Mayor Dave Hodgson's latest monthly column for the Times and Citizen looked at the dramatic fall in unemployment revealed by the latest figures for Bedford Borough, including a 46% drop in jobseeker's allowance claimants since February last year. Here's the piece in full:
Below is an important message from Mohammad Yasin MP regarding the situation in Afghanistan:
Bedford Borough residents with long term health conditions could receive free support to help keep their households warm this winter.
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
Bedford Town Centre's big Christmas Fair is underway, and continues through the weekend until Sunday 14th December. The fair offers visitors the chance to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a traditional Christmas with stalls throughout the heart of the Town Centre selling an array of seasonal gifts, foods and treats. Throughout the fair's three days there will also be an array of madcap seasonal street entertainment, music and shows that are filled with fun characters.
The Jobs Hub will, in partnership with its local training providers, be holding an Employment and Skills Information Day on the 20th January at the Queens Park Neighbourhood Centre.
