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).

Added Christmas stress for separated families – but help is at hand

When the furniture adverts on TV start promising delivery before Christmas, you know it’s time to focus on other aspects of a festive season in which the unwanted gifts could include...

Track and trace has failed at its first real test, says Bedford MP

“We will have a test track and trace operation that will be world-beating, in place by 1 June” promised the Prime Minister on 20 May...

Back to school in Bedford

The majority of Bedford Borough’s schools will be returning early this week, although a few had already welcomed pupils back last week...

Employee rights in uncertain times

With businesses up and down the country face challenging times, some are sadly finding that they are having to close or take action to protect other parts of their business. But where does...

Government’s A-level results U turn was welcome, but questions remain

After a weekend of growing outrage and pressure from A-level students, teachers and the Labour Party, the inevitability of the Government U turn was...

Terms & Conditions… have you dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s?

In the latest legal column from Woodfines, Lily Burton a solicitor in their Corporate Commercial team, gives an insight into drafting Terms & Conditions...

Have your say about Coronavirus in Mayor Dave’s survey

While the coronavirus infection rate, in Bedford Borough, has declined since mid-June, there has been an increase in new infections in the last two weeks. This mirrors what has been happening...

Oven-ready Brexit? PM didn’t even turn the oven on, says MP

Coronavirus has claimed nearly 650,000 jobs since March. Sectors that were already struggling, like retail and hospitality, have little resilience to...

View from the villages: Planning

Planning, it’s never far from the headlines nationally, or locally. The rule book rewritten in 2012 and the Regional Spatial Strategies abandoned. Eight years on and the headlines are full of talk...

Without Covid test and trace we’ve only got half the information

We were promised a world-beating test and trace system with a shiny new app by June 1 at the latest. But in yet another massive U-turn, the government...

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.