Bedford by-election: Lib Dem candidate says supporting communities is key

The Lib Dem candidate for the Riverfield ward by-election said she wants to carry on the work of her predecessor.

Hilde Hendrickx said she enjoyed being the councillor for the area when it was part of the Newnham ward.

“When I go door knocking people recognise me and it’s like reconnecting with them,” she said.

The ward was split from Newnham for the 2023 local elections and Lib Dem Billy Thompson became its first ward councillor. But he has had to resign as his new job has led to him moving away from the area.

“I want to continue some of the work that we started doing there,” Ms Hendrickx said.

“I think we have made really improvements to the area and I’m very keen to do more.”

Ms Hendrickx said she has three priorities, with one being road safety for all road users.

“You’ve got Riverfield Drive, Barkers Lane and Goldington Road, these are all busy roads and often there’s speeding traffic. And you have all the side roads, and most of them are fairly quiet. But it’s important that we ensure that it’s a safe neighbourhood for everyone and that we have the infrastructure to go with it.”

The other two are keeping the ward “green and clean”, and supporting the community.

“It’s a lovely area with Priory Park bang in the middle of it, which is a great wildlife site,” she said.

“So making sure that the ward stays green [includes] making sure that we plant more trees and that we look after all the green spaces to keep it clean because there is an issue with litter and littering [as well]. [But what’s] really core to what a councillor does is supporting people and communities.

“I’m keen to support community initiatives, anything where a community gets together, or a group gets together and wants to get something changed or wants to achieve something.

“For me being a councillor is about representing the interests of the residents of the ward. But it’s also about trying to do the best for Bedford borough as a whole.

“I think that is part of being a councillor that residents perhaps may not see that much, it’s the committee work, it’s the scrutiny. It’s making decisions on budget, it’s raising issues that perhaps don’t get enough attention.

“So that’s quite a bit of what a councillor can do as well for Bedford borough as a whole.

“I’ll fight as hard as I can to be the councillor for this ward, but equally I wish all the other candidates good luck as well.

“I do believe that when you stand as a councillor there’s more that unites you than divides you. We all just want to get the best for the ward.

“As to what exactly that is may differ, but I do believe in good intentions.”

The other candidates standing for the election on May 2 are Natalie Christian-John (Conservative), Warwick Mackie (Labour) and Emma Smart (Green).