Last week I wrote in the Times and Citizen newspaper about my cautious optimism over one or two emerging sings for the local economy. Clearly, with households struggling in the very difficult economic climate, there is a long way to go before we can talk of a significant recovery, but the unemployment figures over the last year or so do give cause for some cautious optimism. Even though there is only so much the Council can do, I am determined that it will do all it can to help foster conditions in the local economy which help create and retain jobs in this Borough. In case you missed it, here's the article from the paper:
The current economic outlook is giving us all little to smile about. A major part of my role as Mayor is to ensure that in this climate the Council does all it can to help local households. The most obvious way we have been able to do this to date is by keeping the Council tax rise down. Last year we identified £9 million of savings to bring a predicted 11.5% council tax rise down to a below-inflation 2.3%. We did this while prioritising the front-line services important to local residents. This year it remains a priority for me as we work towards getting a freeze in Council tax for next year. I do not underestimate how hard this will be and some tough decisions will have to be made.
Another important role for the Council in this climate is to help foster an environment in which business can grow, creating and retaining jobs for local residents. There are limitations to what the Council can do but we must work alongside local business to help ensure there are opportunities for those residents locally.
With some caution, I am pleased to be able to point to some encouraging signs in this area lately. The unemployment figures for the Borough show a steady, if unspectacular, downward trend over the past year. There are some encouraging indications from individual cases. Recently I was pleased to cut the ribbon at the new ALDI store at Goldington Square on Church Lane. The store provides jobs and a great local facility. I will make sure the Council continues to work closely with the developers in order that the local community receives the full benefits that the regeneration there can provide. I also recently opened the new 'Go Outdoors' store on the old MFI site on Goldington Road. This will provide a number of jobs and a real lift through the opening of an exciting new store in a prominent location.
Next week, I will help out with the 'sod-turning' at the start of the construction of a new plant to the south of Bedford. The plant belongs to bakery giants Lantmannen Unibake who are set to bring up to 280 jobs to the Borough.
These are very exciting developments for the local economy. I hope that the coming months will bring many more so that Bedford Borough can weather this economic storm and come out stronger.
Follow the party's activity on...