Have Your Say in Difficult Times on Council Savings

As you may be aware, Bedford Borough Council must find £36 million of savings - over a quarter of its current net budget - over the coming four years in order to balance the books. We cannot hide from this - the Council has a legal requirement to balance its budget and £36 million is the funding gap which has to be closed to achieve that. 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 possible. To that end, the first set of proposals on how to make those savings, agreed by all groups on the Council, are now out to public consultation. You can find details of the proposals, and take part in the consultation online, at www.bedford.gov.uk/budget2012. Also, in order to make it as easy as possible for people to give the Council their views, we have for the first time produced an interactive 'budget tracker.' This online tool gives you the opportunity to put together and submit an indicat

East West Rail - A Powerful Economic, Technical and Common Sense Case

A report published this month by Oxford Economics has set out the potential economic benefits of the East West Rail project, not just for areas along the proposed route such as ours but also for the wider economy, and it makes a compelling case.

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

In Bloom Gongs Recognise Borough's Green and Very Pleasant Lands

Not that we needed telling, as we all know it's true, but it's official: Bedford really is the most beautiful place in the Eastern region! Well, some might argue that winning top prize at the Anglia in Bloom awards does not confirm that there is nowhere as pretty as Bedford, but I think it is, and it is certainly nice that our attractive green spaces and local neighbourhoods have been recognised in this way. As I've always said, we're more concerned with ensuring that our neighbourhoods are attractive places to live and that residents can enjoy and take pride in them than with any prizes, but to have the quality of our green spaces and local environment acknowledged as the very best across the region is a testament to the work of volunteers, Council staff and of course local residents who look after their local area from day to day.

Surveillance Watchdog's Verdict on our Reforms to Council's 'Snooping' Powers

I wrote on here some months ago about reforms we've introduced to restrict the Council's ability to spy on local residents, and to ensure that it is accountable publicly for each and every use of the powers it has to conduct surveillance. The main features of the reforms were the restriction of the abilitiy to authorise the use of the powers to only the most senior officers (shortening the list of authorising officers considerably), and the introduction of a new requirement that every use of the powers by the Council must be reported to the public meetings of the Council's Executive four times a year. For the first time this has ensured public oversight of the Council's use of these powers, which have been dubbed a 'snooper's charter' for Councils after several instances of their excessive and unjustified use elsewhere. These have included the case of a council spying on parents incorrectly suspected of using a false address to get their child into a preferred school and numerous cases of councils spying on t

Bedford Poppy Shop Opens Tomorrow - Support the Royal British Legion's Excellent Work

Tomorrow morning I'll be at the Harpur Centre to open the Bedford Poppy Shop. The Poppy Shop is of course staffed by volunteers, and gives you the chance to pop in, have a look inside and make a donation to the appeal, which supports the Royal British Legion's excellent work in providing welfare to those men and women who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces. The store can be found near Argos, so please do pop along over the next few weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday.