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: Families will suffer when Universal Credit £20 uplift is removed

At the end of this month 11,690 Universal Credit claimants in Bedford, 40% of whom are working, will have their Universal Credit uplift removed. The £20 a week cut is often the difference...

Monthly column: Back to school

It is that time of year again when most of the borough’s children head back to school, and home-schooled pupils restart their studies. Education in the last two years has been subject to disruption...

View from the villages: Now is the time to have your say before planning policies are finalised

Once again planning is on the agenda, not that it never really goes off it nationally or within Bedford Borough. Locally there are three current consultations that will be of interest: the local...

Ban on religious dress upheld by the European Court of Justice

A recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) held that an employer can have a neutral dress policy preventing workers from wearing any political, philosophical or religious signs...

Monthly column: We must fulfil our responsibilities and do the right thing by the Afghan people

Watching the scenes at Kabul airport this week has left me and many others with feelings of overwhelming sorrow and anger for the millions of Afghans in danger. Reports that parents...

Monthly column: Enjoy the relaxation of restrictions, but show compassion and respect for others

This week marks a significant easing of all restrictions and I know each person reading this will have their own thoughts and feelings about what these changes mean for them and their loved ones...

Monthly column: Football might be coming home, but don’t let Coronavirus!

Is football coming home? Maybe, possibly, hopefully. Massive congratulations to England, and Italy, Spain and Denmark, who have made it through to the semi-finals of Euro 2021...

PM faces calls to end ‘predatory marriage’

Labour MP Fabian Hamilton has once again drawn attention to the issue of ‘predatory marriage’ in the UK, following a failed Private Members Bill in 2018. At Prime Minister’s Questions on 9 June 2021, he...

Monthly column: Government’s controversial Planning Bill will remove local powers

The Government’s new controversial Planning Bill represents the biggest reform of the planning system in England since the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947...

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