Environment roles

This team delivers front-line services that protect the environment for residents and visitors to the Borough, as well as keeping it clean - our cleansing team works tirelessly to ensure the borough remains vibrant and beautiful; it's tough work, but also incredibly rewarding. 

Join our dedicated front-line team who care deeply about their work and their community, and are the backbone of our success.

Our front-line services include:

• conservation of parks and riverside
• collection of refuse and recycling of waste
• community regulation
• sustainability for future generations

Job roles in Environment Services 

We have a huge range of roles in Environment Services, from gardening, refuse collection and recycling to parking enforcement, cleansing and crematorium services.

Our recent achievements

Just some of our many achievements in 2023 / 24 include:

• Four of our parks were awarded the Green Flag status. Run by Keep Britain Tidy, a Green Flag recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces.
• Hill Rise Local Nature Reserve, Mowsbury Hillfort and Putnoe Wood also retained their Green Flag Community Awards. 
• After 12 months of operation, our solar farm generated an income of £673,557, and a total export generation of 4500 mWh.
• In a boost to local sports facilities, we secured more than £400,000 of funding to refurbish park tennis courts across the Borough.

This team is responsible for a huge range of services: 

• corporate and community safety and CCTV
• emergency planning, including flood response
• commercial regulation and trading standards, Corporate Health and Safety and Environmental Health
• the provision of the Borough’s libraries, arts, culture, sports development and a range of exciting events

We want to create well-regulated and safer public spaces, to support residents and businesses to thrive and the local economy to prosper. Through the rich culture and heritage on offer, we want to enhance the Borough’s reputation on the national stage and enable residents and visitors to enjoy all we have to offer.  

Teams in Regulatory Services and Culture

Our teams include:

• Community Safety Team, CCTV and Resilience
• Trading Standards
• Corporate Health and Safety
• Environmental Health (Food, Health and Safety and Licensing)
• Sports Development and Leisure
• Libraries
• Museums
• Corn Exchange and Markets

Job roles in Regulatory Services and Culture

We have a variety of roles in Library Services, Environmental Health, Environmental Crime, Community Safety, Sports Development, Community Enforcement, Digital Resources and Archives. We also have front of house roles in our venues and museums in addition to voluntary positions.

Our recent achievements

Just some of our achievements in the last 12 months*:

• Our libraries issued more than 780,000 books.
• More than 9,000 people attended shows at the Corn Exchange.
• Sports Development hosted a range of community activities, the 2024 Yoga Day alone attracted 500 participants, Environmental Health delivered more than 1,000 food hygiene interventions in the last 12 months.
• Community Safety responded to a range of emergencies including the flooding of winter 2023/24.

*As at July 2024

This team plans for, delivers and ensures the regulatory compliance of infrastructure and other major projects, to foster the effective and sustainable development and continued prosperity of our Borough. 

Teams in Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Growth

Our teams are:

• Our Planning Policy and Transport Policy teams develop our local strategies for the Local Plan and Local Transport Plan, housing and commercial land use, and transport infrastructure, to ensure sustainable growth and travel in and around the borough. 
• The Economic Growth team supports local businesses while managing and delivering regeneration projects to stimulate local growth and prosperity, creating a borough that people are proud to live in and excited to visit. 
• The Development Management and Heritage and Compliance teams determine and enforce planning applications and decisions, while ensuring the conservation of local heritage and archaeology. 
• The Jobs Hub and Skills service supports residents further their careers and develop their personal abilities and experience in order to secure brighter futures. 
• Our Building Control team ensures compliance with building regulations, as well as overseeing the demolition of buildings to maintain a safe environment for all. 

Job roles in Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Growth

The service employs specialists in Town and Country Planning, Building Control, Archaeology and Conservation, as well as those with more generally applicable skills in areas such as housing, economic development and administration. 

We also offer apprentice and graduate level schemes that lead to the attainment of nationally recognised planning degrees.

Our recent achievements 

In 2023/2024:

• The Bedford Town Deal has secured over £20 million of government funding for investment in a programme of improvement works across Bedford town centre, including along Midland Road and in St Paul’s Square. 
• Completed the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme, which included six shopfront regenerations, public realm improvement works, and community engagement events organised with local partners. 
• Secured £1 million of government funding for the provision of new electric vehicle charging points, promoting more sustainable transport modes. 
• In 2023, we successfully determined 88% of minor planning applications within the government’s target dates, with a continued strong performance in defending appeals. 
• We secured the adoption of the Greyfriars SPD and purchased the former Debenhams building, which will result in the redevelopment of two key areas of Bedford town centre. 
• The Department for Transport has approved the business case for Wixams Station, enabling this important project to progress. 

This team designs, operates and manages the local transport network for all forms of transport from pedestrians to motorists. Our work is all about the safe, efficient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods.

We maintain and secure safe highways, whilst looking to the future and the sustainability of the transport network. 

Our fleet depot maintains the vehicles used across our services, including our passenger transport vehicles that deliver residents to schools and day centres across the Borough. 

Job roles in Transport, Highways and Engineering

We have roles in transport, highways, street lighting, road signs and parking.

Our recent achievements

In the last year, we: 

• resurfaced over 100 miles of footways and carriageways.
• repaired 98% of high priority (urgent) potholes reported by residents within 24 hours.  
• achieved an overall satisfaction rating of ‘High' from the latest National Highways and Transport Survey.
• kept 100% of our road closures running to time and within their permitted durations. 
• planned, designed, and began the construction of school refurbishment and new build schemes to provide more than 3,500 additional school places in the Borough. This includes one of the largest SEND (special education needs and disabilities) facilities in the country which will open to pupils in Autumn 2024. 
• delivered more than £1.6m in Disabled Facilities Grants and works at more than 150 properties in the Borough. These works will improve living conditions for residents with specific challenges, promoting and encouraging independent living.

*As at July 2024