Great News!

Official figures have recently confirmed the dramatic jobs growth in the Borough with a massive increase of 16,000 more people in work since October 2009. Mayor Dave Hodgson has made jobs a key priority and continues to work to bring more jobs into the borough.

More temporary accommodation is being provided for homeless people in Bedford Borough.

The Council has converted a number of vacant properties into temporary accommodation for those who are homeless. Five properties have already been refurbished providing up to 17 bedrooms, with the first families moving in last month. More properties are expected to follow later in Spring this year.

Mayor Dave Hodgson helped to conduct the recent unveiling of a Blue Plaque at the former home of Joshua and Hester Hawkins, two renowned figures in Bedford's history. The plaque is located on their former home at 18 Linden Road, which is now a YMCA property.

You can see a selection of photos from the unveiling on Mayor Dave's Facebook page here, where he commented:

The Harpur Shopping Centre in Bedford town centre celebrated its official opening on Saturday, and Mayor Dave Hodgson was invited along to congratulate the centre and its traders on the works and conduct the official opening.

In a speech delivered prior to cutting the ribbon on the new glass lift, Mayor Dave commented that "the Harpur Centre has always been a central shopping hub, at the heart of our town centre, and this impressive refurbishment will cement that status for years to come."

Responding to the reports from the LGA that council tax rises in 2019/20 will not bring in enough money to prevent the need for further cutbacks to adult social care, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Judith Jolly said "The current way the Tories are running the care system is unsustainable. As it becomes more and more difficult for people in the UK to get the help they need, it becomes clear something needs to change, and it needs to happen now."

Judith added "For months the Liberal Democrats have been calling on the Conservative Government to publish the Social Care Green Paper so that we can begin to address this crisis. But instead the Tories have delayed and delayed this since the summer of 2017 as they fail to address the ballooning funding gap for adult social care. The Liberal Democrats are ready and willing to challenge the problem in social care. We will transform the care older people receive and reduce the inequality in provision. We will put a penny in the pound on income tax to directly invest in social care as a first step to address the funding problems."

In his latest monthly column for the Bedford Independent, Mayor Dave Hodgson has encouraged people to have their say on the route of East West rail between Bedford and Cambridge and set out why he's arguing strongly for a route via Bedford itself rather than one which bypasses the town to the south.

Responding to an Institute for Government's report highlighting "flaws in the immigration system", published today (Friday 8th March), Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said "The Institute for Government is right. The Windrush scandal and countless other failings show that the immigration system is not fit for purpose."

Average speed cameras are being installed at seven more locations across Bedford Borough later this year.

The villages of Bromham, Clapham, Colmworth, Elstow and Willington are set to have average speed cameras installed, alongside Hillgrounds Road in Kempston and Mile Road in Bedford.

These cameras measure the average speed over a length of road, rather than measuring it at a fixed point. This means they have a greater long term effect on how fast people choose to drive rather than just slowing down for a speed camera. They also help drivers choose a more appropriate lower speed across the road network.