The Victorian Fair - Delighted by the Stunning Footfall Figures

The footfall counters around the town centre showed a staggering 77% increase in the number of people in town during last weekend's Victorian Christmas Fair, in comparison with last year's figures. We extended the fair this year, with the event featuring, for the first time ever, Christmas market stalls along a temporarily-pedestrianised High Street. While there are improvements which can be made if this is repeated, for example the markets company turning the stalls around on the High Street, it was fantastic to see so many people of all ages there and in other parts of town enjoying Bedford at Christmas time.

Clearly the closure of the High Street had a knock-on effect on traffic, and we will monitor our traffic surveys closely before any future temporary closures take place, but our monitoring, which allowed adjustments to be made in immediate responses to problems, showed that there were no major problems. The purpose of the closure was to make the popular event even more enjoyable and attractive to residents and visitors, and to support our local traders. While we continue to gather feedback on the event, it appears to have been a success on those counts.

With many other Councils, not to mention local Conservative Councillors, in favour of cutting Christmas, I feel it is important that we 'do Christmas' properly and attract people into our town to boost the local economy and make Bedford a festive, enjoyable place to be at this time of year. The huge number of people who came out to enjoy the fair and do their Christmas shopping in town suggests only strengthens my conviction that we should continue to hold public, communal events in Bedford for all the family during the run up to Christmas.