Bedford Borough Council's debt has been slashed by £30 million since Mayor Dave Hodgson was elected. The Conservative-run County Council left around £90 million of debt to be paid back by Bedford Borough residents for years to come. With the debt now at a more manageable level and falling each year, around £1 million more can be spent on services each year rather than debt payments.
Since Mayor Dave Hodgson was elected in 2009, he has helped to attract hundreds of companies to the Borough, as well as helping local business to thrive. It is estimated that this has helped to create and protect over 8,000 new jobs for Bedford Borough residents. Through proactive discussions and the Council's strong business support offer, companies such as the Money and Pension Services, B&M Distribution and Vison Modular Systems have all relocated to Bedford Borough.
Full Council agreed to submit Bedford Borough's Local Plan 2040 earlier this year and it sets out a number of new planning policies that will minimise carbon emissions from new developments. The policies include contributing to more walkable and cycle-able neighbourhoods, incorporating renewable and low carbon energy infrastructure, and retrofitting existing buildings with measures to reduce energy consumption.
The Kingsbrook Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team has taken action to make Kingsbrook a cleaner, greener and safer ward for residents. Since being elected, Councillor Dean Crofts and the late Councillor Patrick Solomon have worked with Bedford Borough Council to install new streetlights, reduce speed limits to 20mph and plant hundreds of trees.
Almost 1,000 burglaries went unattended in Bedfordshire last year, stark figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats, in a Freedom of Information request to Bedfordshire Police, have shown. Of the 1,620 burglaries reported, police only arrived at the scene in 627 instances - accounting for just 38.7% of cases. This places Bedfordshire Police Force 19th out of 19 police forces that responded to the FOI for arrival rate in 2022.
Mayor Dave Hodgson is leading Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats' calls for better health facilities for residents. Mayor Dave is calling for a fair deal for Bedford Borough after figures reveal patients per GP have increased by 18% since 2016 in the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes area. Meanwhile the number of GP surgeries in the East of England and the Midlands has decreased by 115 since 2019.
