Doing a lot doesn't necessarily mean you're doing enough. That's why I announced at a meeting of the Council's Executive this week that we've asked council officers to start work on what further measures we can take to both cut the Council's carbon emissions even further and what actions we could take to help Bedford Borough become carbon neutral.

There will be a East West Rail consultation event this Thursday (15 February), where you can see the five proposed route plans and speak to the East West Rail Company. The consultation will be at Scott Hall, Barford Avenue MK42 0DS from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has welcomed the launch of the public consultation on route options for the Bedford - Cambridge section of the East West Railway line, and called on people to have their say in support of a route via Bedford itself.

February is LGBT History Month, and Bedford Borough Council flew the rainbow flag at Borough Hall to mark the start of the month, pictured here.

Meanwhile, as part of LGBT History Month, this Saturday, 16th February, the Higgins Bedford is the place to go for the OUTing the Past Festival of LGBT History. The Higgins Bedford is again a 'hub' venue for the festival, and there's a packed programme for Saturday of speakers along with stalls with information on LGBT History, as well as LGBT rights, support and activism and more.

In a recent column for the Bedford Borough Bulletin, Mayor Dave Hodgson wrote about the decision to commit Bedford Borough Council to becoming council's commitment to becoming a single-use plastics free council by the end of 2020.

The commitment is the latest in a long line of bold action in support of our local and wider environment, with Mayor Dave's column stressing the need to replicate success in other areas to achieve the important commitment to cut out single use plastics.

In his latest monthly column for The Bedford Independent, Mayor Dave Hodgson writes that while the fall in the number of people rough sleeping is welcome, it is 'vital that this continues'.

With rough sleeping having spiralled across the country, Mayor Dave writes about the range of local solutions being pursued, including the raft of new services and facilities introduced in the last year or so. These include Clarence House in Bedford, which provides accommodation and tailored support for rough sleepers with the most complex and difficult problems, and also the array of new services introduced this winter such as the 20 new overnight beds available every night through to the end of March.

The budget put forward by Mayor Dave Hodgson and his cabinet won unanimous approval at Bedford Borough Council's budget Full Council meeting this week, with every councillor from all parties and independents voting in favour.

In the face of ongoing, brutal cuts in government funding for the council, the budget maintains Mayor Dave's remarkable record of saving services, in stark contrast with the situation in other councils nearby and across the country.

Latest figures have shown that there are a third fewer people sleeping rough in Bedford Borough than there were one year ago, with work continuing to support rough sleepers and reduce the figure further.

Increasing levels of rough sleeping have been a national concern, with figures showing that the number of people rough sleeping has more than doubled in recent years. The latest figures have shown a national decrease of 2% in the number of people rough sleeping compared to the year before. Bedford Borough has seen 33% decrease in the number of people sleeping rough.

Mayor Dave Hodgson made Bedford Borough the first place in the country to install average speed cameras on local roads back in 2012, after gathering views from residents across the borough about the need for effective action on speeding. This week BBC Look East reported on the latest news from Mayor Dave's average speed camera programme, after he announced funding for a further five sets of cameras in the proposed 2019/20 council budget.