Get Boosted Now That Restrictions Have Lifted

Bedford Borough currently has the third highest COVID-19 case rate in England, at 1,527 cases per 100,000 people in the local population.

To continue to keep local residents safe and protected, the Council is asking people to:

keep doing a lateral flow test before you meet up with people
wear a face covering in indoor places and when using public transport
stay at home if you’re feeling unwell and book a PCR test if you have COVID symptoms

In addition, the Council will be recommending that education staff and secondary school pupils continue to wear face coverings in communal areas and on school transport until half term, when this will be reviewed.

The best way that you can protect yourself and your loved ones is to make sure you have your booster vaccination.

You can get your COVID-19 booster dose if it’s been 3 months since you had your 2nd dose and you are aged 16 and over.

For more information on boosters and third vaccination doses visit the BLMK CCG website here.

You can also see the latest COVID-19 snapshot for Bedford Borough on our website.

Plant a Tree for Bedford Borough

Bedford Borough Council and the Forest of Marston Vale are inviting Bedford Borough residents to join a tree planting event at Jackman’s Farm on Saturday 5 February 2022.

The event, which will run from 11am to 3pm, is part of an initiative to plant over 5,000 trees in the neighbouring woodland and country park to help combat the climate emergency. It is also a part of the Council’s recent commitment to plant over 10,000 trees during the current tree planting season. Find out more on our website.

Attendees should wear suitable warm clothing, including gloves and boots. Equipment, such as spades and clout hammers will be provided on the day but the Council are inviting people to bring their own, where possible.

If you’d like to sign up to take part or have any questions, you can contact Bedford Borough Council’s Volunteering team by emailing volunteering@bedford.gov.uk.

The Highway Code: Changes You Need To Know

On Saturday 29 January the rules for all types of road users were updated in The Highway Code to improve the safety of people walking, cycling and riding horses. These changes follow a public consultation.

There are eight significant changes that you need to know about, and more detail on these can be found on the Government website.

Key changes include:

Drivers at a junction should give way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing, or waiting to cross, a road that they’re turning into (and also when waiting to cross a zebra crossing or parallel crossing).
Cyclists should give way to pedestrians that are using shared-use cycle tracks, but pedestrians should take care to not obstruct these tracks for cyclists.
Updated guidance on how to safely overtake other road users.
Drivers should not cut across cyclists going ahead, or when turning into or out of a junction, at a roundabout, or when changing direction or lane.
The new ‘Dutch Reach’ technique, which is a door-opening method for drivers and passengers.

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