Christmas Lights Switch On and Sticking up for Our Town

Tonight is the night of the big Christmas Lights Switch-On and Fireworks show on the Embankment. It's very cold, but at least it's dry, so hopefully there'll be a good turnout for what is always a popular event. I have a little inside information about the fireworks display, and without giving anything away, I can promise it will be spectacular. With this event tonight, the free parking offer in the Council's car parks all week and a bigger and better than ever Victorian Christmas Fair coming up, there's a lot going on to make Bedford an exciting place to be in the run-up to Christmas. How sad, then, that I had to defend Bedford this morning live on the radio against those who would seek to talk our town down.

There have been complaints about the many decorations we have around town... which aren't even illuminated until tonight! A Conservative Councillor has attempted to label me as Scrooge for, bizarrely, offering free parking in town for local residents, but doing a little bit earlier than he would like! With many Councils cutting back on Christmas decorations, festive lights and other events and attractions, we have not reduced what we spend on Christmas at all, while we have also put on the free parking. Yet doom-mongers still feel it necessary to talk down our town at a time when we should be encouraging people to come into Bedford and enjoy their town centre.

The reason for putting on the free parking now is because we have talked to retailers and they have said that the offer would be most effective if it is early in the Christmas shopping season, to get people into town early and into the habit of coming into Bedford for their shopping over the coming weeks. I hope they do, and that all residents and visitors enjoy Christmas in Bedford this year.

Perhaps I'll see you tonight down on the Embankment! I'm introducing the firework show, so I must remember my earplugs!