
FINE FOR MAN CAUGHT FLY-TIPPING
A man caught fly-tipping in Bedford Borough has been fined a total of £500 at Bedford Magistrates Court.
A man caught fly-tipping in Bedford Borough has been fined a total of £500 at Bedford Magistrates Court.
At tomorrow night's meeting of the Full Council, I will be proposing a motion which seeks a united front across the Council in the fight for fairer petrol and diesel prices for Bedford Borough. The intention of the motion is to bring further exposure to the unnacceptable situation we have whereby local residents in and around Bedford are forced to pay typically around 5 pence a litre more for petrol, and around 4 pence more for diesel, than drivers in nearby towns. I hope that all-party support for a motion highlighting this indefensible situation will put further pressure on fuel retailers to address the shocking disparity in prices between Bedford and neighbouring towns.
With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee now just a few months away, we have announced that the Council will be holding a number of public workshops to help local neighbourhoods who want to celebrate the occasion by holding a street party.
On Wednesday next week, a meeting of the Full Council will consider the budget which has been proposed by the all-party Executive. After we delivered a small council tax cut last year, I am pleased to report that we are again proposing to freeze bills for local households. While the Council is in a well-reported extremely difficult financial situation, with large cuts in government funding and factors such as inflation hitting it hard, times are tough for local residents and it is vital that the Council does not put more pressure on household budgets through the council tax bill. Under the former County Council, local households had to contend with year after year of inflation-busting rises. We're putting a stop to that, and I have pledged to ensure that over my four-year term of office Council tax bills will have gone up by less than inflation, i.e. a real-terms cut.
A message from Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills: