2011 started on a somewhat tense note with Luton Borough Council's party leaders joining for a rare show of unity in condemning the English Defence League march planned in the town for February 5. Councillors wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May asking her to consider banning the march with shopkeepers fearing for their businesses and residents concerned for their safety.
January wasn't all doom and gloom however, as Luton's city status bid was given a boost in the shape of bright purple double decker bus! The bus, painted in Luton in Harmony purple was donated by Arriva and arrived in time for the bid's official launch.
Meanwhile, local car giant Vauxhall signed a multi-million pound three-and-a-half year deal to sponsor all four home nations football teams.
Catatonia singer and I'm a Celebrity star Cerys Matthews celebrated her nuptials to Luton town fan Steve Abbott by cheering the Hatters on in their Blue Square Premier clash with Bath. The singer and her new husband stopped off at Twerton Park for the uninspiring 0-0 stalemate en route to Heathrow Airport from Cardiff.
The town breathed a collective sigh of relief at the beginning of the month as the much-dreaded EDL march, billed as the biggest march since the group were created, passed off relatively peacefully. 27 police forces from around the UK teamed up to ensure officers were out in force to prevent any trouble, with a mere estimated 1,500 EDL supporters turning out despite predictions that as many as 7,000 could converge on the town.
Leaders of the Masjid-e-Ali group insisted that they intended to build a multi-purpose community centre on the Old Bedford Road site. But that didn't reassure opposition groups, who denied being motivated by the EDL, who gathered signatures on a petition and set up protest meetings against the possible sale of the land
On a lighter note, beer lovers drank the bar dry at Luton's 28th annual beer festival in High Town. The festival featured around 30 tipples produced by local brewers.
Around 1,500 workers at Luton's Vauxhall plant were celebrating after the manufacturing giant struck a deal with Renault for the new Vivaro van to be produced there, securing the factory's future.
A Luton woman told of her lucky escape from a devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christine Jones was travelling in the city when the 6.3 magnitude quake struck. She told of her horror as buildings collapsed in front of her.
Street dancing, sponsored bike rides and a teacher performing a gymnastics routine while dressed as Little Britain character Daffyd were among the feats performed in Luton to raise money for this year's Comic Relief. Schools, business and charities all got into the fundraising spirit to help raise thousands of pounds for the charity.
Irish eyes were smiling in Luton as the town turned green for the 12th annual St patrick's Day celebration in the town.
In sports news, Hatters narrowly missed out on a Wembley final after losing out to a late extra time goal in the FA Trophy semi final against Mansfield. Despite keeper Kevin Pilkington saving a late penalty, the Stags netted the rebound to knock the Town out. Things went from bad to worse as that gallant defeat was followed by a shambolic away day at lowly Southport. A 2-1 defeat saw controversial Hatters boss Richard Money leave the club by mutual consent, replaced by current boss Gary Brabin.
Disgruntled patients at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital slammed a massive parking fee hike as 'obscene'. New charges would see visitors to the L&D charged as much as £12 to park all day and a staggering £24 to stop overnight
Tributes flooded in for popular local radio presenter Ian Pearce who died at the end of March. BBC Three Counties DJ Mr Pearce, known as the voice of the Hatters for his football commentary, was found dead at his home by a concerned colleague after he failed to show up for a Luton Town match. New Hatters boss Gary Brabin said he was 'gobsmacked' at the death of Mr Pearce, 56.
As Luton geared up for the Royal wedding and all things William and Kate were the hot topics, Stopsley fashion designer Lewis-Duncan Wheedon came up with his design for the perfect wedding dress for Miss Middleton ahead of the big Westminster Abbey wedding on April 29.
Prime Minister David Cameron visited the newly saved Vauxhall Plant in Luton. Production at the site stopped for more than two hours as the PM's visit overran when he took the time to talk to some of the plant's staff.
ROYAL wedding fever gripped the town on the double Bank Holiday weekend, as we celebrated the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton in style. You couldn't move for bunting bearing the faces of the famous pair, and across the town revellers enjoyed a royal knees up, making the most of the extra day off with street parties and re-enactments of the ceremony.
The fun continued with the Luton Carnival, with an impressive array of floats and dedicated dancers and performers who put on a good show for the crowds that turned out despite heavy rain.
Things turned serious for the local elections, which saw Labour strengthen its grip on Luton. Councillor Hazel Simmons' party increased its borough council majority from two to a whopping 24. Meanwhile the Lib Dems suffered big losses as national support waned for Nick Clegg's party.
Luton entered its official city status bid, driving the big purple city bid bus to London where the bid was submitted. Luton will find out if it has done enough to earn a city bid when the results are announced in February 2012.
THE Royal theme continued in June when our reporter Bev Creagh received an invitation to the Queen's garden party at Buckingham Palace. She turned to local milliner Philip Wright for help with her outfit, who created a fabulous hat that was perfect for the occasion.
The Luton News launched the Dignity for the Elderly campaign after a number of readers complained of the shocking treatment their relatives had received at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Families of four elderly people who died at the L&D said that in their dying days their relatives were deprived of the only comfort they had left - their dignity. Following the launch of the campaign, the News Desk was flooded with calls from people whose loved ones had suffered the same fate.
The L&D also received criticism for its hike in car park fees, a debate that rumbled on for some months.
IT was revealed that Luton Borough Council sick days cost the town's taxpayers more than £2 Million a year,with council workers taking an average of 11.25 days off annually. The Council pledged to improve this by hiring an 'attendance improvement manager'.
