Oyster-Style Smart Card to Make Bus Use More Convenient and Better Value

The recent news that we have been successful in securing funding to deliver our plans for an Oyster-style smart card for use on local buses across Bedford Borough is great news for local public transport. As I've said previously, there is still some way to go to plan and agree all of the details. We need to make sure the bus operators are happy with the scheme and fully signed up, or else a number of the benefits of having one, simple card to make getting around the borough easier and better value will be lost. So it's better to make sure we get it right than to rush it and briing in a scheme that doesn't deliver the radical improvement for bus users that we all want to see.

Full Steam Ahead in Support of East West Rail for Bedford

I have long campaigned with colleagues for the delivery of an East West Rail line between Bedford and Oxford to the West and Bedford to Cambridge (and beyond) to the East. Re-opening these links to major centres such as Oxford and Cambridge and to main lines to the east and west would provide a tremendous boost for our local economy, helping to attract investment and support jobs and growth. I was therefore delighted last autumn when the Government announced its commitment to deliver the Western section of the East-West Railway, between Bedford and Oxford and Bedford and Aylesbury.

More Action to Tackle Speeding and Make Local Roads Safer - Average Speed Cameras

As I've written here before, there is no issue raised with me more frequently by local residents than speeding on local roads. This applies in both urban and rural areas, with speeding being the number one issue raised during my summer 'Village Tours' over the past two summers. That's why we're taking real action to actually bring speed down on local roads, especially residential streets, to make them safer for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and all road users. First, we carried out a speed limit review, which saw around thirty speed limits reduced on local roads, primarily in rural areas (see this link for more: speed limit review). Now we are introducing new average speed cameras to ensure that effective, targeted enforcement takes place to really make our streets safer for people of all ages.

Good News on Faster Broadband

The need for faster, more reliable broadband is a real problem for households and businesses in a number of our communities in Bedford Borough, particularly in many rural areas. That's why we have been working on a project to boost speeds and improve connections, and we've had some great news on this front with confirmation that we've been successful in our bid for Government funding. £440,000 from the Government body BDUK will now join match funding provided locally to help deliver the project. We submitted a bid jointly with Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Council, and have been gathering support for the plan and building the evidence of the significant demand in the Borough for better broadband.

'A' Grade for Local Schools as Borough Ranks Amongst the Best in the Country

Fighting for Fairness Alongside GCSE Students in the High Court

You may have seen some of the coverage in the national press about the GCSE English grading fiasco overseen by national regulator Ofqual and exam boards AQA and Edexcel. Thousands of students suffered at the hands of a drastic shifting of the grade boundaries for GCSE English between papers sat in January and then in the summer, in spite of the fact that there was no corresponding increase in the standard of the papers sat.