20 March 2026
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
Left hand/right hand
It was great to see the white lines along De Parys Avenue getting a fresh coat of paint this week.
Though I couldn’t help wondering why the council was sprucing up the road markings when the road itself still resembles the surface of the moon in places.
I did briefly consider whether the Royal visit to Bedford School had anything to do with it. There’s nothing like a bit of last-minute tidying when distinguished guests are in town.
Then, on Wednesday, a crew arrived… to dig up parts of the freshly painted road in order to fill the potholes.
A perfect example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, and maybe a reason why so much money is wasted with some jobs needing to be done twice.
The teams on the ground were doing exactly what they’re meant to do, and doing it well. It’s just a shame whoever filled in the worksheets didn’t check what else was happening before or after
And if the fresh paint was indeed rolled out for HRH The Princess Royal’s pleasure, it was unnecessary.
She arrived by helicopter.
Royal precision
After inspecting CCF cadets from a number of schools on Wednesday, HRH The Princess Royal unveiled a new memorial board at Bedford School, honouring 20 Old Bedfordians whose names had only recently been discovered through detailed historical research.
A moving addition to the Memorial Hall, and a reminder that even more than a century on, stories from the First World War are still being uncovered.
Read: Princess Royal inspects Bedford Borough cadets and unveils new war memorial for former pupils
But amid the solemnity, there was a quietly brilliant moment of very British understatement.
Speaking to the woodcarver responsible for creating the new board to match the originals, HRH observed that the newly carved names appeared slightly deeper than those already on display.
The craftsman politely disagreed. He’d done them exactly the same.
HRH, unconvinced, gently insisted they might be a touch deeper.
Then, with admirable calm, a slight smile and a touch of sarcasm, the woodcarver asked, “Would you like me to do them again?”
Proof, if ever it were needed, that even in the presence of royalty, there are some professional opinions you stand by.
Fire denial
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) found itself doing some damage control this week after a report described a “broken and toxic” workplace culture.
Read: Fire service improves response and prevention, but report warns of “broken and toxic” culture
This made the response from the chair of the Fire Authority all the more baffling, and some might suggest insulting.
Cllr Jacqui Burnett (Labour) said she was “thrilled with the leadership” at the service.
She was making the comments in relation to work done to improve public safety, but “thrilled” certainly wasn’t amongst the words the inspectorate was using.
The report raised serious concerns about leadership behaviour, the embedding of values, and the handling of grievance and disciplinary cases. It spoke of morale being “at an all-time low” and staff fearing reprisals for speaking up.
That is not a service thriving under strong leadership. That is a service in trouble.
We all expect a bit of political spin from time to time. But this wasn’t spin, it was denial, and it’s going to leave a bad taste in many people’s mouths, not least of all the brave firefighters serving under these managers.
As chair of the authority, Cllr Burnett’s role isn’t to gloss over problems. It’s to challenge them head-on and demand better until all things are better.
Until that happens, calling this anything close to “thrilling” doesn’t just miss the point, it shows complete disregard for the people you’re meant to be working on behalf of.
Irish-ish
A bold take on St Patrick’s Day catering this week, in celebration of everyone’s adopted patron saint.
Plenty of shamrocks, lots of green… and a menu that suggests Ireland’s greatest culinary export is, in fact, katsu curry.
See you soon, Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
