21 November 2025
Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
Toned down taco
You know those moments when local journalism actually works? Well, Bedford just had a glorious example.
A few days ago (18 November), Taco Bell’s town centre signage was blazing across Horne Lane like a portal to the afterlife, so bright you could practically get a suntan just walking past Pilgrim’s House. Residents weren’t exaggerating. That thing could have guided planes into Luton.
Read: “Impossibly bright” town centre Taco Bell sign sparks “misery” for neighbours
Locals spoke to our journalist, Tom Carr, and we ran the story.
And guess what? Those who needed to actually listened.
Pilgrim’s House residents reported the first breakthrough yesterday, the lights began turning off at 11pm… and didn’t come back on again until around 9am. In other words, actual sleep became possible again.
No more midnight migraine beam blasting through bedroom blinds.
Then came confirmation from Taco Bell HQ that this really was being taken seriously.
- The lighting timer was wrong
- It has now been corrected
- The sign will only operate during trading hours
- And they’re adding a dimmer switch to reduce brightness even further.
They were keen to point out, and it’s only right to highlight that the sign “already complies with approved planning specifications,” but they’ve still agreed to tone it down because of the impact on neighbours.
Common sense and corporate humility? That’s a rare but beautiful moment.
So yes, chalk this one up as a win for Pilgrim’s House residents, a win for everyone who values a night’s sleep… and a win for local journalism. Proof that shining a light on local issues gets results.
Bravo to Tom Carr for looking into the story.
Bravo to the residents for speaking up.
And bravo to Taco Bell for doing the right thing, even if they did need a nudge from some Bedfordians first.
Consultation? What consultation?
There’s been a fair bit of frustration bubbling away this week about councillors ignoring the very people who put them where they are.
Opposition councillors have accused Bedford Borough Council’s Executive of treating public consultations “with contempt” after two recent examples in which the public were asked for their views… and then seemingly ignored or contradicted.
Read: Bedford Borough Council’s executive accused of treating public consultations “with contempt”
Cllr Hilde Hendrickx (Liberal Democrats, Riverfield) kicked things off, pointing out the bizarre situation where the Executive publicly campaigned against its own budget-saving proposals.
She described the consultation as “flawed”, burying major cuts in an appendix while offering just one genuine yes/no question about green waste charges.
And honestly, she’s not wrong. People can’t make informed decisions if the decisions are buried three clicks deep in the document equivalent of the sock drawer.
Then came the council tax reduction scheme consultation, which closed on a Wednesday night… and by Monday, the Executive had signed off on the very scheme, despite more people answering ‘disagree’ than ‘agree’ to the most crucial question.
“You thought long and hard for what — two working days?” asked Cllr Ben Foley (Green, Greyfriars), and fair play, he has a point. Most people take longer than that to choose a new kettle.
Cllr Foley has since suggested decisions were made even more quickly. Could it be that minds were made up before the consultation results were even collated?
He’s now launched a petition because he says the process is being treated with contempt. And again, he’s not wrong.
But this disregard for the consultation process isn’t new, and opposition parties might do well to remember their own time in control.
Roll back to 2022, and it was the Liberal Democrats being accused of ignoring public consultation on the town centre cycling ban.
A clear majority opposed the restrictions, yet the Executive at the time pressed ahead anyway, citing support from businesses. Green councillors were “furious”. Residents were “appalled”. The whole thing was branded as undemocratic, discriminatory, and not evidence-based.
Read: Fury as deputy mayor ignores consultation results on town centre cycle ban
Sound familiar?
Different year, different party… same behaviour.
No matter who’s in charge, someone seems to find a reason why the consultation results aren’t the right results. It’s always this issue, this time, this exception.
But to the public, the people who fill these things in, take time out of their day, and genuinely try to do the right thing, it all looks exactly the same.
And it’s no wonder more and more people feel like all politicians are as bad as each other.
If councils want people to engage, they need to prove it’s worth the effort. Otherwise, why bother asking at all?
Water memory
Last week, I wrote about the brilliant idea that Bedford should have amphibious buses, a simple, joyful way to use the Great River Ouse for something other than rowing, dog-walking and the occasional lost shopping trolley.
The suggestion came from Richard Pill, CEO of the British Regional Transport Association, who floated the notion of a river route between Newnham, the town centre and Kempston.
Read: Bedford Ian writes… (14 November)
Inspired by London’s newly revived electric amphibious tours, Richard wondered whether Bedford might embrace something similar. And honestly, it struck a chord, a bit of charm, a bit of fun, and a reminder that bold ideas don’t have to cost the earth.
A few days later, thanks to one of our readers, that idea got even better.
Reader Mark Lindsay-White dropped us a line to say Bedford has actually done this before (sort of).
“It would not be the first time a DUKW [the official name for an amphibious vehicle of this type] has been on the River Great Ouse,” he wrote.
“Way back in 1966, during the celebrations for 800 years of Bedford, I well remember the Pageant in Bedford Park, and Charles Wells acquired a DUKW, refurbished it as a float for a group of vessels parading up and down the Ouse.”
So now I’m curious. Does anyone else remember this? If you remember seeing that DUKW on the river in ’66, or have an old box of photos hiding in the loft, I’d love to see them.
Drop me a line at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
See you soon, Bedford Ian.
PS: If you see anything Bedford Ian might find amusing, let us know at news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.
