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: Labour to bring forward motion to strengthen local democracy and deliver better governance for Bedford Borough

Bedford Borough Labour Group will bring a motion to Full Council calling for a review of the Borough’s governance arrangements and for the process of changing the directly elected Executive Mayor...

Opinion: I won’t sit back and accept bigotry as the new norm; so why should Ofcom?

After GB News allowed another segment to air that included unfounded tropes against LGBT+ people, Bedford Independent's Sport Editor, Tom Carr asks why the authorities won't act...

Monthly column: Why Bedford Borough’s events showcase the best of our community

For almost 50 years, the River Festival has been an iconic attraction that has been woven into the very fabric of our community – attracting visitors borough-wide and beyond it is...

Opinion: Local news, supported by Bedfordians, not billionaires

This week, as part of Indie News Week, we've done something that doesn't come naturally to us, and that's why it's taken me so long to find the right words to write this piece. We're asking our...

Opinion: If our redactions annoyed you yesterday, good. That was the point

The Bedford Independent and Bedford Clanger redacted stories for Indie News Week to show what happens when communities only get half the story. If it annoyed you, that was the point....

Monthly column: Mohammad Yasin MP on Sewage, Water Quality and Regulation

We met with Mohammad Yasin MP (Labour) at the water’s edge of the Embankment to share our deep concerns with him about the quality of the River Great Ouse and the ongoing spillages into the river...

Monthly column: Young Carers in Bedford are doing too much, too young and they need your help now

Across Bedford, many children are caring for someone at home. A parent, a sibling, a loved one. They help with medication, they manage household tasks, and they carry emotional weight that most...

Monthly column: As England dreams again, Gareth Southgate’s legacy endures

As football fever grips the nation ahead of the World Cup kicking off on Thursday, former England manager Gareth Southgate has been on our TV screens in two very different programmes...

Monthly column: A brighter future needs a change at the top

We’re missing a trick in Bedford Borough. The Mayor is distracted by politics and resignations from his Cabinet instead of making sure local residents – and particularly our young people...

Monthly column: Summer of fun and safety  

Over the next few weeks, we should hopefully be enjoying some super Bedfordshire summer weather. We shall also be enjoying the World Cup and, next month, the Bedford River Festival... 

Get the latest Bedford news first

Subscribe to our free daily email for our lead story each morning before we publish it anywhere else, plus the key Bedford Borough headlines from the last 24 hours – without having to log into social media.