Cllr Mark Versallion

Today is the start of Armed Forces Week and I attended the annual Flag Raising ceremony at Chicksands. The week culminates with Armed Forces Day on Sat 27 Jun and every year reminds us of the covenant that exists between civic society and our military personnel.

After the bugler played the Last Post and the Reveille, the flag was raised and as Armed Forces Champion I had the honour to read out Rupert Brooke’s WWI poem, The Soldier.

I was a Royal Navy officer for 14 years in the reserves and lived through some interesting times, particularly 2003-15. And so I know how important that bond and understanding between civil and military is. Today’s reminder is much appreciated, as is the whole week ahead.

My particular thanks to the Standard Bearers of the Royal British Legion and RBL County Chairman Tom Murphy who I had a good chat with today.

Thanks also to Commanding Officers RAF Henlow and DITG Chicksands and all armed forces personnel and cadets in attendance today. And the bikers of course and a shout out to Derek Dobbie of the RBL Leighton Buzzard Branch.

Although it starts today, the week will provide several opportunities to show our support, concluding on Saturday 27 June.

Royal British Legion

A great night of live music at The Golden Bell this weekend. Thanks to landlord James and musicians and fans everywhere who keep the industry thriving.

Great to be at the Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard Truck Convoy today. The wagon drive happened this morning through Dunstable and up to LB and the party off Billington Road goes on til late tonight.

A big shout out to Graham and all the volunteers that put this event together and raise money for charity. Many of us thrive on a strong sense of community and that’s far more important than a bit of traffic once a year.

This year the bureaucratic nonsense from the Council reached new levels of absurdity and expense that the event almost didn’t happen.

I was happy to help Graham and the convoy in dealing with CBC - they don’t make it easy and although a charity, insisted on them having very expensive traffic management (rather than the free one they’ve always used) and other costs that have never been needed in the previous ten years of convoys.

Despite that the event is going very well. Well done to all involved and the beautiful trucks.

Annual staff awards at MK Hospital was great fun and so many moving stories of outstanding staff told by the patients and colleagues who nominated them.

Truly humbling and inspiring at the same time and thank you not just to the staff who organised it but to the corporate sponsors who paid for it.

It means so much to NHS staff to be recognised in this way and some of the best examples of compassion and care you’ll ever see in any walk of life.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service AGM today and good to be back in Dunstable Fire Station in my role as a member of the board. Met with the Chief and several FRS personnel as well as ambulance service crews who are co-located.

Great to see these blue light services well integrated in their critical work. My thanks to all of them.

Leighton Buzzard Theatre has just issued its new brochure for the year and it’s packed with great events. Everyone Active, who runs CBC’s theatres and leisure centres, has a new marketing strategy and a new programme.

I spent some time with the management and CBC officers after the false news over Christmas that it was threatened with closure. And so I have every confidence that the theatre will do well this year.

A good mix of national productions and local talent. Here’s the link to the new brochure:
https://www.flipsnack.com/EBC6D977C6F/leighton-buzzard-library-theatre-highlights-2026

You can also pick up a hard copy in the Library Theatre.

Beautiful sunset as I entered Stanbridge & Tilsworth Community Hall recently and worthy of capturing I hope you’ll agree.

A busy time in the last few days and three parish council meetings in quick succession. Continuing to work on various issues that concern all of us local residents.

Well done to volunteers and staff at today’s public engagement. Healthwatch does great work and has my support so I’m sorry the Govt is planning to abolish it.

The decision has faced significant backlash from county councils, charities and patient advocates as moving patient feedback in-house will remove its independence and the NHS and Councils will effectively be marking their own homework.

Govt intends for feedback about healthcare to go to the Integrated Care Board (ICB). And social care feedback to Central Beds Council.

To top it off, a new Patient Experience function will then be created within the Department of Health and Social Care!

Now that there’s a new Secretary of State, and soon a new PM, perhaps this plan will be dropped?

Thank you Hockliffe’s Harvester for hosting my in-person advice surgery this evening and thank you to residents for attending.

Good to talk with local people and to support the village’s only pub, aka The White Hart.