Columns

The Bedford Independent carries regular columns submitted by various political leaders and organisations that work within Bedford Borough.

For 2026, columns will be each month as follows:

Week one*

  • Monday: Bedford Borough Mayor’s office (Conservative)**
  • Tuesday: Bedford Borough Council opposition (shared between Labour and Liberal Democrats)**
  • Wednesday: Bedford Borough Council opposition (shared between Greens and Independents)**
  • Thursday: Bedford Borough charitable organisations arranged by Pritti Sagi, Creating Memories
  • Friday: Bedfordshire PCC (Labour)

Week two

  • Monday: Bedford & Kempston MP (Labour)
  • Tuesday: North Bedfordshire MP (Conservative) – offered but no response
  • Wednesday: Bedford Borough communities arranged by Queen’s Park Community Organisation
  • Thursday: Mid Bedfordshire MP (Conservative)
  • Friday: Beds GOVET (Environmental).

These columns are published unedited and do not reflect the views of Progress Publishing, its staff or its publications.

If you have an idea for a regular column, please email news@BedfordIndependent.co.uk.

*From the first full week of the month
**So that the number of columns reflects the size of each party on Bedford Borough Council, the number of columns per party is as follows: Conservative (current council leadership) x 12, Liberal Democrats x 6, Labour x 6, Green Party x 4, Independents x 1 (each).

Monthly column: Why residents should have a say on how our council is governed

Bedford Borough Labour Group believes people living in Bedford Borough should have the opportunity to decide how their Council is governed in future. The last referendum on this was...

Monthly column: August in Bedford – taking stock while continuing to deliver

August is traditionally a quieter month in the Borough Council calendar. While many people enjoy a well-earned summer break, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on what we've achieved...

Monthly column: Bringing Bedford’s communities into the classroom

In today's increasingly connected world, education extends far beyond reading, writing and arithmetic. Schools play an important role in helping young people understand different cultures...

Opinion: Youth-friendly spaces are essential for the future of Bedford

Bedford borough has a strong community, but young people between 16 and 18 can’t help but feel they are missing out.   Despite large events such as the River Festival and the...

Opinion: Bedford’s young people are ambitious and engaged, so why is it so difficult to get a job?

It's always been a struggle for young people to find jobs, and while this is a national issue, I wanted to see what was keeping young people living and studying in Bedford from finding employment...

Monthly column: Heatwave and broken pipes

The heat is on, literally, for water companies to start to fix all the broken pipes where thousands of litres of water are pouring out over hot tarmac across the UK...

Monthly column: The Big Conversation – how we can finally fix adult social care

For decades, adult social care has been the issue that successive Prime Ministers have known they need to tackle — and then found a reason not to. There have been reviews, commissions...

Monthly column: Police reform must improve performance

The government will publish its long-awaited Police Reform Bill next month when Parliament returns from the summer recess. This Bill represents the most radical reform of English and Welsh...

Monthly column: The Bedford we see in the shadows

Most people experience Bedford in the hustle and bustle of our workplaces, cafes and parks. At Hopeworks, we often find ourselves alongside those living in the shadows...

Monthly column: Putting the heart back into Bedford town centre

When I stood to become mayor, I made a simple promise. That Bedford town centre would once again become somewhere people choose to visit. Somewhere to shop. Somewhere to...

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