Bedford Borough Council is consulting on its draft Housing Strategy 2021- 26 and wants to know your views.

Having a good place to live is key to an individual's health and wellbeing and this Strategy sets out the Council's four key objectives for local housing over the five year time period.

These objectives include Understanding Housing Need; ensuring the Council has up-to-date information on what housing is needed, and Delivering the Homes Required.

The interim report into the 'deep dive' into Bedford Borough's high Coronavirus infection rate has now been published.

The new local data from Public Health England and the Joint Biosecurity Centre shows that while Coronavirus infections are still high in the Borough, they are starting to decline.

The interim findings of the deep dive, which were issued on Monday, outlines that, as elsewhere in the country, the greatest number of positive tests for COVID-19 are for women aged between 30-59. While there were no 'hot spots' in the general population the interim findings identified the highest number of cases in areas around the town centre. These are areas where the average age is higher due to number of care homes, retirement homes and supported living settings.

Today is the UK's National Srebrenica Day when we remember the genocide committed against over 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the space of just a few days in Srebrenica 25 years ago in July 1995.

This evening, at 7pm, there will be a national ceremony on Saturday broadcast on Remembering Srebrenica's facebook page here.

With some children potentially at increased risk of abuse and neglect during the coronavirus pandemic, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats have encouraged anyone who is concerned about a child's wellbeing to report it. The call follows a meeting of Bedford Borough Council's Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which heard that with many children not going to school and seeing trusted adults currently a significant rise in referrals to children's social care is expected at the beginning of the next school term in September.

Bedford's Embankment is looking glorious this summer, with the Council planting over 20,000 plants along this stretch of river.

These plants are now flowering, bringing a swath of brightness and colour to Bedford's Embankment and valuable nectar sources for Bedford's bugs and bees. Planting includes sunflowers, marigolds, petunias, salvias, geraniums, cosmos and verbena giving a beautiful variety of flowers over the summer period.

Bedford Borough's largest housing association bpha has been challenged to 'aim higher' on improving the energy efficiency of its homes after its own figures showed that its main target for raising standards affects fewer than 2% of properties.

bpha has over 19,000 properties overall, mostly in Bedford Borough, and is responsible for maintaining around 13,000 of those homes. In a presentation by bpha representatives at a Bedford Borough Climate Change Committee Meeting, it set out its aim to bring all of its properties up to at least a band D energy efficiency rating.

Bedford Borough Council Adult Services Portfolio Holder Cllr Wendy Rider has slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his comments in which he blamed care homes themselves over the coronavirus crisis they have faced across the country.

Commenting, Councillor Rider said "Care homes and those who staff them deserve thanks, not this insulting and inaccurate blame-shifting from the prime minister. Boris Johnson has falsely claimed to have put a 'protective ring around care homes', and now he is seeking to blame them rather than take responsibility for his own government's failings.' Throughout this crisis care home staff have continued going to work and continued protecting the vulnerable in incredibly difficult circumstances. You might have thought their efforts would have caused a humbled Boris Johnson to praise them and to finally tackle the chronic underfunding of the system in which they work. Instead he shirks his own responsibility and refuses even to apologise. He should be ashamed."

New local data from Public Health England and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, working with Bedford Borough Council, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Commissioning Collaborative have been released as part of a 'deep dive' in Bedford Borough, shows that while Coronavirus infections are still high in the Borough, they are starting to decline.