Dave Hodgson - Mayor of Bedford

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.

As I've written here previously, as I talk to residents across the Borough it is striking how often the issue of speeding traffic on our residential roads comes up as a primary concern of people in all of our communities. Key to bringing speeds down to safer levels is of course enforcement, and while this is a police responsibility we are working with the police and the Chief Constable has reassured me that he shares effective enforcement as a priority. As far as the Council is concerned, we oversee speed limits on local roads across the Borough, in consultation with the police, and in response to the number of concerns raised with me I launched a review of speed limits across the Borough last year.

A number of residents have approached me or approached the Council to highlight how a large amount of cars and lorriess are sent through Turvey and onwards on the A428 unnecessarily due to long-standing unhelpful and unsuitable signage. Drivers heading for the M1 northbound from Bedford and Bromham on the A428 have been directed to continue along the A428, rather than to take the quicker and more appropriate route to the M1 on the A422. Understandably, residents of Turvey have raised concerns about the unnecessary extra traffic this generates through their village. As we've shown with our anti-street clutter campaign which has seen over 100 unnecessary signs removed across the Borough, we are not prepared to accept unhelpful or illogical road signage and we have moved to change the signs.

We may be enjoying some unseasonably mild weather just at the moment, but doubtless winter will come back and bite us soon. This year, not only are we doing all we can to ensure we can keep the Borough moving when freezing weather strikes, we are also doing more than ever to keep residents informed and up-to-date about key services through the winter. Perhaps the most innovative way in which we're doing this is via the new interactive map on the Council website showing the exact location of the gritting lorries in real time! The map is available on the Winter Maintenance Updates page, alongside all the other information you might need on school closures, public transport, waste collection and more. Here's the link: http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/winterupdates/

A short note to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. This morning I am looking forward to visiting the maternity unit at Bedford Hospital, the Cygent Wing, and giving my best wishes to all staff, to new parents and possibly saying hello to any Christmas Day arrivals! Later on I'll be visiting Bedford Concern for the Homeless and Rootless's (BECHAR) Prebend Day Centre as its Christmas Lunch is prepared, before going on to Bedford Fire Station and saying thank you to those on duty.

Bin collection days are obviously affected by Christmas, and the arrangements for the holiday period are available on the Council's website, here: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/council_news/xmas_bin_collections.aspx. There are no missed collections at all, but there are changes for everyone, so if you're not sure of your collection days during the holiday period, you can double-check them there. Normal collection days resume on Monday 9th January 2012