Bedfordshire

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Bedfordshire Police and Fire and Rescue are asking people to avoid a Bedford street as they respond to an incident.

Honeysuckle House welcomes first residents following CQC registration john.day Thu 23/07/2026 11:56am

23 July 2026

Housing

We're pleased to announce that Honeysuckle House, the new residential care home at Red Kite Meadows in Flitwick, welcomed its first residents just weeks after receiving Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration.

The home officially opened its doors on 14 July, marking an important milestone for the development. Residents George Brighton and Jim Kelly were the first to move into Honeysuckle House from Ferndale Older People's Residential Home. They were welcomed by Julie Ricci, Registered Manager at Care is Central, and Jim kindly cut the ribbon to celebrate the occasion.

CQC registration

Achieving CQC registration last month confirmed that Honeysuckle House had met the standards required to provide high-quality care in a safe, welcoming and well-equipped environment. The registration followed a rigorous inspection process and reflects the significant work we've undertaken in partnership with Care is Central and project partners to create a care home that residents, families and staff can be proud of.

Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Councillor Mark Smith, said:

Welcoming the first residents to Honeysuckle House is a proud moment for Central Bedfordshire. Red Kite Meadows represents a major investment in the future of adult social care and demonstrates our commitment to providing outstanding facilities for local people.

Honeysuckle House offers residents a beautiful, purpose-built home where they can receive high-quality care in a safe, comfortable and supportive environment. We are delighted to see this vision become a reality and to celebrate this important milestone with residents, families and staff.

Robert Templeton, Managing Director Care is Central said:

It was great to welcome the first residents to Honeysuckle House and see the building begin to come to life as a real home and community. With 72 ensuite bedrooms, welcoming lounges, dining areas and shared spaces, it has been designed to give residents opportunities to spend time together, take part in activities and welcome family and friends. As more residents move in, Honeysuckle House is steadily becoming more than a new building, it is becoming a home and a thriving community.

Honeysuckle House forms part of Red Kite Meadows, our new senior living village in Flitwick. The development brings together independent living apartments, a residential care home, a short stay unit and community facilities within one purpose-built site. Red Kite Meadows has been built to PassivHaus standards and incorporates dementia-friendly design principles, creating sustainable, energy-efficient buildings that support residents' comfort, independence and wellbeing.

Operated by Care is Central, our wholly-owned care company, Honeysuckle House features 72 ensuite bedrooms and welcoming communal spaces designed to provide high-quality residential care in a modern, homely environment.

A photographer from Bedford has been named a double finalist in a prestigious national competition for her incredible wildlife pictures.

Villagers in Stagsden aged 18 to 80 have stepped in front of the camera for a cheeky charity calendar raising funds for men's mental and physical health charities across the borough...

Being a young person today means balancing education, friendships, family life and the pressures of planning your future, often while trying to find your place in a world that can feel like it was not built with you in mind.

Operating theatre staff at Bedford Hospital have taken strike action again in a dispute over overtime pay cuts that union leaders say leave some workers up to £120 worse off per shift...

£3.2 million approved to expand early years and SEND support oliver.drackford Mon 20/07/2026 2:12pm

20 July 2026

Schools and education Children and young people

We have approved an additional £3.174 million investment in Children's Services projects, helping to create more early years places, expand childcare provision and increase specialist support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Increased budget

The increase to the 2026/27 Children and Families Capital Budget was approved by Full Council on Thursday 16 July. The funding is fully supported by government grants and developer contributions, meaning there is no change to the our net capital budget.

The investment includes £824,000 for 2 early years projects at Rainbows at St Andrew’s Primary and Stanbridge Lower School. Funded through Section 106 developer contributions and Department for Education (DfE) capital grant funding, the projects will increase both early years capacity and school-age childcare provision, supporting the national early years expansion programme.

A further £450,000 will be invested through the Early Years School-Based Nursery Capital Grant programme. Three maintained schools, Shefford Lower, Moggerhanger Primary and Mary Bassett Lower, have each been awarded approximately £150,000 in DfE funding to create additional nursery places and help meet growing demand for high-quality early years provision.

The largest element of the package, £1.9 million, will support the development and expansion of Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs) and specialist SEND provision across Central Bedfordshire.

The funding will be used to adapt, refurbish and enhance existing educational settings, creating additional specialist places and providing more local support for children and young people with SEND.

The investment forms part of our wider SEND sufficiency strategy, which aims to ensure more children can access the specialist support they need closer to home.

Our Executive Member for Children and Families, Councillor Gareth Mackey, said: 

This investment is excellent news for children, young people and families across Central Bedfordshire.

By securing more than £3 million of external funding, we are able to increase early years and childcare capacity, while also expanding specialist SEND provision, without placing any additional pressure on the Council's budget.

These projects will help more children access high-quality early education, give families greater childcare options and ensure more young people with additional needs can receive the right support in the right place.

Creating opportunities for every child to reach their full potential is one of the council's key priorities, and this investment represents another important step towards delivering that ambition.

Work on the approved projects will be progressed during the 2026/27 financial year.

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