Reasons to be Cheerful About Bedford Borough and its Future

I wrote recently in my regular column in the Times and Citizen about how, while we have obviously been working hard to protect services being lost elsewhere and keep council tax down, we have also been pressing on with exciting plans for the Borough's future. These include the completion of the bypass, for example, and town centre regeneration in the form of a £3 million scheme to revitalise the High Street, a new Riverside development and redevelopment of the Bus Station area. We are also working to bring in investment and jobs, and have had some real successes lately. For those who missed the column in the paper, here it is in full (note - since the article was written, Waitrose has of course gone from being 'keen' to come here to being totally committed to opening a new store at the former Courts building off Goldington Road!):

A national survey has reported that the biggest council tax cut in England this year is here in Bedford Borough. As we worked to produce the budget in this difficult climate, I must confess that the biggest tax cut in the country was not our aim! The real aim was clear: to keep tax down while protecting the front-line services which are sadly disappearing in other areas, via a rigorous approach focusing savings internally rather than out in the community. The result of this approach is, for example, no library closures or even reduced opening hours, no leisure facilities closed and no move to fortnightly bin collections, as is the case so commonly elsewhere.

It's an ongoing battle to protect these key services, but although times are tough, we must also be ambitious for our Borough and invest in its future. The front page of this newspaper last week carried the excellent news that the final phase of the western bypass is being delivered. Local residents know what a major difference this will make in cutting congestion in and around town. It will also bring major benefits to our local economy, making our prime location for business even better connected.

More and more major businesses are recognising this and are investing in Bedford Borough. For example, the multinational food manufacturer Lantmännen Unibake is creating up to 300 jobs at a new bakery to the south of Bedford, while Morrisons has plans to for a store as part of a regeneration scheme on Ampthill Road. Waitrose is keen to come to Bedford too, I'm pleased to say.

Major firms like these are committing to Bedford Borough, and the Council is showing its commitment to the Borough by investing in its future. In addition to the bypass, we are also pursuing exciting redevelopment of our town centre, including a new development opening up the riverside from the town and regeneration of the High Street. And of course we are investing in our children and young people, putting £41 million into new and improved school buildings and facilities over four years.

Even in these difficult economic times, then, there are lots of reasons to be cheerful about Bedford Borough and its future!