Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson has welcomed the news that Sainsbury's will open a major regional distribution centre at Marsh Leys Industrial Park in Kempston. In a major boost for the local economy, around 300 new jobs will be created at the centre, which sees Sainsbury's occupy the site vacated by Woolworths last year.
Henry Vann, who is standing as the next MP for Bedford for the Liberal Democrats, says pensioners are missing out on Cold Weather Payments due to a ridiculously complicated central government system for making claims.
As part of the Liberal Democrats' ongoing drive to open up Bedford Borough Council since the election of Mayor Dave Hodgson, Council payments greater than £1,000 will be published online. The announcement was made last night at a meeting of the Council's Executive by Liberal Democrat Finance Portfolio Holder Cllr Michael Headley, as he presented the Council's proposed budget for the coming year.
Pedal power was on show in abundance in De Parys on Sunday when Mayor Dave Hodgson joined a Safer Cycling event organised by Liberal Democrat Ward Councillor David Sawyer.
With the prolonged cold snap having taken a heavy toll on the condition of some of Bedford Borough's roads, Mayor Dave Hodgson has moved to ensure that immediate remedial action is taken as soon as the conditions allow by allocating £200,000 in emergency funds.
'No stone has been left unturned' in the drive to find savings and keep council tax bills down, declared Dave Hodgson today, as a proposed Bedford Borough Council budget which boosts opportunities for the young, protects the local environment and supports the local economy was published. Against a backdrop of the severe economic crisis and a toxic financial legacy inherited from the former County Council, savings of £9 million have been identified to enable front line services to be protected and a council tax increase of just 2.3 per cent to be proposed. This is down from a forecast 11.5 per cent rise before the election of Mayor Dave Hodgson.
