Queens Park HMO Petition of 333 Goes to Council Wednesday

Two petitions asking Bedford Borough Council to revoke licences for shared houses in Queens Park will be debated by councillors on Wednesday. One has 333 supporters and the other 230. Two petitions about speeding traffic, in Wilden and on Arundel Drive, are on the same agenda.

All four are listed in the report for item 7 at Full Council on Wednesday 7 October. The meeting starts at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber at Borough Hall and is webcast.

The four petitions

An HMO is a house in multiple occupation, a home shared by several unrelated tenants. Many need a licence from the council.

The Queens Park petitions

Both HMO petitions were organised by the same resident. They are reproduced in full in the council’s report, which names six licensed houses on Winifred Road, Hurst Grove, Honeyhill Road, Cromwell Road and Coventry Road. We are not repeating the addresses.

The petitions say the houses are let to ex-offenders. They say residents of Queens Park have since experienced:

• noise and disruptive behaviour
• verbal abuse and intimidation
• drug-related activity
• vehicles being broken into overnight
• littering and parking problems

These are the petitioners’ claims. The council’s report does not test them, and it does not say whether any of the licences has been reviewed. The second petition says the problems at the Honeyhill Road house have gone on “since 2017”.

The petitions ask the council to use its powers over HMO standards and to “reconsider” each licence, so that “the community’s peace and calm environment is restored”. They also acknowledge that “reintegration is an essential part of societal prudence”.

The speeding petitions

Wilden High Street. The petition, organised by a borough councillor, covers the “Top End” of the High Street, from number 8 to number 28. Wilden is a village about five miles north-east of Bedford. The petition says the stretch is used by children and older residents, and that the school is “just around the corner”. It asks the council to consider:

• speed cushions
• a 20mph zone
• more signs and road markings
• speed monitoring devices or cameras

Arundel Drive. The petition says drivers use the wide road in north Bedford to avoid the cameras on Putnoe Street. It points to a primary school nearby, parents parking on the road, and older residents crossing to the shops.

What happens on Wednesday

The council’s petitions scheme means any petition with more than 30 signatures goes to a Full Council debate. On the night:

• each organiser can speak for up to five minutes
• councillors can then question them and debate the issue
• the council can back the request, reject it with reasons, or ask a committee to look further

All four petitions concern matters for the council’s Executive, so Full Council cannot decide them itself. It can only express a view or make a request to the Executive or the portfolio holder. The organisers will be told in writing what happens next.

What it means for you

• If you live in Queens Park, Wilden or near Arundel Drive, this is the first time councillors will discuss these concerns in public. You can watch the webcast or sit in the public gallery.
• Nothing changes on the night. Any licence review or traffic scheme would be a decision for the Executive or council officers afterwards.
• You can start a petition yourself. Thirty signatures from people who live in the area is enough to reach Full Council on a local issue.

We will report what councillors decide after the meeting. The same meeting also votes on moving part of Kempston Rural into Kempston Town.