Mayor Dave Hodgson has reassured residents that vital frontline services will continue to be protected despite years of government grant cuts and with the country facing a cost of living crisis. Unlike many other councils who have had to stop some of their services, Mayor Dave has ensured that bins have been regularly collected, no libraries have closed and no Children's Centres shut down.

This week is Afternoon Tea Week, did you know afternoon tea was 'invented' by the Duchess of Bedford.

Anna Maria, Duchess of Bedford, is credited with inventing the English custom of afternoon tea around 1840. At the time it was usual for people to take only two main meals a day, breakfast, and dinner at around 8 o'clock in the evening. The solution for the Duchess was a pot a tea and a light snack, taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon.

Bedford Borough Council has issued a warning to residents and visitors over growing concerns about blue-green algae blooms that are appearing on areas of the lakes at Priory Country Park and some of the Borough's watercourses.

Blue-green algae naturally occur on inland waters such as rivers and lakes, estuaries and in the sea. It plays an important role in freshwater and marine biodiversity but excessive amounts can result in the forming of blooms.

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to spare families from soaring energy bills by cancelling October's price cap increase, accusing the Conservatives of "stalling in the face of a national emergency".

The bold plan would save a typical household in Bedford Borough around £1,700 a year. The 70% increase in the energy price cap expected to be announced by Ofgem later this month would be cancelled, with the Government instead paying the shortfall to energy suppliers so that they can afford to supply customers at the current rates.

The Mayor of Bedford, Dave Hodgson, has formally opened the all-new premises of EVIOS, a British start-up business based in Stewartby, Bedfordshire, that manufactures innovative domestic charge points for electric vehicles. The opening coincides with confirmation of EVIOS's plan to appoint up to 60 people in the local area over the next 12 months for a wide variety of roles, including app developers, production managers, electrical engineering, installations, sales, and customer support.

We need bold and urgent action to help families pay their bills and heat their homes this winter. There is no other choice.

Families and pensioners across the country are in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis. We have already seen energy bills rise by £700 this year. They simply cannot afford another, even bigger rise of £1,400 in October.

In May 2022, Bedford Borough Council announced Solar Together Bedfordshire, a group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage, which helps residents come together as a community and invest in renewable energy.

With rising energy prices, the Solar Together Bedfordshire scheme has offered residents an opportunity to generate their own electricity, which will help them to save on energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions.

Mayor Dave Hodgson has signed a joint letter to the Director General of the BBC with other Leaders of other Councils, public sector and private organisationscalling on the BBC to reverse their decision to merge the two branches of Look East.

This comes after the BBC announced plans to end the Cambridge-based version on the regional news programme. This would move one of Bedford Borough residents' major sources of local news 100 miles away to Norwich.

We are facing the worst fall in living standards in a generation due to spiralling costs of energy and food and declining real terms wages.

Bedford Borough Council has declared a Cost of Living Crisis and has called on the government to take action to help struggling resdients.

The Council provides support through its 100% Council Tax Reduction Scheme for the worst off and free school meal vouchers every holiday (for those eligble). You can find out more about the support at http://bedfordlibdems.org.uk/cost-of-living-support.