25 September 2026
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings-on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
Blimey Blakey
I’d like to personally thank Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson, who this week achieved the impossible and did something no one else has managed for as long as I can remember.
He united Lutonians and Bedfordians.
The two towns stood shoulder to shoulder on Tuesday (6 October) to reject his completely false assertion that there are “no-go-zones” within the boundaries of our county neighbour.
Read: Bedfordshire Police deny “no-go zones” claims by Mid Bedfordshire MP
We’ve seen this kind of dangerous rhetoric before, but I was extremely disappointed to hear it coming not only from a senior Conservative politician but from one who seemed to be above spouting this kind of rubbish.
While there may indeed be some ‘don’t want to go’ places in parts of the UK, there certainly aren’t any no-go zones in Luton, and, as the chief constable of Bedfordshire Police confirms, “nor anywhere else in the county”.
Of course, we must all be vigilant about the effects of community isolation and ensure those choosing the UK as their home are supported so they can integrate into the positive and inclusive society we have all worked so hard to build.
But Stephenson, who was commenting as a constituency neighbour, not a resident or representative of Luton, said he was responding to a Luton resident who said they “feel” some parts of the town are unwelcoming.
And, like it or not, feelings aren’t facts. Did he ask this seemingly insightful resident why they felt that way? Did he speak to his political colleagues in his own party and others to ascertain their views and pass on this concern?
Did he speak to cross-county community leaders or the police? No, he didn’t.
Instead, my editorial colleagues did, and they not only rejected the claim of “no-go zones”, but they expressed deep disappointment in the MPs’ lack of care.
Read: Bishop of Bedford joins backlash over Bedfordshire MP’s controversial ‘no-go zone’ claims
All careless comments like this do is feed the hatred and division that racists thrive upon to justify their vile behaviour to people who don’t look like them.
Shame on you, Mr Stephenson, for playing into their hands.
Free flow
Anglian Water have been in the news… again.
The company’s strap line is “love every drop”, and they’re really working hard to align themselves with the proverb, “if you love something, set it free”.
As my editorial colleagues reported on Monday (5 October), there was another update on that Manton Lane leak.
Read: Anglian Water says Manton Lane leak (finally) being fixed today
The region’s hopefully-soon-to-be-back-in-public-ownership water company said work to fix the ongoing leak started on 5 October and will be complete on the following Monday.
Now, as much as I’m sure most of us agree that, since privatisation, water companies have been run for the benefit of senior managers and shareholders, let’s not direct our anger toward all employees.
The majority of those on the ground fixing these pipes and working in customer service are just doing their jobs and may well be just as frustrated as you and I are.
Read: Letters: The reality of repairing a water leak
They’re the ones who usually get the brunt of a customer’s frustrations, or are in a cold, wet, muddy hole doing backbreaking work to restore supply.
So, if you do see an Anglian Water team working on a leak, don’t give them a hard time. None of this mess is their fault.
Privileged parking
Bedford Independent editor Paul Hutchinson sat down to interview Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst this week at Police HQ in Kempston.
On arrival, he found all the visitor parking spaces taken, so he called to ask if he could park in the staff areas.
The desk clerk said that would be fine but insisted he find somewhere else to park first and come inside to show ID before she would open the gates.
She suggested parking in the loading bays, which are marked out by heavy lines of ‘no parking yellow’ paint.
Paul joked that he wasn’t too keen on parking ‘illegally’ right outside the county’s top police station, but she said she’d let him off just this once.
Speaking to me when he got back, he said it was like getting a get-out-of-jail-free card from Temu.
See you soon,
Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
