Bedford
Liberal Democrats

News

Good News on Faster Broadband

The need for faster, more reliable broadband is a real problem for households and businesses in a number of our communities in Bedford Borough, particularly in many rural areas. That's why we have been working on a project to boost speeds and improve connections, and we've had some great news on this front with confirmation that we've been successful in our bid for Government funding. £440,000 from the Government body BDUK will now join match funding provided locally to help deliver the project. We submitted a bid jointly with Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Council, and have been gathering support for the plan and building the evidence of the significant demand in the Borough for better broadband.

23 May 2012
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More Action to Tackle Speeding and Make Local Roads Safer - Average Speed Cameras

As I've written here before, there is no issue raised with me more frequently by local residents than speeding on local roads. This applies in both urban and rural areas, with speeding being the number one issue raised during my summer 'Village Tours' over the past two summers. That's why we're taking real action to actually bring speed down on local roads, especially residential streets, to make them safer for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and all road users. First, we carried out a speed limit review, which saw around thirty speed limits reduced on local roads, primarily in rural areas (see this link for more: speed limit review). Now we are introducing new average speed cameras to ensure that effective, targeted enforcement takes place to really make our streets safer for people of all ages.

22 May 2012
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Dave Hodgson with Town Bridge behind

Innovation and Commitment Helping the Fight Back Against Challenges Facing Britain's High Streets

Town Centres across the country are having to battle against a range of prevailing factors such as the economic situation and the rise of out-of-town and internet shopping. Here in Bedford we obviously face these issues just as all other towns do, and there are real challenges for our town centre. However, Bedford Town Centre is showing some real resilience and, while we must all recognise that there is lots to do to support and improve Bedford town centre, we have a number of reasons to be positive about its prospects for the future, as I wrote in my monthly article in the Times and Citizen this week. If you haven't seen it, I have reproduced it below:

19 May 2012
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Lib Dem logo bird projected on blockwork

Pioneering Jobs Hub to Open in Bedford Town Centre - Work is Underway

The opening of a new 'jobs hub' in Bedford Town Centre is now not far away, with refurbishment work now underway on the premises in Greyfriars. This is pioneering new scheme, which we have pursued through the 'Bedford Borough Partnership Board' (the partnership of local public sector bodies, which I co-chair), will offer a unique approach to supporting people into work, training and business. The Hub is also being supported by Job Centre Plus, and will offer real support to people in an informal environment.

18 May 2012
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