High Street Regeneration Scheme Launch

Saving £36 Million Over Four Years - Have your Say on Council's Proposals

Last week my latest monthly column for the Times and Citizen Newspaper looked at the savings proposals which were approved for consultation by the all-party Executive last week. Consultation will begin next week, and will be open until late November, so please do have a look at the proposals and give your views. As I said in my column, it is only by working together during these tought times that we can ensure we are making the best decisions for our Borough, now and in the future. Here's the article in full, including a link to the section of the Council's website where you will be able to find out more about the proposals and how to take part in the consultation:

Village Tour Update: 60 in 30 becomes 19 in 7

I'm back out on the Village Tour trail again tomorrow, with surgeries in Oakley, Stevington, Turvey, Riseley, Swineshead, Melchbourne and Yelden. The '60 in 30' Tour is now down to 19 in 7, with 19 villages left in the schedule in the remaining 7 days of the month. The tour so far has been excellent, with 200 people coming out to talk to me about the issues on their minds in villages from Farndish in the north westof the Borough to Stewartby in the south and another 39 in between. So far 199 people have come out to talk to me about the issues on their minds.

Survey Reveals St Mary's Street is in Danger of Collapse – 8 Weeks of Works Ahead

As you may have seen or heard through local media, a survey has revealed that St Mary's street in the centre of Bedford is in danger of collapse. Astonishingly, the road was only resurfaced fewer than ten years ago by the former County Council. Sadly, however, as has been the case in areas across the Council, we are clearing up the former County Council's mess, after they didn't tackle drainage problems and simply put tarmac over the existing road surface. As the local business owners along the street, which runs off the Town Bridge to the south (from the Park Inn hotel), have made clear to me, the build up of surface water on the road causes them real problems. So, we've been aware of the lack of drainage, but it is only now a full survey has been done that the extent of the damage to the road caused by this has been revealed. It has shown that the road is in danger of 'failure' (i.e. collapse) at some point, and therefore urgent works must be undertaken. And this time we'll do a thorough job which lasts.

Real Community Spirit on Show at Final Rivercare Event of 2011

Before setting out on the village tour trail on Saturday, I went along to the final Rivercare event of 2011. Rivercare events are run by the Coucil, and are open to anyone to come along and help improve the riverside environment in Bedford. Saturday's 'Green and Arty River Clean Up' concentrated on the area near Aspects and Longholme Way. In addition to the usual litter pick, a mural was also painted in the underpass which links Aspects to the embankment, while the railings were also repainted. My talents were best suited to repainting the railings, as you can see from the photo! It was really enjoyable to work alongside the numerous local volunteers young and old who gave up their Saturday morning to make a positive difference to our shared riverside environment. I want to say thanks once again to all those who came out and got stuck in. They provided an example of real community spirit in action, in common with all of those people across Bedford Borough who take care of their local environment .

Olympic Festival Fun For All!

Tomorrow the Council will be submitting a bid to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) for the Bedford International Athletics Stadium to be granted the status of an 'Olympics Live Site' next summer. If successful, this will see us awarded a grant of £7,500 and will enable us to stage a free fun-filled festival of sport at the stadium during the Olympics, featuring a big screen showing all the action live, including the men's 100 metre final, and opportunities to have a go on the top class facilities on offer, especially for young people.