Your council
Central Bedfordshire: what’s happening where you live
What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.
Central Bedfordshire Council: Unitary authority (unitary), England, East of England. GOV.UK lists it as a unitary council.
Council website · Publication scheme
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Bulky household waste collections: Applications for service
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Recycling bags and containers: Providing information
- Flytipping: Reporting
- Road maintenance: Reporting
- Street lighting: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Primary school places: Applications for service
- Secondary school places: Applications for service
- Library facilities: Providing information
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Band D set by Central Bedfordshire for 2026–27: £1,931.54 of a £2,516.16 total bill in the area.
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Changes to schools in this area recorded by the Department for Education Updated automatically
No school here is currently recorded as proposed to open or close.
In the last twelve months: 1 opened (1 fresh start), 1 closed (1 fresh start)
- Gilbert Inglefield Academy (middle deemed secondary) — closed; reason recorded: fresh start, 31 March 2026
- Gilbert Inglefield Academy (middle deemed secondary) — open; reason recorded: fresh start, 1 April 2026
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education services | £208.2 million |
| Highways and transport services | £15.2 million |
| Children's social care | £61.3 million |
| Adult social care | £165.1 million |
| Public health | £16.8 million |
| Housing services (general fund only) | £7.8 million |
| Cultural and related services | £4.8 million |
| Environmental and regulatory services | £32.4 million |
| Planning and development services | £9.5 million |
| Police services | none budgeted |
| Fire and rescue services | none budgeted |
| Central services | £6.4 million |
| Other services | £5.7 million |
| Total service expenditure | £533.4 million |
Central Bedfordshire in numbers
- Total population
- 315,877 people
- Median age
- 40 years
- Gross disposable household income per head
- £26,560
- Gross median weekly pay
- £731
- Children in relative poverty after housing costs
- 17.8%
- Claimant Count
- 2.5%
- Average house price
- £356,758
- Housing affordability ratio (residence-based)
- 8.4 affordability ratio
- Female healthy life expectancy
- 60.9 years
- Male healthy life expectancy
- 61.5 years
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- 4.5 tCO2e per capita
- Gigabit capable broadband
- 86.7%
- Public electric vehicle chargers
- 167.8 per 100,000 population
- Active businesses
- 13,135 number of enterprises
Who runs the council
63 seats in 2026. Run by: independents, as a minority administration.
Councillors by party: Independent / Other 28, Conservative and Unionist 20, Liberal Democrats 8, Labour Party 4, Reform UK 2, Green Party (E&W) 1.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 63 councillors, by ward
- Gary Summerfield (Independent / Other) — Ampthill
- Mark Smith (Independent / Other) — Ampthill
- Susan Heather (Green Party (E&W)) — Ampthill
- Jodie Chillery (Independent / Other) — Arlesey & Fairfield
- Nick Andrews (Labour Party) — Arlesey & Fairfield
- John Baker (Independent / Other) — Aspley & Woburn
- Anne French (Independent / Other) — Barton-le-Clay & Silsoe
- Liz Childs (Independent / Other) — Barton-le-Clay & Silsoe
- Garath Tranter (Independent / Other) — Biggleswade East
- Grant Fage (Conservative and Unionist) — Biggleswade East
- Hayley Whitaker (Independent / Other) — Biggleswade West
- Paul How (Independent / Other) — Biggleswade West
- Steven Watkins (Independent / Other) — Biggleswade West
- Kevin Collins (Conservative and Unionist) — Caddington
- Vicky Malone (Independent / Other) — Caddington
- David Shelvey (Conservative and Unionist) — Clifton, Henlow & Langford
- Drew Richardson (Conservative and Unionist) — Clifton, Henlow & Langford
- Richard Wenham (Conservative and Unionist) — Clifton, Henlow & Langford
- Robert Morris (Conservative and Unionist) — Cranfield & Marston Moretaine
- Saverio Bongo (Independent / Other) — Cranfield & Marston Moretaine
- Sue Clark (Conservative and Unionist) — Cranfield & Marston Moretaine
- Carole Hegley (Conservative and Unionist) — Dunstable Central
- John Gurney (Independent / Other) — Dunstable East
- Kenson Gurney (Independent / Other) — Dunstable East
- Matthew Brennan (Labour Party) — Dunstable North
- Matthew Neall (Labour Party) — Dunstable North
- Philip Crawley (Conservative and Unionist) — Dunstable South
- Eugene Ghent (Conservative and Unionist) — Dunstable West
- Nigel Young (Conservative and Unionist) — Dunstable West
- Philip Spicer (Conservative and Unionist) — Eaton Bray
- Gareth Mackey (Independent / Other) — Flitwick
- Heather Townsend (Independent / Other) — Flitwick
- Ian Adams (Conservative and Unionist) — Flitwick
- Mark Versallion (Conservative and Unionist) — Heath & Reach
- Rebecca Hares (Independent / Other) — Houghton Conquest & Haynes
- Chloe Alderman (Labour Party) — Houghton Regis East
- Pat Hamill (Reform UK) — Houghton Regis East
- Tracey McMahon (Independent / Other) — Houghton Regis East
- Susan Goodchild (Liberal Democrats) — Houghton Regis West
- Yvonne Farrell (Liberal Democrats) — Houghton Regis West
- Colin Pughe (Liberal Democrats) — Leighton-Linslade North
- David Bligh (Liberal Democrats) — Leighton-Linslade North
- Nigel Carnell (Liberal Democrats) — Leighton-Linslade North
- Chris Leaman (Liberal Democrats) — Leighton-Linslade South
- Emma Holland-Lindsay (Liberal Democrats) — Leighton-Linslade South
- Shaun Roberts (Liberal Democrats) — Leighton-Linslade South
- Russ Goodchild (Independent / Other) — Leighton-Linslade West
- Steve Owen (Independent / Other) — Leighton-Linslade West
- Victoria Harvey (Independent / Other) — Leighton-Linslade West
- Blake Stephenson (Conservative and Unionist) — Meppershall & Shillington
- Paul Daniels (Conservative and Unionist) — Northill
- Adam Zerny (Independent / Other) — Potton
- Tracey Wye (Independent / Other) — Potton
- Robert Pashby (Independent / Other) — Sandy
- Simon Ford (Independent / Other) — Sandy
- Sue Bell (Independent / Other) — Sandy
- Mark Liddiard (Conservative and Unionist) — Shefford
- Tony Brown (Conservative and Unionist) — Shefford
- Kathryn Woodfine (Independent / Other) — Stotfold
- Marion Mason (Reform UK) — Stotfold
- Gary Purser (Conservative and Unionist) — Toddington
- Mary Walsh (Independent / Other) — Toddington
- James Jamieson (Conservative and Unionist) — Westoning, Flitton & Greenfield