Dave Hodgson - Mayor of Bedford

The family history information and taster session I attended at Bedford Central Library on Saturday really has whetted my appetite to find out more. Amongst the wide range of things I discovered in the short session I enjoyed are that a Great Grandmother was in the workhouse, while a Great Great Grandfather was a station master in Scotland. I also discovered previously unknown links to various parts of the country, including the West Midlands.

This afternoon I'm heading down to Bedford Central Library to take part in an information and taster session on researching your family history at the Borough's libraries, in support of a new project running throughout February. The Council's Library Service has linked up with Family History Detectives to promote family history at Bedford, Kempston and Wootton Libraries this month.

Today I informed the Council's Chief Executive of changes to the Council Cabinet, following the extraordinary action, or rather inaction, of the Conservative Group at the Full Council meeting on Wednesday night. In a shock move, out of the blue they broke their pledge to support the budget they had produced jointly with all parties on the Council and did not even take part in the most important decision all year for the residents the Council serves. They simply abstained, without offering any alternatives at all on the night or at any stage before. Sadly, they have again turned their backs on working for the good of the Borough, and clearly have separated themselves from running the Council in the interests of local residents and delivering this all-important budget which they approved at every stage until it mattered.

At tomorrow night's meeting of the Full Council, I will be proposing a motion which seeks a united front across the Council in the fight for fairer petrol and diesel prices for Bedford Borough. The intention of the motion is to bring further exposure to the unnacceptable situation we have whereby local residents in and around Bedford are forced to pay typically around 5 pence a litre more for petrol, and around 4 pence more for diesel, than drivers in nearby towns. I hope that all-party support for a motion highlighting this indefensible situation will put further pressure on fuel retailers to address the shocking disparity in prices between Bedford and neighbouring towns.

With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee now just a few months away, we have announced that the Council will be holding a number of public workshops to help local neighbourhoods who want to celebrate the occasion by holding a street party.

The workshops will take place at Riseley Village Hall at 7.30pm on Monday 6^th February and the Harpur Suite in Bedford on Thursday 9^th February at 12.30pm and 6.30pm.

On Wednesday next week, a meeting of the Full Council will consider the budget which has been proposed by the all-party Executive. After we delivered a small council tax cut last year, I am pleased to report that we are again proposing to freeze bills for local households. While the Council is in a well-reported extremely difficult financial situation, with large cuts in government funding and factors such as inflation hitting it hard, times are tough for local residents and it is vital that the Council does not put more pressure on household budgets through the council tax bill. Under the former County Council, local households had to contend with year after year of inflation-busting rises. We're putting a stop to that, and I have pledged to ensure that over my four-year term of office Council tax bills will have gone up by less than inflation, i.e. a real-terms cut.

It was a year ago this month that we introduced a new, 'rapid response' Pothole Hit Squad service in order to repair more potholes, more efficiently, right across the Borough. We invested in new equipment which sees vehicles carrying a mobile 'hot box,' keeping the tar hot and ready to use while the teams are out and about. After years and years of chronic underinvestment in our roads, we have made huge efforts in the fightback to make our roads safe for all road users, and the improved pothole repair work sits alongside the increased resurfacing work as a key part of this drive.

The first 'Pints in the Parishes' event of 2012 is taking place tonight, at The Oakley Arms in Harrold. These s essions are intended to provide an opportunity for me to hear directly from anyone who wants to discuss the issues important to them in an informal, local environment. My thanks to Harrold Parish Council for proposing that I visit the village for a Pints in the Parishes session and to the Oakley Arms for being kind enough to have me! If you would like to see me at one of these events and are wondering when I will be coming to a village pub near you, a full list of all 'Pints in the Parishes' dates and venues can be found by clicking on 'Pints in the Parishes' in the list on the left hand side of the the home page here on www.mayordave.org.uk

As the internet becomes more and more central to both our working lives and personal lives, the availability of fast, reliable broadband connections is of ever greater importance to households and businesses. Many residents, particularly in our rural communities, and businesses have stressed to me what a positive difference improved broadband connections would make to them. Rather than wait and cross our fingers that the commercial broadband providers will make the full investment required to bring improved broadband speeds for all at some point in the future, we are working proactively to bring in external investment as soon as possible.

You would expect me to say this, but I think Bedford Borough is a special place for lots of reasons. Another reason to add to that list is that we are one of what is now a minority of areas which still has a weekly collection of 'black bin' waste. Residents have told me very clearly that they value the weekly collection of the black bin very highly, especially as most areas across the country have moved to a fortnightly system. That's why I am pleased that we have now agreed a new green waste deal which sees us save £500,000 over its five year period, as part of a system which will see us retain a weekly collection of the black bin and alternating collections of the orange and green bins/bags.