http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Bedford Liberal Democrats en-GB Bedford Liberal Democrats http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2010 Bedford Liberal Democrats 2010-03-12T01:33+00:00 United Kingdom http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000731/further_details_of_toxic_tory_legacy_revealed_cost_of_restoring_elstow_landfill_site_could_be_up_to_10_million.html Further details of the damaging financial legacy left to local taxpayers by the Conservative County Council have been exposed with the revelation that the cost of restoring a landfill site at Elstow, which had been neglected by the now defunct authority, could be as much as up to £10 million. The County Council, which ignored repeated warnings from the Environment Agency to take action and start work on the restoration of the site to comply with statutory requirements, had allocated just £4.3 million in their spending programme to 'cap' the site. Preliminary estimates by experts suggest that the work could cost local taxpayers up to £10 million. 2010-03-05T19:34+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000730/statement_on_yarls_wood_legal_challenge.html Henry Vann has backed calls for a judicial review into the incarceration of innocent people in Yarl's Wood Immigration Detention Centre. 2010-03-02T23:27+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000729/childrens_commissioner_reports_on_yarls_wood.html The Children's Commissioner has published a report highlighting ongoing concerns and maintaining the view that 'the detention of children for immigration control should cease'. 2010-02-28T00:00+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000728/new_recycling_bins_an_immediate_hit_with_town_centre_shoppers.html New recycling bins in Bedford Town Centre introduced by Liberal Democrat Mayor Dave Hodgson have seen just over ½ tonne of plastic bottles and drink cans collected in less than two months. The new recycling bins, which have been called for by Liberal Democrats on the Council for many years, were introduced following Dave Hodgson's election as Mayor. They are already helping to save local taxpayers money by reducing landfill costs and are enabling residents to recycle 'on-the-go' in the town centre for the first time. 2010-02-25T11:05+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000727/police_authority_merger_likely_to_cost_20m.html Henry Vann has uncovered figures in a recent parliamentary report suggesting that the proposed merger of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Police Authority is 'likely to cost £20m'. 2010-02-20T23:11+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000726/over_a_quarter_of_a_million_pounds_granted_to_bedford_boroughs_voluntary_sector.html Bedford Borough Council's Grants Committee, chaired by Mayor Dave Hodgson, met last week and allocated £276,000 to voluntary sector groups carrying out a wide range of extremely important functions within the Borough. Grants were made to a variety of groups such as BECHAR, which provides vital services to the homeless and rootless, the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Bedford Women's Refuge and Victim Support. 2010-02-17T19:09+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000725/police_authority_move_confirms_proposals_to_merge_with_hertfordshire.html Local fears that Bedfordshire Police is set to be merged with the Hertfordshire Force have increased after Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bedford and Kempston Henry Vann uncovered a bid for £500,000 of funding from the Government's 'Merger Exploration Fund.' 2010-02-14T21:05+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000724/borough_budget_protects_frontline_services_and_keeps_council_tax_bills_down.html Bedford Borough Council's approved budget has brought down the Council Tax increase for residents from a forecast 11.5% before Mayor Dave Hodgson's election in October to a below-inflation 2.3% after £9 million of savings were identified. The budget includes £5.9 million for road and pavement maintenance, as the Liberal Democrats continue the fightback against the former Tory County Council's massive backlog of repairs, and extra funding for a range of green initiatives including recycling in both the urban and rural areas and the Mayor's Climate Change Fund. 2010-02-11T19:27+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000723/vann_slams_labour_under_investment_in_education_in_bedfordshire.html Government education funding second worst in region last year. 2010-02-01T19:52+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000722/dave_hodgson_marks_100_days_as_mayor.html Dave Hodgson was elected Mayor of Bedford Borough in October last year, and took office 100 days ago this week. Despite this short timeframe and a toxic financial inheritance from the Conservative County Council, a review of the first months of Dave Hodgson's period in office shows that he is getting things done for local residents and is working with his Liberal Democrat colleagues to make Bedford Borough a great place to live, work and do business. 2010-01-31T17:15+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000721/mayor_dave_hodgson_welcomes_new_sainsburys_distribution_centre.html Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson has welcomed the news that Sainsbury's will open a major regional distribution centre at Marsh Leys Industrial Park in Kempston. In a major boost for the local economy, around 300 new jobs will be created at the centre, which sees Sainsbury's occupy the site vacated by Woolworths last year. 2010-01-28T18:34+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000720/almost_2500_people_in_bedford_and_kempston_missing_out_on_cold_weather_payments.html Henry Vann, who is standing as the next MP for Bedford for the Liberal Democrats, says pensioners are missing out on Cold Weather Payments due to a ridiculously complicated central government system for making claims. 2010-01-25T10:11+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000719/council_payments_to_be_published_online_as_drive_to_open_up_the_council_continues.html As part of the Liberal Democrats' ongoing drive to open up Bedford Borough Council since the election of Mayor Dave Hodgson, Council payments greater than £1,000 will be published online. The announcement was made last night at a meeting of the Council's Executive by Liberal Democrat Finance Portfolio Holder Cllr Michael Headley, as he presented the Council's proposed budget for the coming year. 2010-01-24T10:05+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000718/mayor_gets_on_his_bike_for_safer_cycling_in_de_parys.html Pedal power was on show in abundance in De Parys on Sunday when Mayor Dave Hodgson joined a Safer Cycling event organised by Liberal Democrat Ward Councillor David Sawyer. 2010-01-21T09:53+00:00 http://www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/news/000717/mayor_moves_to_tackle_roads_damage_caused_by_big_freeze.html With the prolonged cold snap having taken a heavy toll on the condition of some of Bedford Borough's roads, Mayor Dave Hodgson has moved to ensure that immediate remedial action is taken as soon as the conditions allow by allocating £200,000 in emergency funds. 2010-01-16T10:20+00:00