Bedfordshire

What are the rules of UK media law? Why don’t journalists always name suspects, describe people in police appeals, or report all case details? These questions come up regularly...

Bedfordshire Police say they have arrested a man after an “alarming incident” in which a teenage girl was followed home from her lifeguard job at Robinson Pool earlier this...

14 February 2025: Gimme Moore, Kempston character, and Roadwork woes, Bedford Ian has been looking at recent goings on across Bedford Borough and has told us what he thinks of it all...

A toddler from Bedfordshire who was beaten to death by her mother’s boyfriend had been failed by multiple agencies – including Central Bedfordshire Council – leading up to her murder, a report has found.

A security guard has been employed at the One Stop shop in Bromham following an armed robbery.

One in six patients in the National Health Service (NHS) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board area has had a negative experience of their GP surgery, according to new data.

The final round of the Premiership Cup pool stage is due to take place this weekend, and while Bedford Blues cannot qualify for the quarter-finals, a mouth-watering local derby...

A quarter of recently convicted young criminals in Bedfordshire reoffended within a year, latest figures show.

We need you to join our new complaints panel

Help shape the service we provide to those who need to complain

What will be expected of the panel?

• Between 1 and 2 hours a month to review complaint responses and provide feedback
• Meet each quarter online or in person
• Report back on service improvement suggestions

In return, you will earn gift vouchers, learn about the housing sector, gain new skills and meet new people.

If you are interested, please email [email protected] before Friday 28 February 2025 to find out how to apply.

Gathering feedback on homes and services

Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) survey

The last quarterly Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) survey for 2024/25 was sent out to tenants on 10 February 2025.

Based on the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing in April 2023, the TSM survey gathers feedback on your homes and the services we provide. We must report on these annually. The survey is being conducted every three months by Acuity, a company who specialise in social housing research.

Acuity has over 26 years of experience providing tenant satisfaction surveys and helping housing providers improve their services. They are experts in understanding tenant satisfaction and performance data.

Acuity randomly selects 250 tenants each quarter to participate. Tenants who are contacted will be asked to complete the survey either online (via an email link to the survey which was sent on Monday 10 February) or by phone on Monday 17 February (Acuity interviewers may call tenants for a 10-minute phone survey).

The survey is confidential, and results can be shared with us anonymously if the tenant prefers.

To help tenants identify the call as genuine, Acuity will call between 9am and 8pm on weekdays, and 10am and 6pm on Saturdays. The number displayed will be 01582 323045. If someone misses the call, they will hear a recorded message explaining that it is related to the TSM survey.

Find out more about the TSM survey.

If you have any queries about any of the survey, please email [email protected].

'Over a Brew' - a focus on carers

Join an online session via Zoom on Monday 3 March 2025, from 11am to 1pm

ADASS East and Curators of Change want to share and test out ideas that will improve people’s experiences of requesting and accessing adult social care.

The organisations have set up virtual 'Over a Brew' coffee sessions to provide an open, honest space for people who draw on care and support, commissioners and providers to come together to talk about what’s working well and not so well.

These sessions are open to anyone:

• receiving or looking for adult social care and support
• working in Adult Social Care, Health and related services
• carers
• providers

The session on Monday 3 March will focus on carers, looking at their wellbeing and discussing how to reduce the stress, overwhelm and fatigue that often come with the role.

They also want to hear about the experiences of carers who are managing direct payments or personal budgets for the person they care for and find out what kinds of support they find most beneficial.

Sign up online to recieve a link to the event and joining instructions.

You will need to register so please use the link below to sign up and receive joining instructions.

If you have any questions, please contact Natasha Burberry from ADASS by emailing [email protected].

Now finished: new paving at All Saints View

Our landscaping work is now complete

Our Neighbourhood Operations team has now finished work on a pedestrianised area around All Saints View in the heart of Houghton Regis, designed to create a safer, more accessible area for residents.

The new area has been landscaped, and a new path installed which has a dropped kerb making it more accessible for buggies, wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

Central Bedfordshire Council will be “£373,000 better off” following the announcement of the government’s financial settlement, a meeting heard. But Cllr John Baker (The Independent Alliance, Aspley and Woburn) the executive member for finance and highways, told the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday). “That’s approximately 0.15 per cent of the revenue budget. It’s essentially an accounting […]

Police say they are concerned for the welfare of a Flitwick woman who has gone missing.

A fundraising appeal has been started in memory of mental health campaigner Tim McKenna, who died in January.

Mother and daughter break is the perfect combination of luxury and nature

The search is on for Bedford’s Everyday Heroes, as nominations continue to come in for the 2024 Bedford Independent Everyday Heroes Awards, celebrating those who go...

The Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service council tax precept is to increase by £5 (Band D).

It is 10 years since Bedford-based author and illustrator, David Litchfield, released his first book and to celebrate a London landmark has been renamed in its honour. The Leicester Square Theatre will, for one day only, be renamed the...

A flaming gas cylinder set a roof ablaze in Bedford.

Bedford is set to benefit from over £400,000 of funding to help keep the community fit and active.

Bedford Borough Council’s decision not to publish a report into the end of its contract with Fusion Lifestyle is to be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

We've set a challenging carbon reduction target and renewable energy generation is part of the approach to meeting these objectives.

One of the biggest issues with generating energy from renewable sources is that supply doesn’t always match demand, and this means there is a need to store the energy for future use.

The new storage facility would represent a significant leap forward in the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future, offering countless benefits for the environment, the economy, and communities.

Located in Biggleswade, next to the sub-station, the proposed battery storage facility would provide energy storage and rapid-response electrical back-up to the grid, offering a flexible system to balance energy supply and demand, helping contribute to the UK’s progress in meeting its renewable energy target.

By efficiently capturing and storing this energy, the facility would ensure a reliable, uninterrupted power supply even during periods of low energy generation, such as on cloudy days or at night. This innovation allows for the optimal use of renewable energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and significantly decreasing carbon emissions.

Councillor Adam Zerny, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council said:

This is a commitment to cleaner and greener energy. Renewable energy brings great benefits, but much excess power generated is just lost. Battery storage goes a long way to solving this problem. Battery storage also has the potential to provide income for the council and we will continue to explore opportunities to bring forward renewable energy schemes in the future. This means more money to run public services such as social care, road maintenance, and the other things most valued by people across Central Bedfordshire.

View the planning application.

Bedford Borough Council’s decision not to publish a report into why it cancelled its contract with Fusion Lifestyle is to be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)...

A vape shop in Bedford will be closed for the next three months after repeatedly breaking the law – including selling a vape to a minor and hiding illegal products in a false wall.

Bedfordshire Police say they are investigating after the Bedford Independent highlighted concerns that a 17-year-old girl had been followed home from her lifeguarding job...

Your weekly what’s on guide for Bedford and the surrounding area from The Bedford Clanger. Never miss a thing in Bedford ever again. From theatre to film, live music to art exhibitions, The Bedford...

Bedfordshire has one of the highest homicide rates in England and Wales, new figures show.