Liberal Democrats have reacted with anger following confirmation that Bedford is to receive a hammer blow to its Post Office network. Despite widespread public support for local branches the Post Office has not granted a reprieve to any of the threatened branches in Bedford.
Henry Vann, Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner for Bedford and Kempston, spoke to ITV news today at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Bournemouth.
This afternoon the Liberal Democrats celebrated the 100th anniversary of the basic state pension from which many people in Bedford have benefited and continue to benefit.
Today, at their annual conference, the Liberal Democrats called for an extra 10,000 police officers on the streets, to be paid for by scrapping the ID card scheme, and for the use of neighbourhood policing, and an end to centralised targets that distort local police priorities.
The latest example of financial waste by Tory-run Bedfordshire County Council has left local taxpayers with a bill for over £100,000 and thousands of residents waiting for recycling bins they were due to receive nearly six months ago.
Bedford Borough Council has not pursued a single case of a breach of restrictive covenants in over twelve months, with residents left to launch their own costly private legal action if they wish to see a breach of covenant enforced. Liberal Democrats believe that the news will come as a shock to many residents, due to a common perception that people are protected by restrictive covenants, for example on the use of a house as a commercial premises or for storing large commercial vehicles.