4 April 2025
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and has told us what he thinks of it all.
Racists’ rage
It was a good week for racists.
There were attempted hijacks on social media by the ignorant minority, who couldn’t seem to grasp the simple concept of reading a story before commenting. Mind you, based on their grammar and spelling, reading might not be their strong suit.
While there were ‘insightful’ comments on one story about how you can apparently tell someone is a criminal by their skin colour, the “I’m not racist, buts” of Bedford Borough really had a field day on an update about the new Muslim burial ground.
Read: Funding secured for Bedford’s first Muslim burial ground
And it fell to one brave idiot to set the tone (and stupidity) of this debate perfectly.
They suggested that if Muslims were getting their own burial ground, then maybe Christians should have their own burial grounds too.
I guess they’ve missed all the churches on almost every street corner of Bedford Borough.
Silent portfolio
I was chatting to a few of the journalists at the Bedford Independent the other day, and we realised something odd. Whenever a press release lands about good news – new play parks, flowerbeds, bin collections going to plan – there’s always a councillor front and centre.
Full name, proud quote, maybe even a photo with a ribbon.
But when we ask the Council a tricky question? When something’s gone a bit wrong? Suddenly, the quote doesn’t come from the portfolio holder. It comes from a “council spokesperson.”
Now, I’ve never met this council spokesperson. But they must be the hardest working and most knowledgeable person at Borough Hall.
Maybe it’s the famous A.I. Cllr Royden (Brickhill, Liberal Democrats) has spoken of (Bedford Ian, 28 March 2025). A laptop on standby in a quiet room, set to auto-type phrases like “we are aware of the situation” and “we are working on a solution.”
It’s almost as if councillors only want their names linked to the good stuff. The news that gets printed out and pinned on the office noticeboard. But when it’s delays, complaints, or general messiness? Whoosh. Vanished.
I wonder why?
Fool’s fool
Eagle-eyed readers were quick to spot our April Fool’s Day joke this year, our most popular yet.
Read: Oasis Beach Pool to be turned into ‘Louvre of Bedford’
Some readers, however, were very excited about the idea that it could become a new gallery (sorry to disappoint you).
And then some were bemoaning how it should remain a pool, “the kids loved it there”, they said.
It’s a shame then that they missed the news a few months ago that the pool will close at some point, after the council realised it would be too costly to run. That’s, of course, after they spent £500,000 on refurbishing the building.
- Read: Oasis leisure pool earmarked for permanent closure
- Read: Mayor clashes with opposition as Councillors agree to close Oasis Beach Pool
So, we wonder how the April Fool hit Borough Hall? Might the idea stick, might the fool become a fait accompli?
To be fair, a cultural space akin to a Higgins Bedford 2.0 on the south bank of the river might not be such a bad idea.
And we hope the Bedford Borough Council spokesperson gets chosen to open it.
See you soon, Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
