Leighton Buzzard News is an independent news and information site for Leighton Buzzard and the Central Bedfordshire council area. We report from documents, we link to them, and we have no connection to the council.
A council with no centre
Central Bedfordshire was created in 2009 and named after a compass direction because no town could be given the job. Leighton Buzzard and Linslade sit in the west, on the canal and the London line. Dunstable and Houghton Regis are in the south and run into Luton. Ampthill, Flitwick and Shefford are in the middle, below the Greensand Ridge. Biggleswade, Sandy and Potton are out east on the A1. Because there is no dominant town, a great deal of what people search for here genuinely does get searched under the council’s name, so our reference pages cover the whole area including Dunstable and Houghton Regis, whatever the masthead says.
What we report
Central Bedfordshire Council is a unitary authority, so planning, bins, roads, licensing, council tax and schools all sit with one body. We work from its planning register and committee papers, licensing notices, police.uk crime data, HM Land Registry sold prices, Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings, Environment Agency flood warnings for the local rivers and brooks, and company filings in The Gazette. Every fact links back to the original.
A note on 2028
Bedfordshire has been fully unitary since 2009 and is not part of the local government reorganisation happening elsewhere in England, so this council is not due to change. That is unusual, and it means the geography this site covers should stay stable.
Tips and corrections
Email hello@leightonbuzzardnews.co.uk with anything we should be looking at, an event worth listing, or a correction. Tips are treated in confidence, and corrections are made quickly and noted on the page.
Leighton Buzzard News is published by the GOB Media Group.