Did you know that in April, it was discovered that Bedford Borough Council’s Conservative administration, according to its members, had to hand over £460,000 of last year’s rural grant funding back to central Government because it had failed to use it?
This frustrating loss of funding was discussed and made public at the cross-party Rural Affairs Committee on 3rd April, 2025.
Read: Council to return over £460,000 in unclaimed government grant funding
How horrifying then to hear that shortly after this, the Conservative mayor has now abolished the Rural Affairs Committee altogether – despite the council voting against this.
This is a loss for our rural communities and residents’ voices and for transparency and accountability.
Not only that, in May, the Conservative mayor also scrapped a committee that decides how the council spends developer money from planning applications in the unparished area of Bedford (most of the town of Bedford).
Last year, we were able to reveal that this “Community Infrastructure Levy” Committee had been sitting on a pot of over £700,000 to allocate to community infrastructure, such as speed cameras and dropped kerbs.
Money for important services was just sitting there.
- Read: Bedford Councillors being excluded by Mayor – Bedford Liberal Democrats
- Read: Plans to scrap two Bedford Borough Council committees spark democracy concerns
Again, it was opposition councillors doing their job that forced action to be taken.
Not content with wasting money on buying property over its value, or spending money on their pet projects, or panic-selling council property, they can’t even seem to distribute money they’ve literally been given.
Now there is some good news: Bedford Borough Council has been awarded over £300,000 in funding from central Government for grants of up to £30,000 for infrastructure, green space, active travel projects and community programmes.
If you’re involved in voluntary groups, community organisations, businesses or parish councils, check out the criteria and apply here: www.bedford.gov.uk/UKSPF so that Bedford Borough’s communities don’t lose out on funding again!
Accountability doesn’t stop there, though.
I am even more concerned about our bus services following the changes that took effect on 1 June.
Many residents have been in touch with me to raise concerns about the planned loss of the Number 51, the move to hourly service of the Number 7, the routing of the Number 8 and other re-routing and reductions.
The Number 5 will now drop passengers on Norse Road rather than at the many shops that it used to serve.
I would particularly like to thank the FLAG Bedford group, a user-led social group for adults with physical/sensory and/or learning disabilities, for their feedback on bus services when I was fortunate enough to meet and listen to their concerns a fortnight ago.
I have written to Stagecoach to raise all of these concerns.
Buses are a lifeline for many of our communities, individuals and voluntary groups, and we will be doing everything we can to fight for expanded services.
This is a monthly guest column provided by Cllr Henry Vann,
leader of the Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Group.
It is published unedited and does not reflect the
views of the Bedford Independent.
