council news Bedford Borough Celebrates Over 110 New Trees through the Trees for Streets Scheme Bedford Borough Council have announced funding (through both public and corporate sponsorships and grant funding) for over 110 street and celebration trees as part of their partnership with organisation Trees for Streets. Residents and businesses from across the local area have been taking part in the programme by coming together with neighbours, friends and family to sponsor either a tree on their street or a celebration tree in one of Bedford Borough’s award-winning parks. Street trees have a number of benefits for local residents, including producing oxygen, improving air quality, creating shade, helping to prevent flooding and supporting biodiversity. Planting more trees has also been shown to positively affect both physical and mental wellbeing. By planting more trees in the borough, people will experience these benefits, while also helping to tackle climate change. This latest announcement comes after Mayor Dave Hodgson planted the first of 10,000 new trees planned for Bedford Borough, after winning funding through the Treescapes Fund and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund.
New Parking Patrol Van Keeping the Borough’s Schools Safe During the first week of the vehicle being in operation in late November, 29 tickets were issued to people parked illegally.
Bedford Borough Councils have a new Parking Patrol van which monitors the morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up outside schools, in order to tackle dangerous and illegal parking. Parking illegally outside schools, either on double yellow lines or on the zig-zag keep clear lines, causes a hazard and is dangerous to school children, parents and other pedestrians. Vehicles idling outside schools also cause a nuisance and add to pollution levels in the air around schools.
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Cllr Charles Royden, Portfolio for Highways said: “I regularly receive complaints about the behaviour of some parents when dropping off or picking up their children at school. Our van will be patrolling outside schools across the borough and we will be enforcing against those who choose to park illegally. “The parking restrictions are in place to keep our children safe. If you choose to park illegally, you are creating a danger to all road users and to children going to school, putting children’s lives at risk.” Bedford Borough Council would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year!
