Bedford Borough Council is warning pubs, restaurants and other local businesses to support measures to control the spread of coronavirus, or enforcement action will be carried out against them.

Businesses must ensure that when they are open, they have the appropriate measures in place to keep their customers and the wider population safe.

An initiative to tackle digital poverty across Bedfordshire, organised by the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, Susan Lousada, has seen the Rotary Club of Bedford Park donate 12 digital devices to Ridgeway School.

With more resources and work being carried out online and using devices, the eight iPads and four laptops will allow children at Ridgeway School to access additional material.

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Spokesperson Councillor Dean Crofts raised the issue of affordable housing at this week's Bedford Borough Council Housing Committee meeting, and stressed the need for continued action to tackle the disparity which currently sees average house prices in Bedford Borough being over nine times higher than average incomes.

There have been reports of residents being unable to access Coronavirus tests locally this appears to be partly due to capacity issues in the laboratories that the government uses to process the result and limits being placed on testing facilities.

New testing slots are added hourly, so please keep checking, and self-isolate while you do so. The Government has advised that additional laboratory capacity is being added, but in the meantime, areas of the country where there are significant outbreaks are being prioritised.

In September 2019, Bedford was named as one of 101 towns that could bid for up to £25million from Central Government for a Town Deal.

To access this funding, the Town Deal Board, supported by Bedford Borough Council will need to put forward projects that fall into three key areas:

• Urban regeneration, planning and land use;
• Skills enterprise and infrastructure; and
• Connectivity

The Mayor's Charity Committee have awarded funding to three local Bedford charities.

The current Mayor's charities Autism Bedfordshire, Bedford Sea Cadets and Foodbank Bedford have recently received £1,000. This funding goes towards helping the charities support the community in Bedford Borough. Last November, these three charities were awarded £1,650, bringing the total money donated in the last twelve months to £2,650 for each charity.

Bedford Borough Council is once again giving away free tulip bulbs from the last Embankment Spring planting display.

With the seasonal change of the Embankment planting into the Summer display, the Council would usually have given the used tulip bulbs away to community groups earlier in the year. However, due to coronavirus, this had to be delayed so the bulbs were put into storage and are now ready for re-planting.

Since lockdown began in March, Bedford Borough Council has issued fines to 48 people for fly-tipping.

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish. It is dangerous, unsightly and the Council is ensuring that those responsible are fined.

The 48 individuals were fined £300 either for fly-tipping themselves, or for giving their waste to rogue traders who then dumped it, with a total of £14,400 in fines given.