Mayor Dave Hodgson launched Bedford Borough’s first ‘Meet the Buyer’ event, where small local firms got the chance to meet buyers from nine major local organisations, at the Barns Hotel in Bedford last week. The event was designed to give small local firms, who do not usually have access to major buyers, the chance to develop contacts and seek to develop potentially lucrative relationships with the larger organisations.

The major buyers attending the event included Wells & Young’s, Bourns, Lockheed Martin, Autoglass, Axis Electronics, University of Bedfordshire, London Luton Airport, Bedford Borough Council, and General Motors.

Mayor Dave Hodgson, who has campaigned for both businesses and individuals to ‘buy local’ to support businesses in the Borough, has declared that the event must be the first of many designed to boost local procurement. Commenting, he said: “”In the current financial climate it’s essential that we do all we can to help local businesses. That’s why this excellent event must be the first in a series to take place to support local small and medium sized firms and provide them with the sort of access to major buyers that they wouldn’t usually have. I hope to hear of many cases of local firms developing their contacts and securing work which will help them prosper, and will in turn help create jobs and wealth in Bedford Borough.”

The Meet the Buyer Event was held at the Barns Hotel in Bedford on 25th November from 2 p.m, and was supported by the Bedford Borough Council through the Bedford Development Agency. Early feedback from the event from both buyers and suppliers has been positive.

Yesterday’s Queen’s Speech was nothing more than a fantasy speech from a government that has run out of road in a Parliament that has lost people’s trust. This Queen’s Speech won’t give people the help and jobs they need in this recession. It won’t solve our economic problems and it won’t fix our rotten politics.

Instead of pointless pageantry and empty promises of Bills that will never make it onto the statute book, the Liberal Democrats would implement an emergency programme of political reform. A programme which would change our politics for good by bringing in the power of recall to give people the right to sack errant MPs, reforming of the House of Lords and party funding, and introducing fixed-term parliaments and fair votes.

Yesterday was a missed opportunity, proving beyond any doubt that this tired Labour Government just isn’t prepared to clean up our politics. It is clearer than ever that ours is the only party that is prepared to do that, and to bring real change to Britain.

At a packed council meeting at Bedford Corn Exchange last night, it was decided by 19 votes to 17 that the two-tier education system will replace Bedford’s existing three-tier system.

There was a 30 minute open session for questions from members of the public which was understandably very passionate at times. 

I spoke calling on the Council to retain the 3-Tier system for three reasons:

a) Small is beautiful. The 2 tier proposals will create monolithic supper structures for upper schools.

b) Disruption. 4-5 years of school years will face tremendous disruption to their education for impossible to prove benefits.

c) Finance. David Cameron has already stated to Tory Councillors that he cannot guarantee the £340m will be ring-fenced for Bedford IF the Tories win the next election…..and we all know what a catastrophic affect Thatcher had on education in the 1980s amongst other things.

However I did state the proposals that Mike Berrill is building for the Biddenham School site were worth a look as an alternative to the 2 tier proposals for the rest of the Borough.

After an intense and at times raucous 2 hour debate, a recorded vote was agreed and each councillor voted whether they were in favour of an amendment to return the proposal to the Executive for them to re-consider. This was lost by 17 votes to 19. The 2 tier proposals then won by the same margin.

Despite my passionate objections to the proposals, democracy has spoken and we must now all work together to make sure all our children get the best education. 

After a discussion lasting over an hour the decision was taken to support the Officers’ recommendation. They voted as follows:  

Mayor Dave Hodgson - For

Cllr Nicky Attenborough - For

Cllr Nick Charsley - Against

Cllr Michael Headley - Against

Cllr Barry Huckle - Apologies

Cllr Will Hunt - For

Cllr Sue Oliver - Against

Cllr Charles Royden - For

Cllr David Sawyer - For

This now means it will be debated at Full Council and decided by all Members present, including those that have already voted at Executive.

The scale of the task faced by the new regime of Mayor Dave Hodgson in delivering a budget which keeps tax down and protects vital services after the Tory County Council left its finances in a perilous state has been revealed. Newly-appointed Finance Portfolio Holder, Liberal Democrat Cllr Michael Headley, has set out Bedford Borough Council’s current financial situation and declared that the council must make sure that ‘every penny’ of its budget delivers for local residents.

Commenting, Cllr Headley said: “The Unitary Council has taken on a toxic legacy from the Conservative County Council.

It charged the country’s second highest rate of County Council tax while providing failing services which saw, for example, crumbling unsafe roads and adult social care services on the point of emergency government intervention.

Our task is to improve those services while keeping the council tax level down.

We have inherited a predicted 11.5 per cent council tax increase and an overspend of £4.2 million.

This has been caused in part by inadequate financial information provided by the County Council, in addition to pressures caused by the current economic situation.

Staff from the former County Council were let down by the political leadership, and many of them are now an integral part of the Borough unitary authority.’

“To give an idea of the scale of the task we face, every one per cent reduction in Council tax equates to £700,000 in savings.

We are totally committed to achieving the vast savings required to keep council tax down and protect front line services. Local residents will expect nothing less, particularly in these difficult economic times.

Over the coming weeks and months we will be poring over the budget line by line, challenging every part of the council to ensure that there is a need for all council expenditure and that residents are getting full value.

We must ensure that every single penny of the council budget delivers for local residents.”

The long-awaited report is out! Go to:  http://www.councillorsupport.bedford.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=116&MId=604&Ver=4 to read the 200 page report - let me know what you think.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has delivered an early Christmas Present to shoppers in Bedford town centre by announcing a week of free parking beginning on November 30th. All council-run car parks in the town centre will be free for all users during this week, with this initiative just one of several which make Bedford the place to go for Christmas shoppers this year.

I am delighted the Mayor has announced this week of free parking in the run-up to Christmas. It will provide a real boost for residents and town centre retailers towards the end of what has been a tough year economically for everyone. Along with the range of promotions and events in the town centre that are coming up, the free parking scheme will make Bedford an even more attractive place to come for Christmas shoppers.

The Car parks involved in the free parking week are:

· River Street

· St. Peters Street

· Lurke Street

· Queen Street

· Allhallows

· Riverside Square

· Duckmill Lane

· Melbourne Street

I am pleased to say, I will be able to take part in the debate – there are enough councillors having to declare an interest in the matter. 

I expect to receive the papers on this tonight and at that time we will be able to understand the Officers recommendation in full, and of course this will take into account the responses to the consultation.

Last night there was a briefing to Members, from those that support the current organisation structure, and those who support the proposed two tier structure. Both camps gave impressive cases but I remain unconvinced that the case for change is sufficiently strong for the disruption the re-organisation will cause to several years of pupils.

The Council’s Executive meeting is on the 11th November, when this will be discussed and decided upon, and in the event the decision is to change it will then go to Full Council for further discussion on Monday 16th November. As soon as the papers are available I will try to place them on here.

Judith Cunningham and I will be holding our regular Advice Surgeries on Saturday 7th November:

10am - 11.30am - Wootton Library.

11.45am - 12.30pm - Stewartby United Church Hall.