This morning I visited Cauldwell Lower School to look round the major extension to the school which opened in September. Head Judith Apps showed me round, and I was very impressed by the extremely high standard of the facilities. The development was part of our major ongoing investment in schools, and it's fantastic to see children in the classrooms at Cauldwell Lower benefiting from the new facilities.
Why the media lets Labour get away with it I really don't understand, and the hypocrisy of the Labour Party supporting NUS leader is astounding. Who introduced tuition fees? Who commissioned Lord Browne and gave him his remit to look at the future funding of higher education? Which Party opposes the abolition of tuition fees and is split over a Graduate Tax? It's Labour, Labour, Labour.
I was at the Harpur Suite this morning to open the Town Centre Exhibition, which is open until 7pm this evening and then again from 9am to 4pm tomorrow. The purpose of the exhibition is to display the latest plans and ideas for the development of the Town Centre, and to gather residents' views on what they want to see, and how they would like town centre development to take shape.
Residents in Bedford and visitors to town may have noticed the new signage on the pay and display parking ticket machines advertising the facility now available to enable you to pay by phone for parking. I launched the 'RinGo' scheme at Melbourne Street Car Park last week, and have had some good feedback so far from residents who have used the service. The purpose of this is simply to make paying for parking easier and more convenient, whether you are using one of the Council-run car parks or on-street parking. Payment can even be made via an iPhone app (other smartphones are available!).
Communities Minister Andrew Stunell convened a roundtable meeting for members of the Chinese community, providing an opportunity to explore their issues of concern.
I wrote recently in the Times and Citizen newspaper about the exciting news on the final phase of the western bypass, for which the funding package is now in place. The remaining obstacle surrounds land ownership, and the refusal of one landowner to sell land long-established as an identified section of this route for the purposes of this essential road. We can overcome this, however, using compulsory purchase powers, and will keep working to ensure the road is delivered as soon as possible. It is a crucial element of our ongoing drive to help foster growth and boost employment opportunities for residents. I touched on this point in my Times and Citizen article, which I have reproduced here for those who missed it:
