23 October 2026
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings-on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
Bedford Ian for mayor
My inbox took a bit of a battering after my column last week.
I published a blunt piece off the back of the council’s Best Value Inspection report. It called out the endless political infighting and suggested it was high time our local party leaders packed their bags.
Read: Bedford Ian writes… (16 October 2026)
And the messages that rolled in afterwards spoke volumes.
Readers got in touch to say they felt completely vindicated. People are sick to their back teeth of watching councillors bicker like tired toddlers while basic services struggle.
“The ‘Shape up or ship out’ section in this week’s Bedford Ian column was fantastic. You articulated so well how I feel…
“There’s so much good in this town, and so much opportunity coming up, it breaks my heart that we’re let down by councillors constantly squabbling like toddlers,” said one.
“Very well done, ‘Bedford Ian,’ for putting in writing what so many local residents have been saying between themselves for ages…
“Maybe now that the Mayor and his cronies have seen in print what those who pay their salaries think of them, they might just sit up and take notice – they have seven months to make a difference before we get the chance to boot them out,” said another.
This is why independent local journalism matters.
My editorial colleagues and I are not here to cosy up to politicians or regurgitate council press releases. It is to say out loud what people are already discussing at the school gates or over a pint down the pub.
A few readers asked a very fair question in response. If this lot go, who on earth replaces them?
One cheekily suggested I put my own name on a ballot paper. “Who would be up to the task?” they said, “Perhaps your good self?”
Let me nip that in the bud right now. Absolutely not.
My job is right here at the Bedford Independent, highlighting whenever someone at Borough Hall does something that needs highlighting. Good or bad.
That is where I belong, and that is where I can do the most good for our Borough.
Bedford has massive opportunities heading its way over the next few years. We cannot afford to blow them simply because elected officials are too busy scoring cheap political points off each other.
The Borough has made its feelings plain. Now let us see if anyone in the council chamber was actually listening.
Deliberate deliberation
On that note, I was listening to a clip of Jimmy Carr the other day where someone asked how politicians could sort out the US.
Now, while many of you will know Jimmy for his comedy, he’s also proven his worth by giving some inspirational and supportive lessons lately, and many hit home hard.
In this clip, after an audience member commented on US politics, he offered what he felt was a great solution to today’s political climate.
“You’ve gone to the left, and you’ve gone to the right,” he said, “and where I think most people live is in the centre. There’s a bit of compromise.”
He then went on to speak more specifically about the US Constitution and individual US politicians, but what he said next really stood out.
He argued that ad hominem attacks on politicians need to stop.
“What you should do is not debate someone,” he added, “debating’s about winning. Owning the other person. There should be deliberation. We agree there’s a problem; we try and find a solution together.”
While Jimmy may well have been speaking about higher levels of Government, this fundamental rule must be followed for democracy to work at any level.
Are you listening, Bedford Borough Councillors? This also applies unequivocally to you.
Bunyan balls-up
As you may know, Bedfordshire Day is fast approaching.
The day to celebrate all that our county represents takes place on 28 November, a day chosen by a public vote in 2015 as it coincides with the birthday of John Bunyan, one of Bedfordshire’s most famous former residents.
As recent events have shown, public votes don’t always go the way we might hope, and as American journalist H. L. Mencken said: “Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.”
While I am not casting aspersions on anyone who voted in the great Bedfordshire Day vote of 2015, it might have been prudent to check a couple of things first.
For example, whether the John Bunyan Museum would be open (it closes for its winter break precisely on Bedfordshire Day), and whether a date in late November, what with it being dark, cold, miserable and so close to Christmas, might be the best choice.
Given that there are no surviving records of JB’s birth and 28 November 1628 is only a ‘best guess’, it might have been better to choose a date in a month with more reliably nice weather and further from the winter equinox.
If the government is considering re-entering the EU, I’d suggest we’re perfectly within our rights to call for a new Bedfordshire Day vote.
I’ll be campaigning for mid-May.
Jump scare
Bedford Clanger editor, Erica Roffe, was at the University of Bedfordshire on Tuesday for Bedford Film Society’s (BFS) screening of Dragonfly, described as a ‘genre-defying social realist drama’.
What the description omitted was ‘excellent performances but utterly terrifying, with multiple jump scares and a truly horrific denouement ‘.
Due to the advancing age of some of the BFS attendees, one might question how advisable it is to screen anything that could induce a cardiac arrest.
Needless to say, everyone survived the ordeal, and my colleague gave it 4/5 stars, despite nearly needing a defibrillator.
What a(i) disaster
Competition time, just for bragging rights. Here’s the AI-generated image used in a social media post the mayor is using to argue against a four-authority regional partnership as part of English devolution plans.
How many mistakes can you spot? So far, the team here has spotted eight.
Fall back
Before I go, don’t forget the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday morning. Hurray! Another six months of the oven clock being wrong or right again.
See you soon,
Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
