It is with a mixture of joy and relief that I can report that, as of last night, St Mary's Street is fully reopened ahead of schedule, following the urgent repair works. The works started on 3rd October after a ground radar survey found the road was in serious danger of collapse due to a complete lack of drainage on one side of the road, which was only resurfaced four years ago by the former County Council.
I was utterly appalled by the news which came through on Thursday evening, as the the worst fears of local residents were confirmed with the announcement that the national quango 'The Infrastructure Planning Commission' had approved the application by US waste firm Covanta to build a mammoth, 600,000 tonne capacity incinerator at Rookery Pit near Stewartby. It is frankly sickening news for local residents in Stewartby and all communities nearby, who couldn't have been clearer in making clear to the IPC that local opposition to the oversized rubbish burner is absolutely overwhelming.
My latest monthly column for the Times and Citizen newspaper reflected on the recent widespread disorder seen in London and elsewhere, and on how the uplifting scenes people taking part in spontaneous clean-ups and joining 'broom armies' got many of us thinking about our own communities and how precious they are to us. In case you haven't seen here, I've reproduced it here:
We may be enjoying some unseasonably mild weather just at the moment, but doubtless winter will come back and bite us soon. This year, not only are we doing all we can to ensure we can keep the Borough moving when freezing weather strikes, we are also doing more than ever to keep residents informed and up-to-date about key services through the winter. Perhaps the most innovative way in which we're doing this is via the new interactive map on the Council website showing the exact location of the gritting lorries in real time! The map is available on the Winter Maintenance Updates page, alongside all the other information you might need on school closures, public transport, waste collection and more. Here's the link: http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates/
Bedford Town Bridge has joined a wave of light across the UK to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Bedford Borough Council has automatically issued over £964,000 in support grants to 648 local businesses that have had to close during this period of national restrictions.
