An extra £2 million will be spent on road and pavement improvement work across Bedford Borough in the current year, after a further funding boost was agreed by Mayor Dave Hodgson's Cabinet this week.
The further £1 million investment in roads and pavements was made possible by savings achieved elsewhere across the council during the financial year just gone. It follows on from another £1 million boost for 2018/19 confirmed earlier in the spring.
Commenting following news of the resignation today of Charles Horton as Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, Mayor Dave Hodgson has said that it's right that senior figures should take responsibility, and called on the Government to do so over its failures too.
He also called for relief now for beleaguered rail passengers, via both urgent improvements to Thameslink services and the immediate reinstatement of peak-time intercity East Midlands trains at Bedford.
Mayor Dave Hodgson has slammed the Government following its decision to almost entirely remove Bedford from the intercity rail network under the next East Midlands Trains Franchise. The specification within the 'Invitation to Tender' for bidders for the franchise, which will commence in August 2019, makes Bedford a stop on a 'commuter-style' service between Corby and London.
Spectacular kites from around the world will take to the skies above Bedford this weekend, on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June, for the annual International Kite Festival.
Kites of all descriptions, sizes and colours will be back in the air for two days of aerial displays over Russell Park. Visitors will also have the chance to fly their own kites in a special arena, with exhibitors and experts on hand to give demonstrations and provide tips and advice on building the perfect kite.
2018's Bedford River Festival will be bigger than ever before, with the Festival expanding further down the River to include St Marys' Gardens.
St Mary's Gardens will host a stage, an arts and crafts marquee as well as a marquee for The Higgins Bedford. There will also be giant games and circus skills area, as well as an Adventure Village with a low rope course, bushcraft activities, and canoe trail.
Commenting following a meeting this morning with with Govia Thameslink, Mayor Dave Hodgson described the current situation for rail users as a 'shocking, monumental failure.' In the meeting, Thameslink revealed that train times will be varying from day to day until a reduced timetable is introduced in at least four weeks' time.
Bedford's Big High Street Showcase is back today, Saturday 2nd June, and in his May column for the Bedford Bulletin Mayor Dave Hodgson wrote about this free family event and the array of others to come during a big summer of events ahead for Bedford Borough.
Here's the full text of the piece:
Whisper it quietly, but as I write this the sun is out and the forecast is improving after a rain-sodden few weeks. Naturally, thoughts begin to turn to the summer ahead, and across Bedford Borough there are a number of exciting events you may want to mark in your diary.
Commenting on the news that the Government has put Bedford Prison into special measures, and done so with no announcement to the public or local representatives, Mayor Dave Hodgson has slammed the government over its failure to address safety and standards issues at the facility.
Mayor Dave Hodgson said "The conditions that the government allowed to develop and to persist at Bedford Prison for staff and inmates are a disgrace. The last inspection report from 2016 is utterly scathing and highlights the need for effective national oversight. Clearly the government has failed to provide this, and is now having to take drastic measures. Even worse, it seems it had no intention of informing the public or local representatives, as if this institution in the middle of Bedford is none of our concern."
