In the current economic climate, town centres face major challenges to attract people in, and they need to change and adapt if they are to thrive. Bedford is no exception and in Mayor Dave Hodgsons' latest column for the Times and Citizen newspaper, he looks at the opportunities for Bedford to do just this . Please click here to see the full column.
The latest of my monthly columns for the Times and Citizen newspaper looked at Bedford Town Centre in the context of the nationwide trends which are creating such challenges for the British High Street. The 'perfect storm' of the extremely difficult wider economic climate, the rise of internet shopping and growth of out-of-town shopping have sent many town centres fall into steep decline.
I visited the Council's Brunel Road depot this week, and chatted to some of the Direct Works staff about the work they are doing to help keep our roads as safe as possible for all users during the cold, icy weather.
Cllr Tim Hill has been campaigning to change the name of his ward from Elstow, to Elstow and Stewartby to better represent his residents. Please see the letter below for the latest update:
With the temperatures dropping and the risk of more snow, the Lib Dems and Mayor Dave Hodgson urge everyone stay safe, especially on the roads. If you would like to know what roads are being gritted, and when, you can do this in real-time via a live map on the Councils' website. This can be found here.
Mayor Dave Hodgson takes stand against 'enviro-crime'