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9 November 2026
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Mayor Tom Wootton

A volunteer supporting a resident in the kitchen of a care home. Image: PeopleImages/Shutterstock

CQC finds delays, safeguarding gaps and carers’ concerns in Bedford Borough Council’s adult social care

Bedford Borough Council’s adult social care services require improvement, with the CQC highlighting delays in assessments, safeguarding gaps and poor support for unpaid carers...
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Queen's Bridge. Image Bedford Borough Council

Eight-week demolition of Queen’s Bridge in Kempston begins

Demolition of Kempston's Queens Bridge started this week after engineers declared the timber footbridge unsafe following a structural inspection last summer. Bedford Borough Council has warned...
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T-junction traffic lights Manton Lane and Brickhill Drive Image Bedford Independent

Bedford parent raises Manton Lane safety fears as council and schools dispute concerns

A Bedford parent has warned of safety risks on Manton Lane near a nursery, but the council and nearby schools dispute the scale of the traffic and crossing concerns. Siobhán Woolmer-Brennan...
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Doctor and Patient in a consulting room at a GP surgery. Image: Stephen Barnes Shutterstock

Major funding boost for GP surgeries in Great Barford and Wixams

Bedford Borough Council has announced a major funding boost from NHS England for new GP surgeries in Great Barford and Wixams. Tom Wootton (Conservative), mayor of Bedford Borough...
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The first directly-elected Mayor of Bedford Borough

Bedford Ian writes…

6 March 2026: Mayor maybe, Try harder, Politic-no, and Committee time. Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and tells us what he thinks of it all…
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A calculator and cash in coins and notes.

Mayor says Bedford Borough Council has “real troubles” as new finance committee begins work

Bedford Borough Council has created a Finance and Improvement Committee to monitor its recovery plan and savings programme, as mayor Tom Wootton warned the authority faces...
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Poliical standing of Bedford Borough Council 2026 Image User-AuroraCipPer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Monthly column: Time for a change in Bedford Borough Council’s democracy

Bedford Borough Labour Group has set up a petition to give local people a say on how their Council is run. We believe the time has come for a referendum on the system of Governance and...
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Bedford's elected mayor, Tom Wotton, pictured by Riverside Square

Mayor hits back after Lib Dems warn proposed council constitutional changes could limit public voice

Lib Dems say the Mayor wants to “silence the public” as a leaked document reveals proposed constitutional changes. The Mayor says the review will improve governance. The document, seen...
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A calculator and cash in coins and notes.

Removal of Bedford’s mayor could cost taxpayers an estimated £350,000

Removing Bedford’s mayor from office would cost local taxpayers an estimated £350,000, according to Bedford Borough Council, as opposition groups step up pressure on Tom Wootton to resign...
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Green garden waste bin. Image: Bedford Borough Council

Free garden waste collections to resume from beginning of March

Free garden waste collections will resume from Monday, 2 March after Bedford Borough Council dropped plans to charge for the service. The non-statutory service will continue to be...
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