My latest monthly column for the Times and Citizen newspaper reflected on the recent widespread disorder seen in London and elsewhere, and on how the uplifting scenes people taking part in spontaneous clean-ups and joining 'broom armies' got many of us thinking about our own communities and how precious they are to us. In case you haven't seen here, I've reproduced it here:
Mayor Dave Hodgson today took part in an Armistice Day ceremony at the Bedford War Memorial on the Embankment, at 11am. As with Sunday's Remembrance Service, it was a reduced service in line with current regulations and to ensure the safety of all involved. Photographs will be available on Mayor Dave's Facebook page in due course.
Bedford Today are reporting that according to bookmakers Ladbrokes, Lib Dem candidate Dave Hodgson had edged ahead to become favourite in the race to be Bedford's new Mayor.
I have written before about the financial challenge facing Bedford Borough Council, but as consultation begins on the first set of proposals to modernise Council services and make them more cost-effective, it is worth considering the figures involved in order to really grasp the full scale of that challenge. Bedford Borough Council has to save £36 million over four years in order to balance the books. That's an awful lot of money by any reckoning, but the fact that it represents over a quarter of the Council's current total net budget of £129 million brings the size of the task ahead into even greater focus (the bar chart on the right provides a graphical illustration). There is no escaping this; the Council is legally required to deliver a balanced budget, and cannot make a policy decision not to make all the savings, for example. 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 poss
Bedford Borough Council is making a £500,000 investment in children's play areas in 2022, with improvement works set to be carried out this Spring.
A fly-tipper has been fined for illegally dumping bags of rubbish and a rolled-up cushion from their car in Ampthill Road, Bedford in December.