Reporter Steve Nolan ventured out with Bedfordshire Police to see how Operation Turtle, a crackdown on prostitution in High Town, was working. Residents complained that with cuts to police budgets and dwindling resources, the prostitution problem was as bad as ever.
Two members of Bedfordshire Police force found fame when they featured in Traffic Cops on BBC1. PCs Shona Gillen and Sam Sparkes were favourites on the show for their winning combination of tough-talk and flirtations.
Meanwhile reporter Bev Creagh had a superb time at Buckingham Palace, where she mingled with 8,000 other guests who were invited for their contribution to charity or the community.
THE controversial busway hit a new problem as the council revealed there was a growing hole in the finances for it. The £89.2 million project had a shortfall of £5.4 million, which Luton Borough Council has to make up itself, or both Luton and Central Bedfordshire Council will be jointly liable for it.
Beautiful Wrest Park completed the first stage of its revival in time for the summer holidays, and unveiled the new look at a grand opening. The 90-acre historic landscape and French-style mansion, which was taken over by English Heritage in 2006, received a £1.14m Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the project and intend to continue restoring the park to its former glory of the 1900s.
As riots spread across the country, residents of Luton waited with baited breath to see if the town would also fall to the yobs. Fortunately, the anticipated trouble did not come and there were only small pockets of disorder across the area. Bedfordshire Police used Facebook and Twitter to quickly discount any rumour of riots throughout the night. Some businesses in the town centre shut early and boarded up the windows and doors in anticipation of trouble.
Prime Minister David Cameron praised the work of Bedfordshire police officers in keeping Bedfordshire safe and suppressing the riots in London in a statement to the House of Commons.
A snap decision landed a teenager in jail after a judge took a dim view of him taking pictures in her court. Paul Thompson, 19, incurred the wrath of Judge Barbara Mensah at Luton Crown Court when he was caught taking the sneaky snap on his phone. He was jailed for two months for contempt of court.
Former Luton South MP Margaret Moran made her first public appearance in nearly two years when she attended court to face allegations she had fiddled her expenses. The 56-year-old was accompanied by her husband at Westminster Magistrates Court, where she wept in the dock as the court heard details of 15 charges of false accounting and six of forgery, amounting to £80,000.
Workers outside Pratts Bananas in Laporte Way staged a walk-out over changes to their contracts. More than 200 agency workers, many of them from Eastern Europe, were told their pay would be reduced and that they would be transferred on to ‘zero hour’ contracts when a new agency took over recruitment.
Hundreds of hardy runners braved a chilly morning when they gathered at Vauxhall Recreation Centre for our On Your Marks 10k race for the Luton & Dunstable Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. The day also saw a 5k race and a children’s fun run, and raised a fantastic £11,700 for the unit, which provides lifesaving care for premature and poorly babies.
It emerged that a Luton landlord had been renting out sheds to tenants, who had been claiming housing benefit for the properties. Council enforcement officers stepped in after the sheds were used as residential accommodation, despite planning permission being refused. Luton Borough Council said it wanted to send a message of ‘zero tolerance’ of properties being let out illegally.
Travellers camped in Stockwood Park were finally moved on after being in the park for more than a fortnight. It was reported by national media that the families had travelled to Luton after being evicted from the Dale Farm site in Essex, but this was denied by the travellers. They were allowed to stay an extra five days after telling Luton Borough Council they were in the area to attend a funeral.
Ink and champagne flowed as the new Daily Express printing plant opened in Kimpton Road, Luton. Media tycoon Richard Desmond pushed the button to start the presses rolling at the £100 million new plant, which will print both the Daily Express and the Daily Star, telling reporters the move demonstrated his faith in the printed press.
Schools closed, health and care services were affected and flights at Luton Airport were disrupted as public sector workers went on strike in a bitter row over pensions. Twenty-six unions joined forces for the strike, which followed months of failed negotiations. Workers said an increase in pension contributions while being forced to work until a later age was unfair.
Ministers agreed a £20 million cash injection for Luton to fund improvement works to Junction 10a. Luton Borough Council said congestion at the busy junction was preventing economic growth in Luton, and that the new junction could lead to thousands of new jobs. The M1 spur road will be widened to three lanes, the existing roundabout removed, and two new roundabouts will be built for vehicles joining and leaving the London Road and the spur road.
The Luton Today newsdesk was indundated with callers asking where Barnfield College-trained chef Steve Barringer worked, after the kitchen whizz wowed the nation with his culinary skills on MasterChef The Professionals. Steve, 25, of Westoning, was pipped to the prize but dishes such as his chicken ballotine and dumplings won high praise from judges Michel Roux Jr and Greg Wallace. He said: “I had some cracking comments. For Michel Roux Jr to say such nice things is amazing as he’s always been an idol of mine.”
Luton Borough Council confirmed it would be closing its remaining two care homes, much to the dismay of residents and their families. The Laurels, in Ely Way, and Westlea, in Leagrave High Street, will close in 2012, despite concerns raised during a 90-day consultation. Residents will be moved to privately-run homes, with the council saying they will be “supported individually to make decisions about where they wish to move to”.
An Icknield Road couple had a shock when a car ploughed into their front garden. A report of a suspicious vehicle in Shillington saw the Beds Police helicopter scrambled, but when the vehicle was located in Lower Stondon the driver drove off. A chase down the A6 ensued, with the pursuit coming to an end when the car crashed into the garden. A 22-year-old man was arrested.
