Town Centre Remembrance Service Sees Bedford Pay Tribute

Bedford to Buck the Trend Again with Another Car Park Charge Freeze in 2012

I'm delighted to report that Wednesday night's Council Executive meeting saw us agree another car parking charge freeze for Bedford town centre in 2012, after we bucked past trends and the rising prices seen in other town centres by freezing the car park charges this year. The current year's car park charge freeze was the first seen in Bedford for many years, and like this new boost for our town centre was delivered despite rising inflation and an extremely tough financial situation facing the Council. Inflation is now of course at nearly 6% and the financial pressures on the Council are unprecedented, but we feel it's important to support shoppers and help boost the vitality of Bedford town centre by proposing a freeze for charges in the council's car parks and for on-street parking.

Keeping the Borough Moving When Winter Comes

The last two winters saw exceptionally low temperatures and heavy snowfall, with the 'Big Freeze' lasting for an extended period in each case. With winter fast approaching, we have worked to make sure we can keep the Borough moving should the weather make it a hat-trick this year. Over the last two winters, despite the incredibly harsh conditions in the borough, we were able to maintain services and to continue to grit a full network of road routes and heavily-used pedestrianised areas thanks to early preparation and the commitment and dedication of front-line staff . This year, we are committed again to doing all we can to keep the Borough moving, and have worked very hard in the warmer months to ensure we are fully prepared for what the winter has in store.

St Mary's Street is Fully Re-opened

It is with a mixture of joy and relief that I can report that, as of last night, St Mary's Street is fully reopened ahead of schedule, following the urgent repair works. The works started on 3rd October after a ground radar survey found the road was in serious danger of collapse due to a complete lack of drainage on one side of the road, which was only resurfaced four years ago by the former County Council.

Get Along to the Big Christmas Lights Switch-On Tomorrow Night!

The Christmas Lights Switch-on is taking place tomorrow night, so get along to the Embankment to enjoy a sp ectacular Fire and Light Show as the Festive Season in Bedford town centre gets underway with a bang.

Movember Draws to a Close

As November draws to a close, so does Movember, the month-long charity event in support of men's health, in particular prostate cancer and other cancers that can affect men. If you happen to have seen me over the past week you may have realised that along with many men across the country, I have taken part myself in order to help raise vital funds and awareness for men's health. Clearly I was not in a position to grow a moustache from scratch, but when the Times and Citizen newspaper suggested I submit myself to the mercy of a public vote to choose what style of moustache I should wear in support of the charity, I felt that losing the beard for a while in this way was a small price to pay for such an important cause.