Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats, led by Cllr Tim Hill, Stewartby and Wootton Ward, and Mayor Dave Hodgson, have put a motion before Full Council for next Wednesday's meeting calling on all Councillors to oppose the plans for a giant Incinerator near Stewartby.
I launched the new programme of 'deep cleans' of all the public toilets in the town centre today. I was at the toilets by the bus station, under Allhallows car park today, where I tried out the high-powered steam cleaning machine that will be used there on Sunday and Monday. Many residents have told me that the bus station toilets are are not as good as other public conveniences, but of course with the toilets due to be knocked down as part of the redevelopment of this area of the town centre, we are not going to spend vast amounts of taxpayers' money refurbishing them. I have instructed that this deep clean takes place to ensure good standards of hygiene, however, to be followed by a continuing programme in the coming weeks at each of the other town centre facilities.
On Friday 8th October a meeting was held between the parents of children who use the Foxgloves respite facilities, Cllr David Sawyer, Portfolio Holder for Children's Services and Council Officers. The meeting followed the start of a consultation process to consider how respite services could be provided differently in the future for children with complex and challenging needs. Each family has been offered the opportunity to meet with Council Officers to discuss their individual family needs.
The annual celebration of apples returns to Bromham Mill & Gallery this Sunday, 17th October!
Small businesses in Bedford Borough are being urged to find out if they qualify for extra financial help.
Unlawful parking on verges can be a real blight in local neighbourhoods. Sometimes the problem is caused by lazy, inconsiderate parking, while in other cases there are genuine issues over a lack of space for local residents to park their vehicles. However, there is no escaping the fact that it can be a real problem. In many neighbourhoods, churned up verges are a real eyesore, while verge parking can be hazardous to road users and pedestrians and can block access to emergency vehicles. In the past, Bedford Borough Council effectively turned a blind eye to the problem. There was next-to-no enforcement of verge parking laws due to the difficulty in carrying it out. While it is undoubtedly a difficult issue, I am not prepared to accept inaction on this, and that is why the Council is now tackling the problem.