Exam Congratulations to Staff and Students in the Borough’s Schools

Ridding the Borough of Useless Street Clutter!

Today I launched our campaign to rid Bedford Borough's streets of useless street clutter. Unnecessary road signs, railings and bollards that are cluttering our local streets are firmly in our sights. As you travel around the Borough, you see a number of road signs which serve no useful purpose. They clutter up the local environment and can even cause a hazard themselves due to their bulk and the obstruction they can cause for pedestrians. These signs are unwanted and unnecessary, as is some of the other 'street furniture' we have which it seems no-one ever asked for and nobody knows why it was installed in the first place! However, unless the Council makes a positive effort to work with residents and parish councils to identify these items and remove them, they can end up long outstaying their welcome and remain in their useless place for years. So we're making that positive effort.

Welcoming the End of Child Detention at Yarl's Wood

Today's announcement that the family unit at Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre is closing with immediate effect is wonderful news. Locking up innocent children is an affront to our common humanity, and the fact that it has been happening in our Borough makes the matter even more raw for local residents here. I am delighted that the government is to take a more compassionate, human approach to the removal of families with no legal right to remain in this country, and I am especially pleased that this stain on our nation's character will no longer exist here in Bedford Borough.

Pints in the Parishes in Bolnhurst Tonight!

The latest 'Pints in the Parishes' event is taking place tonight, at the Plough in Bolnhurst. These sessions are intended to provide an opportunity for me to hear directly from anyone who wants to discuss the issues important to them in an informal, local environment. They are also a chance for for me to show my support for local, community pubs. If you would like to see me at one of these events and are wondering when I will be coming to a village pub near you, a full list of all 'Pints in the Parishes' dates and venues can be found by clicking on 'Pints in the Parishes' in the list on the left hand side of the the home page here on www.mayordave.org.uk

Great News for Bedford Academy

I am delighted that the Bedford Academy was included by the government amongst the schools listed previously as 'for discussion' which will receive funding for the projects planned under the Building Schools for the Future programme. The Academy will replace John Bunyan Upper School, of course, and as John Bunyan's Chair of Governors and the former former Ward Councillor for Kingsbrook, not to mention a local resident, I know the community very well. I am therefore aware of just how important the investment in the education of current and future generations of young people in the area will be.