The power battle between the Borough and County Hall continues unabated. Bedfordshire County fired the first salvo with a campaign entitled "We love Bedfordshire" and it is said that a considerable amount of money (our money, of course!) is being spent on lobbying the powers-that-be in the government.

The Borough has responded by setting up a stall on market days called "Back the Borough Bid for Unitary Status."

Bedford is the second oldest borough in the country, having gained its Royal Charter in 1166. If the County gets its own way, this special status would simply cease to exist. From being the second oldest borough in the country, Bedford would become the newest town council with next to no powers. It would also do away with the express wish of the electorate a few years back to have a directly elected Mayor, a move that was clearly endorsed in the latest elections, where Frank Branston was streets ahead of the nearest contender.

The issue is not only a matter of pride, but also more concern for proper government. Quite honestly, be record of the County Council has been fairly abysmal over a number of years. Until only recently it has been deemed one of the poorest performing councils in the country. Some strides have been made to improve upon the position, but it is still pretty mediocre. Nonetheless if one were to read the County's proclamations, one would think we were talking about one of the best performing councils in the country! The county council is doing its level best-aided by costly consultants, accountants and spin merchants-to get people to forget just how bad it has been.

By contrast the Borough has about the highest performing services of any like for like council in the country. Talk to anyone in town, and few have anything kind to say about the County. The decision by the government will be announced in the next few weeks.

There is a website dealing with this issue, and you can register your support here.

Following on from the above, Bedford borough has been declared to be one of the four best councils in the country.

This comes out after its latest Government rating on how well it is achieving.

Bedford Borough Council has just received its draft Comprehensive Performance Assessment(CPA) score.

The assessment shows it has delivered 'tremendous value for money' and the democratically elected mayor has led the drive for unity on the council.

The purpose of such assessments is to see how well the council deals with and leads its communities, delivers its priorities and ensures continuous improvement across its range of activities.

Mayor of Bedford Borough Council, Frank Branston, said: "I cannot comment on exactly what the assessment is but the turnaround of the council has been quite amazing and it would be hideous if the Government was to abolish such an excellent council."

The scores are awarded for: ambition, prioritization, capacity, performance management and achievement and improvement.

One of the jewels in Bedford is its popular and well run library service. This service is provided by the County Council. I was astonished to learn that the Central Library was in future to close half day on Thursdays, in order to save money.

Rumour (and it is only that) has it that the money saved will be about the same as the money they have spent employing consultants to lobby for the bid to take over Bedford. Not that I would ever think that this is anything other than a total coincidence.....

I must have missed an article last week, because there is a somewhat angry letter to the editor of Bedford on Sunday from a Councillor Richard Stay, deputy leader of the County Council which says, amongst other things:

Another report caught my eye: Bedfordians, apparently, are living longer than ever....

Apparently, if you are born in Bedfordshire, you can expect to live for a bit more than three-score years and ten.

In fact, life expectancy is just over 77 years for men and just below 82 for women – above the national average.

Dr Dorothy Gregson, director of public health for Bedfordshire, told a meeting of the county council on Wednesday that the improving health of people was apparent from their height and shoe size.

But while Bedfordshire residents might be longer-living than those in much of the country, we don't fare as well as people in other parts of the Eastern region.

And within the county there are variations from place to place.

A map shown to the meeting by Dr Gregson suggests those with the lowest life expectancy live in the more built-up areas in the middle and south of the county, while those likely to live longest are generally in the rural and semi-rural parts.

The shortest lives tend to be those led in the Bedford wards of Cauldwell, Kingsbrook, Castle, Harpur and De Parys.

You are slightly better off in Queens Park, Kempston north, Kempston south, Wilstead and Eastcotts.

The longest lives are those spent in Putnoe, Goldington, Newnham and Kempston East, matched by the more open spaces of Wootton, Turvey and Bromham.

Just behind in the longevity stakes are Clapham, Roxton, Great Barford and Kempston east.

In Mid Beds the final reckoning with Old Father Time is furthest away in Ampthill ward (including Millbrook) and Flitwick west (including Steppingley).

Mortality may beckon just that bit earlier in Houghton Conquest and Haynes, Maulden and Clophill, Flitwick east, Westoning and Tingrith, and Harlington.

And worse off still are Cranfield and Marston (including Lidlington and Ridgmont).

Anyway, that is the good doctor's conclusion. It makes sober reading - according to him I have only ten years left! I hope to disprove his theory!

