Scores on the Doors Puts Knowledge in the Hands of Local Restaurant-Goers

This week I signed the document to confirm the launch of the 'Scores on the Doors' food outlet rating scheme in Bedford Borough. Scores on the Doors is a scheme set up by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), involving the publication of a food hygiene rating for restaurants and other food outlets in a local authority area. All inspection gradings and further information is made available online, allowing restaurant-going local residents to make an informed choice about where to go when eating out.

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.

A (Belated) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

You may have noticed this website has been a bit quiet in the last 10 days or so. Apologies for that - following the update of the site during the weekend before last, it was not possible to update it for a while. It's all up, running and fully functional now, allowing me a belated chance to offer everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Pints in the Parishes at Corner 5 in Kempston Rural tonight!

The latest 'Pints in the Parishes' event is taking place tonight, at Corner 5 in Kempston Rural from around 7.30pm. If you're in the area, please come along and let me know about any issues or concerns you have about your local area, Council services or anything at all you want to discuss.

End for Council Magazine in further £45,000 Saving from Council PR

One of my early decisions as mayor was to cut the cost of the Council magazine 'Borough News,' halving the number of editions to 6 a year and making delivery cheaper and wider-reaching across the whole borough. This produced a major saving for the taxpayer, while improving the design, content and reach of the magazine in order to make it more useful for local residents. I hear a range of views about Borough News from residents, some from people who like to receive it, others who feel it is a waste of money. Personally, while I can see its purpose and have worked to make it more useful and cost effective, in the current climate resources must be directed to the front line to protect services while keeping tax down. We are therefore now going further and stopping the magazine altogether in order to communicate with residents in more cost effective ways.

£137 Per Household: The Ongoing Cost of the Former County Council's Debt Legacy