Cllr Henry Vann

Third time lucky for mayor’s Special Area Charges decision

Bedford’s mayor has signed his third executive decision on Special Area Charges in less than a month. The latest decision, signed on Friday, 30 January, was made after a call-in hearing...

Bedford Borough open space charges returned to mayor for rethink over Council Tax transparency

A mayoral decision changing how Bedford Borough Council allocates Special Area Charges, which affect council tax bills in different parts of the borough, has been sent...

Drivers furious as new evening parking rules add ‘overnight’ fees to short stays

Bedford drivers say new evening and overnight parking charges are “shocking”, “unfair” and “brainless”, as councillors warn the system could damage the town’s evening economy...

Mayor accused of “gaslighting” Bedfordians over green waste collection charges

Bedford Borough's elected Conservative mayor has been accused of gaslighting the electorate over proposed charges for green waste collection. When questioned on the policy, the mayor...

Labour councillor’s frustration at “political game-playing” over Open Space Management charges

The Labour councillor for Kempston West has told the Bedford Independent that his constituents are "horrified" that a decision to remove Open Space Management charges has been contested...

Questions raised after Bedford roads missed despite rejection of gritting route cuts

Concerns have been raised after roads missed during gritting this week were previously listed for removal under a rejected plan to cut Bedford’s winter gritting routes. The council...

House of Industry awards £20,000 to two Bedford charities

Trustees overseeing a historic Bedford charity fund have approved nearly £20,000 in grants for two organisations, but a third application was deferred over concerns it did not clearly meet the trust’s...

Landlord who barred Tommy Robinson from popular Bedford pub hit by fake reviews

The Rose pub in Bedford has been hit by negative online reviews after landlord refused to serve far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson...

The Twelve Days of Bedford Indies…

This month, we've taken our love of Bedford's independent shops and businesses to its logical conclusion and rewritten The 12 Days of Christmas as an ode to them...

Monthly column: Stopping council waste, supporting the most vulnerable

I was delighted that the Liberal Democrats, alongside other opposition councillors, successfully stopped the Council from spending millions on a Conservative proposal to make...

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