For many years I have been a customer of Jessops of Leicester, the photographic firm. I visited Jessops many times. In those days one ordered by post, and was forced to squint at the huge A4 sheet/catalogue which had been reduced so much that one needed a magnifying glass in order to read it! The influence of the Internet together with the marketing of photographic equipment by supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury and retail outlets such as Comet and PCWorld, are taking their toll, and Jessops reportedly is to close a large number of its retail shops including Bedford's shop. For some years, in fact, there were two Jessops firms in town, one in the High Street, the other in the Arcade; the latter closed a few weeks ago.

The public news was that Jessops would cease training in Bedford, Luton, Cambridge, and other places. It would have meant that there would no longer be any specialist photographic outlet in town. However, I called at the shop today and commiserated with one of the staff, only to be told emphatically that the information is wrong, and that Jessops in Bedford will remain open. That is good news.

As recent visitors will know, many areas within town have been pedestrianised, and this has resulted in a much more vibrant centre of town. However, one of the problems is that cyclists are either unaware of, or indifferent to the rule that the ban on vehicles includes them. Now, the police are to take action.

"Get off your bike or be saddled with a fine." That is the message from Bedford town centre police, who have warned cyclists they are about to get tough with those who flout the biking ban in the pedestrianised area.

They have started using existing powers to issue £30 fine tickets to riders who pedal through the pedestrian zone, rising to £60 if not paid within two weeks.

The crackdown was welcomed by borough councillor John Mingay, who needed a trip to casualty after suffering cuts, bruises and concussion when hit by a cyclist riding on a pavement.

He said: "I think it's an excellent idea, as otherwise a child or an elderly person is going to get seriously injured or even killed by one of these cyclists. And it's not just young hooligans on bikes who lack any social responsibility – sometimes it's middle-aged people.

Cycling at any time has been banned for some years in the town centre pedestrian zone.

Riders have to dismount and push their machines in Silver Street, Harpur Square, Lime Street, part of Allhallows and the traffic-free sections of Midland Road and Harpur Street.

Signs at the entrances to the pedestrian zone clearly lay down the law.

But police spokesman David Cook said an upsurge in cyclists ignoring the rules had prompted sterner treatment from the force from next week.

Mr Cook said: "We have received complaints about this problem from members of the public, who are understandably concerned. We want to give a firm but fair warning to cyclists that we will be out and about and will be issuing fixed penalty notices to those people that flout the ban. Our advice is simply to get off and push your bicycle."

After the success of 2006, Bedford is back competing for the Anglia in Bloom title.
Bedford entered last year and scooped a silver award in the "small city" category and a special nomination for the embankment Gardens, in "best local authority display". This year the town needs to build on this success to establish a winning campaign.

Judging takes place in July. Parks, the embankment, roundabouts and flower beds throughout the town are being readied and cared for to show Bedford at its blooming best.

The borough council runs a busy programme of environmental measures, which include river and street clean-ups by the "Pride in Bedford" team alongside volunteers.

One doesn't tend to visit hospitals unless it becomes necessary, but once one is in there, a place to visit is the Swannery restaurant, which has become so popular that it is said that quite a few business people attend there for lunch! Now a national body has recognized this and the bistro for its high food standards, smoke-free areas and good food hygiene. It has won the be "Three Apples" Award, the highest available.

Whilst mentioning the term smoke-free, from the first day of July it will become against the law to smoke in the indoor sections of buildings such as pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, lunch rooms, membership clubs and shopping centres as well as in all workplaces. The laws mean that virtually all enclosed public spaces and workplaces in England will become smoke-free. Anyone caught smoking in a smoke-free place will face a £50 fine.

I am a non-smoker (I gave it up at the age of eight when I was informed that one had to inhale at the cigarette, not blow!) but whilst I sympathise with those who are addicted to smoking, it will be a pleasure to attend restaurants etc. without having to inhale smoke and put one's clothes on the line upon return!

Two special and, in my humble opinion, much undervalued services, are the Bedford Museum and the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery. The two historic buildings they occupy are to be refurbished thanks to £2.5 million award by the Department for communities and local government. This will bring the Bedford Gallery and Hexagon building back into public use as part of the overall Cecil Higgins Art Gallery in Bedford Museum facilities at the heart of the new Cultural Quarter on Castle Lane. Additional spaces for exhibitions, events and corporate hospitality will be created, and storage conditions for the wonderful collections of the Art Gallery and Museum will be improved.

