Bedford Borough Council has been awarded £163,943 as part of the Government's £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future.
Mayor Dave Hodgson has described today's rail fare rises as 'another kick in the teeth' for Bedford rail users. Rail fares have risen by a further 2.7% - a rise that Mayor Dave has called 'totally unjustifiable'.
Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats are demanding that real powers are put in the hands of local communities under a new Bedford Borough Unitary Authority. The Lib Dems are calling for a radical overhaul of democracy in the Borough to ensure that local residents have genuine power over local matters.
I have written before about the financial challenge facing Bedford Borough Council, but as consultation begins on the first set of proposals to modernise Council services and make them more cost-effective, it is worth considering the figures involved in order to really grasp the full scale of that challenge. Bedford Borough Council has to save £36 million over four years in order to balance the books. That's an awful lot of money by any reckoning, but the fact that it represents over a quarter of the Council's current total net budget of £129 million brings the size of the task ahead into even greater focus (the bar chart on the right provides a graphical illustration). There is no escaping this; the Council is legally required to deliver a balanced budget, and cannot make a policy decision not to make all the savings, for example. What we can do, however, is to work with all parties on the Council, with staff and crucially with residents to make sure the savings are made carefully and in the fairest way poss
Kings Oak Primary School open day are holding a farm open day on Saturday 30th April 10am-1pm to offer use of our facilities to the local community and to offer tours of the school.
The Bedford Sports Awards has become a key date in the local sporting calendar, with athletes, coaches and clubs all gathered to celebrate the dedication, hard work and successes over the year.
