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.

Works to rebuild part of the B530 near Kempston Hardwick will start next week. The works will include replacement of sections of the road drainage system together with resurfacing of the road.

In summer 2018, cracks appeared in the road on the B530 between the Interchange Retail Park and Kempston Hardwick and the road began to sink.

Bedford Borough Council and Bedfordshire Police are asking everyone to follow the guidance and avoid large gatherings, which could increase the spread of coronavirus, endanger health and lead to a local lockdown.

The plea comes after the Council has had to investigate cases where individuals had tested positive following large gatherings in the borough.

The Railway Food Collection scheme, led by Thameslink locally, has collected 822 worth of meals through donations at Bedford and Brighton stations

The food was collected following a six-week community pilot scheme from Govia Thameslink Railway working with The Trussell Trust and local foodbanks include Bedford Foodbank.