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News from the Liberal Democrats

Dave Hodgson with Town Bridge behind

Calm Maintained Across Bedfordshire Last Night

'Calm Maintained Across Bedfordshire Last Night.' That was the welcome headline on the website of Bedfordshire Police this morning after an extensive police operation on the streets in Bedford and elsewhere to prevent any of the sickening violence and destruction which has taken place elsewhere from happening here. I have spoken to the Divisional Commander today and congratulated the police on their efforts last night in being prepared and being out on the streets, offering a reassuring presence to local residents and businesses in our town. The Council has obviously been in close contact with the police, and we will continue to work closely together. While it was welcome that the scurrilous and unsubstantiated rumours about possible trouble in Bedford last night did not prove to be true, there can be no room for complacency. I know that the police are know this, and there will again be a major, prepared police presence out in Bedford again tonight.

10 Aug 2011
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Bar Chart Showing size of Bedford Borough Council's Funding Gap to 2015

Council Funding Gap: The Scale of the Challenge

I have written before about the financial challenge facing Bedford Borough Council, but as consultation begins on the first set of proposals to modernise Council services and make them more cost-effective, it is worth considering the figures involved in order to really grasp the full scale of that challenge. Bedford Borough Council has to save £36 million over four years in order to balance the books. That's an awful lot of money by any reckoning, but the fact that it represents over a quarter of the Council's current total net budget of £129 million brings the size of the task ahead into even greater focus (the bar chart on the right provides a graphical illustration). There is no escaping this; the Council is legally required to deliver a balanced budget, and cannot make a policy decision not to make all the savings, for example. What we can do, however, is to work with all parties on the Council, with staff and crucially with residents to make sure the savings are made carefully and in the fairest way poss

31 Jul 2011
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Mayor Dave Hodgson with village tour signs

All Set for Village Tour 2011 - 60 in 30!

60 and 30 are the key numbers for my 2011 village tour, which gets underway tomorrow with open surgeries at Farndish, Hinwick, Podington and Wymington. This year I will be visiting 60 villages across the Borough in September's 30 days, holding a mobile surgery in each village and talking to rural residents about the issues that matter to them. The village tour is intended to give people the best possible chance to talk to me directly about any issues they want to raise. Clearly it's not easy for everyone to get to Borough Hall for one of my monthly 'by appointment' surgeries, or to one of my monthly 'out and about' sessions, so I hope lots of people take the chance to come and talk to me while I'm in their neighbourhood. For more information about where you can find me or how to arrange to see me, including full dates, times and locations for the village tour, click on the 'Meet Dave' button on the menu on the front page of mayordave.org.

31 Aug 2011
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