Bedford
Liberal Democrats

News

Dave Hodgson in front of the town bridge

Saving Weekly Bin Collections in Defiance of National Shift to Fortnightly Systems

A widely-reported recent survey by the Press Association found that 59% of councils had scrapped weekly rubbish collections. The news that we're in a minority here in Bedford Borough may come as a surprise to some, but the retention of our weekly collections has been hard-won! You may recall that the Conservative Leadership of the former County Council tried to impose fortnightly collections on Bedford Borough households. I fought successfully alongside colleagues on the Borough Council to retain our weekly collections, and as Mayor, despite the financial pressures we have faced, I've found the savings to make sure we can save weekly collections. For example, instead of reducing the frequency of collections, we are reviewing the collection routes and will save over a quarter of a million pounds for local taxpayers by making them more efficient, with no impact on the level of service whatsoever. Meanwhile, our efforts to work with local residents to support them to recycle more has seen our recycling rate shoo

26 Apr 2011
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Dave Hodgson with Town Bridge behind

Welcoming Vision Modular Systems - More Investment and Jobs for Bedford Borough

The news that the modular building firm Vision Modular Systems are coming here and creating up to 250 jobs is fantastic for Bedford Borough. VMS had other options for their new location, but we worked with them to show them the benefits of doing business in Bedford Borough and I am delighted that they have confirmed that they will be coming here. VMS have been responsible for a number of major construction projects including the world's tallest modular building in Wolverhampton, and will be creating a range of skilled jobs at their new plant on the Woburn Road Industrial Estate in Kempston.

23 Apr 2011
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Dave Hodgson with Pothole Hit Squad Sign

Pothole Hit Squad Update: Over 1,200 potholes filled since January

The Pothole Hit Squads we launched in January have now surged past the 1,000 potholes repaired mark, with over 1,200 repairs undertaken. The teams not only do a high quality job, with repairs which last, but also allow us to get much more maintenance work done for local taxpayers' money thanks to the new, more efficient method of working. The hit squads, of which there are now four, have a 'hot box' on the back of their vehicle, meaning that they have a ready supply of hot tar with them while they mobile and out on the road. It means that the tar is at the ideal temperature when they actually carry out the works, and does not cool down on route from the depot, as was prone to happen in the past. It also means that the teams do not have to keep returning to the depot to pick up hot tar, and can stay out on the roads responding to calls swiftly and getting more potholes filled than ever before. The teams are also now working on Saturdays, spending more hours out on the roads and pavements carrying out vital rep

22 Apr 2011
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Central Beds Must Rethink and Say No to Stewartby Incinerator after Covanta Shortlisting

Many local residents will have been shocked by the story in last week's Times an d Citizen, which revealed that the Conservatives in charge of Central Bedfordshire Council have shortlisted US waste giant Covanta's bid for a mammoth 600,000-tonne capacity incinerator near Stewartby amongst their potential long-term waste partners. There are 6 firms on their shortlist, which will be reduced further in the next few weeks. The Tories' move is the latest in a long campaign by the party in support of an incinerator at Rookery Pit near Stewartby. First, the former Conservative County Council pursued plans for its own incinerator there, and then Conservatives in Buckinghamshire previously selected Covanta's project as the preferred option for Bucks waste. Now Central Beds Conservatives could be about to give the biggest boost they possibly could to the appalling prospect of the incinerator being built. I am calling on the Conservatives to listen to the broad-based campaign of local residents, which even the local Con

21 Apr 2011
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Dave Hodgson with Town Bridge behind

On the Board of the New South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership

I was pleased to be appointed recently to the board of the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). This is the new body set up to drive inward investment, innovation, economic growth, new enterprise and job creation across the region. I will be one of six local authority representatives on a board of no more than fourteen, also featuring members from business and higher education from across the South East Midlands area. I look forward to working at the heart of the new partnership on areas such as bidding for funds from the £1 billion Regional Growth Fund and in driving forward major infrastructure projects such as East-West Rail.

13 Apr 2011
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