Hear from our staff in Environment roles

Visitors to Borough Hall are likely to recognise Yolanda Rowe – not only has she worked for Bedford Borough Council for nearly six years, but she is one of the first faces you will see on reception as a Customer Service Officer. 

Yet there is more than meets the eye to Yolanda, who is also a student, a musician, and an online content creator.

Yolanda initially joined the Council as an apprentice with the Early Help team, before taking her current role in 2020.

Yolanda is also a musician, songwriter, and producer, who frequently works as both a live and studio musician. She sings, plays both piano and violin, and is currently studying Business Management at university after originally planning to study music.

She described the impact working for Bedford Borough Council has had on her life and her view of the world. “I came here when I left school and was deciding what I wanted to do with my life, whether to go to university, and what to study if I did. Being here really helped me to change my perspective and challenged me to go beyond my comfort zone. It’s given me new skills and allowed me to realise how I can use them to present myself as a musician, at university, and other life spaces. 

“I’ve been really lucky to have such good mentors, in both my roles. Sarah Rayner and James Braddon were great when I first came here, helping me to navigate the job. And as a Customer Service Officer I’ve had mentors like Jonathan Swindale, Jason Rose, Kristine Sanderson and Laura Brennan – they’ve been fantastic through all the highs and lows. But I’ve had so many mentors, in all the departments I’ve worked in. Overall, the council has definitely been an integral part of the foundations to my growth.”

She added: “Every Friday I post a feelgood post on Instagram, something to make people smile, explore a new song, lifestyle videos – it’s videography with a sense of humour. It’s really all about communication – just like working as a Customer Service Officer.”  

When flooding swept the UK in 2024, Bedford Borough Council’s Resilience Team were on duty keeping our towns and villages safe. But what do they do when heavy rainfall threatens our homes and roads? We spoke to Senior Flood Risk Officer Melanie Bright for an insight into her role.

Melanie and the team are constantly monitoring river levels and rain forecasts throughout the year to be prepared for any flooding that may occur.  On the evening of New Years Day into the early hours of 2 January 2024, 17mm of rainfall fell on an already-saturated catchment which led to surface water flooding across a number of our northern villages. 

The team started going out to these locations to assess the impact as well as to offer support and advise to residents. The team were also immediately in contact with the community flood groups in Carlton, Riseley, Yielden, Harrold, Odell, Clapham and Turvey. The groups are made up of volunteers in local areas and play a key role as the eyes and ears of the Council, creating greater resilience in each community.

With the flashing catchments like Riseley and Yielden, “the river levels were rising quickly, and we were in touch to see what other support they needed from the Council,” explained Melanie. “Every flood group has a flood plan in place which details what action that group will take during a flood event. They also have a ‘flood kit’ to support them.

“They’re our eyes and ears, who can tell us the situation on the ground in a matter of minutes - far faster than we could all get out to every village – when those first few hours are vital in coordinating our response. They’re ordinary people, who care about their communities and helping each other. Plus they know their flood risk and their community much better than us

“During any flood event we also work closely with other council departments, like Highways, and with other emergency services. Coordinating our response, closing roads clearing any blockages, offering support and information, and going out to places that are affected, is absolutely key.”

Each day brought its own challenges as the rain continued to fall throughout the week, and each town and village had its own needs too. Particularly as the flood risk moved from surface water flooding to fluvial flooding from the River Great Ouse as levels started to rise reacting to the rainfall. For Melanie and the team, that meant working around the clock.

She said: “We went out to any place that had flooding. We have emergency pods in Mowsbury Park and Harrold-Odell Country Park, with a stock of aqua sacs which we distribute to those homes which we could take to homes which were at imminent risk of flooding. Again, we coordinate this with our Highways and Environment teams to help reach all those in need. Following the Flood Warning from Bedford that was receiving we were also in Bedford Town Centre ensuring riverside properties had their own flood defences installed and provide information.

“There are some hotspot areas which are always the most likely to be affected, and are at risk of surface water flooding or fluvial flooding from a river, but new areas often come up which we then need to investigate going forward to understand how and why the flooding occurred. That helps our response, and it helps us to tackle deeper issues once the flooding is over.”

Since the most recent flooding, communities in Podington and communities in Kempston have also approached Bedford Borough Council about forming their own flood groups. And anyone else who is interested in doing so can find out more by emailing floodrisk@bedford.gov.uk

Sarah Stevens, Bedford Borough Council’s Manager for Community Safety and Resilience said: “Melanie was just one member of a brilliant team who played a key role in keeping people across the Borough safe and well.

“Melanie, Steve Kuc, Ollie Ewington, and Jeff Carter all deserve special praise, but so do all the other staff who volunteered to be on stand-by throughout the week, our highways teams that were out throughout – and, of course, our flood groups. They showed the dedication of our staff and are a credit to the Council.” 

Working in Bedford Borough Council’s Jobs Hub is a privilege says Salema Khatun, who spends her days “making small differences to people’s lives which can have a huge impact”.

Salema is the Jobs and Skills Team Leader and has been with the Council for nine years, having grown up in Bedford before moving to London. She was on maternity leave when she saw the role advertised, and from her first day she has enjoyed serving the community she lives in.

Salema said; “Everyone here believes in Bedford Borough - we all want to help people who live here and to deliver results. It’s more than just a job, and every day you can see the impact you have on other people’s lives.

“When I started, I met with one of my former managers and they told me ‘When someone walks through that door, remember that you don’t know what struggle they’ve had to get here’. That’s why we want people to feel at ease from the moment they walk through the front door, and that the first thing our advisers do at the first meeting is to put their pens down and simply listen.”

A person’s journey with the Jobs Hub will begin with booking an appointment. That can be done in person, by email or phone, or by being referred such as by an NHS partner, a faith or community group, or in some cases schools referring parents.

And the first appointment is crucial says Salema, adding; “It’s one-to-one, and we’re there to listen and hear what they need.

“Sometimes it’s a one-off visit, or it can be ongoing. There aren’t restrictions to the number of visits, but around seven out of 10 people simply need help like sorting a CV.

“The second appointment will be job-searching and helping them with how to do that. We’ll also send them links, and there will be a follow-up call to see how they’re getting on.

“Then we’ll call them in again to help with preparation for interviewing.”

But the help that different people need, and how long the journey takes, can vary too.

“Typically, if you’ve been working for most of your adult life, you should be able to get a job in two or three months,” said Salema.

“For people who are under-skilled its not that they can’t get a job or that they can’t do a job – it’s that there’s so much competition. So, if they’ve worked in warehousing for two or three years, we can look to upskill them with a supervisory qualification or look at other jobs.”

From this year the Jobs Hub is changing emphasis to working with people who are economically inactive, such as the unemployed, retired, and stay-at-home parents.

But for Salema and the team, every client is important.

“This job is a real privilege,” she said. “I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”