I was at the Harpur Suite this morning to open the Town Centre Exhibition, which is open until 7pm this evening and then again from 9am to 4pm tomorrow. The purpose of the exhibition is to display the latest plans and ideas for the development of the Town Centre, and to gather residents' views on what they want to see, and how they would like town centre development to take shape.
This morning I visited Cauldwell Lower School to look round the major extension to the school which opened in September. Head Judith Apps showed me round, and I was very impressed by the extremely high standard of the facilities. The development was part of our major ongoing investment in schools, and it's fantastic to see children in the classrooms at Cauldwell Lower benefiting from the new facilities.
I was honoured yesterday to unveil the blue plaque at the birthplace of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, who was a member of Scott's fateful Terra Nova expedition and author of the book which recounted his experiences on the quest - 'The Worst Journey in the World.'
It was an honour to be involved in the Armistice Service in the town centre yesterday, which saw hundreds of people in town stop to observe the service and pay their respects to fallen soldiers from wars past and present. The services can never fail to be deeply moving, and all involved, from the Standard Bearers to the Salvation Army Band Members and all veterans present combined to ensure that the eleventh hour hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month was marked in fitting fashion.
I am delighted that we have been able to announce free parking in Bedford Town Centre to help kick-start the Christmas shopping season. All Council car parks will be free after 3 pm from Monday to Saturday next week, while Queen Street Car Park will be free all day through the week. Together with events such as the Christmas lights switch on and firework display and the expanded Victorian Christmas Fair, the free parking offer will help make Bedford town centre the place to go in the run-up to Christmas.
The Government's passion for the idea of the 'Big Society' has caused some confusion over what exactly the term means, but for me if it is to prove successful it will be made real not by theoretical discussion of the concept, but by the willingness of those with power to hand it over to the lowest practical level. I've certainly tried to instill this approach in Bedford Borough Council, and recently we've had an excellent example of the way in which the Council can empower communities. We have handed over the management of the Mile Road Allotments to the Mile Road Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Association, who have the capacity, knowledge and the passion to run their own site. This move saves the Council around £3,000 a year, so it makes sense in every respect.
