10 Bedford Business Commandments
Friday 29th October
2010
A wide cross-section of Bedford’s businesses
identified their top priorities at the ‘Shaping Bedford’s Economy’
event, held at the Corn Exchange, on Friday 22nd
October.
The session, hosted by Bedford Borough
Council, provided an opportunity to identify local businesses’
priorities. Outcomes of the event will be used in the planning of
future economic and business support activity.
The council, along with other organisations
that support local businesses and the local economy, are keen to
further understand what will really help make Bedford a better
place for business. The businesses that attended the event awarded
top priority to ‘raising the profile/image of Bedford’, ‘attracting
business investors and visitors.’
The top ten priorities for action were:
1. Marketing the Borough as a
business location
2. Promoting the Borough’s
villages and countryside as great places to live
3. Developing and promoting
Bedford as a distinctive place to shop
4. Identifying, providing and
promoting new business sites and premises
5. Improving riverside access and
facilities along the river
6. Improving existing business
parks and industrial estates
7. Town Centre West – new bus
station, shops etc
8. Traffic management improvements
to reduce congestion and improve air quality
9. Supporting the development of
the cultural sector
10. Support for marketing and helping
businesses grow
The Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson,
said: “There was a real feel of engagement at this important
opportunity for Bedford’s businesses to influence the Council’s and
others’ business support activity. I would like to thank the
businesses that helped us gather further intelligence surrounding
our business landscape, at this critical time for local and
national economies. We are already making use of what came out of
the event.”