Supporting businesses and jobs in Bedford Borough
Mayor Dave Hodgson's monthly column for Bedford Indpendent has been published, you can read it here.
In the column Mayor Dave outlines how the Council are supporting businesses and jobs in Bedford Borough, Mayor Dave wrote:
Supporting businesses and jobs in Bedford Borough
As the Coronavirus regulations have started to be relaxed, I have been able to visit some of the Borough's businesses.
Three recent visits have been to see Blue Bear Systems for a flight demonstration of its AIR DRUIDS medical delivery programme, to meet with Goodman Group at Bedford Commercial Park and to see the new Leidos facility at Bedford Link Park.
Blue Bear Systems are based in Oakley and specialise in the design and development of unmanned systems. Their Autonomous Intelligent Robotic DRones for Unmanned Integrated Delivery System (AIR DRUIDS) medical delivery programme integrates medical payloads into Blue Bears existing modular open architecture. This provides the ability to have a real time, fully monitored, temperature-controlled payload tightly coupled to the broader command and control system. The payload can be monitored for vibration, temperature, and anti- tamper/exposure to light. You can find out more about the Blue Bear Systems' AIR DRUIDS medical delivery programme at https://bbsr.co.uk/news/blue-bear-launches-air-druids-medical-delivery-programme-2.
Bedford Commercial Park, adjacent to the A421, has moved on to the latest phase speculative of development with 250,000 square foot of prime industrial space being constructed across 4 buildings. You can find out more about the latest phase of speculative development at https://uk.goodman.com/bedford-commercial-park.
Leidos has established a new facility at Bedford Link Park, in Kempston, and currently employ 180 people at this facility locally. Leidos are a technology driven business with this Bedford facility focusing on a number of high-value business sectors, including integrated systems, mission software systems, mission operations, cyber operations and digital modernisation. You can find out more about Leidos at https://www.leidos.com/company/global/uk-europe.
It is really valuable to have a number of high-value businesses joining, expanding or investing in Bedford Borough. Not only have they brought investment and high skilled employment, they will also act as a catalyst to attract more business investment and high-value jobs into the area, against the backdrop of the emerging Oxford Cambridge Arc.
Bedford Borough has a rich mix of businesses from a variety of sectors, with a number of high-value companies employing highly skilled personnel to undertake complex and innovative commercial operations. Other such businesses includes Unilever, Aircraft Research Association, Hybrid Air Vehicles, Fujifilm, Swiss Precision Diagnostic and Mologic to name just a few.
We are also seeing investment in growing talent locally, I was very pleased to be at the opening of the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teaching block at Mark Rutherford School. The new centre of excellence comprises of seven classrooms and a lecture theatre and will inspire a whole generation of young people in Bedfordshire to pursue STEM subjects and help grow the next generation of engineers, scientists and technologists. You can read more about the opening at https://mayordave.org.uk/en/article/2021/1409137/mark-rutherford-school-s-new-stem-teaching-block.