Lib Dems thank their former Bedford mayor for over 13 'tireless' years of service

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats have thanked their former Bedford mayor for serving the borough for over 13 years.

“Dave Hodgson worked tirelessly for the borough in his role as Mayor for 13 and a half years and we would like to thank him again for everything he has done,” a spokesperson said:

“We would also like to thank the former councillors, our candidates and volunteers who have worked incredibly hard for the last four years.

“We would also like to congratulate everyone who was elected last week and look forward to working with them on the council.”

As well as losing out on the mayor’s office, the party ended up with two fewer councillors, and are currently the joint second largest party.

Until a by-election has been held for the Wyboston Ward, they are tied on 13 councillors with the Conservative Party.

The spokesperson added: “While we were disappointed to lose the mayor and while the ward boundary changes favoured the other parties, Bedford borough residents have elected a fantastic team of Liberal Democrat councillors.

“Who will work hard all year round – not just at election time – and stand up for Bedford borough in the face of Conservative government cuts and neglect,” they said.

It was widely reported that there were campaigns to encourage voters to vote “tactically” to remove or prevent Conservative councillors.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats whether tactical voting split the anti-Conservative vote between Dave Hodgson and Saqhib Ali (Labour).

Its spokesperson said: “Anti-Tory voters who voted Labour – who finished third, again – might want to consider voting tactically next time.

“We will get on with holding the new mayor to account on his election promises.

“We will be working however we can to progress our manifesto priorities: supporting people, environment and climate, and opportunity for all to make Bedford borough an even better place to live, work and play,” they added.