only 15 community forests in the UK. We need to see more projects like this, right across our area. Many people would say it's better not to build on our countryside at all, but if the government does press ahead with major development in our region, I will continue to push for much more environmental protection.

This is a message often repeated to the government ever since it started talking about New Towns, so we're pleased there is some indication this message seems to have been heard.

And given we already have this fantastic resource in Bedfordshire, one option open to the government is to expand it further across the county.

The government has already acknowledged the need to 'see millions of trees planted in the years ahead as part of a wider commitment to allocate over £1 billion this parliament to tree planting and support to the forestry sector.' and has mentioned there could be a new national forest. Last year, it set aside £250 million, to 'give growers financial certainty and help accelerate tree planting. Alongside this, investment in apprenticeships and training will boost rural employment and equip people with skills for green jobs' [1].

We want that money spent in our area and this week, CBC Independents councillors on the Executive have written to the government.

If you have ideas or anything you'd like to be considered, let me know and we will feed this back to the government.

Appendix

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nation-to-benefit-from-two-new-national-forests-backed-by-1-billion-investment-in-tree-planting

Photo credit: Forest of Marston Vale.

John Baker: In touch with Aspley & Woburn

20/06/2026

18/06/2026

17/06/2026

13/06/2026

08/06/2026

06/06/2026

31/05/2026

28/05/2026

23/05/2026

21/05/2026

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