6 February 2026
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
X marks the not
Back in 2022, Bedford Borough Council cancelled a Katie Hopkins gig, saying it didn’t align with its objective of supporting a diverse community and helping people thrive. A clear and decisive decision, based on values, even if the decision itself was controversial.
Read: Katie Hopkins’ Bedford show cancelled by Borough Council
But fast forward to 2026, and the same council has said it’ll still be posting away on X, a platform currently groaning under the weight of concerns about child abuse material, deepfake sexual imagery, misinformation and all-round digital grime.
Read: Bedford Borough Council stops short of deleting X account despite child abuse and deepfake concerns
If a live event with a few hundred tickets fails the values test, how does an always-on global platform with vastly more reach, vastly less control and vastly more harm somehow pass it?
Councils don’t have to be perfect (although it’d be nice). But they do have to be consistent.
If values really do matter, and the council itself says they do, they can’t just apply when it’s easy, visible, or politically tidy.
So, my question is, if X aligns with the council’s values enough for them not to leave the platform fully, what exactly are those values meant to be?
Tinsel trouble
Last week, I was, in good faith, keeping my fingers crossed that Bedford Borough Council’s run of bad luck was linked to the Christmas tree and decorations still up in Harpur Square long after most of the Borough had packed theirs away.
It turns out, however, that the idea of bad luck after Twelfth Night is a fairly modern superstition. The older concern is tied to Candlemas on 2 February, which, helpfully for this theory, fell on Monday.
Read: Bedford Ian writes… (30 January)
So hopes briefly lifted when, as shown in a photo sent in by a reader, the decorations were finally coming down by midday on the supernatural deadline.
But any optimism was short-lived.
Just as I was preparing to breathe a sigh of relief, Wednesday’s Full Council meeting delivered the real explanation for Bedford’s ongoing misfortune.
As the Executive’s proposed budget was rejected, it became clear (as hinted at last week) that the Borough’s bad luck was not part of some medieval idea that baubles are linked to blessings.
Read: Borough Council executive forced back to drawing board after narrow vote rejects budget
In other words, this isn’t a curse or a goblin infestation, it’s just politics at play, and as per usual, it’s us the taxpayers who are caught in the crossfire.
I apologise to any Christmas trees I may have offended for suggesting otherwise.
Shop local… elsewhere?
Credit where it’s due., it’s genuinely great to see the council’s What’s On Bedford Borough Hub doing a solid job promoting events across the Borough and reminding everyone that Bedford really is a great place to work, rest and play. Credit where it’s due.
Which makes it a little less impressive, though, is that when it came to kitting the place out, that spirit of ‘shop local’ appears to have been quietly left in an overpriced car park.
A quick glance at the stickers on the TVs displaying all the events and council news suggests that taxpayers’ money spent on this service isn’t staying within the Borough.
An odd choice, given how often councillors are constantly banging on about the importance of supporting local independent retailers.
I wonder if they even asked local shops for their prices before putting in an order down the road?
Facepalm parking
Finally, I present this picture of parking on Library Walk in Putnoe this week without comment.
See you soon, Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk
