Bedford
Liberal Democrats

News

Mayor Dave Hodgson talks to Standard Bearers at Armed Forces Day 2011 Ceremony

Armed Forces Day Ceremony

I was honoured to host a flag raising ceremony at Borough Hall yesterday to mark Armed Forces Day, which is approaching on Saturday. Armed Forces Day helps to raise public awareness of the contribution made by those who serve and have served in Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and gives us an opportunity to show our support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, from currently serving troops to Service families and from veterans to cadets. We are therefore always very keen to help mark the occasion, and conducted a flag raising ceremony outside Borough Hall, and the Armed Forces Day Union Flag will be flying here all week. There were a number of representatives of local armed services units and veterans' organisations in attendance, and the standard bearers were impeccable as always.

21 Jun 2011
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Mayor Dave Hodgson with crushed abandoned cars

Cracking Down on Abandoned Vehicles

Last week I visited the yard where we send abandoned cars to be crushed. The purpose of the visit was to help raise awareness of our campaign to crack down on the scourge of abandoned cars, which make local neighbourhoods look unsightly and can attract crime in our communities. It is therefore vital that we take positive action to deal with abandoned vehicles swiftly and efficiently. In recent months 11 vehicles have recently been sent for crushing as part of the initiative, and in addition to dealing with the vehicles we are also working to prosecute those abandon the vehicles, with no regard to our local neighbourhoods.

9 Jun 2011
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Concerned that Twinwoods Incinerator Decision to be Taken as far from Communities Affected as Possible

I was dismayed to learn this week of the decision that the final determination of Biogen Power Ltd's application to build a new waste gasification incinerator atTwinwoodsBusinessParknear Milton Ernest will be made inWhitehallby a Government Minister. The proposals were turned down by the Council's planning committee in March, much to the delight of the large number of local residents who have expressed their concern about a range of issues, not least the number of lorry journeys over local roads which would result. Biogen Power Ltd appealed against the planning committee's decision, and the Planning Inspectorate recently conducted the appeal, with an independent planning inspector due to make the final decision in the coming weeks. It came as a surprise, then, when the Council received a letter earlier this week from the Planning Inspectorate which stated that the "the Secretary of State hereby directs that he shall determine this appeal instead of an Inspector."

27 May 2011
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Italian festival

Getting the Popular Italian Statue Back on Display

When the statue donated to Bedford by the town's Italian community was unveiled at the time of Bedford's first Italian Festival in 2009, the response was overwhelmingly positive. It is remarkable for any new piece of public art, usually the cause of much debate , discussion and often controversy, to be met with so much praise and so few complaints! What a terrible shame it was, then, when the statue had to be moved from its original location near the Town Bridge, due to repeated acts of vandalism. The statue was the work of artist Professore Giuseppe Martignetti, who produced it for the town which he said had given so much to his family, and it was appalling that mindless acts of violence caused it to have to be put into storage. I am therefore delighted that it is now going back on display once again, after we worked with the Italian Festival Committee to identify a suitable, safe location where it can be enjoyed by residents and visitors to Bedford. It will sit on Greyfriars roundabout, near the bus station

25 May 2011
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