The Government has slashed promised infrastructure funding for Bedford and the Marston Vale by nearly half, although the requirement for the area to take an additional 16,000 new homes remains
Two weeks on from hailing a new 'vision' for public transport in Bedford Borough in the local press, the Mayor has not shared his ideas with the public or with local councillors. The Liberal Democrats have criticised the Mayor for seeking headlines first and solutions later, while the problems of congestion and inadequate local public transport continue.
More than eighty thousand people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training according to figures highlighted by Bedford and Kempston Liberal Democrats.
A Liberal Democrat Councillor whose son's school was hit by the swine flu bug stepped in to ensure parents received vital information on the virus after finding that Bedford Borough Council had no procedure in place to do so. Putnoe Ward Cllr Sallyanne Smith said that she was surprised and disappointed that the Council had not thought to issue general information through schools about the risks to children and how they can protect themselves against the spread of the virus.
A full council meeting at Bedford Borough Council last night endorsed the Liberal Democrats' call for the Council to pledge that it will not take part in any pilot schemes for the national ID Card and that local residents will not be required to hold an ID card in order to access council services.
Schools in Bedford Borough have not received any financial reports from the new Council, causing difficulties for schools trying to manage their budgets without key monitoring information. Local schools should receive monthly reports from the Council, but have yet to receive any since the financial year began in April. Liberal Democrats raised the matter at a meeting of the Council's Children's Services Policy Review and Development Committee on Thursday night, and received assurances that the first set of reports will be with schools by the the end of the summer term next week.
