Mayor Dave Hodgson has launched the 2019 Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Manifesto with a pledge to Stand up for Bedford Borough and maintain their proven record of action.

The manifesto is headed 'Standing Up for Bedford Borough' and has four key themes:

• Supporting People
• Looking After our Environment
• Standing Up for Bedford Borough
• Working Hard all Year Round

Mayor Dave Hodgson has thanked all those who attended the first Mayoral election hustings, which took place on Monday. Commenting after the event hosted by the Mature Citizens Action Group, Mayor Dave said:

"Thanks to everyone who attended the election hustings event this morning at the Salvation Army's Congress Hall, hosted by the Mature Citizens Action Group.'

Clarence House in Bedford has celebrated its first birthday, marking one year since Mayor Dave Hodgson opened the Complex Needs Unit which provides accommodation and tailored support for some of the most vulnerable rough sleepers locally.

The facility is the first of its kind in Bedford, with specialist accommodation and support services provided in the unit itself. Residents are provided with their own individual, tailored support plan designed to help them stay off the streets and towards a more stable, settled life in a home of their own. The facility is operated by One Housing group, under contract with Bedford Borough Council, and is one of a number of new services and facilities introduced to tackle rough sleeping homelessness in Bedford Borough.

Cotton End Forest School was officially opened this week, and Mayor Dave Hodgson joined Eastcotts Ward Cllr Sarah Gallagher at the opening to congratulate staff and pupils on their fantastic new school.

Mayor Dave has uploaded a number of photos from the event on his Facebook page, here, where he commented:

Mayor Dave Hodgson helped to conduct the recent unveiling of a Blue Plaque at the former home of Joshua and Hester Hawkins, two renowned figures in Bedford's history. The plaque is located on their former home at 18 Linden Road, which is now a YMCA property.

You can see a selection of photos from the unveiling on Mayor Dave's Facebook page here, where he commented:

The Harpur Shopping Centre in Bedford town centre celebrated its official opening on Saturday, and Mayor Dave Hodgson was invited along to congratulate the centre and its traders on the works and conduct the official opening.

In a speech delivered prior to cutting the ribbon on the new glass lift, Mayor Dave commented that "the Harpur Centre has always been a central shopping hub, at the heart of our town centre, and this impressive refurbishment will cement that status for years to come."

In his latest monthly column for the Bedford Independent, Mayor Dave Hodgson has encouraged people to have their say on the route of East West rail between Bedford and Cambridge and set out why he's arguing strongly for a route via Bedford itself rather than one which bypasses the town to the south.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has today announced the location of a further seven average speed cameras across Bedford Borough.

The villages of Bromham, Clapham, Colmworth, Elstow and Willington are set to have average speed cameras installed, alongside Hillgrounds Road in Kempston and Mile Road in Bedford.

Mayor Dave, who is pictured right during a visit to Colmworth Parish Council to discuss the new cameras, made Bedford Borough the first place in the country to install the cameras on local roads back in 2012. He did so because in talking to residents the breadth and depth of concern over speeding traffic in communities right across the Borough was clear, in rural and urban areas alike.