On 27 July, 2012, the eyes of the world will be on London for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games as the Olympic Flame arrives at the Olympic Stadium for the lighting of the cauldron to signify the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Work to create a new signalled crossing for students at the Bedford Academy is now complete.
I'm pleased to confirm that St Mary's Street is now open in both directions, as work continues on the major scheme to reconstruct the road after a survey revealed it was at risk of collapsing. The works will continue for up to another three weeks at most, during which it will continue to be at a reduced capacity (i.e. one lane open in each direction). However, it's great to be able to report that vehicles can now travel north over the Town Bridge, which will ease some of the pressure on our road network and help residents in going about their day-to-day business.
Bedford Borough Council is currently undertaking a review which I hope will ultimately put right an unequal, unfair situation in the Borough. For historical reasons local residents in some areas have had a say over local concerns through their parish council. In the Borough they have existed for the rural areas and for Kempston, but not for the other urban areas. Brickhill residents put this right in their area 7 years ago, and since then they have also had their own parish Council. I believe Parish Councils play an extremely valuable role in representing local residents and getting things done for their communities. A 'Community Governance Review' is now underway to find out what people in the 'unparished' parts of the Borough think about having a parish council for their area.
While debate continues elsewhere over the Prime Minister's claims of leading the 'greenest government ever,' the process of 'greening' Bedford Borough Council continues locally with the latest development in this area being a pioneering deal which will see many Council buildings, including schools, use electricity generated by organic, plant-based biomass.
Yes, I know that often the last thing we want in October is to be told that Christmas is around the corner, especially when shops and advertisers seem to be bombarding us with it for months in advance! However, with dates now confirmed for a couple of important free Christmas events in Bedford, you may want to pencil them into your diary to make sure you and your family are able can join in the fun when they come around.