Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats

Bedford Borough Council tonight reaffirmed the positive case for East West Rail and the importance of local residents' views in shaping the government project, via a vote at a Full Council meeting

The majority vote approved Cllr Michael Headley's motion which reiterated the Council's longstanding support for an East West Rail route serving Bedford. It also noted that the Government chose the preferred route over a year ago, following a public consultation which drew 7,000 responses.

A New Railway from Oxford to Cambridge and Beyond

The Current Situation

The Government and the East West Rail Company (EWR Co) selected the preferred route option for East West Rail between Bedford and Cambridge in January 2020. Next, they will consult on the detailed alignment of the route.

This followed a public consultation by EWR Co on route options in January - March 2019.

The Prime Minister will address the nation this evening, but has already outlined the roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions in England to the House of Commons.

The roadmap has four steps with a minimum of five weeks between each step.

Step one is in two parts:

On 8 March

• All students return to schools and colleges, and school clubs can resume
• Secondary school students will be required to wear masks in class as well as communal areas
• People can meet one other person outside for recreation, not just exercise
• Care home residents allowed one regular named visitor
• Stay at home order remains in place

Thameslink are introducing a new reduced timetable from Monday 22nd February 2021.

The new timetable focuses on early morning, late evening, and peak time services. This smaller timetable is intended to ensure that their trains are as reliable as possible for key workers and others who need to travel.

The latest weekly coronavirus statistics for Bedford Borough have been published. The figures show that in the seven days up to February 14th:

• 1,396 people have been tested (595 fewer than the previous week)
• There were 312 Covid-19 cases (187 fewer than the previous week)
• The weekly positive cases per 100,000 population was 180 (down from 288 in the previous week)

"Pay your bill, Home Secretary"

Jas Parmar, Liberal Democrat candidate for Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, has launched a campaign to overturn the continued underfunding of Bedfordshire's Police Force.

Since 2016/17, under the Conservatives, local residents have seen a 40% increase in their local police council tax bills.

The latest weekly coronavirus statistics for Bedford Borough have been published. The figures show that in the seven days up to February 7th:

• 1,991 people have been tested (753 fewer than the previous week)
• There were 499 Covid-19 cases (171 fewer than the previous week)
• The weekly positive cases per 100,000 population was 288 (down from 386.6 in the previous week)