Political Column, Author at Bedford Independent

Monthly column: Delivering for Bedford Borough by investing in opportunity

As a local Council, we are proud to be a force for growth, helping to drive prosperity across Bedford Borough. That means championing major investment and attracting new opportunities...

Monthly column: Building a housing system that works for people again

Housing is not just part of the cost-of-living crisis: it is the cost-of-living crisis. Strip everything back, and the pressures people feel in their daily lives so often come down to one...

Monthly column: Let’s make Tempsford a healthy and safe new town

The government has indicated that Tempsford is a preferred site for a new town. The ambition is to create a new town of 40,000 homes on the A1 site, on the Oxford-Cambridge corridor...

Monthly column: What a load of rubbish

Hello, I am Councillor Nicola Gribble, representing Renhold and Ravensden, a lovely rural ward just north of Bedford town. I am a first-time councillor, elected in May 2023, and I am...

Monthly column: A little humour mixed with hard reality

April Fool’s Day saw amusing stories, including one which said that Bedford Park was due to be covered by an O2-style canopy! However, the contrast between light-hearted April...

Monthly column: Keeping focus in challenging times while recognising how far we’ve come

At a time when Bedford Borough is facing intense financial and political scrutiny, it’s more important than ever that residents hear an honest message: yes, the challenges are real...

Monthly column: Britain’s legal immigration system needs fixing – Here’s how we can do it

Since being elected to Parliament in July 2024, one issue has come up again and again in conversations with people across Mid Bedfordshire: people feel Britain’s immigration system...

Monthly column: Growing up in the online world – a national consultation

The Government has launched a major national consultation on how we keep children safe online, and I want to encourage parents, young people, educators and carers...

Monthly column: Child knife crime, we must do better

Knife crime literally kills. It damages victims and perpetrators. It is a societal ill. There have been too many murders and serious assaults in Bedford and the wider county for us to ignore the scourge...

Monthly column: Hope over hate, a lesson for Bedford

Last week, we witnessed something historic in British politics. In the Gorton and Denton by-election, a seat held by Labour for almost a century, the Green Party won with 41% of the vote...