Conservative-run Northamptonshire Council has taken advantage of special freedom to increase council tax by 4.99% without needing to hold a referendum. This contrasts with Bedford Borough where Council Tax is rising by just 2.49%, which includes a special precept to help pay for extra costs for adult social care.
The new Lidl store on Goldington Road in Bedford is now open, and Mayor Dave Hodgson was on hand to cut the ribbon at the official opening this week.
Works are underway on the installation of parking enforcement cameras outside schools across Bedford Borough, with cameras going in at all schools where this enforcement against dangerous and unlawful parking is possible. This major expansion in the number of fixed enforcement cameras will see another 38 installed at all schools where feasible.
Bedford Borough Council is encouraging any local residents not already registered to vote, to register before local elections on 2 May this year.
Bedford Harriers are hosting a new Olympic-distance Triathlon, to be held in Bedford Town Centre on Sunday 11th August. With the backdrop of the magnificent Embankment, the River Ouse and the well-known Suspension and Butterfly Bridges the event has the potential to rival any other triathlon event both locally and nationally.
Highways England has today announced the preferred route of the new dual carriageway between the Black Cat Roundabout and Caxton Gibbet and the preferred new configuration of the Black Cat roundabout, and Mayor Dave Hodgson has responded by calling on the agency and on the Government to ensure there are no further delays for this crucial project. Today's announcement comes two years after the public consultation on the options for the remodelled junction and new section of road, while the 2021/22 start date for the project has already been subject to what Mayor Dave has described as an 'appalling' two-year delay.