The Art Gallery was closed a couple of weeks ago. The works to Bedford Gallery start in July and are due to be completed in spring 2008 with opening to the public soon after. The refurbishment of Bedford Gallery is the first phase of plans total refurbishment of Gallery and Museum facilities. Meanwhile, the Bedford Museum remains open and programme activities will continue to take place.

crash Here's a lucky escape. A Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue crew attended an accident involving a double decker bus ans the railway bridge at the end of Elstow Road in Kempston.

The vehicle, reportedly a school bus with no children on board, hit the bridge pulling the roof off the vehicle.

One usually associates wine growing with warmer climes, but increasingly one learns of vineyards existing in this country, and doing so well that in a recent programme wine experts at a wine tasting session delcared the local plonk to be better than the foreign eqivalent! Buw now this trend has come to Bedford, and a pub landlady who prides herself on her wide selection of quality wines has gone one better - by producing her own.

Nine years ago when she took over the Devonshire Arms, in Dudley Street, Bedford, Valerie Walter planted six vines in the pub's 'secret' garden.

The three white and three red vines came from friends in the German wine region of Wollstein, which is twinned with Valerie's home village of Great Barford.

Since then the vines have produced an abundance of grapes and last September, Sue Miller, of Slow Food in Bedford, together with her husband Paul, suggested they harvest the fruits and make wine.

The Slow Food organisation promotes traditionally made food and wines and Valerie is delighted with the result of their labours.

She said: "They have been brilliant and I am proud to say they have produced some outstanding wine in limited quantity for this traditional back street boozer. The red wine has been made using Regent ( Silvaner x Muller Thurgau) grapes and the white is made from the Phoenix (white hybrid) grape which is Sauvignon Blanc in character.

Work has started on the installation of an exciting new water feature in the square known locally as ‘Pigeon Square’ (aka 'Pigeon droppings' square!). The work is expected to be completed by the end of August 2007.

The proposed feature will rejuvenate the square and provide an exhilarating dynamic space.

The Fountain Company Limited has been appointed to install the “dry plaza” water feature. The 7 metre wide water feature will provide 13 jets comprising one centre column jet and two outer rings of jets. Column heights will be variable and the moving water columns will be lit by underwater lighting.

Parts of Church Square will be closed while work takes place during the construction period, but The Fountain Company will do their best to minimise any inconvenience.

Trevor Roff, Head of Economic Development and Regeneration says; “Church Square (Allhallows) is an important public open space and the introduction of the water feature aims to add increased vibrancy and interest in this area and to the town centre generally. The square offers the potential for a range of activities and events and emerging proposals seek to enhance its character and create a visually rich environment for people to enjoy.”

Because I was away at another engagement in Cambridge, I was not able to make a visit to the annual Kite Festival. The weather has been pretty awful of late, but I learn from friends that once again this event had proved a success.

Finally, or almost, a local celebrity and expert on all matters concerning Bedfordshire celebrated his sixtieth birthday on Saturday.

Richard Wildman used to run a highly successful bookshop, was Secretary of the Bedford Society, and is now the archivist for Bedford Modern School. He is generally acknowledged to be an authority in local studies, and has a phenomenal memory. One of his many achievements was to reach the final of the BBC's popular programme "Brain of Britain" a couple of years back, beaten by only one point in the final round. He is also the author of a number of books on Bedford and its history (e.g "Bygone Bedford", "Bedford past and present").

The celebration was attended by worthies in Bedford, including the Mayor and his wife, Nigel Lutt, from the County's archives, and others - too numerous to mention. Jill and I felt most honoured to be invited, not, I am sure, because of any expertise we can lay claim to, but because Jill teaches at BMS.

The celebration took place not in Bedford, however, but at All Saints' Church in Jesus Lane, Cambridge. There we were treated to two interesting talks, one by Stephen, Richard's brother, who is an expert on church architecture, and another on the Tractarian movement.

I have to admit that I would have found it impossible to worship in a church which is as dark and dingy as this one, but I found it a fascinating event, and the enthusiasm of the two experts was most infectious. If you are into church architecture, this is a must!

Finally, today (Wednesday) Tony Blair ceased to be Prime Minister, and is to resign from his post as MP. It was a reader who has commented that my very first newsletter for expats was written in the last few days of John Major's Prime Ministership. So I have been at it for ten years! Sorry that it is less regular than it used to be, but I hope to compile one a month.

News in brief

Occasional newsletter - mainly for expats

June 2007