Bookmaker Ladbrokes have named Dave Hodgson as a 2/1 chance for beating the Conservatives in the Bedford Mayoral election due to be held on 15th October, with the Labour candidate out of the race on 10/1.
Before setting out on the village tour trail on Saturday, I went along to the final Rivercare event of 2011. Rivercare events are run by the Coucil, and are open to anyone to come along and help improve the riverside environment in Bedford. Saturday's 'Green and Arty River Clean Up' concentrated on the area near Aspects and Longholme Way. In addition to the usual litter pick, a mural was also painted in the underpass which links Aspects to the embankment, while the railings were also repainted. My talents were best suited to repainting the railings, as you can see from the photo! It was really enjoyable to work alongside the numerous local volunteers young and old who gave up their Saturday morning to make a positive difference to our shared riverside environment. I want to say thanks once again to all those who came out and got stuck in. They provided an example of real community spirit in action, in common with all of those people across Bedford Borough who take care of their local environment .
Consultation on Bedford Borough Council's draft 'Local Plan 2030' closes in a matter of days, on Tuesday 30th October at 5pm. In his October column for the Bedford Borough Bulletin Mayor Dave Hodgson cut through the 'politically motivated spin' about the plan coming from some quarters and set out the facts on a plan which is designed to focus the housing development required for the Borough on brownfield sites and protects existing communities from unsuitable or sprawling development.
The next phase of the Local Plan 2040 consultation has started and Bedford Borough Council wants to hear from you.
Last night Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats moved a motion calling on the government to release funding and prioritise new GP surgeries so that Bedford Borough residents can get better access to GPs. The motion was passed with unanimous support from all parties. Councillors from Labour, Green, Independent and even the Conservative Party all voted for the Liberal Democrat motion slamming the Conservative government for its health infrastructure policy.
Following recommendations - which included securing an independent review and a resetting of departmental priorities and input from the Environment Committee's Task and Finish Group - from the Planning Advisory Service and a Task and Finish Group, Bedford Borough Council's Planning Service has made excellent progress against national targets. Minor applications are now being determined within eight weeks 87% of the time (November 2022) - a huge improvement since actions were taken and well above the government's 70% target. The proportion of major applications determined within 13 weeks has also remained comfortably above the national target.
