Mayor Dave Hodgson helped to mark the official opening of Wixams Retirement Village this week, as the 230-apartment extra care development for over-55s formally was formally launched.

Mayor Dave helped cut the ribbon at the ceremony, and spoke to residents about their new homes and the wide range of facilities available in the development, which is a partnership project between Bedford Borough Council, the Harpur Trust, Homes England and The ExtraCare Charitable Trust.

Bedford has been selected as one of the initial 100 towns across England eligible to bid for the Towns Fund. The announcement means that Bedford Borough Council is invited to bid for a share of the overall £3.6bn fund.

With its strong commitment to continuing town centre regeneration Councillor Henry Vann, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Bedford and Kempston and Bedford Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Town Centres and Planning, has confirmed that the Council will be making a bid to the fund.

The very first SpectaculArts Bedford Street Arts Festival takes place this Saturday, in Bedford Park. The event is taking place from 11:30am to 8pm in Bedford Park, which will be split into four quarters - Dance, Arts, Theatre and Music.

In addition to a full programme of entertainment and a wide range of food and drink, there are carnival parades taking place around the site.

Works commence tonight on a scheme to enhance safety and convenience for road users at two notorious neighbouring junctions in Bedford.

Two mini-roundabouts are being installed on Goldington Road in Bedford, with one at the junction with Goldington Green and the other at the junction with Barkers Lane. These are well-known difficult junctions on this busy road into and out of the town centre. The new mini roundabouts will replace the existing T-junctions and make it easier for traffic to keep moving.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has congratulated local community group Queen's Park Community Orchard on the news that it has been shortlisted in the Race, Religion and Faiths category at the National Diversity Awards 2019.

Commenting, Mayor Dave said: "Many congratulations to Queens Park Community Orchard on this well deserved recognition. The group and its hardworking volunteers do tremendous work in bringing people together across our communities, and I wish them the very best of luck for these prestigious awards."

It was GCSE results day yesterday, with the provisional results showing that Bedford Borough students' Average Attainment 8 Score for 2019 was 45.45, an increase last year. This is the average score obtained by a student for their best 8 GCSE results. This increase mirrors the national picture.

Once again, over 60% of students secured a Grade 4 and above in both English and Maths subjects.

Bedford Borough Council is writing a new Town Centre Plan and is asking people for their views on the future of our town.

Town centres across the country are changing. The internet and online shopping are permanently changing how we shop and how we use our town centre.

But Bedford has a unique story to tell: alongside our unique and beautiful river, 62% of our local retail are independent shops- a higher percentage than Cambridge; small businesses get automatic rate relief; and last year, 77 new businesses opened in the town centre. Bedford is a place to come to shop, enjoy events, culture, heritage, our local markets and much, much more.

Mayor Dave Hodgson's latest column for the Bedford Independent was on the topic of Bedford Borough's 'fascinating and illustrious' history. In the piece, Mayor Dave reflects on recent visits he has hosted in the historic Mayor's Parlour, including from the Maldives' UK Ambassador, and he invites anyone involved with a local group which might enjoy a visit to get in touch, because the Parlour and its contents 'belong to all of us'.