17/04/2026
First General Purposes Committee done. Here’s the honest account. (Video of the same on TikTok / Insta if you’d rather!)
It was a long morning — we were in that room near 1pm working through a 331-page agenda pack. That’s the reality of local governance that nobody puts in the election leaflets!
Here’s what happened on the issues that matter most.
Community Governance Review
Parishes across Central Bedfordshire had their boundaries reviewed today. For Biggleswade, there was a detailed boundary discussion that needed to go fully on the public record. I supported the officer and working group recommendations throughout.
On a separate amendment relating to Eggington — I did something I very rarely do. I abstained.
That wasn’t a fence-sit. The amendment felt politically charged and the potential impact on local parish councils and residents was significant enough that I didn’t feel it was right to vote without genuinely understanding the lived experience of those communities. So I listened instead, to those who did.
Sometimes that’s the most honest thing you can do.
The SEND Sub-Committee
This was the item I came prepared for — and the one I’m most glad I pushed on.
There was a proposal to dissolve the dedicated SEND scrutiny committee and absorb its work into a larger general committee. I spoke clearly against it.
I raised two specific challenges in the room.
First, the financial case. The direct cash saving from this proposal was £1,750 per year. Against a budgeted efficiency of £8,000. The same report recommended a broader scrutiny review costing up to £15,000. 🤦🏻♂️
Second, the proposal contained no guarantee that specialist co-opted members — people with dedicated SEND expertise who currently hold voting rights on the sub-committee — would have equivalent status on the parent committee. That’s not a minor detail. That’s specialist knowledge and formal influence being quietly removed.
An amendment came forward immediately after to remove SEND from the proposal entirely. I voted for it. It was carried.
The SEND Sub-Committee will not be dissolved today.
The Police and Crime Advisory Panel will return to the Sustainable Communities OSC, alongside a wider governance review. I’ll be watching that review carefully — including what it costs and how it’s scoped.
Standards Complaints and RIPA
Given the length of the meeting, the standards complaints report and the surveillance powers update were deferred to June. But I want to be clear — conduct complaints across this council doubled in the past year. That’s a governance culture issue that deserves proper attention, not a quiet deferral. I’ll be there in June ready to engage with it properly.
As always — if any of this affects you, particularly around SEND, drop me a message or leave a comment below.
