This week is Homelessness Awareness Week, and there are a range of events and activities taking place in and around Bedford:

Art Exhibition 26 - 30 November, Riverside Square Pavilion - Art created exclusively by people who have experienced homelessness. The aim of the exhibition is to challenge public perceptions of the homeless community, and to empower the artists themselves and raise their confidence. Mayor Dave Hodgson was given a sneak preview of the work last week, and commented on Facebook: "This week is Homelessness Awareness Week, and I'll be posting every day about the range of events taking place locally, the additional services launched this winter, and the ways we can all help ensure vulnerable people in our community can get the support they need.'

Bedford Town Centre's record of bucking the trend in the face of the crisis for UK High Streets was the focus of a report on BBC Look East last night. In his introductino, the newsreader declares that Bedford is 'the High Street fighting back against out-of-town stores and the internet'. The report includes the facts and figures which illustrate how Bedford has increased footfall in contrast to the national trend of falling numbers of visitors to high streets, and features comments from Mayor Dave Hodgson, seen here during his interview in The Arcade.

Following the resignation of HEART Multi Academy Trust (MAT) Chief Executive Clare Smith, Mayor Dave Hodgson has said that the changes at the top of the organisation are indicative of the severe problems both with their now-halted proposals for Cauldwell, Shackleton and Shortstown Primary Schools and with the way HEART sought to impose them.

Bedford's Christmas Lights Switch On event will take place on Thursday 22^nd November, at 7pm, along The Embankment.

Everyone is invited to attend this free Christmas event when Bedford Borough Council in partnership with Bedford BID will light up the town with another magnificent firework display to mark the start of the Christmas period.

The Bedford Branch of the Royal Anglian Regiment Association (Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire) held its Remembrance and Reunion Event in Kempston on Sunday 18^th November. The event was described by Mayor Dave Hodgson as 'a very special and poignant occasion'.

With a large number of members of the public watching on, a parade from the Keep to the Kempston War Memorial across the road was followed by a Remembrance and wreath laying service.

The range of measures introduced by Mayor Dave Hodgson to make Bedford Borough's local roads safer has been expanded further with the Council's new Community Speedwatch Vehicle now out and about on the Borough's streets.

Speeding is raised as an issue of concern by residents across the Borough as Mayor Dave talks to people across both urban and rural communities. That's why Bedford Borough Council was the first local authority in the country to introduce the more effective average speed cameras on local roads (none of the fines go to the Council), and it's why Mayor Dave has now introduced this new string to the Borough's bow in tackling speeding.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has thanked all the groups and individuals who organised or took part in any of the vast array of Remembrance events and activities across Bedford Borough over the weekend. He said a particular thanks to the Bedford and District branch of the Royal British Legion, who 'did themselves and service members past and present proud' on a 'truly remarkable' weekend.

Schools across Bedford Borough are facing a combined cut of £1.3m as their budgets are slashed by the Conservative Government. The amount allocated to Bedford Borough for each child in school is being cut, leaving the whole area with over a million pounds less to fund our schools in 2019/20.

News of the cut comes despite promises of a new national funding formula putting right the massive underfunding of local schools. The reduction will see schools receive £1,000 less per primary school class and £1,600 less per secondary school class than they would if per pupil funding was retained at current levels.